Patents Represented by Attorney John L. McGannon
  • Patent number: 5465427
    Abstract: A mask body of semi-rigid material having a plurality of holes through the body which permit visibility and breathability. The inner surface of the mask body is of a dark color so as not to impair the vision of the wearer. The outer surface of the mask is preferably painted with a desired image or a solid color. The holes can be made in the body before or after the body forming process. The mask can be covered with different materials for different visual and textural effects. For example, the mask could be partially or fully covered with hair, fur, fabric, appendages, paint or other finishes. The mask could be reversible if desired, and it could have a rotatable mask body on the whole head and the head can be rotatable on the head or have spinning effects on the head or other desired effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignee: Creative Minds Foundation
    Inventor: Rodney M. Shields
  • Patent number: 4828108
    Abstract: The package of the present invention comprises a sheath formed from a folded, relatively rigid strip having structure for receiving and releasably holding the ends of the fiber to be packaged. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber is between the two folded over parts of the strip with the ends of the fiber anchored in place in a pair of slits. The sheath is in a pouch formed by a pair of foil members on opposite sides of the sheath. When ready for use, the package is opened by peeling the foil members apart, thereby exposing the sheath and permitting access to the fiber carried by the sheath. An improved apparatus and method are provided to form the package. In the first instance, the sheath is prepared by first folding a strip of relatively rigid material, such as siliconized polyester, then moving the folded strip along a path of travel and feeding the fiber into the region between the parts of the strip as the strip moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1989
    Assignee: ALZA Corporation
    Inventors: Nathan Roth, Andrew Nelsen
  • Patent number: 4828109
    Abstract: The package of the present invention comprises a sheath formed from a folded, relatively rigid strip having structure for receiving and releasably holding the ends of the fiber to be packaged. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber is between the two folded over parts of the strip with the ends of the fiber anchored in place in a pair of slits. The sheath is in a pouch formed by a pair of foil members on opposite sides of the sheath. When ready for use, the package is opened by peeling the foil members apart, thereby exposing the sheath and permitting access to the fiber carried by the sheath. An improved apparatus and method are provided to form the package. In the first instance, the sheath is prepared by first folding a strip of relatively rigid material, such as siliconized polyester, the moving the folded strip along a path of travel and feeding the fiber into the region between the parts of the strip as the strip moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1989
    Assignee: ALZA Corporation
    Inventors: Nathan Roth, Andrew Nelsen
  • Patent number: 4632601
    Abstract: A system and process for dissolving certain noncondensable gases into geothermal waste water after the useful energy has been extracted from the geothermal fluid from which the noncondensable gases and the waste water are derived. A tubing is mounted in place within a wellhead casing which extends downwardly therefrom to an injection zone below ground. The length of the tubing is selected to at least correspond to the depth in the casing which provides a static waste water head pressure equal to the gas partial pressure required to dissolve at least a portion of the noncondensable gases into the waste water. The tubing has holes near the lower open end which communicates with the wellhead casing so that the noncondensable gases can flow into the wellhead casing and dissolve in the waste water flowing downwardly in the casing to the injection zone. A gas cap chamber is provided near the upper end of the wellhead casing for collecting the noncondensable gases which are undissolved and rise to the wellhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1986
    Inventor: James T. Kuwada
  • Patent number: 4515401
    Abstract: A door lock for attachment to a door which can move into a position adjacent to a jamb having a door strike. The lock includes a support member formed from a pair of spaced, generally parallel sides and an end wall interconnecting the sides. The sides and end wall are adapted to enclose a recess cut in the edge of the door. A shiftable lock bolt is carried between the sides and movable through an opening in the end wall and into locked relationship to the door strike when the door is in a closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1985
    Inventor: William F. Klay
  • Patent number: 4470196
    Abstract: A holder of improved construction for mounting a saber saw blade on a drive means for reciprocation. The holder includes means defining a slot for receiving the blade, and means coupled with the support means for retaining the blade in the slot and for preventing movement of the blade relative to the support when the support and blade are reciprocating under the influence of the drive means. The holding means in several embodiments includes cam members which are received in notches in responsive blades. Other embodiments relate to the formation of blade-receiving slots by moving wall means into proximity with recesses in side faces of elongated members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1984
    Inventor: Simon J. Hoffman
  • Patent number: 4463859
    Abstract: A versatile feeding system for use by infants and children in which liquid from a bottle is either fed out of the bottle through an adapter, through the improved nipple and into the mouth of the infant or child; or liquid from the bottle is fed out of the bottle through the adapter, through a flexible tube, and into and through a nipple assembly which is adapted to be placed in the mouth of the infant or child.The adapter includes a pair of halves which are held in place in the open top of the bottle by a screw cap, each half including a flow regulator of resilient material having slits therein which open or close due to suction pressure, and at least one flow restrictor having slots therein for controlling the volume rate of flow of liquid through the adapter. The elongation and deformation of the regulator is controlled by two reducers in one half housing and by one reducer in the other half housing, each reducer has a centrally located hole beveled on one side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1984
    Inventor: Vibert F. Greene
  • Patent number: 4461330
    Abstract: A woodworking power tool comprising a base plate having a motor mounted thereon at one end of the base plate. The motor has a motor housing on which a spindle housing is mounted for rotation through an arc of 180.degree.. The spindle housing has a spindle therein and the spindle is adjustably mounted for up and down movement with referene to the bottom flat surface of the base plate. A toggle mechanism is carried by a handle grip on the base plate for adjustably locking the spindle housing in a fixed, rotative position on the motor housing. A shaft is rotatably mounted in the spindle and has a tool-actuated collet for releasably attaching the shank of a cutting tool to the shaft. A drive train connects the drive shaft of the motor with the shaft of the spindle to rotate the cutting tool on the end of the spindle shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1984
    Inventor: Donald J. Judkins
  • Patent number: 4458384
    Abstract: A holder adapted to be removably attached to a garment, such as a shirt or blouse, for releaseably holding a pair of eyeglasses on the garment. The holder includes a body formed by a pair of end parts which effectively form closed loops, and a central part which interconnects the end parts. An attachment device, such as a pin, is carried by the central part for attachment to a garment. The central part can either be vertical, horizontal or inclined when the body is attached to the garment, and the end parts are adapted to receive and removably hold one of the two temples of a pair of eyeglasses while the other temple extends longitudinally of the first temple but externally of the end parts. Several embodiments of the invention are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1984
    Inventor: Theresa R. Arnold
  • Patent number: 4459209
    Abstract: A material collector for a fluid container having a bottom drain outlet, such as a swimming pool. The collector includes an open top receptacle provided with a perforate side wall or bottom wall. An imperforate skirt extends outwardly and downwardly from the upper margin of the side wall and has an outer periphery spaced from the side wall for engaging the bottom of the fluid container when the receptacle is spaced above the drain outlet. A dome-shaped cover above the receptacle forms a duct with the skirt to permit material, such as debris, to be swept by the flow of the fluid of the container into the open top of the receptacle where the receptacle collects the material as the fluid continues to flow through the perforate wall of the receptacle and into the drain outlet of the container therebelow. A post or line releasably coupled to the receptacle permits the receptacle and the cover to be lifted together out of the fluid in the container and emptied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1984
    Inventor: Daniel W. Broadwater
  • Patent number: 4459117
    Abstract: The liquid jet propulsion unit is driven by the conventional outboard motor. The drive of the motor directly rotates an impeller which draws up the water into an impeller chamber where it is moved by isentropic radially extending impeller blades. These blades have three progressive stages from inlet to outlet, i.e., axial, transition, and radial. In the delivery of the intake liquid to the outlet chamber the twisting turbulence is reduced and is straightened out and is further straightened by the outlet vane to give a stream greater lineal length and force through the outlet nozzle, which drives the craft forward. Since the vertical distance between intake and outlet is only a matter of a few inches, shallow draft boats can be driven successfullyin shallow and rocky water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1978
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1984
    Inventor: Robert L. Jordan
  • Patent number: 4457805
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for recovering clean solvent from a mixture of solvent and contaminants. The apparatus includes an open top tank mounted in a housing below a sink in which articles to be cleaned with solvent are placed. The sink has a tap through which solvent is directed so that the articles can be cleaned by hand in the sink itself. A disposable, plastic bag is receivable in the tank and the tank is closed by a cover. Contaminated solvent can flow from the sink, through the cover and into the bag in the tank. Contaminated solvent in the bag is heated by heating a liquid surrounding the side wall of the tank and below the bottom of the tank so that the solvent in the bag will vaporize. A tube leading out of the tank carries solvent vapor into a heat exchanger where the vapor is condensed to form clean, liquid solvent, and the liquid solvent is collected in a reservoir. A pump is coupled to the reservoir for pumping liquid solvent to the tap at the sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: Zerpa Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Manuel G. Pastor
  • Patent number: 4454873
    Abstract: An orthopedic cast material having a thermoplastic material and provided with a quantity of (poly)ethylene oxide applied thereto to prevent adherence of adjacent convolutions of the cast material when it is in the form of a roll and is immersed in hot water prior to being wrapped on a limb or body part of a patient. The (poly)ethylene oxide can be in the form of a coating on the outer surface of the cast material or in the resin of the cast material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1984
    Assignee: Hexcel Corporation
    Inventors: Carol J. Laufenberg, Milton F. Custer
  • Patent number: 4450765
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for applying permanent indicia, such as numbers representing calendar dates, on surface portions of plastic containers, such as containers for holding milk. The apparatus includes a heated die and an inked web mounted on a support plate in positions to cause the indicia-forming elements on the die to engage and force a portion of the web into intimate contact with a flat surface portion of a container. The die effectively brands the container and the ink on the web portion is transferred into the branded portion of the container to render the branded portion readily observable. The containers are moved incrementally past the die and web portion by a conveyor. A container holding device is mounted in a fixed location on the opposite side of the conveyor aligned with the die so that each container is held against lateral movement as the die forces the web portion into contact with the surface of the container to be branded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1984
    Inventor: Roger C. Van Steenkiste
  • Patent number: 4445956
    Abstract: An improved method and material for securing a thin-edged deformable structure, such as a honeycomb core, so that the structure may be machined while it is in a generally stabilized condition. The material is a laminate which is bonded to one side of the structure to be machined. The laminate is then secured by vacuum and the structure is then machined in a desired manner. The laminate includes a first stabilizing layer formed from a mesh of fiberglass, nylon or the like and having relative large openings. The mesh is impregnated with a suitable epoxy or phenolic resin which acts as an adhesive to secure the mesh to the structure. A fabric of nylon or the like is applied over the mesh and bonded thereto. A third and final layer includes a non-porous plastic sheet which permits the laminate to adhere by suction to a vacuum chuck. After machining, the fabric and non-porous layers are removed, leaving the open mesh layer fixed to the structure to stabilize it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1984
    Assignee: Hexcel Corporation
    Inventors: Bob L. Freeman, Peter W. Borris
  • Patent number: 4442642
    Abstract: A wall assembly comprised of a number of wall panels releasably coupled by clips of improved construction to spaced, vertical studs. Each wall panel has an end face and each clip has a number of tines or teeth which are forced or driven into the end face of the corresponding wall panel. The clip further has a resilient part mounted on a base part which engages the adjacent surface of a wall panel. The resilient part yields in one direction when it engages the adjacent flange of the stud as the wall panel is forced toward the stud in a horizontal direction. This permits the resilient part to pass by and thereby clear the flange of the stud, whereupon the resilient part snaps back behind the flange and thereby releasably couples the wall panel to the flange with the wall panel at the front of the flange. The resilient part is breakable from the body of the clip when the wall panel is pulled in a horizontal direction away from the stud, thereby permitting removal of the wall panel from the wall assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1984
    Inventors: Robert L. Lindner, Luther Marshall
  • Patent number: 4441255
    Abstract: A holder of improved construction for mounting a saber saw blade on a drive means for reciprocation. The holder includes means defining a slot for receiving the blade, and means coupled with the support means for retaining the blade in the slot and for preventing movement of the blade relative to the support when the support and blade are reciprocating under the influence of the drive means. The holding means in several embodiments includes cam members which are received in notches in respective blades. Other embodiments relate to the formation of blade-receiving slots by moving wall means into proximity with recesses in side faces of elongated members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1981
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1984
    Inventor: Simon J. Hoffman
  • Patent number: 4436582
    Abstract: A multilevel metallization process which allows fabrication of several types of high density MOS and bipolar integrated circuits. The process uses a pad located under the inter-layer contact opening. The material of the pad is poly-silicon (doped or undoped), a refractory metal, or a refractory metal silicide which is not capable of being attacked during chemical etching of the metallization layers. If poly-silicon is used, it is either doped during its deposition or during contact doping, or it is automatically silicided during ohmic and Schottky contact formations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 13, 1984
    Inventor: Arjun N. Saxena
  • Patent number: 4427495
    Abstract: Apparatus and a method for upgrading low pressure steam or brine, such as from a geothermal well, to prepare the steam or brine for any one of a number of uses, such as for conversion to pure, high pressure, high temperature steam for driving turbines. The system operates in a degasification phase in which a small amount of superheated steam is applied to the brine to scrub the same to cause the removal of concentrated gases therefrom. The degasified product is then pumped to a high pressure, heated countercurrently, and directed through a demineralized phase to remove the salts and solids in a liquid phase and convert the bulk of the water into pure, high pressure saturated steam. The steam output from the demineralizing phase can then be used to produce useful work, such as driving a turbine. In addition to forming saturated steam from geothermal brine, the system can be used to form pure saturated steam from impure water from any suitable source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1984
    Inventor: Kenneth J. Masero
  • Patent number: 4416774
    Abstract: An agitation tank adapted to contain a slurried pulp or slurry containing particles, such as carbon particles, to be separated from the slurry. The tank has a screen unit removably mounted therein, the screen unit having a hollow body provided with an opening and a screen across the opening to allow the slurry to pass into the hollow body but to prevent the particles in the tank from passing into the hollow body. The slurry in the hollow body can then pass out of the screen unit and the tank through an outlet which communicates with the interior of the hollow body and an adjacent vessel. The screen unit can be removed from the tank to permit replacement of the screen surrounding the hollow body. The screen is removably mounted on the screen unit by a clamp to permit rapid change of the screen if the screen becomes defective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Assignee: Bechtel International Corporation
    Inventor: Allan D. Taylor