Patents Examined by Andres Gallego
  • Patent number: 8051781
    Abstract: A shelf for overlying a shower barrier uses a pair of shelves that are connected by a connector shelf allowing the device to telescope. Each of the pair of shelves abut a side wall and overlie a curtain rod or the top of a shower door. Each shelf has a flat upper surface and a decorative downwardly depending front surface for enhancing the aesthetics of the shower enclosure and concealing the rod or top of the door. Various devices can be used to hold the shelves against the walls including telescoping rods attached to the connector shelf and the other two shelves with a set screw holding the rods in place. A compression spring can also push on the outer shelves; or screws can pass through either screw bosses on the two other shelves and into the respective walls or a bracket can, be attached to the outer shelves and the walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Inventors: Krista K. Vind, Clayton J. Vind
  • Patent number: 7997212
    Abstract: A multi-purpose table including a channel forming a portion of, or attached to, a horizontal support bar of the table. The channel includes at least one trough for managing cables and cords associated with electrical and communication outlets. The electrical and communication outlets may be provided in the channel. The outlets remain available to a user of the table when a work surface of the table is positioned in either a horizontal or a vertical position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Kimball International, Inc.
    Inventor: Jay M. Henriott
  • Patent number: 7976112
    Abstract: A stationary drawer glide and cabinet drawer are provided. The stationary drawer glide and cabinet drawer incorporating the drawer glide allow for a user to easily slide open and closed a cabinet drawer without causing damage or warping to the cabinet drawer, even if there are heavy objects in the drawer. The drawer glide includes a fastening portion adapted to be affixed to an interior cabinet wall, and top and bottom portions for supporting a drawer. The drawer glide may be made of a material with a smooth surface with a low coefficient of friction to facilitate easy gliding of the cabinet drawer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Hirsh Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael J. Stock
  • Patent number: 7975624
    Abstract: A multi-purpose table including a channel that either forms a portion of, or is attached to, a horizontal support structure of the work surface of the table. The channel includes at least one trough for managing cables and cords associated with electrical and communication outlet modules. The electrical and communication outlet modules may be installed within the channel with the outlets accessible to a user of the table when the work surface is positioned in each of a horizontal use position and a vertical storage position. In one embodiment, individual outlet modules are installed within the channel by a snap-fit engagement. In another embodiment, the outlet modules are provided as part of a harness or bus assembly that is slidably installed and retained within the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Kimball International, Inc.
    Inventor: Jay M. Henriott
  • Patent number: 7946667
    Abstract: A dampened drawer within a drawer frame includes frame and drawer slide rails cooperating together with the drawer supported in the frame for longitudinal sliding movement of the drawer slide rail with respect of the frame slide rail. A first strip of material is attached to the frame slide rail and a second strip of material is attached to the drawer slide rail with the strips contacting each other in frictional engagement. The frictional engagement is determined so as to prevent longitudinal sliding movement of the drawer slide rail with respect to the frame slide rail when a force less than a predetermined force is applied to the drawer in any position of the drawer with respect to the frame over the entire range of longitudinal sliding movement of the drawer slide rail with respect to the frame slide rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Inventors: Dennis John Schweers, Martin J. Forbes
  • Patent number: 7942486
    Abstract: A linear guide system having a slide-out member including a support element and two elongate guides extending rearwardly laterally of the support element and having at least one pair of stationary outer rails mounted in a horizontally extending position on the inside of a carcass wall and slides each of which is slidably supported on a respective outer rail along the length thereof. An engagement apparatus is provided for bringing the guides of slide-out members into engagement with slides and a locking apparatus is provided for locking at least one slide in an extended position with respect to displacement travel of the slide-out member and locks the slide against displacement when a guide of the slide-out member is brought out of engagement with the slide and unlocks the slide for displacement along the outer rail when the guides of the slide-out member is brought into engagement with the slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Accuride International GmbH
    Inventor: Friedhelm Petri
  • Patent number: 7896451
    Abstract: A movable beverage cooler includes a storage organizer below an insulated cooler tub. The storage organizer has a plurality of adjustable horizontal racks for accommodating individual rows of various sized containers. The racks employ grip-in-place sidewall adjustment pads. The tub has a drop-in top, sliding door sub-assembly, with locking screws. The storage organizer may be enclosed with access through sliding doors. The structure is supported on legs with adjustable leveler extensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Inventor: Thomas Jerome Walsh
  • Patent number: 7866768
    Abstract: A storage assembly of a type including at least two modules which can be solidly connected to one another. Each of said modules is equipped with structure for accessing at least one storage space, a closure mechanism and a mechanism for solidly connecting the modules to one another. The at least one module includes structure for locking the mechanism for solidly connecting the modules to one another and the closure mechanism for closing off access to at least one module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Inventor: Yves Mallouk
  • Patent number: 7857151
    Abstract: A tension rod assembly is provided that includes first and second telescoping rod sections. An outer diameter of the second rod section is larger than an outer diameter of the first rod section. First and second end members are provided. Each of the first and second end members has a recess with substantially the same inner diameter. The first end member is adapted to be received on the end of the first rod section. The second end member is adapted to be received on the end of the second rod section. An adapter is interposed between the end of the first rod section and the first end member. The adapter is configured to compensate for the difference in the outer diameters of the first and second rod sections such that identical end members can be used on both ends of the tension rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Ex-Cell Home Fashions, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Barrese
  • Patent number: 7845744
    Abstract: A slide member and a slide assembly having the slide member are provided, in particular to a reinforcing structure of the slide member and the slide assembly. The slide member further comprises an automatic retractable device therein and may be in conjunction with a single-section or two-section slide to from a slide assembly in a stronger structure and a steady sliding operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: King Slide Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken-Ching Chen, Hsiu-Chiang Liang, Chun-Chiang Wang
  • Patent number: 7823516
    Abstract: A very practical table apparatus is provided that can be made smaller and thinner without the need to stack a first table that moves in a first direction and a second table that moves in a second direction as in prior art. The table apparatus has a table (1) on which work is disposed, a first actuator (4) for moving the table (1) in the first direction a, and a second actuator (7) that is disposed on substantially the same plane as the first actuator, and that moves the table (1) in the second direction b, thereby allowing a single table (1) to be moved in the first direction a and second direction b without the need to stack two tables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Bearing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuru Yamazaki, Toyoshi Kazama, Yusuke Ueki
  • Patent number: 7819488
    Abstract: A door opening device decreasing operational stages of a driving motor when opening a door and a refrigerator having the door opening device are disclosed. The door opening device selectively opens a first door and a second door and includes an operating member which selectively pressurizes the first door and the second door to be opened by rotation, a rotating cam including a plurality of protruding portions which contact the operating member to rotate the operating member and a plurality of depressed portions which are spaced apart from the operating member, the protruding portions and the depressed portions being formed alternately along a rotational direction of the rotating cam, a driving motor rotating the rotating cam in a forward direction and a reverse direction, and a return part returning the operating member to an initial position after at least one of the first door and the second door is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Hyun Lee, Jin Ho Kim, Jae Koog An, Young seok Cho
  • Patent number: 7815264
    Abstract: A stackable modular personal computer structure comprises a lowermost frameworks, a plurality of intermediate frameworks, an uppermost framework and an upper cover; the frameworks and the upper cover stacked with each other in a sequence; all the frameworks have the first internal engaging structure inside the tops thereof respectively, the intermediate frameworks, the uppermost framework and the upper cover each have the second internal engaging structure inside the bottoms thereof respectively; the bottoms of each of the intermediate and the uppermost frameworks has a hole especially for electric wires to pass through to enable the modular personal computer so that a consistent outlook for the computer structure can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Aopen Inc.
    Inventors: Te-An Lin, Chih-Hsiung Chen, Wu-Nan Wang, Cheng Tu, Ching-Tang Lin
  • Patent number: 7798336
    Abstract: A magnetic tool storage rack includes a main rack body having a positioning wall, and a magnetic assembly. The magnetic assembly includes a fixing unit and a magnet unit. The fixing unit is installed on the positioning wall and is made from a non-magnetic material. The fixing unit defines a receiving space, and has an opening formed in one side opposite to the positioning wall and in spatial communication with the receiving space. The magnet unit includes at least two magnet components, each of which is disposed in the receiving space, has a wall contacting part that extends through the opening in the fixing unit, and is movable linearly in the receiving space in directions toward and away from the positioning wall of the main rack body to result in a variable length of the wall contacting part that extends through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Inventor: Hsuan-Sen Shiao
  • Patent number: 7789250
    Abstract: An athletic ball organizer and a method for storing athletic balls. The athletic ball organizer includes a plurality of ball cradles that are adapted to retain an athletic ball. The organizer is adapted to be hung in a vertical orientation using support straps, whereby the ball cradles are vertically spaced-apart. This enables a user to remove an athletic ball from the organizer without moving an adjacent ball, and to replace the athletic ball in a similar fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Inventor: Robert W. Aamodt
  • Patent number: 7784625
    Abstract: An organizer is configured to store and organize storage article product packages. The organizer has a first storage bin with a front panel and is configured to hold one or more storage article product packages which can dispense individual storage articles through a dispenser opening. The first storage bin is mountable to a generally vertical mounting surface. An opening in the front panel of the first storage bin is positioned to align with the dispenser openings of the one or more product packages. A second storage bin has a front panel, an open top, and a bottom and is configured to hold one or more elongate product packages in a vertical orientation and accessible via the open top. The second storage bin is mountable to the mounting surface and can pivot forward from and rearward back toward the generally vertical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Rubbermaid Incorporated
    Inventors: Roddy Burgess, Michael A. Zarkis
  • Patent number: 7780252
    Abstract: A staging lock (22) is movably mounted to an intermediate member (16), and has a follower tab (58) and a lock tab (66). When the intermediate member (16) is fully extended from within the cabinet member (14), the follower tab (58) engages a cam form (106) on the cabinet member (14) and moves the staging lock (22) from a closed position to an open position. When the staging lock (22) is disposed in the closed position, the lock tab (66) engages a staging lock catch (114) on the chassis member (18) to secure the chassis member (18) in a fully retracted position within the intermediate member (16). When the staging lock (22) is moved to the open position, the chassis member (18) may extend from within the intermediate member (16). A rear lock (24) retains the intermediate member (16) in a fully extended position until the chassis member (18) is fully retracted within the intermediate member (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Central Industrial Supply Company
    Inventors: Huang Mushan, Wenming Yang, Meng Kee Koh, Alfred E. Barry, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7774902
    Abstract: A grab bar for projecting from a structure to a projecting side of the grab bar includes a user support member operable to support a user, the user support member being disposed at the projecting side of the grab bar; and an extending member attached to the user support member and dimensioned to extend between the projecting side and an attachment side of the grab bar opposite the projecting side, whereby an upper edge of the grab bar extends from the extending member upwardly and away from the attachment side at a first end of the grab bar and extends upwardly and away from the projecting side at a second end of the grab bar opposite the first end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Inventor: Robert H. J. Whyzel
  • Patent number: 7765938
    Abstract: Nesting and folding table, comprising a supporting structure including two pairs of legs, a top articulated to the supporting structure about a horizontal axis and mobile between a position of use and a position of storage, and a pair of supporting devices each including an arched guide fixed with respect to the top, a rotatable arm, and a supporting member, carried by the rotatable arm and slidably engaging said arched guide. The first and the second pairs of legs are both fixed to one another and are staggered with respect to one another in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the surface. Said arm has a first end that rotatably engages an end of a respective leg and a second end that is connected to said supporting member by means of a joint, designed to enable a movement of rotation of the supporting member with respect to said second end of the arm about at least two mutually orthogonal axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Pro-Cord Spa
    Inventor: Alessandro Piretti
  • Patent number: 7744172
    Abstract: A computer enclosure includes a rear plate defining a through opening therein, a mounting bracket secured on the rear plate to cover the through opening of the rear plate, and an interchangeable I/O plate. The mounting bracket includes a top wall perpendicular to the rear plate and, a front wall parallel to the rear plate. The top wall forms an engaging tab thereon. The front wall defines a through opening therein corresponding to the through opening of the rear plate. The I/O plate is configured for covering the through opening of the front wall of the mounting bracket, and defines a securing hole therein for receiving the engaging tab of the mounting bracket. A locking piece is formed on the I/O plate and together with the I/O plate sandwiches an edge of the through opening of the mounting bracket therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wen-Tzu Chen, Li-Ping Chen, Chia-Kang Wu, Yi-Lung Chou