Patents Examined by David Purol
  • Patent number: 8919417
    Abstract: A head rail of a window covering includes a rail member, two rail lids engaging opposite ends of the rail member, and two lid fasteners to fix a rail lids. The lid fastener includes a main plate, two clip plates, and two stop plates. The lid fastener engages the rail member with the clip plates clipping the rail member and the stop plates holding the rail lid to securely fix the rail lid to the rail member. The lid fastener provides a fast and easy way to engage and disengage the rail lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Nien Made Enterprise Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Che Wen, Chih-Yao Chang
  • Patent number: 8915288
    Abstract: An article of furniture has a core formed from a cellular structure which is expandable upon movement of end faces away from each other. The exterior of the core presents a pair of oppositely directed undulating surfaces. An outer panel is juxtaposed with at least one of the undulating surfaces and secured to it. The outer panel is movable with the core to conform to the surface as the core is extended and retracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: molo design, ltd.
    Inventors: Todd P. MacAllen, Stephanie J. Forsythe
  • Patent number: 8915287
    Abstract: A stationary base plate, a chain drum locking mechanism and a reducer mechanism are provided for a manual rolling door operator, in which the reducer mechanism has an output shaft and the chain drum locking mechanism has a chain drum, a wedge wheel, a drive shaft, a plurality of moving rollers, and fixed rods. If the chain drum is rotated in any direction by a force pulling a chain run around the chain drum, the fixed rods push against the moving rollers to release a wedging action from the wedge wheel which simultaneously renders the drive shaft to be rotated. However, if the force stop to pull the chain, the wedge wheel locks the moving roller by the wedging action due to the weight of a curtain of slats so as to stop the rotation of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Inventor: Chung-Hsien Hsieh
  • Patent number: 8910698
    Abstract: A sunshade assembly includes a mounting seat, a reeling shaft rotatably mounted to the mounting seat, a foldable shade member connected to the reeling shaft and having an expandable end section that has two side portions and a center portion interconnecting the side portions, a sidebar formed with a first receiving groove that is engaged with the center portion of the expandable end section, and two end components connected respectively to opposite ends of the sidebar. Each of the end components is formed with a second receiving groove in spatial communication with the first receiving groove and engaged with a respective one of the side portions of the expandable end section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Macauto Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Paul Lin
  • Patent number: 8893434
    Abstract: A light-control assembly including a modular beam with a plurality of adjacent circular bores separated by web portions, and a series of light-controlling members with laterally compliant edge structures mounted in the beam so that the edge structures accommodate the webs between the bores when the light-controlling members are closed to achieve enhanced, blackout or near blackout light-blocking along the edges of the light-controlling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Inventor: Moshe Konstantin
  • Patent number: 8893762
    Abstract: A horizontally expandable, portable wall partition is incrementally expandable between a closed position and an open position. The portable wall partition consists of a number of upright panel members that are sidewardly adjacent and vertically parallel to one another. These panel members are interconnected by connectors that allow the panels to slide past one another from the closed position to the expanded position. The partition may also have non-sliding end members that provide stability to the partition. The partition may also have nested panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Versare Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Ryan, Robert J. Jantschek
  • Patent number: 8887786
    Abstract: A covering for an architectural opening has a horizontal movable rail supported by cords, with a variety of configurations which allow the movable rail to be moved up and down while concealing the cords.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hunter Douglas Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Anderson, Eugene W. Thompson, Steven R. Haarer
  • Patent number: 8881787
    Abstract: A retractable safety gate has a mounting assembly, a control assembly, a delaying assembly, an operating assembly, a blocking cloth, a grip assembly and a receiving assembly. The control assembly has a controller, a ratchet unit and a spiral spring. The spiral spring is connected between the controller and the ratchet unit. Thus, the controller is pulled back to the original position to be closed by the spiral spring, thereby reducing number of the components such that the retractable safety gate has a simplified structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Inventor: Tsung-Hsiang Wang
  • Patent number: 8875770
    Abstract: A hanger for suspending a shower curtain and a spaced apart liner from a shower bar has a first hook for the curtain and a second hook for the liner, and the mouths or openings of both hooks face in the same direction, preferably toward the inside of the shower enclosure. A decorative medallion is preferably affixed to the outer side of the hanger and the placement and dimension thereof are sufficient to block from view of a person outside the shower the opening at the top of the curtain, by which means the curtain is hung from the outside hook of the hanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kenney Manufacturing Co.
    Inventors: Carolyn Martin, Jeffrey Klowan
  • Patent number: 8875771
    Abstract: A single-track stacking panel covering for an architectural opening has a headrail for mounting the covering above and in front of the opening, such as a window or door. The headrail has a single track. Suspended from the headrail and translatable therealong are panels oriented at a small angle relative to the headrail. When the covering is open, the panels form an overlappingly stacked array at one end of the headrail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Hunter Douglas Inc.
    Inventors: Wendell B. Colson, Jeffrey A. Park
  • Patent number: 8869867
    Abstract: Movable partition systems include a vertical alignment structure including at least one roller element coupled to a portion of a movable partition and a ramp configured to abut against the at least one roller element to vertically align the portion of the movable partition to engage with a strike plate. Methods of vertically aligning the movable partition include coupling at least one vertical alignment structure to the movable partition including coupling at least one structural frame member to the movable partition and coupling the at least one roller element to the at least one structural frame member and installing at least one ramp to an overhead structure configured to abut the at least one roller element and vertically align a leading end of the movable partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Won-Door Corporation
    Inventors: Mark B. Laraway, William Michael Coleman, Evan Easton, Mike Draper
  • Patent number: 8857495
    Abstract: A blind for a building opening, and having a head rail attachable adjacent to the building opening; a blind panel stored in the head rail, and adapted to be lowered, over the building opening; and, blind panel control mechanism in the head rail and control guides leading the control so as to hang free of the blind panel, and permitting the blind panel to fill the building opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Inventor: Mario M. Marocco
  • Patent number: 8857762
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for at least partially environmentally isolating a volume, such as by environmentally isolating the cargo compartment from the passenger compartment of an aircraft. In the context of an apparatus, a barrier curtain is provided that partially defines the volume. The apparatus also includes a cable extending along one or more walls that partially define the volume. The barrier curtain is supported by the cable. The apparatus may also include a cable release mechanism attached to a respective wall. The cable is carried by the cable release mechanism and the cable release mechanism is configured to fail at a predetermined load, thereby permitting the barrier curtain to drop in response to a decompression event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Brad A. Kauffman
  • Patent number: 8857492
    Abstract: A rail system is provided having two profile rails, between which a lamellar configuration having multiple lamellar elements is provided. The lamellar element is implemented for a roller blind device, which can be guided in a rail system like a folding blind, having a lamellar body and having at least two guide elements, which are situated on diametrically opposing sides of the lamellar body and extend in the transverse direction of the lamellar element, for holding and/or guiding in at least one guide groove of the rail system, at least one first guide element having at least one extension differing in the transverse direction in relation to at least one second guide element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Uwe Suess
  • Patent number: 8857499
    Abstract: A partition mount system includes an integrated plunger assembly. The integrated plunger assembly is constructed and arranged to be integrated into an interior of an end of an extension pole, for example a standard telescoping extension pole. Mounting of the plunger in an interior portion of the pole in this manner provides for a sleek design that is relatively lightweight. Assuming that the pole in which the anchor is mounted is part of a telescoping pole system, the anchor and plunger do not interfere with full travel of the interior pole with respect to other poles in the telescoping system. In this manner, operation of the telescoping pole system is not inhibited by the integrated plunger assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Zipwall LLC
    Inventor: Jeffrey P. Whittemore
  • Patent number: 8851143
    Abstract: A single pull rope driving device for a window shade includes a rotation driving device (3) mounted to a bracket (1) and having a pull rope (12). A gear (7) is jointly rotatable with a reeling drum (2) for releasing/winding a curtain cloth (26). A rack (9) is movable in a vertical direction and includes teeth (10a) releasably engaged with the gear (7). A return spring (11) biases the rack (9) to disengage the teeth (10a) of the rack (9) from the gear (7). An actuating member (13) mounted on the pull rope (12) can move the rack (9) downward by pulling the pull rope (12), driving the gear (7) and the reeling drum (2) to rotate in a winding direction. The gear (7) and the reeling drum (2) are rotatable in the winding or releasing direction by pulling the pull rope (12) downward without actuating the rack (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Inventor: Xiang-Rong Zhu
  • Patent number: 8853973
    Abstract: Each screen (1) of a group of screens is configured by a method in which a function is approximated, the function giving the instantaneous axial position (H(t)) of the load bar (2) thereof along an axis (Z) of translation in the form of a function having, as a variable, the instantaneous angular position (y(t)) of a winding device (4). The load bars of the screens are sequentially moved into a plurality of positions in which the load bars are aligned, and then the angular position (y(t)) of the winding device is determined. Next, the coefficients defining the approximation function of each screen are determined. The movement of the load bar of each screen is controlled by an instantaneous angular-position set value (?(t)), which is in turn predetermined from a representative profile using the one-to-one approximation function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Somfy SAS
    Inventors: Eric Lagarde, Frederic Maraval
  • Patent number: 8844604
    Abstract: A guide assembly for a folding panel assembly or system, the guide assembly including a first body section for locating the assembly in a guide channel and a second body section for carrying a bolt that passes through a hinge for attachment to a folding panel, wherein the second body section is pivotally mounted to the first body section so as to adopt either a left or right handed orientation relative to the first body section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: RMD Industries Pty Ltd.
    Inventors: Stylianos Pelekanos, Louise Helen Page
  • Patent number: 8833429
    Abstract: Included are a windup device, a screen mounted to the windup device so as to be drawn therefrom and housed therein, a stay mounted to a drawing-side edge of the screen, and a pair of arms each including a distal end portion connected to the stay so as to rotate relative thereto and a proximal end portion supported by the windup device so as to rotate relative thereto about a rotation axis, the pair of arms being configured to change a position between a folded position and an extended position through a rotary movement about the rotation axis. The pair of arms are configured such that in the extended position, one-end-side portion of a pivot base extends toward a vertical frame of a window from the rotation axis and the other-end-side portion of the pivot base and an arm part extend along the vertical frame in a manner of being bent from the distal end portion of the one-end-side portion of the pivot base, and that the arm part and the pivot base are connected so as to rotate relative thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ashimori Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naochika Katada
  • Patent number: 8820387
    Abstract: The invention relates to a winding device and to a method for covering wall openings or windows. The winding device comprises a covering element that can be rolled up, a deflecting element that has a wave-like design, or is simply formed by a bottom hemline, or a bottom woven fabric edge and/or longitudinal edge, and at least on raising and lowering unit. In addition, the covering element is provided with an upper longitudinal edge, which is preferably arranged in parallel to the deflecting element. The lower longitudinal edge is either connected to the deflecting element, or is formed by the same, so that as a result of a rotation of the deflecting element, or of the lower woven fabric edge and/or longitudinal edge, about a horizontal axis, the covering element can be rolled up or down. The raising and lowering unit comprises at least one cord, wherein at least one free end of the cord is connected to the raising and lowering unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Lock Antriebstechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Zettl