Patents Represented by Law Firm Peterson, Wicks, Nemer & Kamrath
  • Patent number: 6076307
    Abstract: A guttering cleaning system for cleaning of spouting and guttering in building structures includes water outlets (15) mounted to rain water guttering (12) to direct water into the guttering to flusb debris. An outlet connector (21) is provided for each water outlet (15). A supply connector (22) for releasable connection to any one of the outlet connectors (21) supplies water to the outlet connectors (21). A water supply line (25) and a connector support (45) enables remote connection and disconnection of the supply connector (22) from the ground adjacent the building, the connector support (45) comprising a support pole (46) provided with the supply connector (22) at its upper end, the supply line (25) extending up the support pole (46) to the supply connector (22). The system further includes a connection release means (50) enabling selective release of the connection between the supply connector (22) and an associated outlet connector (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: Spoutmate PTY LTD
    Inventor: Anthony Frederick Kean
  • Patent number: 6005161
    Abstract: A biodegradable device for facilitating healing of structural voids in bone, cartilage as well as soft tissue is disclosed in the most preferred form including a porous macrostructure made from a biodegradable polymer and a chemotactic ground substance in the form of an RGD attachment moiety of fibronectin formed as a porous microstructure. For repair of articular cartilage, harvested precursor cells are secured to the biodegradable carrier which is shaped for press fitting into the articular cartilage lesion. In the most preferred form, the chemotactic ground substance enhances the attractiveness of the biodegradable device for cellular attachment at the site of repair and also facilitates the attachment of free, precursor cells such as chondrocytes and bone marrow to the biodegradable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: THM Biomedical, Inc.
    Inventors: John H. Brekke, Richard D. Coutts
  • Patent number: 5981825
    Abstract: An anatomically specific, bioresorbable, implant device for facilitating the healing of voids in bone, cartilage and soft tissue is disclosed. A preferred embodiment of using the implant device for facilitating the healing of a human joint lesion includes a cartilage region invested with an alginate microstructure joined with a subchondral bone region invested with a hyaluronan microstructure. The alginate selectively dispersed in the cartilage region enhances the environment for chondrocytes to grow articular cartilage. The hyaluronan selectively dispersed in the subchondral bone region enhances the environment for mesenchymal cells which migrate into that region's macrostructure and which differentiate into osteoblasts. The microstructures can be invested at varying concentrations in the regions. A hydrophobic barrier, strategically positioned within the subchondral bone region macrostructure, shields the chondrocytes from the oxygenated blood in subchondral cancellous bone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: THM Biomedical, Inc.
    Inventor: John H. Brekke
  • Patent number: 5959976
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for filtering transmission addresses in Ethernet, more particularly, to a filtering method and device provided to reduce the network loads of different groups in Ethernet. The present invention solves the problems that a large amount of memory space is required and a packet can not be filtered effectively since the the memory contents are lost when power fails in the filtering method of the prior art. The filtering method of the present invention is only to store the flag of the corresponding source address rather than the entire address data. The work for data comparing only reads out the state of the flag of the corresponding address, then refers to the differences between the state of the "0" and "1" of the flag to determine whether the packet should be blocked or allowed to is pass. The memory space will be very small due to only storing the state of the flag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Inventor: Yung-tien Kuo
  • Patent number: 5954191
    Abstract: A mechanism (10) for actuating an electric circuit is disclosed including a cover (124) having a front wall including a broad surface and movably mounted by pins (126) extending through apertures (108) formed in a mount (90, 90') of a housing (12, 12'), with the cover (124) being biased by springs (130) located on the pins (126). Tongues (136) of the cover (124) engage the legs (118) of first and second actuating arms (112, 114) to pivot the arms (112, 114) to pivot an actuation lever (100). The lever (100) includes an actuation finger (104) which pushes against the toggle (38) of a switch (36) to de-energize the circuit. Thus, when any point of the cover (124) is pushed towards the mount (90, 90'), the switch (36) is moved to de-energize the circuit. A switch lever (70) is pivotably mounted to the housing (12, 12') and is pivoted by a slideable actuator (42) to move the switch (36) to energize the electric circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Inventor: John P. Reiter
  • Patent number: 5937540
    Abstract: An electrothermal drying device has a hollow main body, a plurality of reflection hoods covering infrared electrothermal tubes, a plurality of air-inhaling blowers connected to the hollow main body, a plurality of waste vapor-exhaling blowers, a plurality of air separation devices, two air inlet stranglers, two pairs of high pressure gas valves connected to two high pressure gas tanks, a plurality of electric heaters disposed in the hollow main body, two emergency air-exhaling stranglers connected to the hollow main body, a plurality of heat-resistant glass panes located in the hollow main body and abutting the reflection hoods, two water atomizing devices located in the hollow main body and connected to two water tanks, and reflection hoods each having an is automatic rotating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Asia Metal Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Jun-Hsin Lee
  • Patent number: 5935594
    Abstract: An improved method or process and device for treating and healing a bone void is disclosed, and in particular a method employing a surfactant for efficiently incorporating a biologically active agent into the interstices (voids or pares) of a porous hydrophobic biodegradable material wherein the biologically active agent is deposited on the internal surfaces defining the voids or pores of the biodegradable material. The biodegradable body or device, now containing surfactant and a biologically active agent in the body itself as well as on the external surfaces and the internal surfaces defining the voids or pores, is than applied into the bone void or cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: THM Biomedical, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Ringeisen, John H. Brekke
  • Patent number: 5932274
    Abstract: A cheese which is natural, resists melting, includes a pH of between about 5.9 and about 6.35, is made in the absence of and includes no cheese culture, is packaged in block form and is sliceable with a knife without crumbling, and includes a nonlactose sweetener having a perceived sweetness at least 30% that of sucrose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Specialty Cheese Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Scharfmann, Ludwig Zoller
  • Patent number: 5931536
    Abstract: An improved adjustable armrest for use on a chair is particularly related to an adjustable armrest in connection to a pneumatically operated cylinder permitting the armrest body to be vertically lifted up by actuation of a control stick or lowered down by a manual force against the armrest body. An armrest mount having tracks defined thereon for mounting of the armrest body permits the armrest to be slidably adjusted back and forth. The armrest mount with the armrest body is secured to a housing having a vertical hole for receiving the cylinder having one end engaged with the underside of a bottom bracket which is secured to the armrest mount. The cylinder housed in a tubular sleeve is fixed at the bottom end thereof to a support bracket and is engaged with a hand operated stick at the top end so that the actuation of the control stick results in the extension of the cylinder and the armrest body accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Inventor: Yao-Chuan Wu
  • Patent number: 5930900
    Abstract: A pair of scissors has a first blade, a second blade, a first grip connected to the first blade, a second grip connected to the second blade, a torsion spring disposed between the first grip and the second grip, and a hook ring fastening the first grip and the second grip movably. The first grip has a first upper handle and a first lower handle coupled to the first upper handle. The second grip has a second upper handle and a second lower handle coupled to the second upper handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Inventor: Chia-Yin Chang
  • Patent number: 5927579
    Abstract: A ready to use, self contained article holding device for use on clothing to hold and support articles of a suitable kind like single use cameras. This device has on one end a protective liner (51) that is peeled off to expose an adhesive (50) that is on the back of a fastening strip (48) for attachment to an article. A fastening material (52) on the reverse side of fastening strip (48) is joined to a complementary fastening material (38) on a fastening strip (46) that is connected by an adhesive back on the second fastener strip (46) to the larger front side of a securing mechanism base (42). Securing mechanism base (42) is made from a sturdy, nonharmful material so that it can support-the weight of an attached item and not damage clothing from which it is held. Fastening strips (48 & 46) are made of material that will allow repeated releasing and replacing of attached products without reduction in holding ability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Inventor: Barry E. Schwabe
  • Patent number: 5928026
    Abstract: A floor lamp plug device has a cone-shaped body an annular body disposed on the cone-shaped body, a hollow disk, and a hollow cover. The hollow cover has an inner thread, an annular center flange, and a center hole. The hollow disk has a round hole two opposite protruded flanges, and each protruded flange having a channel and a slot. The annular body has a hollow interior receiving the hollow disk, an outer thread engaging with the inner thread two opposite notches matching the protruded flanges, and a recess. A branch wire set has a first wire and a second wire. The branch wire s et passes through the round hole. Each of the first wire and the second wire are inserted through the respective channel. A main wire set is inserted through the recess. Two conductive plates are inserted in the slots Each conductive plate has a tip end penetrating the branch wire set and a tooth end penetrating the main wire set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Bright Yin Huey Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Keen Hsu
  • Patent number: 5904717
    Abstract: A biodegradable device for facilitating healing of structural voids in bone, cartilage as well as soft tissue is disclosed in the most preferred form including a porous macrostructure made from a biodegradable polymer and a chemotactic ground substance in the form of an RGD attachment moiety of fibronectin formed as a porous microstructure. For repair of articular cartilage, harvested precursor cells are secured to the biodegradable carrier which is shaped for press fitting into the articular cartilage lesion. In the most preferred form, the chemotactic ground substance enhances the attractiveness of the biodegradable device for cellular attachment at the site of repair and also facilitates the attachment of free, precursor cells such as chondrocytes and bone marrow to the biodegradable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: THM Biomedical, Inc.
    Inventors: John H. Brekke, Richard D. Coutts
  • Patent number: 5899033
    Abstract: A hub assembly (10) for use in arranging muntins (22) across a window pane includes at least first and second covers (12, 14) which are snap-fit and frictionally held together and which define at least one arcuate track (70) that is adapted to slidably receive carrier members (20) for interconnecting the muntins (22) to the hub assembly (10). The arcuate track (70) coacts with the carrier members (20) to retain the carrier members (20) in selective angular positions about the hub assembly (10). The hub assembly (10), which is semi-circular in plan view, can be selectively attached directly to a window frame, or to another similarly constructed hub assembly (10) to form a circular overall hub assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Lake Country Sales, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony W. Merchlewitz
  • Patent number: D409472
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Inventor: King-Sheng Wang
  • Patent number: D411371
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignee: Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald G. Wanek, John J. Amell
  • Patent number: RE36262
    Abstract: A rotatable food serving housing including a rotating base assembly, a base including an umbrella accommodation sleeve and cold ice pack supports, at least two opposing food serving trays, and a cover including opposing hinged flaps for mating with the base, the umbrella accommodation sleeve and the cold ice pack supports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Jondahl, Brian L. Reed
  • Patent number: D413024
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald G. Wanek, Jane Pronschinske
  • Patent number: D414904
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Bioforce Enviro-Tech, Inc.
    Inventor: Glenn C. Knowlton
  • Patent number: D415649
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Inventor: Jui-Yen Pai