Patents Examined by Lisa M Saldano
  • Patent number: 6767166
    Abstract: A motion reduced floating structure includes a main hull structure and a wave damping structure connected with the main hull structure. The wave damping structure may include a back board, a lower horizontal board and vertical members. The back board is connected with the main hull structure, and the lower horizontal board is connected with a lower portion of the back board to extend in a horizontal direction and is under a seawater surface in case of mooring. The vertical members are connected with the lower horizontal board and the back board. A vertical direction hole is provided for the lower horizontal board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Matsuura, Makoto Ohta, Shinkichi Tanigaki, Takahiro Hirai, Shuji Mizokami
  • Patent number: 6755594
    Abstract: The invention relates to a diving harness system with webbing straps that securely fasten diving weight pockets, equipment, and other accessories in an interwoven, alternating and interlocking fashion. The invention may include two pair of webbing straps and three pair of webbing loops that comprise the interwoven attachment site. The webbing straps also secure the diving harness system to the diver by semi-permanently engaging fastening devices to form belt-like devices. The invention may further include the webbing straps engaging D-rings, other straps, equipment, keepers, ladder locks, and other fastening devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: DeepOutdoors, Inc.
    Inventors: William W. Jacoway, Robert B. Jacoway
  • Patent number: 6754926
    Abstract: An inflatable bed has a bottom surface that is disposed on a support surface and that is formed with a concave air bag. When a person moves onto a top surface of the bed, air is ejected from the air bag so that the bed acts as a suction cup, there by fixing the bed relative to the support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Inventor: Cheng-Chung Wang
  • Patent number: 6742963
    Abstract: A tool (1′) for pulling an end of a first pipe (102) towards a stationary, second pipe (101) includes gripping devices (47) for holding the first pipe (102), and winch devices (140) for pulling the tool with the pipe towards the stationary pipe (101). A collar (50) which is releasable attached to the stationary pipe, has an anchoring point (60,61) for the pull-in line (141). When the tool with the end of the first pipe approaches the stationary pipe, a moment arm (149) on the tool interfaces with a stop (65,66) on the collar. At the same time, an alignment and stroking actuator (110) grips the collar above the axis of the stationary pipe. The moment arm and alignment actuator cooperate to raise the first pipe into a horizontal position so that it is aligned with the stationary pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS
    Inventors: Knut Håvard Bekkevold, Finn G. Haugen, Per Stordalen, Jon Thoresen
  • Patent number: 6742962
    Abstract: A trench located in a landfill including the combination of a liquid infiltration piping system and a horizontal gas withdrawal piping system, the combination allowing for simultaneous liquid infiltration and gas withdrawal from a landfill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Waste Management, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Hater, John A. Barbush, Richard N. Barr
  • Patent number: 6739000
    Abstract: A storable bed assembly primarily for recreational vehicles permits the lowering and raising of the bed using a pair of rear guides fixed to a wall of the recreational vehicle, and a pair of swing arm guides at the front corners of the bed frame. Linkages are provided to couple the corners of the bed frame to the guides. Counterbalancing springs in the form of compressed gas cylinders are provided to assist in raising the bed assembly to the stored position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: National RV Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles L. Bailey
  • Patent number: 6736576
    Abstract: In a nut disengagement prevention structure, a bolt has an external thread. A nut which is thread on the bolt has an internal thread. A thread portion which is the closest to a leading end of the bolt has a first minor diameter. Any other portion of the thread of the bolt has a second minor diameter which is smaller than the first minor diameter. The second minor diameter is substantially identical with a minor diameter of the internal thread of the nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuya Suzuki, Gaku Fujii
  • Patent number: 6728982
    Abstract: A pediatric stretcher includes a base unit, attached to which are a number of lift assemblies. A frame is supported by the lift assemblies. Attached to the frame is a patient support deck. A railing is coupled to the frame by a plurality of coupling members and is configured to surround the patient support deck. The railing includes four individual rails, including a front rail, a rear rail, a left rail and a right rail. At least one of the four rails is configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the patient support deck and the plurality of coupling members. At least one of the four rails includes a gate that can pivot about a pivot axis. The gate is configured to be released and locked along the pivot axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Stryker Corporation
    Inventors: Guy Lemire, Michel Robitaille
  • Patent number: 6729798
    Abstract: A flow-diverter apparatus includes two hull and foil assemblies pivotally connected by rigid members and attached to control lines. Several flow-diverter apparatus may be joined by lines, cables or rigid links to form a flow-diverter system. The apparatus may also include lines/cables to vertically distribute control line force. Attachment points or lines for booms, scientific equipment, dispersion equipment, fire suppression equipment or other devices may also be provided. Apparatus may use horizontal hydrodynamic lift forces to create a diversion flow transverse to an onset flow, to deploy and hold equipment transverse to an onset flow, and/or to provide mixing on the surface of a body of water. Apparatus may be deployed from shore, from a fixed point in the water, or by a vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Computer Sciences Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Coe, John O. Scherer
  • Patent number: 6726418
    Abstract: This invention pertains fasteners which are characterized by easy insertion and extraordinarily difficult separation of items that they attach together. This is achieved by a combination of snapping segments with an elastic body disposed at least under the head of the fastener. The snapping segments may comprise anti-opening and/or anti-sliding portions, which immensely increase the strength with which the fasteners hold the objects together. The elastic body in the vicinity of the bottom section of the fasteners also provides water and gas proof properties, as well as elimination of squeaking noises. Vehicles comprising objects connected together by the fastening devices described and claimed herein are part of the instant invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Eustathios Vassiliou Revocable Trust
    Inventors: Daniel James Dickinson, Michael Walter Smith, Eustathios Vassiliou
  • Patent number: 6722821
    Abstract: A helice pier post used for rotating into a ground surface for holding various structural items upright on the top thereof. The structural items may be a light post, a fence post, a building beam or column, a pier, a sound barrier and like items. The helice pier post broadly includes a top mounting plate, a hollow tubular casing, a first pipe shaft with a first helice mounted thereon. The mounting plate is welded to a top portion of the tubular casing. Also, the plate is welded to an upper end of the first pipe shaft. The first pipe shaft is centered inside and disposed along the length of the casing. An outer diameter of the first helice can be welded to an inner diameter of a bottom portion of the casing. A lower end of the first shaft can be coupled to an upper end of the second pipe shaft. A lower end of the second pipe shaft is attached to the second helice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Inventors: Howard A. Perko, Stanley J. Rupiper
  • Patent number: 6722820
    Abstract: A method for securing piling segments together to form a single foundation piling using an alignment securing assembly and vibrations sent through the piling as. Piling segments are driven into the ground on top of each other, forming a piling. A single piling passageway is formed when the piling segments are in alignment. An alignment securing assembly is placed in the passageway. Vibrations are sent through the piling so that grout will not gather in the upper portions of the passageway before the lower portions of the passageway are filled with grout. The grout cures and the piling segments are secured so that the segments will not slip. The alignment securing assembly uses an anchoring device that is lowered and set in the passageway so that tension can be applied by a cable. The tension from the cable and anchoring device causing a compressive effect on the piling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Inventor: Frederick S. Marshall
  • Patent number: 6719487
    Abstract: The structuring unit is composed of a wall surface member for the construction with a mounting cavity formed therein, such as a stone, and an anchor mounted on the wall surface member for the construction through the mounting cavity thereof. The anchor is provided with a resistance-increasing member at the opposite side thereof. The anchor is composed of a linear member extending over the full length of the anchor, a protective layer for protecting the linear member from physical damages, and a flexible layer for preventing water or the like from penetrating into a gap between the linear member and the protective layer. The construction such as a revetment or the like is built by laying plural rows of the structural units over one another and embedding the plural rows of the structural units with filling materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kankyo Kogaku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Yukimoto, Kiyonori Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 6715959
    Abstract: The present invention is a safe and effective fish ladder for assisting fish in overcoming dams, especially in the upstream direction. The ladder comprises a series of relatively vertical open pools, which decrease in size in the upstream direction, the pools being conveniently spaced apart a vertical distance which may be easily jumped by the particular fish species of interest. By being arranged relatively vertically, so that the downstream perimeter of one pool is substantially within the downstream perimeter of the pool directly beneath the one pool, the fish ladder does not need to be long and expensive if the dam to overcome is high. Also, by being relatively vertical, the ladder may be conveniently built onto already existing vertical components on the downstream side of a dam, for example, onto the support structure for the discharge flume for downstream migrating fish in the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,913 (Boylan).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: BGA Limited Partnership
    Inventor: Delmer Boylan
  • Patent number: 6715976
    Abstract: An expansible fixing plug (10) has an expansion screw (14), which is located in an expansible fixing plug sleeve (12). In accordance with the invention, a screw thread (30) is of saw tooth construction and a rear part (16) of the fixing plug sleeve (12) is axially extendable. When the expansible fixing plug (10) is subjected to axial loading the expansion screw (14) moves axially in the fixing plug sleeve (12) and the screw thread (30) expands the fixing plug sleeve (12). The expansible fixing plug (10) therefore has a subsequent-expansion behavior when a drilled hole becomes enlarged. The expansible fixing plug (10) can be mounted by hammering in without turning the expansion screw (14). The core diameter of the screw thread (30) enlarges from the front to the rear to increase the capacity of the expansion screw (14) to withstand transverse loading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: fischerwerke Artur Fischer GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rainer Fischer, Willi Haug
  • Patent number: 6715174
    Abstract: A self inflated air cushioned bed includes a base, multiple air units each provided with at least two air cells securely mounted on top of a substrate and at least one unidirectional valve mounted on the substrate to allow air to flow into the at least two air cells, and an expanding device received in each one of the at least two air cells in each of the multiple air units to maintain the at least two air cells in each of the air units to be expanded. When the at least two air cells of each of the air units are expanded due to the expanding device, the at least one unidirectional valve allows air to flow into the at least two air cells of each of the air units so that the air units are maintained inflated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Inventor: Jen-Hsiu Tsai
  • Patent number: 6712559
    Abstract: A bottom-to-surface link with at least one underwater pipe having a portion with a substantially constant diameter and one or more floats in a string, the floats constituting cans surrounding the pipe and being located in a float zone around the top underwater portion of the pipe. The pipe is held at the surface by a guide device, preferably on a floating float support. The link includes at least one stabilizer situated in the top portion of the pipe. The link is arranged so that the bottom portion of the float zone, is preferably on or level with the lowest float and a transition zone is between the floats and the substantially constant diameter portion of the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Saipem SA
    Inventors: Olivier Lenormand, Michel Gassert, Stephane Couprie
  • Patent number: 6712572
    Abstract: An expansion dowel having a cylindrical expansion body (1) having a through-bore (3) and formed of at least two segments (4a, 4b) connected with each other, an additional expansion element (7) located in a recess (8) formed in an outer profile (6) of the expansion member (1) and having a radial depth of the recess (8) diminishing in a setting direction (S) of the expansion dowel; the additional expansion element (7) having a radial extent at least partially greater than a maximal dept of the recess (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heinz Bisping, Alois Kölbl, Jürgen Wieser, Claudia Zimmerer
  • Patent number: 6701549
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a HAMMOCK design which compensates for sag. The lower part of the HAMMOCK becomes level when occupied and allows the user to lie flat on the back or the side as in a bed. The HAMMOCK is equally suited for recreation and camping and is simple to make and easy to install.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Inventor: Torben Eriksen
  • Patent number: 6702522
    Abstract: A foundation for a tower is formed of a plurality of prefabricated slabs coupled together so as to function as a monolithic foundation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Inventor: Meir Silber