Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm William E. Hein
  • Patent number: 8310126
    Abstract: A radial flux permanent magnet AC motor/generator employs a flat circular stator plate having a plurality of separately-formed electromagnets mounted in a ring pattern on a top surface thereof. A circular flux ring fabricated of powdered metal is mounted to the stator plate outside the ring of electromagnets. A plurality of permanent magnets are mounted in a ring pattern on the outer cylindrical surface of a steel rotor. The stator plate and rotor are axially and diametrically aligned such that the ring of permanent magnets rotates in close proximity to and inside the ring of electromagnets. The electromagnets utilize powder metal cores shaped to have rounded corners and flat sides that permit the use of heavier gauge windings and eliminate the air gaps that exist between the core and windings of prior art electromagnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Motor Patent Licensors, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas H. Hopkins, Nicholas R. Bries, Scott T. Graham, Howard F. Hendricks, Patrick J. Stoever
  • Patent number: 8165435
    Abstract: A multiplicity of Fresnel lenses are attached to tubular branches of a tree-like support structure. Fiber optic bundles are connected to the Fresnel lenses and routed inside the tubular branches and collected as a larger fiber optic bundle inside a main trunk structure to which each of the branches is connected. The larger fiber optic bundle may be connected to a remotely located power generating plant or other processing facility via a fiber optic transmission network. A domed solar energy collector includes an outer dome and one or more inner domes concentrically nested therewith, one or more Fresnel lenses being positioned on the hemispherical surface of each of the outer and inner domes. Each of the inner domes is sized and positioned such that its hemispherical surface lies on the focal point of the next larger dome to thereby multiply the solar energy focused through each of the domes to a collection area within the innermost dome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventor: Fernando Ramon Martin-Lopez
  • Patent number: 8082698
    Abstract: A light weight modular enclosure that may be easily assembled by a user and mounted on a utility trailer or pickup truck includes a plurality of modular foam-encapsulated side panel assemblies and two foam-encapsulated corner panel assemblies arranged in adjacent positions in U-shaped anchor channels secured along three edges of a rectangular floorboard to form a front wall and two side walls of the modular enclosure. The side panel and corner panel assemblies each include a plurality of molded key pins and key sockets that are positioned for mating engagement to secure the panel assemblies in strict alignment when adjacently positioned in the anchor channels. A door frame assembly fits into the open rear end of the modular enclosure. A pop-up canopy assembly is installed over the top of the modular enclosure to provide additional head room during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Inventor: Lawrence V. Drake
  • Patent number: 7914032
    Abstract: A motorcycle accessory allows a user to rest their leg in a cradle, the leg cradle supported by a body which body is in turn clamped to the frame, crash bars, forks or other parts of the motorcycle. The leg cradle may be hinged so that it can be moved between a position for supporting the leg to a position allowing the rider to put their foot onto the body in a manner similar to a highway peg. The device may be made of aluminum, metal, polymer and so on, and may be customized with indicia. Padding on the leg cradle may increase the user's level of comfort.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Kick Rest, LLC
    Inventor: Kevin Lee Schemp
  • Patent number: 7909148
    Abstract: A combination food cooler and table assembly includes a cooler base having an insulated cavity covered by a removable lid and a table assembly overlying the cooler lid. A table sub-panel has two legs that slide within table leg sleeves at opposite ends of the cooler base. A table top mounted over the sub-panel includes a central panel and a pair of drop leaves hingedly attached to opposite sides of the central panel. A pair of handhold openings in the sub-panel, accessed through hinged covers at the ends of the central panel, permit the user to raise the table assembly to a desired height. The central panel is mounted atop the sub-panel by means of a swivel mechanism that permits the table top to be rotated about its central axis 90 degrees with respect to the sub-panel when the drop leaves are raised outwardly and upwardly from a vertical or transport position to a horizontal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Inventors: Larry D. Miller, Karen C. Miller
  • Patent number: 7898134
    Abstract: A brushless disk DC motor that exhibits high power density and light weight and is capable of power regeneration and reverse operation employs a flat circular non-ferrous stator plate having a plurality of electromagnets mounted in a ring pattern on an inner face thereof. Permanent magnets are mounted in equal numbers in inner and outer ring patterns on the outer and inner cylindrical surfaces, respectively, of a pair of steel rotors of different diameter that rotate in concert. The stator plate and the pair of rotors are axially aligned such that the inner and outer rings of permanent magnets rotate adjacent to and inside and outside, respectively, the ring of electromagnets. The electromagnets utilize tape-wound amorphous metal cores to minimize eddy currents and resultant iron losses and to permit the use of heavier gauge copper windings to minimize resistive power losses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Bill S. Shaw
    Inventor: Bill S. Shaw
  • Patent number: 7857265
    Abstract: A mounting mechanism for a flat panel TV or other flat panel viewing device permits vertical positioning as well as swinging, swiveling, and tilting positioning of the flat panel viewing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Inventor: Jeffrey F. Adkisson
  • Patent number: 7793463
    Abstract: A shutter assembly includes left and right shutter doors hingedly mounted between upper and lower horizontal frame members secured over an opening to be shuttered. Vertical stiles serve as the left and right frame members of each of the shutter doors. The vertical stile on the unhinged side of one of the shutter doors includes a vertical flange that engages and secures the vertical stile on the unhinged side of the other shutter door when both doors are closed and locked. The two vertical stiles framing each door retain left and right pivot strips to which a plurality of louvers are mounted for rotation. A louver tilt rod mechanism is attached to and hidden from view behind one of the vertical styles of each of the doors and operates to mechanically link the louvers for movement in concert. A wire rope is positioned longitudinally within each of the louvers to prevent a breach of the shutter assembly through attempted bending of the louvers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Cline Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Warren W. Stansberry, Bradley D. Carlson, Jeffrey C. Heidel
  • Patent number: 7719777
    Abstract: A transparent multi-layer lens construction to be worn as a sunglass lens, or a fashion lens, that reflects light in a diffuse manner. The multi-layer lens construction is, in part, a combination of surface form and surface texture combined with a reflective medium and an anti-reflective coating. The present invention offers vast improvements over previously disclosed lens constructions in that it provides for both improved reflectivity and improved optical quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Inventor: Stephen M. Dillon
  • Patent number: 7610704
    Abstract: A tension fabric display structure incorporates segmented tubular framework permitting easy on-site assembly and disassembly and includes an integral drive motor coupled to a drive shaft that is supported for rotation within a framework tube. Each one of a plurality of attraction elements suspended from the framework tube housing the drive shaft is rotationally driven by a coupling assembly connected to the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventor: Michael J. Nowicki
  • Patent number: 7552668
    Abstract: Rotary bullet feeder and toolhead assemblies for use with commercially available progressive cartridge reloading machines automatically supply correctly-oriented bullets to a bullet seating die position thereof. The rotary bullet feeder assembly randomly collects hoppered bullets in a desired orientation in a multiplicity of bullet pockets formed along the peripheral edge of a rotating bullet feed ring. An arcuate bullet wall prevents gravitational release of the bullets contained in the bullet pockets until each of the bullet pockets, in turn, reaches the apex point along its circular route of travel, at which point an opening in the bullet wall allows a bullet to fall into a bullet guide for gravitational descent to a toolhead assembly. The toolhead assembly includes a toolhead plate for receiving the rotary bullet feeder assembly and a flat circular bullet feedwheel mounted for rotation on the underside of the toolhead plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Inventor: Xavier G. Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 7443608
    Abstract: A transparent multi-layer lens construction to be worn as a sunglass lens, or a fashion lens, that reflects light in a diffuse manner. The multi-layer lens construction is, in part, a combination of surface form and surface texture combined with a reflective medium and an anti-reflective coating. The present invention offers vast improvements over previously disclosed lens constructions in that it provides for both improved reflectivity and improved optical quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Inventor: Stephen M. Dillon
  • Patent number: 7364031
    Abstract: An apparatus for handling horizontally oriented flat circular articles, such as plastic lids, employs a pair of parallel rotating spin bars, one of which is divided or split into a shorter lid entry section and a longer lid discharge section. The shorter lid entry section rotates at the same speed as the other one of the parallel spin bars to stabilize the lids as they sequentially drop off a waterfall conveyor and become vertically on-edge oriented, while the longer discharge section of the split spin bar rotates at a different speed to promote lateral movement of the vertically oriented lids along the spin bars into a stack at the discharge end of the rotating spin bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: CBW Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrell B. Johnson, Dale G. Friesen
  • Patent number: 7275288
    Abstract: One-piece and two-piece watchbands may be quickly and easily installed on a watch of the wearer's choice and may just as easily be removed and replaced with another watchband to provide color and style coordination with other items of the wearer's chosen wardrobe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Inventor: Tonya Daree Bauer
  • Patent number: D550882
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Inventor: Calvin L. Brewer
  • Patent number: D560441
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Inventor: Raymond P. Kacmarynski
  • Patent number: D575137
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Cline Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Warren W. Stansberry, Bradley D. Carlson, Jeffrey C. Heidel
  • Patent number: D588373
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Inventor: Ennis W. Rushton
  • Patent number: D590568
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Inventor: Sarah Suzanne Crutchfield
  • Patent number: D603145
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventor: Karen D. Erby