Patents Represented by Law Firm Plante Strauss & Vanderburgh
  • Patent number: 5131186
    Abstract: A portable security grill apparatus which may be installed in window openings of buildings includes two rectangular grill sections longitudinally telescopically fastened to one another. Opposite longitudinal ends of the two grill sections have beams disposed perpendicularly to the axis of longitudinal telescoping movability of the two grill sections, the beams having flat outer surfaces adapted to abut a window edge at one end of the grill apparatus, and a window frame edge, at the other end of the apparatus. At least one toggle clamp connected between telescopically joined members of the two grill sections is capable of exerting a large outward extension force when in a closed, clamped position, thereby exerting compressive forces on the window and window frame sufficient to prevent the grill apparatus from being removed from the window opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1992
    Inventor: Tim Lamont
  • Patent number: 5113554
    Abstract: There is disclosed a clip which is molded of plastic and which has a design particularly adapted to retain fabrics on the crossbar of a conventional clothes hanger. The clip has a C-shaped body having opposite, coincident legs dependent from a central bight section, an integrally formed prong dependent from the bight section and an upright base leg projecting out of the plane of the clip body with a first reverse bend adjacent the base leg and a return prong section which is inclined towards the plane of the clip, and a second reverse bend in the prong to provide an upwardly curled tip which also projects out of the plane of the clip. The height of the base of the prong and the first reverse bend are sized to provide sufficient clearance from the body of the clip to permit snap-over retention of the clip on the cross bar of a hanger. Preferably, the body legs and the prong have textured or roughened opposing surfaces to enhance their gripping properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Inventors: Christine A. Gallo, Bianca M. Giglio
  • Patent number: 5108590
    Abstract: Disclosed is a self service water dispensing apparatus especially adapted to be located inside a grocery store. This apparatus includes a housing which provides a rigid support structure having a base section which has integral therewith a water storage tank, and an upper section immediately above the base section which includes a plurality of water filling stations. The upper section and base section are joined together and are contiguous with each other along a common generally horizontal plane located about waist high to a typical adult user. This provides a compact and convenient to use structure. The water filling stations each comprise a recessed cubicle having a top wall with a delivery spout therein, an open front side into which a water bottle is placed beneath the spout for filling, and a floor including a drain. Manually operable control switches are at each vending station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Inventor: Dennis DiSanto
  • Patent number: 5104074
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fence support including a generally vertically oriented main support post 31 in the form of a T shaped iron bar and a pair of braces 18. Each brace 18 includes an elongated bearing element 26 that is received in the bites of the T and a collar member 25 fits over the top of the main support post 31 and bearing elements 26 to hold them together. The braces 18 have at their bottom ends stake holders 16 and 17 which receive stakes 23 that are driven into the ground. An anchor 24 holds the main support post 31 in position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Inventor: James T. Malloy
  • Patent number: 5104548
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method for treatment of an oil slick resulting from an oil spill on a body of water. The oil slick is treated with a mixture of a granular elastomeric gum comprising a block copolymer of ethylene/butylene and styrene and an oleochemical synthetic wax, the latter being used in amounts of from 1 to 33 weight percent of the mixture. The adsorbent mixture has a low density, typically from 14 to about 15 pounds per cubic foot and will absorb oil and form a dry solid which has a non-tacky and non-oily surface. The adsorbent mixture is broadcast on the surface of an oil slick in proportions from about 0.2 to about 1 part per weight part of oil. The wave action on the body of water is generally sufficiently turbulent to admix the absorbent with the oil of the oil slick, resulting in the formation of floating solids which are dry to the touch and which have a non-oily, non-tacky surface. These solids can be readily recovered from the water or from a shoreline after they have washed ashore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Inventor: Albert Gabrick
  • Patent number: 5101755
    Abstract: A system for marking hidden utilities such as buried gas lines, valves and the like includes a marker having highly visible indicia indicating the type of utility on one face and which is bonded to a permanent object adjacent the location of the utility. The highly visible indicia is light reflective or fluorescent or both. The indicia are also recessed in the face of the marker for protection. The marker is affixed to a permanent object such as a curb face or surveying monument in the general location of the utility. The indicia on the marker represent the type of utility and the marker may also contain indicia representing the distance and direction from the marker to the utility location. The system can be provided in kit form which includes, in addition to the marker, a bonding material for affixing the marker to a permanent object and a marker for inscribing information relating to distance and direction on the marker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: Gary Cheevers
    Inventor: Zachary Barrett
  • Patent number: 5095779
    Abstract: There is disclosed a tool for the removal of locking collars of the frangible fasteners used in the aerospace industry, particularly for removal of fasteners installed in close quarters such in a deep channel where conventional tools cannot grip the collar. The tool has a collet-type chuck to grasp the collar of the fastener and has a lead screw to lock the collet chuck about the collar and permit removal of the collar. For this purpose, the collet chuck has a cylindrical neck which is received within a sleeve. The lead screw is received in the opposite end of the collet sleeve and is threadably engaged in the internally threaded bore of the collet chuck member, preferably with left hand threads, and has a head with wrenching flats. The lead screw has a central axial through bore which receives a key member which is used to immobilize the stud or bolt of the fastener system. A disk member is slidably received within the collet sleeve to eject removed collars from the collet chuck member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1992
    Assignee: V.S.I. Corporation
    Inventor: Ronald W. Batten
  • Patent number: 5094402
    Abstract: There is disclosed a spray head for an airless spray gun. The spray head has a tubular housing for removable attachment to the discharge end of an otherwise conventional airless spray gun, adjacent the valve member of the spray gun. The housing is counterbored to form an inner annular shoulder and contains a removable plug that is slidably received within the housing. The annular shoulder is stop for the plug which is retained in the housing at the preselected location by a retainer member that is removably threaded into the discharge end of the housing. The plug has, on its upstream end, a valve seat to engage the valve member of the spray gun and, on its downstream end, a discharge orifice formed by divergent angular bores which intersect a through bore of the plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Inventors: Robert J. Perret, Jr., Jerry E. Thompson, Paul L. Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 5094739
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method and an apparatus for treatment of water in an electrolytic cell having stacked plates of magnesium and copper in alternating array, separated by thin metal, brass washers. The stacked plates are disposed transversely across a cylindrical treatment chamber, preferably with four stacks aligned on equally angular spacings within the chamber. The water to be treated is introduced into the chamber tangentially to the inner wall thereof and is directed over the stacked plates. The tangential introduction of water into the treatment chamber generates a vortex flow of the water across the electrolytic cells which accelerates clarification of the water by forced separation of the precipitates which are collected in the bottom of the separation chamber and periodically removed. The clarified water is removed from the treatment chamber and passed through subsequent processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Inventor: Joseph A. Kump
  • Patent number: 5087374
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method for the removal of impurities, particularly organic impurities from granular solids, having its greatest immediate application for the regeneration of spent adsorbents which are used to purify waste water. The spent activated carbon is immersed in an aqueous bath which preferably contains a surface active agent, and water is circulated over the activated carbon while ultrasonic vibration is applied to the aqueous bath at a frequency from about 1 to about 100 kHz to desorb the organic adsorbate from the activated carbon. The desorbed organic compounds are washed from the activated carbon by the circulating water stream and are decomposed by introducing ozone into the water stream and, most preferably, while subjecting the water stream to ultraviolet radiation, thereby producing a wash water which can be safely discharged to the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Inventor: Lambert L. Ding
  • Patent number: 5086759
    Abstract: Disclosed is a chiropractic belt 10 having two belt segments 16 and 18 joined together by a central elastic section 12. There is an elastic cross-structure 26 which overlies and is connected at the intersection of the cross-structure to the mid-section of the elastic member. The ends of the cross-structure are connected to the belt segments. Right hand and left hand tensioning members 58 and 60 are attached at the midsection at the intersection of the cross structure, with free ends of the tensioning members being adapted to be connected or disconnected, respectively, to the left and right hand belt segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Inventor: C. Curtis Buddingh
  • Patent number: 5084924
    Abstract: Disclosed is a safety feature for wall beds which provides for jamming of the linkages of a counter-balancing mechanism if anchors for the mounting frame of the counter-balancing mechanism accidentally dislodge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1992
    Inventor: Melvin P. Spitz
  • Patent number: 5084703
    Abstract: A digital-to-analog converter is disclosed which employs a ladder configuration comprising a series of R1-R2-R3 stages in which resistors R2 and R3 are selected so that mathematically the combined resistance of R2 in parallel with R3 is equal to twice the resistance of R1. The resistance of resistor R3 is on the order of 3 to 30 times greater than the resistance of resistor R2. These resistors are configured in stages with FET switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1992
    Assignee: Beckman Industrial Corporation
    Inventor: Brian R. Kane
  • Patent number: 5082220
    Abstract: A restraining and support device for infants bottles and the like to prevent the bottle from being accidently or intentionally thrown to the ground or the floor is disclosed. The device consists of a flexible resilient elongated member, one end of which (the attachment end) is adapted to be attached to a fixed object and the opposite end (the grasping end) is adapted to hold an infants bottle. The attachment end of the elongated member carries adjustable loop for removably securing the device to a fixed object. The grasping end of the device carries a resilient annulus which is fitted around the neck of the bottle to be restrained. Stand-off connectors connect the grasping annulus and the strap to respective ends of the elongated member and serve keep the elongated member away from the fixed object to which it is secured to avoid entanglement of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1992
    Inventors: Debra G. Pollock, Robert B. Nealy
  • Patent number: 5078668
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of making garment protector that is of high quality, having an envelope structure made of cloth fabric with an easy access opening in one of its sides covered by a flap member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Inventor: Elizabeth Endres
  • Patent number: 5074576
    Abstract: A golf club container and cart combination comprises a frame on which is carried the container element for the golf clubs and ancillary golf equipment. The container, interior, is divided into two coaxial spaces, a center space and an outer circumferential club containing space. The center space may be further divided into two or more compartments. The upper compartments are accessed through the upper end of the container and a wheel container is defined at the lower end of the bag and is accessed through the bottom of the bag.The frame carries a pivotal handle which may be folded back against the bag of the container or extended when utilizing the device as a pull-cart. A foldable strut assembly is also carried by the frame and is adapted to be folded flat against the frame or extended in a cantilever fashion to carry a wheel and axle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1991
    Inventor: Richard O. Finlay
  • Patent number: 5071408
    Abstract: Disclosed is a medical valve comprising a pair of plates holding in tension a membrane folded over to form a chamber with an elongated, slit-like opening along adjoining edges. The plates include interlocking members which interlock the plates together. An inlet tube in communication with the chamber extends outwardly from the plates. The preferred configuration of the chamber is trapezoidal. Also disclosed is a surgical instrument that is a needle-like member having an elongated slot in the wall of this member. A method of using this instrument to implant a tubular element in the body of a patient is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1991
    Inventor: A. Mateen Ahmed
  • Patent number: RE33764
    Abstract: An improved press-on bottle cap is disclosed in which the cap comprises a top disk and a thin-walled outer skirt dependent therefrom with an annular tear band which, when separated from the cap, divides the cap into a lower ring and an upper reclosure cap. An annular lip is provided about the outside wall of the cap, approximately in the middle of the reclosure cap and the tear tab, which is integral with the tear band, extends upwardly into contact with the underside of the annular lip. Preferably, the lip is discontinuous with an open sector above the tear tab, and the cap is fabricated without the necessity to use a split-cavity mold, and a preferred mold construction is also disclosed. A compressible, plastic foam gasket is employed in the cap to seal the container contents. A foam gasket is seated on the undersurface of the cap in a position to bear against the upper end of the neck of the container which is received in the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1991
    Inventor: Benjamin A. Cochrane
  • Patent number: D324128
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Inventor: Thomas E. Hoskins
  • Patent number: D326485
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Inventors: Elliot Rudell, Joe Cernansky, George Foster, Rick Kamrath