Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm James A. Leiz
  • Patent number: 6442332
    Abstract: An interactive program guide system is provided. The system facilitates recording of programs selected from the program guide. The system handles the recording and viewing of pay programs, parentally-controlled programs, consecutive programs on different television channels, and programs with and without copy protection. Programs may be recorded using combination television videocassette recorder (TV/VCR) units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: United Video Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward B. Knudson, Michael D. Ellis, William L. Thomas, Bruce L. Davis
  • Patent number: 6417479
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for replacing an old wire threaded through a flyer winder with a new wire are provided. A first end of the old wire is connected to a first end of the new wire. The wires may be connected by twining, clamping, welding or the like. A second end of the old wire that extends from one of the winder's flyers is then connected to a collection device, and the old wire is collected until the new wire has been threaded through the flyer winder along the same path traveled by the old wire. The collection device may be an armature or similar structure having recesses for collecting the old wire during wire change-over or replacement. Preferably the collection device is configured so that conventional coil lead connection operations may be used to expedite wire change-over or replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Antonio Becherucci, Rossano Galassi, Antonio Randazzo, Maurizio Mugelli, Gianfranco Stratico
  • Patent number: 6411993
    Abstract: An interactive Web book (“ibook”) system is provided that allows material to be contributed to the World Wide Web. An ibook is a self-extending, self-sustaining information-redistributing Web robot, which is resident on a data network such as the Internet or an intranet. Users may enroll with an ibook as viewers or contributors. Viewers may view ibook material, such as text or multimedia content. Contributors may contribute original material to the ibook or may create derivations of existing ibook material. Attribution information that identifies the source of material in a derivation is automatically generated. Information concerning the derivation of each work and its characteristics can be used to help the user navigate through ibook material. The ibook system keeps track of how often users access each work within an ibook. Contributors may be automatically rewarded (e.g., by a monetary distribution) based on the extent to which their contributed material is viewed by the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Family Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Brian Reynolds, Richard Scott Goldhor
  • Patent number: 6394777
    Abstract: A rotary screw type pump is provided with internal cavities within the rotors. The rotors include shaft portions that extend out from the casing that contains the screw portion of the rotors. The cavities extend from the screw portion of the rotors at the compression side of the casing to the shaft portion of the rotors. The cavities are charged with a fluid and may include a porous wick in order to act similar to a heat pipe for removing the heat generated during pump compression. The heat is transferred to the shaft portion of the rotors. The shaft portion of the rotors extend into a cavity that contains a coolant. A water jacket surrounds the cavity. The heat is transferred from the shaft portion of the rotors to the coolant and then the water jacket for removal. The heat transfer from the shaft portions to the coolant may be facilitated with the use of fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: The Nash Engineering Company
    Inventor: Harold K. Haavik
  • Patent number: 6354808
    Abstract: Liquid ring pumps, of the type having a port structure that extends into an annular recess in an end of the rotor, have several parts that are designed so that they can be used to make pumps having either relatively demanding service requirements or substantially less demanding service requirements. Some of these parts can be substantially exactly the same in both final pump configurations. Others of these parts may be castings that differ substantially only in some subsequent machining in order to adapt them for each final pump configuration. Some of the final pump configurations have more compact mechanical seal structures and/or improved structures for supplying liquid to the seal structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: The Nash Engineering Company
    Inventors: Ramesh B. Shenoi, Carl G. Dudeck
  • Patent number: 6353986
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for manufacturing armatures according to a first and a second configuration is provided. An information storage device associated with one of the components is provided to store information corresponding to one of the first and second configurations. A processing station is provided which is capable of performing a first processing step corresponding to the first configuration and a second processing step corresponding to the second configuration. The processing station is arranged to perform one of the processing steps according to the information stored in the information storage device. Changeover from a batch of first configuration components to a batch of second configuration components is achieved by delaying departure of processed second batch components from the processing station until all first batch components have been processed and have departed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Raffaele Becherucci, Carlo Domenichini
  • Patent number: 6275648
    Abstract: An interactive program guide system is provided. The system facilitates recording of programs selected from the program guide. The system handles the recording and viewing of pay programs, parentally-controlled programs, consecutive programs on different television channels, and programs with and without copy protection. Programs may be recorded using combination television videocassette recorder (TV/VCR) units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: United Video Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward B. Knudson, Michael D. Ellis, William L. Thomas, Bruce L. Davis