Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Dorn, McEachran, Jambor & Keating
  • Patent number: 5996466
    Abstract: In a load holding valve L, comprising a check valve R and a pressure limiting valve D in a housing chamber which is common to said two valves, a seat insert 13 has provided therein a valve seat 19 for a closure member 4 of the pressure-limiting valve D and a sealing surface 15 for a check-valve closure member 16, and an opening piston 9, which is coupled to the closure member 4, is provided in a pilot chamber 10, an effective area of said closure member 4 being, in a direction opposite to the direction of spring loading, adapted to be acted upon by the pressure to be limited, the opening piston 9 is formed integrally with the closure member 4 and is provided with a pressure surface in the pilot chamber 10 which is slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the valve seat 19, and the valve seat 19 defines in combination with control passages K formed in the closure member 4 a stroke-dependent quantity control device M.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Heilmeier & Weinlein Fabrik fur Oel-Hydraulik GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Martin Heusser
  • Patent number: 5992366
    Abstract: A thermal cutout module is insertable into the starting circuit of a vehicle. The module places a thermal cutout in intimate physical contact with the ignition switch. In the event of a failure in the ignition switch creating an overheating condition the thermal cutout will open and stop current from flowing in the starting circuit. The module includes a control relay which allows the starting current to flow through the relay and not through the ignition switch contacts. LED's are provided to indicate the status of the cutout module. A portion of the module is mounted on a bracket attached to the vehicle firewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Questek Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Dale R. Krueger
  • Patent number: 5991953
    Abstract: A sweeping machine includes a chassis with wheels supporting the chassis on a surface to be swept. There is a brush mounted on the chassis for rotation in a direction to throw debris over the brush and into a debris hopper mounted on the chassis behind the brush. A flap assembly is positioned in front of the brush and closely adjacent thereto. The flap assembly has a flexible lip which is in contact with a surface being swept during its normal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventors: Donald F. Durenberger, Michael T. Basham, Joseph F. D'Costa
  • Patent number: 5990772
    Abstract: An electrical switch has a substrate with at least one pair of spaced switch contacts arranged to be shorted by an electrically conductive armature. The armature defines a central axis with first and second portions on either side of the axis which portions terminate at first and second edges. The armature is normally held spaced from the contacts by magnetic attraction to a coupler layer disposed in spaced relation to the substrate. The armature is movable by an actuating force to engagement with the substrate. The armature separates from the coupler layer by a double pivoting motion. An actuating force applied to the armature remote from its central axis causes one edge of the armature nearest the actuating force to break away from the coupler layer. The armature then pivots about the opposite edge of the armature until the one edge bottoms on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Duraswitch Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony J. Van Zeeland
  • Patent number: 5988588
    Abstract: A battery-powered faucet control module has a housing, with a base portion and a cover portion. The cover portion is removably attached to the base portion. There is an electric control board mounted in the housing base portion and an electrically-operated control valve is associated with the housing and electrically connected to the control board. There is a cavity in the housing base portion and a removable battery pack is positioned within the cavity. The battery pack has positive and negative contact straps on the exterior thereof. There are positive and negative spring contacts connected to the electric control board and such spring contacts are in engagement with the positive and negative contact straps when the battery pack is positioned within the housing cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Asloan Valve Company
    Inventors: Charles S. Allen, Martin E. Marcichow, Richard A. Nortier
  • Patent number: 5983447
    Abstract: A vacuum trash collection vehicle has a debris container and a source of vacuum, both located on the vehicle. There is a hose connected at one end to the debris container and has the source of vacuum applied thereto. The other end of the hose is open to form a collection nozzle. There is a boom for supporting the nozzle during use as a debris collection device with the boom including a rear support arm pivotally mounted to the vehicle and supporting the hose in a rear area and a forward support arm pivotally mounted to the rear arm and supporting the hose at an area forward of the rear support arm. There is a control element accessible to the vehicle driver for moving the hose and nozzle. There is a spring pivotally connected between the rear and front support arms which urges the front support arm in an upward direction to, at least in part, carry the weight of the hose for assisting the vehicle driver in operating the control element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventor: Steven L. Boomgaarden
  • Patent number: 5979354
    Abstract: A submarine has a forward pressure hull, an aft pressure hull, and a third pressure hull vessel which is connectable to each of the forward and the aft pressure hulls, wherein the submarine is provided with an array of tubes suitable for launching missiles, the tubes being disposed between the forward and the aft pressure hulls, generally around or adjacent to the center of buoyancy of the submarine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Inventor: Javier Silvano Arzola
  • Patent number: 5975939
    Abstract: A connector terminal which twist mounts to one or more electrical conductors. A terminal fitting includes a number of prongs and a terminal end. The terminal end is selected to accommodate a particular one of a variety of terminations. The prongs are staked within an insulated housing and are conically flared outward to fit mating recesses at the housing. A spiral wound spring having a compound tapered longitudinal surface is screw fitted to the staked prongs and housing. Edges of the spring windings bite into the prongs and housing to permanently secure the termination end and spring to the housing. Connectors having alternative terminal ends are disclosed for making a wide variety of electrical connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Ideal Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Roger A. Market
  • Patent number: 5975538
    Abstract: A lip seal for use in low torque, high pressure applications including a rigid retainer, a resilient body essentially covering the retainer and an inner support member. The inner support member provides spacing and orienting functions for the other elements. The inner support member has a radial dimension and outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of an outer axial wall of the retainer so that a gap is maintained between the retainer and the inner support member under a variety of pressure, torque and shaft deflection conditions. Gap maintaining elements, preferably in the form of axially extending guides, prevent contact between the rigid seal elements. The guides may further comprise nub portions at one end which contain the inner support member in the cavity prior to installation on the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: John Crane Inc.
    Inventors: Roger W. Krause, Scott C. Spencer, Donald C. Ulrich
  • Patent number: 5974925
    Abstract: A high speed slicing machine feeds two or more food loaves continuously along parallel loaf paths through an orifice member into a slicing station for slicing by one cyclically driven knife blade; the slices are stacked or shingled in groups on a receiving conveyor below the slicing station. There are two independent loaf feed drives; slices from one loaf may be thicker than slices from the others. Each loaf feed drive advances at least one loaf into the slicing station, partly by gravity and partly by a positive loaf feed drive. Each positive loaf feed drive comprises a pair of angularly converging "short" conveyors; adjustments and bias are provided for each set of "short" conveyors. In the slicing station, an arcuate blade is rotated along a closed cutting path that intersects the ends of food loaves fed into the slicing station. A conveyor system discharges groups of food loaf slices after they are weighed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Formax, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Lindee, David M. Hansen
  • Patent number: 5972450
    Abstract: A coated metal tubing arrangement comprises a metal tube. An inner layer of a first polymeric material is bonded to the tube to provide corrosion protection. The first polymeric material has a high crystallinity, a dampening factor of less than 0.05, and a flexural modulus of at least 100 MPa. An outer layer of a second polymeric material is extruded around the inner layer to absorb impact energies and to eliminate mechanical vibrations and acoustic noises. The second polymeric material has a dampening factor of at least 0.05 and a flexural modulus of less than 50 MPa. The second polymeric material is a multi-phase polymer having at least one polymer component with a glass-transition temperature below room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Bundy Corporation
    Inventors: Henry S. Hsich, Dennis C. Soles
  • Patent number: 5971299
    Abstract: A spray device for use as an alternate water discharge to a faucet has a body with a handle and a spray head. The spray head has discharge openings therein. There is a trigger movable on the body between an off position and an on position. There is a chamber within the body which is in communication with a source of water under pressure and there is a water passage between the chamber and the discharge openings. A valve is movable within the chamber in response to movement of the trigger to connect the source of water under pressure through the chamber, to the water passage, and then to the discharge openings. The water passage is formed between closely spaced facing walls having a textured surface thereon to create adequate surface tension with water within the water passage, whereby water therein will not move to the discharge openings unless the water passage is connected to the source of water under pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventors: Todd C. Loschelder, Eduardo E. Milrud, Thomas J. Overberg, Vance M. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5967525
    Abstract: A rotating split seal ring assembly comprises a seal ring having a split dividing the seal ring into at least two sections configured to fit a round a shaft, a clamp ring having a split dividing the clamp ring into at least two sections configured to circumferentially surround the seal ring, each clamp ring section having tabs which cooperate with corresponding tabs on another clamp ring section to permit assembly of the clamp ring sections around the seal ring; and a housing having a split dividing the housing into at least two sections configured to fit around the shaft, the housing including first and second notches having at least one converging angle sidewall configured to receive and engage the tabs so as to prevent rotation of the clamp ring relative to the housing. Upon shaft rotation, the tabs each engage at least one converging angle sidewall to provide metal-to-metal contact between the tabs and the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: John Crane Sealol Inc.
    Inventors: Jan E. Sandgren, James S. Porter
  • Patent number: 5967182
    Abstract: A diaphragm type of flush valve for use with toilet devices such as urinals and water closets includes a body having an inlet and an outlet. There is a valve seat between the inlet and outlet and a valve member is movable to a closing position on the valve seat to stop flow between the inlet and outlet. The valve member includes a diaphragm assembly peripherally attached to the body. There is a pressure chamber above the diaphragm assembly for holding the valve member on the valve seat. A filter and bypass orifice in the diaphragm assembly connects the inlet and the pressure chamber. The filter includes a circumferential filter ring attached to the underside of the diaphragm and positioned adjacent its periphery. The ring has a plurality of circumferentially spaced filter grooves in communication with the inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Sloan Valley Company
    Inventor: John R. Wilson
  • Patent number: D415821
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventors: Eduardo Milrud, Thomas H. Burchard, Stephanie Schwarz, Gert Trauernicht, Jonas Brickus
  • Patent number: D415826
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventors: John C. Costello, Kevin R. Young, Roy A. Thompson
  • Patent number: D416139
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Creative Specialties, Inc.
    Inventors: James Edward Roth, Melinda Jane Shafran
  • Patent number: D416985
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventors: Eric D. Green, Vincent Haley
  • Patent number: D417257
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventor: Eduardo Milrud
  • Patent number: D417258
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventors: Eric D. Green, Eduardo Milrud