Patents Examined by Gerald Anderson
  • Patent number: 6612596
    Abstract: A foldable footstool device for a vehicle of the present invention comprises a main beam fixed to a lower surface of a lower part of a vehicle and having hinge holes and stoppers at left and right sides thereof, respectively; a footstool installed rotatably about said hinge holes of the main beam and being supported by the stoppers; a first shaft extended from an end of the footstool; a link portion linking a lower inner wall of a door and a side sill of the lower part of the vehicle; a second shaft connected to the link portion in order to rotate in response to a rotation of the link portion; and a bevel gear part having a horizontal gear connected to the first shaft and a vertical gear connected to the second shaft. According to such foldable footstool device for a vehicle, the footstool is unfolded when the door is opened and the footstool is folded when the door is shut so that a width of the vehicle decreases in a state that the door is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Inventors: Jun-Sung Jeon, Dong-Ho Kang
  • Patent number: 6539881
    Abstract: A pallet and an associated method are provided for supporting an item mounted upon casters. The pallet includes a pallet deck having a fixed portion and a movable portion. The movable portion moves between a first position in which the movable portion is displaced, such as by being rotated downwardly, from the fixed portion and a second position in which the movable and fixed portions cooperate to define a support surface. The movable portion is in the second position while the item is loaded, but is moved to the first position during shipment. The pallet also includes a support for supporting the item once the movable portion is in the first position. Prior thereto, however, the item is typically spaced from the support. Each support can include a stationary portion and a movable portion that moves between a retracted position to facilitate loading and an extended position during shipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Steven Leo Underbrink, James Robert Underbrink
  • Patent number: 6484648
    Abstract: The adjustment mechanism (10) includes a stationary first member (12) and a second member (20) telescopingly mounted in the first member. A threaded member (26) is rotatably connected at the first end (26A) to the upper end (20A) of the second member. The second end (26B) of the screw extends down through a top nut (38) fixably mounted on one end of a nut support (36). A spring (40) is mounted around the screw and the nut support extends between the lower end of the first member and the upper end of the second member. An operating mechanism is used to rotate the screw. The operating mechanism allows for fewer rotations of the handle (62) of the operating mechanism to move the work surface the desired amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Inventor: Dennis L. Long
  • Patent number: 6374548
    Abstract: A workspace definition system is provided which comprises a plurality of columns having a hollow interior, a plurality of overhead beam assemblies having at least one internal channel, each overhead beam assembly mounted between the columns. Several intermediate beam assemblies also having an internal channel can be provided between some of the columns as well. The internal channel of each of the beams communicates with the hollow interior of the plurality of columns for uninterrupted passage of electrical/data conduit therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Trendway Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia D. Ruedinger, Michael W. Eastman
  • Patent number: 6292236
    Abstract: A ceiling-mounted automotive display unit mounted in the ceiling of an automobile above the front passenger seat. The unit includes a screen with a viewing surface, the screen being mounted for movement between a stowed position wherein the screen is generally parallel to the plane of the ceiling and facing downward to reveal the viewing surface to a reclined front seat passenger, and a deployed position wherein the screen projects downward from the ceiling and faces rearward to reveal the viewing surface to a rear seat passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Rosen Products LLC
    Inventor: John B. Rosen
  • Patent number: 6202665
    Abstract: A portable hunting blind for retrofitting to hunter's tree stands features arch-shaped concealment panels comprising a reconfigurable camouflage material attached via flexible rods to a lightweight support base. At the points of attachment to the support base, elbows permit the concealment panels to be variably inclined so that the enclosure size and the width of any openings can be varied. Options include a pouch to store hunting gear, an arrow quiver to store hunting arrows, a sheet of camouflage material to seal an opening between adjacent panels, and a ground stake to convert the invention to a ground blind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Inventor: Daniel P. O'Hare
  • Patent number: 6123400
    Abstract: A switching cabinet having a rack with horizontal and vertical frame profiles. The horizontal frame profiles form a lower and upper frame and the vertical frame profiles are secured in the comer areas of the upper and lower frames. The vertical frame profiles are symmetrical to cross-sectional diagonals running across virtual, vertical outer edges of the rack. Greater flexibility in installing built-in fixtures inside the switch cabinet is achieved by providing the vertical frame profiles which are turned towards the inside of the switching cabinet with an open inner cavity having two inner walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the profiles so that vertical assembly rails can be mounted in the inner cavity, one profiled side standing perpendicular to the outside of the rack is joined to the inner walls. The inner walls, the assembly racks and the profiled sides can have rows of fastening cavities inserted according to a division grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2000
    Assignee: Rittal-Werk Rudolf Loh GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Walter Nicolai, Udo Munch, Heinrich Strackbein
  • Patent number: 6106084
    Abstract: A catering cart whose height is substantially greater than its width and its length, particularly a catering cart for use in confined spaces, such as the aisles of passenger aircraft and railway diners. The cart is provided with four wheels, at least two of which are castor wheels, and the cart is constructed to receive goods that can be stacked vertically in the cart. An insert whose height is substantially equal to half the internal height of the cart is mounted in the cart and can move vertically from a lower position in the bottom half of the cart to an upper position in the upper half of the cart, wherein goods can be inserted into or removed from the insert through an access opening provided in one side of the cart, when the insert is in its upper position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Scandinavian Airline System
    Inventors: Lars Hojgaard Thogersen, Nils Toft
  • Patent number: 6092475
    Abstract: A shelf assembly is proposed which can be taken apart and which has shelves (1) and rods (2) disposed for supporting the shelves in a nearly horizontal position. Cables (3) are provided to tension the rods (2) with the shelves (1) to fix the position of the rods (2) with respect to each other and of the shelves (1) relative to the rods (2). In addition, an attachment device is provided for connecting the cables (3) to the rods (2) in a detachable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Inventors: Gabriele Langer, Marc Philipp
  • Patent number: 6089167
    Abstract: A work station for assembling equipment comprises a rotatable work surface, a fixed work surface and a support frame. The rotatable work surface is rotatably mounted to the fixed work surface which is, in turn, mounted to the support frame. The work station includes a locking mechanism positioned between the rotatable work surface and the fixed work surface for adjusting the rotational orientation of the rotatable work surface. The rotatable work surface and the fixed work surface are both made of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) safe material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Micron Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Marcus S. Frohardt
  • Patent number: 6082837
    Abstract: A modular display system of interlocking components, and more particularly, a modular cubic display frame, comprising two sets of four mitered frame members, the two sets defining opposing rectangular end planes, and a set of longitudinal frame members extending perpendicularly between the corners of the two end planes. The end and the longitudinal frame members are interconnected at each corner utilizing a threaded bolt or screw having a lipped head. The lip projecting from the head engages a corresponding groove formed in the outer surfaces of the mitered corners of the end frame members, while the externally-threaded shaft of the screw engages an internally-threaded bore in the end of the longitudinal frame member. All of the frame members have longitudinal channels formed along each side and one corner, for attaching two modular display frames to each other, or for attaching a variety of auxiliary devices to a display frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Alu, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilberto Battochio, James C. Maharg
  • Patent number: 6074030
    Abstract: A refrigerator has a refrigerator cabinet and a refrigerator door. The refrigerator door is arranged to open and close with respect to the refrigerator cabinet. A storage compartment is associated with either the refrigerator cabinet or the refrigerator door, and a container door cooperates with the compartment to form a container. First and second hinge members are on the container door, and third and fourth hinge members are on the compartment. The first and third hinge members form a first hinge and the second and fourth hinge members form a second hinge between the container door and the compartment. Ribs are on the container door adjacent to, and on either side of, the first and second hinge members. The ribs contact the compartment adjacent to the third and fourth hinge members in order to permit the container door to move quietly into opened and closed positions with respect to the compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Amana Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Prunty, Joseph M. Nurre
  • Patent number: 6065819
    Abstract: A drawer operating system for controlling a drawer having a sliding direction, the drawer defined by a front end and a rear end and partitioned by walls into a plurality of bins consecutive with one another along the sliding direction for holding various dispensable items, the drawer housed in a cabinet and arranged to move between a closed position and graduated, progressively open positions to allow access to one or more bins and the contents stored therein, the system including a linear encoder for monitoring the position and direction of movement of the drawer, including the length of opening the drawer on its preceding excursion, and for producing a plurality of electronic signals specific to the position and movement of the drawer, a drawer stop device arranged between the drawer and the cabinet, a controller for receipt of the electronic signals, and an electric solenoid, including a spring-loaded plunger slidingly mounted therein, for activation by the controller, after the beginning of the drawer-ope
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Pyxis Corporation
    Inventors: William K. Holmes, David R. Williams
  • Patent number: 6062146
    Abstract: A storage support assembly, which provides a luggage rack for a rear portion of a vehicle, has an adjustable frame support capable of receiving a panel on a top portion thereof in order to provide accessibility and compartments for storage of luggage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Inventors: Jerry P. Conners, Virginia S. Conners
  • Patent number: 6061966
    Abstract: An electrical cabinet stores, or houses, a variety electrical components. The electrical components within the cabinet may be interconnected and may be connected to other electrical components external to the cabinet. The cabinet has an access door with a door stop that allows the door to be locked in an open position. The cabinet contains a workstation with a pivoting platform that supports an electrical component. The cabinet has an extendable bracket that extends allows an electrical component to be extended from the cabinet and removed by lifting the component in an upward direction. The cabinet has a board guide module that aligns a circuit board with an electrical connector in the cabinet. The cabinet has a bulkhead connector that reduces electromagnetic degradation in electrical cables that extend from the cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Erik Nelson, Jeffrey Teachout
  • Patent number: 6058854
    Abstract: A lightweight, high-strength support platform for use in furniture construction, which has superior structural integrity and can be used, by way of example, in portable folding tables, in work tables and in modular furniture of the character typically used in modern office complexes. The support platform embodies a novel structural reinforcement core, and exhibits superior strength characteristics. In one form of the invention, the support platform is used in the construction of a lightweight, readily portable folding table which includes two pair of legs that are pivotally connected to the platform for pivotal movement between an extended operational position and a retracted storage and transport position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Virco Mfg. Corporation
    Inventors: Matt Tarnay, Clifford Raab
  • Patent number: 6050202
    Abstract: A storage divider includes a first frame which has one edge pivotally mounted to the floor of the vehicle and a second frame pivotally mounted to the first frame member remote from its connection to the vehicle floor. Together the frames move from a co-planar collapsed stored position to a raised position elevating a storage platform positioned on the second frame above the floor area of the vehicle while leaving the floor area of the vehicle open for additional storage. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second frame includes one edge with extensions which hook into sockets mounted to the sidewalls of the vehicle for holding the storage divider in an extended use position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Prince Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph M. Thompson
  • Patent number: 6045204
    Abstract: The invention provides a high cost saving method of achieving restricted bin motion. A linkage that supports an overhead stowage bin (22) in an aircraft (12) and is operable for moving the stowage bin (22) between open and closed positions. The linkage includes an upper link (26), a lower link (28') and a gas spring (36). The gas spring (36) is pivotally connected at an upper first end to the upper link (26) and at a lower second end to the lower link (28'). Modifying apparatus comprises an additional link (56) that is connectable at a first end to the upper link (26) and at a second end to the first end of the gas spring (36). A new or extended existing lower link (28) may be used. This apparatus changes the location of the pivotal connection (40) of the upper end of the gas spring (36) to the upper link (26), so as to change the open position of the overhead stowage bin (22) in a way that lessens projection of the stowage bin (22) into aisle space (18) when the stowage bin (22) is in its open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Hexcel Corporation
    Inventors: Joe K. Frazier, Robert J. Shimota, Gary L. Ferson
  • Patent number: 6045205
    Abstract: An automatic dishwasher comprising a metal wash tub mounted to a structural frame. The metal tub comprises multiple sides, which are welded together to form a weldment. The structural frame comprises a rear leg that is positioned beneath the bottom wall of the metal tub adjacent the weldment formed by the sidewall and the bottom wall. A retainer is mounted to the face of the leg and abuts the sidewall to mount the rear of the metal tub to the structural frame. The retainer conforms to the shape of the leg, weldment, and the sidewall to apply a clamping pressure thereto to clamp the weldment and the corner of the metal tub formed by the junction of the sidewall and the bottom wall between the retainer and the leg. The retainer and the leg have positioning means and alignment means to position and align the retainer relative to the leg for quick and easy assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Geoffrey L. Dingler
  • Patent number: 6041715
    Abstract: A portable activity surface and pillow. The activity surface and pillow may be utilized in various configurations whereby either side of the activity surface may be utilized or the pillow may be used independently. A removable insert provides an alternate surface for one side of the activity surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Inventors: Joseph M. Jarke, Jan T. Jarke