Patents Represented by Attorney Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett
  • Patent number: 5857426
    Abstract: A stable with a dwelling area for animals, a feeding area for storing and presenting feed and a partition between the dwelling area and the feeding area, provided with openings for allowing the heads of animals in the dwelling area access to the feeding area, is equipped with a feed slide moveable from a starting position through the feeding area towards the partition, for pushing feed stored in the feeding area over the floor of the feeding area towards the partition and with a prime mover for driving the feed slide. By moving the feed slide, feed can be pushed towards the partition according as the feed is being eaten, so that at all times a substantially constant small amount of feed is accessible to the animals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Inventor: J. M.W. Weelink
  • Patent number: 5833384
    Abstract: A bracket for a machine frame, such as a core molding machine frame, having horizontal and vertical members includes first and second legs adapted for attachment to the machine frame members. The first and second legs are formed from a plate material and extend perpendicular to each other. The bracket is welded around its periphery to the machine frame. A free end of at least one of the first and second legs has a tapered portion, and one or more openings may be provided in the bracket. An outer periphery of the tapered portion and an inner periphery of the openings are welded to the machine frame for further extending the total weld length and reducing stress concentration in the weld joints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: CMI-Equipment & Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth D. McKibben
  • Patent number: 5816389
    Abstract: A conveyor mat comprising first and second plastic modules built up of hinge plates, the width of the first modules substantially being twice the width of the second modules, the second modules being located only at both sides of the conveyor mat, with always a first module being arranged between two successive second modules at a side, the modules being coupled together by means of hinge pins, and each second module being provided at a side of the conveyor mat with a bearing surface formed integral with the module, which bearing surface extends in the same plane as the conveying plane of the mat, each bearing surface, seen in the conveying direction of the mat, having a length equal to twice the pitch of a module. The bearing surfaces form a dead plate moving along with the mat, for bridging the gap in the transition between two adjoining conveyor mats being at right angles to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: MCC Nederland B.V.
    Inventor: George Johannes van Zijderveld
  • Patent number: 5810686
    Abstract: The invention relates to a divisible sprocket wheel manufactured from synthetic material and having a gear ring (1b) and a hub portion (1a), comprising two wheel halves (1) which are manufactured by means of injection molding and have their axial faces (1f) abutting against each other, and means (3, 4) for enabling fixing the wheel halves together, wherein each wheel half (1) is solid and consists of a first synthetic material forming at least one half of the hub portion of the sprocket wheel; a second synthetic material forming at least one half of the gear ring of the sprocket wheel and the two radial outer faces (1d, 1e) of the wheel half, and a third synthetic material forming the internal portion (1e) of the body of the wheel half.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: MCC Nederland B. V.
    Inventors: Maximus Johanna Franciscus Maria de Jong, George Johannes van Zijderveld
  • Patent number: 5808545
    Abstract: An electronic vehicular signalling system is disclosed. It has a novel turn signal switch having electromagnetic detents, novel electronic circuitry which provides all standard signalling functions and optionally features automatic cancellation of turn signal switch, an energy saving hazard warning mode, a police alert hazard warning mode, double-rate turn signal flashing on lamp burnout, Vehicular Lamp Status Display System, clicking sound in cadence with flashing or tone, and automatic turn signal timeout with choice of timeout intervals. Separate flasher units are not needed, nor a microprocessor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Inventors: Douglas C. Brueggemann, Norman R. Dittmar
  • Patent number: 5798707
    Abstract: A pager operated control unit has input terminals of the control circuit are connected to the battery terminals of the pager and power is supplied to the pager receiver from the control circuit. Pager generated pulses are detected by the detection of changes in current drawn by the pager receiver. The control unit includes a pair of capacitors which are alternately charged under the control of a flip-flop in response to bursts of pulses generated by a pager receiver. An output relay is operated to one state when the charges on the two capacitors substantially equal, indicating the receipt of a burst of pulses of equal duration, and operated to another state when the capacitors have unequal charges, indicating the receipt of a burst of pulses of unequal duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: New Product Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Arthur J. Camire
  • Patent number: 5793874
    Abstract: A volume control device is inserted in the circuit between the output of a sound system amplifier and a speaker. The volume control device measures ambient noise in the music environment and adjusts the power transferred to the speaker, such that the output volume of the speaker increases and decreases with changes in the ambient noise. A variable throughput current device, such as a thermistor or a transistor, is connected in the speaker circuit to control a power transfer to the speaker. A comparator compares the output of an ambient noise detector with the signal applied to the speaker and the variable throughput current device is adjusted in accordance with the compared signals. A level detect circuit serves to maintain the speaker volume at a preset level when the amplifier output drops below a predefined signal level. The speaker may be provided with a sensing coil generating an output signal representative of the level of ambient noise in the vicinity of the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: New Product Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Arthur J. Camire
  • Patent number: 5772187
    Abstract: An apparatus for cooling and processing a molten product into a granulate product which apparatus comprises a displaceable support consisting of at least one substantially horizontal, disk-shaped element arranged for rotation about a substantially vertical shaft, means for depositing the molten product on the support, cooling means containing cooling liquid channels closed in themselves that form part of the disc-shaped element and, without connection with the environment, connect to feed and discharge means, and means for removing the molten product from the support in granulate form. Preferably, a double spiral-shaped channel is present per disk-shaped element, and the means for depositing the molten product on the support comprise a dispenser adapted to dispense the molten product batchwise or dropwise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Goudsche Machinefabriek B.V.
    Inventors: Abimanjoe Saroso Wirodihardjo, Wijnand Jacob t Hart, Alwin Graafland
  • Patent number: 5762113
    Abstract: Volumetric container filling apparatus comprises a revolving carousel including a product bowl provided with a plurality of openings, volume-defining tubular sections provided with sliding gates and pedestals for supporting containers to be filled. A tubular extension extends below each sliding gate. A vibrating cam imparts a vibration in a vertical direction to the pedestals and any container disposed on a pedestal. A container chuck engages an upper edge of a container on a pedestal. The container chuck and tubular extension together define an enclosed collection area for temporarily retaining product while the contents of the container is settled by the vertical vibration. The carousel further includes a vibrating outer cup in each opening of the product bowl to reduce bridging which tends to occur with low density product. Each outer cup is connected by means of vertically-extending rods to a corresponding container chuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Assignee: Voll Tech Inc.
    Inventors: Philip Ricossa, Rhys D. Thompson
  • Patent number: 5746587
    Abstract: A lighter provided with a means for receiving a packet of cigarettes in a detachable fashion. It consists of a lighter body (1) with at least two sides (9, 10, 11) extended to take a cigarette packet (P). These elongated sides can be completed with additional extensions forming a case in which to place a packet of cigarettes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Inventors: Roland Racine, deceased, by Francine Racine, legal representative, Gian Lanoir
  • Patent number: 5738700
    Abstract: An illumination fixture (10) for a vehicular air cleaner housing (14), which is arranged and configured to position the fixture in the interior (13) of the housing's intake section (27). The illumination fixture is also arranged and configured to illuminate through a screen (20) of the intake section the exterior (41) of the housing with a source of illumination (16). The illumination fixture includes a panel (11) having an outer circumference (12) configured to pass through the interior (13) of the intake section. The panel includes one or more apertures each in which a source of illumination is positioned. Diametrically opposed mounting bracket attachment sites are also positioned in the panel to which fasteners are positioned for attaching mounting brackets to the panel. Mounting brackets (17) each include a panel attachment site (18) for attachment to the panel and an intake section attachment site (19) for attachment to the intake section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Inventor: Gary L. King
  • Patent number: 5735095
    Abstract: A seal for covering a track in a floor is disclosed which is flexible in the upward direction to permit an arm or the like moving on the track to pass through the seal and is considerably less flexible in the downward direction into the channel and capable of supporting a person or equipment traversing the channel. The difference in flexibility in the two directions is obtained by providing a relatively thin material in the area of the hinge section and a relatively thicker material in the cover portion extending over the channel. The relatively thicker material section may be formed by affixing a narrow strip of flexible material to a wider strip of the material. The narrow strip may be affixed to the wider strip by welding or fusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: MOL Belting Company
    Inventors: Michael DeGroot, Lee M. Jorgenson
  • Patent number: D399826
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D405051
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D405052
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D405416
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D406102
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D406103
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D406748
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne
  • Patent number: D407373
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Inventor: Norman R. Byrne