Patents Assigned to Leifheit AG
  • Patent number: 5926984
    Abstract: To permit easy attachment, removal, and repositioning of a rest plate of a potentially hot flat iron on an ironing board (1, 31), forming an accessory element, the iron rest plate (4, 37) is placed above the ironing board, which typically includes a padding (34, 35). The attachment to the board is by a cam or eccenter clamp (3, 36) which has a portion (6, 39) extending and projecting beneath a rim of the ironing board (1, 31), and essentially partly in alignment with the iron rest plate above the ironing board. The accessory is U-shaped, with the iron rest plate (4, 37) above the ironing board, a connecting carrier portion (38) essentially at the base of the U, and a clamping portion extending beneath the ironing board and beyond the edge thereof, which typically is a channel or similar construction projecting downwardly from the plane of the ironing board. The clamping portion reaches behind this edge and thus, essentially, is in part-alignment with the iron rest plate (4, 37).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Gerhard Zuber
  • Patent number: 5924226
    Abstract: To provide an ergonometrically correct ironing board (2) which can be readily folded and retained in folded position, the legs (7, 8) of the ironing board are coupled at a cross-over shaft (9) and each connected to a spacer element (18, 19) in which the spacer element is formed with a recess or groove or notch (17). A hand-operable height-positioning lever (15) which is coupled to a height adjustment mechanism (5, 4, 12, 13, 14) is also coupled to a locking lever (16) having a locking tip (22) engageable with the recess or groove or notch (17) in the spacer elements which are coupled to the legs (7, 8) when the legs are folded together. The locking lever (16) is spring-loaded to retain the legs in folded position; upon operating the height positioning lever (15), the lock is automatically released. For universal ironing convenience, the ironing board has a straight front side (67) which has a curved blunt end (69) with a curve radius of about 350 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Gerhard Zuber
  • Patent number: 5799369
    Abstract: A tool handle (3) in which a handle part (5) is made from a material with a Shore hardness of at least 70 and a thumb and/or finger rests (6, 8) which is integral with the handle part (5) is made from a material having a Shore hardness of no more than 60. The thumb and/or finger rests (6, 8) are molecularly bonded, or integrated into the handle part (5) by a two-component molding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Rolf Gunter Schulein
  • Patent number: 5581897
    Abstract: A plier-type can opener has two arms 1, 2 that are pivotally connected to one another. The rotatable parts required for the can opener to cut open a lid of a can and to advance the can are combined into preassembled units that are mountable to the arms. The rotatable parts include a cutting wheel 5, a feed wheel 7, a turning handle 4 and toothed wheels 6, 8. The rotatable parts included in the units are respectively mounted in respective cutouts on the arms 1, 2. The cutouts open toward each other and are provided on an inside edge portion of each arm so that after the units are pressed into respective cutouts, then during use of the can opener when the arms are closed to open a can, the closing of the arms enhances retention of the units in their respective cutouts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Johannes Liebscher
  • Patent number: 5494187
    Abstract: A breadbox is usable as both a breadbox and a cutting board. The breadbox has a bottom portion (1), opposite side walls (2, 3), and a movable flap (5) which closes off a front opening of the breadbox. The flap has a cutting board surface and at least one shaft for pivotally coupling the flap (5) to the side walls so that the flap (5) is swivelable from a closed position where the flap closes the front opening of the breadbox (5) to an open position where the breadbox is open and the flap (5) is positioned substantially in a horizontal plane, such that the flap (5) has the cutting board surface exposed upwardly so as to be usable as the cutting board. The breadbox has a receptacle for crumbs which is disengageably attached to the front edge of the bottom of the breadbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Rolf G. Schuelein, Helmut Deimel
  • Patent number: 5492232
    Abstract: An umbrella-shaped clothes-drying rack has a pole 1, on which main arms 4 which are arranged to hold a clothes line are pivotably mounted via a star-shaped slider 2. Spreading arms 6 are provided between the main arms 4 and the pole 1. One end of each spreading arm 6 is pivotably mounted on a fixed holding member 3 which is fastened to the pole 1, and the other end of each spreading arm 6 is pivotably attached to a respective main arm 4. To ease the spreading of the umbrella-shaped clothes-drying rack in the beginning phase of opening, a spreading body 9 is slidably disposed in the upper portion of the pole 1 and cooperates with cam members 13 on the spreading arms 6 and displaces the spreading arms 6 by means of pulling on a pull rope 15 far enough so that the main arms 4 can be further unfolded to a fully open position without a great exertion of force by manually pushing the slider 2 up and/or by manually pulling downwardly and outwardly on the main arms 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Heinz J. Ohm
  • Patent number: 5442830
    Abstract: A floor mop has a carrier plate (1), on which two U-shaped frame parts (5, 6) are mounted for receiving a removable cover (20), which is provided with flexible plastic parts reinforcing the lengthwise edges. One frame part (6) is pivotably supported in the carrier plate (1) to pivot about a crosswise axis (A). It is held in its extended position by a locking protrusion (11). To pivot the frame part (6) for removing the cover (20), a lever (12) is supported on the carrier plate (1) pivotable about an axis (B, 15). The lever engages the frame part (6) at a point (13) which is located at a distance from the axis (B, 15) and from the lock (11). When the lever (12) is pressed downwardly, e.g. by stepping on it, the frame part (6) is pivoted downwardly and the legs of the U-frame spread, thus overcoming the locking effect of the locking means (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Heinz J. Ohm
  • Patent number: 5368203
    Abstract: A spice container assembly includes a removable closure body for a spice container that is detachably secured to a stationary tubular holder. The spice container in turn, is held by the closure body via a magnet, to facilitate one-handed removal of a unit comprising the spice container and the closure body from the holder. The spice container is retained in or on the closure body by a magnetic force which is used to seal the spice container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Rainer Friedrich, Rolf G. Schulein
  • Patent number: 5253552
    Abstract: A tong-like device for opening jar lids of various sizes, having a retaining handle and an actuating handle that is swivelable on it about a bearing, a drawbar longitudinally adjustable with the retaining handle and having a clamping bracket, and retaining claws provided on the end of the retaining handle; a draw plate (24) is displaceable on the flat drawbar (11) having the clamping bracket (13) and is pressed via a compression spring against a guide wall (22) that is at right angles to the drawbar (11), in such a manner that an impingement region (26) of the draw plate rests against a pressure rib (27) of the actuating handle (1) that is swivelable about a bearing (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Dieter Brand, Peter Kern, Johannes G. Solf
  • Patent number: 5240128
    Abstract: An airing and drying frame comprises a vertical mast (1), a plurality of arms (4) for holding a clothesline (22), the arms (4) being pivotally mounted to the mast (1), and a retraction device for retracting the clothesline (22) into the arms (4) when the frame is being closed. During a closing action the clothesline (22) is pulled inward within the arms (4) by means of weights (9) sliding in a sliding channel (20) into a storing compartment (21) within the arms (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Heinz J. Ohm
  • Patent number: 5197197
    Abstract: To facilitate manufacture and eliminate the possibility of sharp corners projecting from metallic elements of a can opener, a bearing bushing (21) for a feed wheel shaft (20), to which a serrated feed wheel (15) and a twist knob (16) are connected, the handle is formed of two plastic handle shells (18, 19) of which an upper handle shell (18) is a unitary molded element together with the bearing bushing (21) and a counter or guide surface (24) in part surrounding the feed wheel. The bearing bushing extends through a hole in the metallic lever (11, 12) and into an opening of the lower handle shell (19), preferably forming a snap connection, with a slightly projecting shoulder, extending above the lower handle shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1993
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Dieter Himmighofen, Rolf G. Schulein
  • Patent number: 5172446
    Abstract: A mop and mop-squeeze combination has a handle (1), a mop head (4) and a wringer device (3) disposed behind the mop head (4), the wringer device comprising a box-like sheath (14), a squeeze roller (23) supported in oblique guides (22) and traveling from the outside inward, and opposed guide rollers (20). The wet mop cloth is wrung out by being pulled into the sheath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Rolf-Gunter Schulein
  • Patent number: 4762042
    Abstract: A refillable dispenser for web materials has a housing 1 and a snap-fitted cover 2. A slidable cutter 3 rides in a slit 25 of cover 2. A vertical cutting support surface 11 is formed as an integral extension of a horizontal roll support plate 9. Baseplates 9 may also be integrally formed with back wall 8 of housing 1. The junction of plate 9 and cutting surface 11 define with the adjacent edge of cover 2 a dispensing slot 14, so replacement of rolls 17 is facilitated and threading of web material is simplified. A cooperating lip 18 and recess 19 on surface 11 facilitate grasping the end of the web, and a labyrinthine web path 20 defined by ribs 15, 16 prevents retraction of web material, particularly clingly plastic wrap, back onto the roll after cutting. A leaf spring 29 inside cover 2 urges a disk-shaped blade 23 into a slot 24 of surface 11 while a housing surrounding the blade protects the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1988
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Denter, Dieter Himmighofen, Rolf G. Schulein
  • Patent number: 4679817
    Abstract: A folding hand truck with a four-part handle shaft 1, in which a bottom part 6 and a central part 8 are connected by an articulation 7, while a locking part 9, to which a handle part 11 is articulated by a multiple articulation 10 is guided telescopically in these two parts, so that in the telescoped state of the handle part the multiple articulation assumes a position above the articulation (FIG. 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1987
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Dieter Schufer
  • Patent number: D286483
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1986
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Leonhard Hagedorn, Rolf-Gunter Schulein
  • Patent number: D286721
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1986
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Leonhard Hagedorn, Rolf-Gunter Schulein
  • Patent number: D295888
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1988
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventors: Rolf G. Schulein, Rainer Friedrich
  • Patent number: D321104
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Rolf G. Schulein
  • Patent number: D321423
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1991
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Heinz J. Ohm
  • Patent number: D413039
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Leifheit AG
    Inventor: Rolf Gunter Schulein