Patents Examined by Janie Loeppke
  • Patent number: 9777494
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for a wave pool having a deep end and a shallow end, wherein a plurality of wave generators is provided for producing wave segments in the wave pool. The wave generators are preferably extended substantially along the deep end in a substantially staggered manner relative to the travel direction of the wave segments. A pair of dividing walls is preferably provided in front of each wave generator, wherein the dividing walls are extended substantially forward in the travel direction and substantially parallel to each other or with a fade angle of no more than about 20 to 30 degrees relative to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Stagger Reef Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Lochtefeld, Dirk Bastenhof
  • Patent number: 9770145
    Abstract: The present embodiments relate to a hinge for use in a mobile toilet having a toilet bowl, a toilet seat, and a toilet lid, wherein the toilet seat and the toilet lid each are swivel-mounted to the toilet bowl by the hinge and have a common pivot axis. Furthermore, the present embodiments relate to a damping device for retrofitting a hinge. The present embodiments also relate to a mobile toilet. In particular, the present embodiments relate to the problem to allow an easy retrofitting of a hinge and mobile toilets, respectively. This problem is in particular solved with the initially described hinge that in accordance with the present embodiments has at least one receiving area that is formed to receive at least one damping device for damping the swivel motion of the toilet seat or the toilet lid about the pivot axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Dometic GmbH
    Inventors: Tim Jochim, Jens Oxenfarth
  • Patent number: 9771033
    Abstract: The inventive embodiments concern a method for flushing a toilet for vehicles, especially for motor homes, buses, recreational vehicles, or watercraft, with a toilet bowl, a control unit for actuating a flushing with a control program, and with a conduit piece for drainage of the waste water from the toilet bowl into a waste-holding tank and a toilet system for implementing the method and a vehicle with the toilet system according to the inventive embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Dometic GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Oxenfarth, Tim Jochim, Volker Müller
  • Patent number: 9765507
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing a seal for a closet collar. A sealing assembly is positioned on a closet collar for a drain pipe. The sealing assembly may comprise a portion on which a sealing component is positioned. A toilet is positioned over the sealing assembly. The sealing assembly is compressed between the toilet and the closet collar, and a seal for the closet collar is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: DANCO, INC.
    Inventor: Michael J. Schuster
  • Patent number: 9758957
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing a seal for a closet collar. A sealing assembly is positioned on a closet collar for a drain pipe. The sealing assembly may comprise a portion on which a sealing component is positioned. A toilet is positioned over the sealing assembly. The sealing assembly is compressed between the toilet and the closet collar, and a seal for the closet collar is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: DANCO, INC.
    Inventor: Michael J. Schuster
  • Patent number: 9756987
    Abstract: Described is a one-piece shower pan with a seat having no openings for water leakage, other than the drain hole. The shower pan includes a drain hole designed to fit a conventional drain pipe such that when the conventional drain pipe is fastened to the shower pan, the conventional drain pipe extends ½ to 2 inches above the bottom of the shower pan. In this way, when cement or other adhesive is floated on the interior surface of the shower pan, tiles of varying thickness can be installed in such a manner that the top surface of the tiles are substantially flush with the top portion of the conventional drain pipe. The shower pan also has a water dam with a fin extending vertically on the outer edge of the water dam as added protection against water migration outside the shower pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: INNOVATIVE LEAK SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Leonard Eriksson
  • Patent number: 9758953
    Abstract: A basin and hand drying system includes a hand dryer attached to a basin. The hand dryer includes a top air plenum and a bottom air plenum. The air plenums include a plurality of air outlets that direct pressurized air from a blower motor for hand drying. A soap dispenser and faucet mount on the basin for dispensing liquefied soap and water for hand washing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Bradley Fixtures Corporation
    Inventors: Graeme S. Bayley, Mark A. Figurski, Kenneth A. Kreitzer, Jason M. Renner, Jon A. Dommisse, Terry Lee McCallum
  • Patent number: 9758956
    Abstract: A flushing device for a urinal comprises a connection unit and a control unit, wherein the connection unit can be fixed to the urinal and the control unit can be connected to the connection unit via an interface. The connection unit comprises a connection pipe with an inlet, for connection to a mains system, and an outlet, a flushing pipe with an inlet and an outlet for connection to a nozzle arrangement for discharging flushing water into the urinal bowl of the urinal, and a support element on which the outlet of the connection pipe and the inlet of the flushing pipe are mounted in a fixed position. The control unit comprises a support element on which are arranged at least one control element, a pipe section with an inlet and an outlet and a flushing valve, which is arranged between the inlet and outlet and has a power-supply element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: GEBERIT INTERNATIONAL AG
    Inventors: Roland Oberholzer, Maarten Roest, Daniel Raissle
  • Patent number: 9752311
    Abstract: A wash-down toilet including a bowl, a passageway, and a trapway. The bowl includes a sump. The passageway includes an inlet in fluid communication with the sump, an outlet provided at a height above the inlet, and a weir. The trapway includes an inlet, an outlet, and a vent, with the inlet of the trapway being in fluid communication with the outlet of the passageway and the outlet being in fluid communication with a soil pipe. The vent is configured to introduce a supply of air into the trapway during a flush cycle to prevent siphoning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventors: Robert S. Davis, Thomas M. Spankowski, Lachlan A. Stewart, III
  • Patent number: 9745765
    Abstract: A pool cover includes a flexible, water impervious sheet of material having a centrally located float disposed on an upper surface of the material. In an embodiment the float member comprises a closed cell polymeric foam member. In an embodiment the polymeric foam float member is disposed within a pocket formed by a cover sheet attached to the water impervious sheet of the pool cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: ASIA CONNECTION LLC
    Inventors: Mitch Saccoccio, Jonathan Bonelli
  • Patent number: 9739041
    Abstract: A flush toilet comprised of a tank having a first compartment for holding a first type of water, and a second compartment for holding a second type of water. The first compartment is separated from the second compartment by a divider that prevents the first type of water from mixing with the second type of water. The first type of water can be city water while the second type of water can be rainwater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Inventor: Steven Verhaverbeke
  • Patent number: 9739043
    Abstract: A urinal for receiving and discharging urine having a bowl portion having a bowl surface for receiving urine; a spouting device disposed on a top portion of the bowl portion for spouting flush water onto the bowl surface; and a discharge trap portion, communicating with a discharge port disposed on a bottom portion of the bowl portion, for discharging flush water and forming a water seal on a downstream side of the bowl portion. The discharge trap includes a descending conduit, a horizontal conduit, and an ascending conduit, and a cross section perpendicular to a discharging direction of either the horizontal conduit or the ascending conduit on the discharge trap portion is formed so that an inner side of the urinal from a center of the cross section has a smaller cross sectional area than an outer side of the urinal from the center of the cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Seki, Satoshi Matsunaka, Yuichi Furuta, Hironori Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 9708805
    Abstract: The smaller volumes of water currently required to flush toilets and urinals may be insufficient to clear the fixtures and the drainage lines to which they are connected of waste and other undesirable materials, which can build up over a period of flushes or non-use. A flush valve control device programmed or otherwise configured to provide a selectable, periodic heavier flush volume of water after a predetermined number of low volume flushes and/or after a predetermined period of inactivity of the toilet or urinal can provide for sufficient drainage line carry-out of waste and prevent undesirable buildup of minerals, etc. on the inside surfaces of the fixtures and drainage pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: AS IP Holdco, LLC
    Inventor: Frank Seggio
  • Patent number: 9707574
    Abstract: A shower system and diverter valve assembly. The shower system includes two shower devices. The diverter valve assembly may include a pull diverter valve assembly coupled between a shower arm and a hand shower hose. In operation, by applying a force (e.g., a pulling force), the pull diverter valve assembly selectively directs water flow to the shower head or to the hand shower. The diverter valve assembly may include a toggle diverter valve assembly including a portion coupled to a hand shower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Michael J. Soetaert, Jeffrey A. Schumacher, William R. Bares
  • Patent number: 9708803
    Abstract: A pop-up drain stopper linkage assembly contains: a lift rod, a drain base, a connector, a threaded rod, a threaded sleeve, a driving rod, and a drain stopper. The lift rod is pulled upward or pressed downward by a user after extending through the basin. The drain base is disposed on the basin and includes an outlet. The connector is fixed on the drain base. The threaded rod is connected with the lift rod and moves vertically in response to the lift rod. The threaded sleeve screws with and moves vertically in response to the threaded rod and includes a first retaining portion. The driving rod includes a first segment, a second segment, a spherical ball, and plural second retaining portions. The drain stopper is secured on the drain base and includes a bottom end moving vertically in response to a lever movement of the driving rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: GLOBE UNION INDUSTRIAL CORP.
    Inventors: Yiping Lin, Chunhung Li
  • Patent number: 9702126
    Abstract: A faucet stepped legs and assembly method. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Inventor: Timothy A. Feher
  • Patent number: 9693659
    Abstract: The bathtub seat is a shelving cabinet that is mounted into the wall adjacent to a bathtub. The bathtub seat has attached to it a foraminous door that swings away from the shelving cabinet towards the side of the bathtub such that the foraminous door is supported by the side of the bathtub that is distal to the side of the bathtub that that is proximal to the shelving cabinet. The bathtub seat comprises a shelving cabinet and a foraminous door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Inventor: Jorge Cancio
  • Patent number: 9693647
    Abstract: Constructing a mikveh by permanently fixing at least one initial building unit to the ground of an installation site, connecting, in a sealed manner, additional building units to the initial building unit(s), for producing a sealed vessel, where the length of each of most of said building units is at least 50 centimeters, and the weight per area thereof is less than 250 kg per square meter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Inventor: Gidon Israel Ebenspanger
  • Patent number: 9689261
    Abstract: A stacked wheel assembly for a rotor of a rotary machine includes a plurality of stacked wheels for rotation about a common axis and forming a portion of the rotor. Also included is a tie bolt passing through aligned bolt holes of the plurality of stacked wheels for retaining the plurality of stacked wheels in axially stacked relation, the tie bolt extending out of a forward end of a forward wheel of the plurality of stacked wheels and out of an aft end of an aft wheel of the plurality of stacked wheels. Further included is a rotor component disposed adjacent the aft end of the aft wheel. Yet further included is a nut mounted within a forward face of the rotor component, the nut configured to be in threaded engagement with the tie bolt to exert a clamping force on the plurality of stacked wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Rajesh Kumar
  • Patent number: 9689172
    Abstract: A movement assistance device for a spa cover is described and which includes a moveable spa cover portion, and a pair of pneumatic cylinders which cooperate with a housing mounted on one of the spa cover portions, and which further assists in the movement of one of the spa cover portions relative to the other spa cover portion, and a third pneumatic cylinder is provided and which allows movement of each of the respective spa cover portions to a non-occluding position relative to the spa so as to allow use of the spa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Leisure Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael C. Genova