Patents Represented by Attorney Lempia Braidwood LLC
  • Patent number: 7563170
    Abstract: A child motion device has a frame assembly configured to rest on a floor surface. The device also has a drive system and a cantilevered arm extending from part of the device. The arm is supported above the floor surface and has a driven end coupled to and movable by the drive system and a distal end opposite the driven end. The drive system is configured to pivotally move the arm through a partial orbit around a generally vertical axis of rotation. A child seat is supported on the distal end of the support arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Graca Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: William B. Bellows, James Godiska, Baku Kakuda, Matthew J. Ransil
  • Patent number: 7543841
    Abstract: A cup holder assembly for a stroller has a slider that is carried on and slidable along a part of the stroller frame between a stowed position and a deployed position. A cup receiving ring is carried on the slider and is movable between a stowed orientation and a deployed orientation. A support arm is carried on the slider and is movable between a stowed orientation and a deployed orientation. Part of the support arm extends beneath the cup receiving ring in the respective deployed orientations. When the cup receiving ring and the support arm are in the respective stowed orientations and the slider is in the stowed position the cup holder assembly is housed within a space in the stroller frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Dotsey, Patrick Nolan
  • Patent number: 7531424
    Abstract: A device and method for fabricating the device is disclosed. The device includes a substrate having an active layer disposed on a sacrificial layer. A trench is formed in the active layer to electrically isolate first and second regions in the active layer, and a non-conductive material is deposited on the substrate such that the non-conductive material fills the trench to form a substantially planar surface for support of further components of the device. In some cases, the non-conductive material fills only a portion of the trench sufficient to form the substantially planar surface. The non-conductive material may include silicon nitride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Discera, Inc.
    Inventor: Minfan Pai
  • Patent number: 7523954
    Abstract: A stroller has a frame structure with opposed and spaced apart frame sides. Each frame side has a front leg that terminates at a lower end. A seat is supported by the frame structure between the frame sides and has a seat bottom. A front wheel assembly is connected to the lower end of each of the front legs and each front wheel assembly has a housing. An elongate foot rest extends between the frame sides of the frame structure. The foot rest is positioned at an elevation that is higher than the lower ends of the front legs and lower than the seat bottom. The foot rest is not connected to the front legs at the elevation of the foot rest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Dotsey, Todd D. Sorzano, Roy L. Dean
  • Patent number: 7500692
    Abstract: A stroller includes a stroller frame, a basket frame including a pair of arms mounted to the stroller frame and a rear cross member extending between the pair of arms, a latch mount coupled to the rear cross member, a basket mounted to pivot relative to the basket frame, and a latch coupled to the basket to releasably engage the latch mount, thereby allowing the basket to move between a closed position and an open position relative to the basket frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventor: Gregg R. Espenshade
  • Patent number: 7472955
    Abstract: An infant car seat includes a base and a carrier to detachably secure to the base. In an exemplary infant car seat, the carrier can have a carrier weight of less than 10 pounds, and the infant car seat can have a rated weight of up to 40 pounds. In another exemplary infant car seat, the carrier can have a carrier weight of less than 10 pounds, a front surface of the seat back of the carrier can have a length greater than about 20 inches, and the infant car seat can have a rated weight of at least about 27.5 pounds. In another exemplary infant car seat, the carrier can have a carrier weight of less than 10 pounds, a front surface of the seat back of the carrier can have a length greater than about 20 inches, and the infant car seat can have a rated weight of greater than 22 pounds. In another exemplary infant car seat, the carrier can have a carrier weight of less than 10 pounds, and the infant car seat can have a rated height of up to 35 inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Charles E. Crane, Matthew A. Morgenstern, Shiva M. Gangadharan, Damaso A. Lamos
  • Patent number: 7450235
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method to monitor the condition of a fluid by measuring multiple optical properties of the fluid. The apparatus comprises of a body 105, at least one fluidic cavity 110 to capture a fluid sample, at least one light source 115 to emit an optical signal and at least one optical detector 120 to detect the optical signal. The fluid sample is collected continuously from a path of a fluid flow and multiple optical properties are measured in real time to determine the condition of the fluid. The apparatus is installed in-line with the path of the fluid flow in the system for which the fluid is being used and monitored. The apparatus avoids environmental contamination and wastage of the fluid sample by returning the fluid sample back into the fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Translume, Inc.
    Inventors: Ali A. Said, Philippe Bado, Mark Allen Dugan
  • Patent number: 7449968
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a signal generation technique based on a reference frequency provided by a MEMS resonator. The signal generation technique compensates for temperature- and fabrication process-induced frequency variations collectively. In some embodiments, a device implementing the disclosed signal generation technique includes a fractional-N synthesizer, a temperature sensor, calibration data, and a sigma-delta modulator to adjust the reference frequency of the MEMS resonator to a desired frequency value while compensating for the temperature variation of the MEMS resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Discera, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Cioffi, Didier Lacroix
  • Patent number: 7445229
    Abstract: A stroller includes a stroller frame; a basket assembly including a basket frame coupled to the stroller frame, wherein the basket frame is configured to move, without bending, between a first, in-use position and a second, access position, and a basket supported by the basket frame; and a latch assembly on each side of the stroller that movably couples the basket frame to the stroller frame, the latch assembly being configured such that application of a downward force on the basket frame moves the basket frame from the first, in-use position to the second, access position. Upon removal of the application of downward force, the basket frame can remain in the second, access position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Dotsey, Daniel N. Newhard
  • Patent number: 7445560
    Abstract: An open top child swing includes a frame, first and second hanger arms rotatably coupled to the frame, and a seat coupled to the first and second hanger arms. The frame can include a first hanger mount configured to removably receive the first hanger arm and a second hanger mount configured to removably receive the second hanger arm so that the seat can be removed from the frame. The frame also can include first and second legs, first and second housings coupled to the first and second legs, respectively, and a battery back removably mounted to one of the first and second housings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Jeff G. Greger, Matthew J. Ransil
  • Patent number: 7445559
    Abstract: A child swing includes a frame, a hanger arm movably coupled to the frame, and a support base coupled to the at least one hanger arm. The support base is configured to hold a child carrier of an infant car seat and to enable removal of the child carrier. The support base has two or more attachment locations at which the child carrier can be attached to the support base. Upon removal of the child carrier from the support base, the support base remains coupled to the hanger arm, and the hanger arm remains coupled to the frame. The support base can also enable removal of the child carrier from the support base via actuation of a release latch of the child carrier, and the support base is movably coupled to the hanger arms to move between an in-use position and a fold position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventor: Baku Kakuda
  • Patent number: 7426771
    Abstract: A child restraint assembly for a child vehicle seat includes a buckle assembly including a buckle and a pair of latches, a harness coupled to the buckle assembly, and a harness adjuster to adjust the harness. The child restraint assembly also can include a chest clip coupled to the harness. The chest clip can include a male member and a female member releasably coupled to the male member. The male member can have a pair of opposing grip surfaces of sufficient thickness to enable a user to grip the male member when decoupling the male member and the female member. The chest clip can also have a finger grip configured to grip and move the chest clip to a desired location along the harness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Patrizi, Patrick B. Nolan
  • Patent number: 7418746
    Abstract: A collapsible frame structure for a playard. The collapsible frame structure includes a plurality of legs, and a plurality of cross members arranged so that at least one cross member extends between, and is pivotally connected to, respective adjacent legs to form a side of the playard. The frame structure also includes a plurality of slider joints, each slider joint slidingly engaging a respective one of the legs, and a plurality of pivot joints, each pivot joint on a respective one of the legs. The frame structure also includes at least one latch mechanism configured to selectively engage at least one of the slider joints with its respective leg, wherein each cross member is mounted to the respective adjacent legs by the slider joint on a first of the respective adjacent legs and by the pivot joint on a second of the respective adjacent legs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Arthur L. Gehr, Michael L. Longenecker, Robert T. Pike, Gregory S. Sellers, Joshua E. Clapper, Jonathan M. Pacella
  • Patent number: 7419210
    Abstract: A high chair features various modes of adjustability and enhanced utility. The height of the chair can be adjusted using a single hand that engages a rear handle. The height of a seat platform of the chair can be adjusted separately relative to the tray. The tray itself is ergonomically designed for the benefit of the caregiver. A removable tray liner facilitates after-meal clean-up. Wheels on the underside of the tray ease fore/aft adjustment. A pivoting back rest of the chair minimizes rearward shift of the center of gravity of the occupied chair, thus requiring a smaller chair footprint. Further, an accessory bar pivoted to a seat back portion of the chair provides readily accessible entertainment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Nolan, James Murray Forbes Hutchinson, Michael L. Longenecker, Myles Christensen
  • Patent number: 7417539
    Abstract: A baby monitor system includes a transmitter unit that has a first receiver to receive baby sounds, a transmitter to transmit a signal corresponding to the baby sounds, and a transmitter housing to house the first receiver and the transmitter. The transmitter housing includes a faceplate connector. The baby monitor system also includes a receiver unit having a second receiver to receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter unit. The baby monitor system further includes a plurality of transmitter faceplates that can be interchangeably connected to the faceplate connector of the transmitter housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Richard H. Mathews, Jeffrey Swan, Thomas Pollack
  • Patent number: D576084
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Dotsey, Patrick Nolan
  • Patent number: D582299
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Rubbermaid Incorporated
    Inventor: Christopher J. Claypool
  • Patent number: D585699
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Rubbermaid Incorporated
    Inventor: Brian D. Furlong
  • Patent number: D586179
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Rubbermaid Incorporated
    Inventor: Brian D. Furlong
  • Patent number: D596703
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Rubbermaid Incorporated
    Inventor: Larry T. McKinney