Patents Examined by Michael McDuffie
  • Patent number: 11395553
    Abstract: A detachable shoe hook comprises: first part having a center plate, and second part. First buckling part is provided on top center of center plate, hanging rod is provided on top center of first bucking part, second buckling part is provided on bottom center of center plate, and hook body is connected to bottom center of second buckling part through connecting plate. Locking groove is provided on upper surface center of second part and comprises first gap groove located at top center of center groove, center groove, shaped groove located at bottom center of center groove, and second gap groove located at bottom center of shaped groove. Tenon of first buckling part is locked into first gap groove, tenon of center plate is locked into center groove, tenon of second buckling part is locked into shaped groove, and tenon of connecting plate is locked into second gap groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: SHENZHEN XIEEN PLASTIC PRODUCTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Huawen Gao
  • Patent number: 11384896
    Abstract: A mounting pad system for securing equipment, such as an HVAC outdoor unit or a standby generator, is provided in the form of a lightweight fillable pad member having a plurality of receivers located on a top surface of the pad member. The receivers are associated with attachment points located on the equipment and are used to secure the equipment to the pad. The pad member contains a filling port on its top surface and is configured as a molded hollow shell containing a gelling material which, when mixed with water, provides support to reduce deflection of the pad member caused by the equipment secured to the pad, prevents damage to the pad that would otherwise be caused by the expansion of internal contents upon freezing and prevents leakage of internal contents of the fillable pad in the event of an unintended breach in the hollow shell. The pad member is provided with at least one through-hole that acts as a supporting structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Mainstream Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew L. Carpenter, Robert P. Scaringe
  • Patent number: 11377864
    Abstract: An indicator for a compression post includes a leg defining an upper end and a lower end, the lower end configured to engage a support plate of the compression post; and an indicator bracket comprising a central portion coupled to the leg at the upper end and an indication portion oriented distal to the leg, the central portion defining a bend extending away from the leg such that the indication portion is laterally offset from the leg, the indicator defining a first visual indicator configured to indicate that the compression post is in either a compressed configuration or an uncompressed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventor: Charles J. MacKarvich
  • Patent number: 11382235
    Abstract: A fixing bracket for a slide rail of an open rack includes a fixed cover, a sliding cover and plural fasteners. Both fixed and sliding covers cover the exterior of the slide rail, and the sliding cover can slide appropriately with limitation, and a pair of the slide rails are installed symmetrically on both sides of a chassis, and the fixing bracket is provided for fixing the chassis onto an open rack which is a rectangular enclosed frame structure similar to a door frame, and the fixed cover and the sliding cover have a first fixing plate and a second fixing plate configured to be corresponsive to the open rack. With a sliding design of the sliding cover, the fasteners can be used to fix the chassis onto the two opposite sides of the rack by adjusting the width of the open rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: MARTAS PRECISION SLIDE CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Wan-Lai Chen
  • Patent number: 11365845
    Abstract: A mounting pad system for securing equipment, such as an HVAC outdoor unit or a standby generator, is provided in the form of a lightweight fillable pad member having a plurality of receivers located on a top surface of the pad member. The receivers are associated with attachment points located on the equipment and are used to secure the equipment to the pad. The pad member contains a filling port on its top surface and is configured as a molded hollow shell containing a gelling material which, when mixed with water, provides support to reduce deflection of the pad member caused by the equipment secured to the pad, prevents damage to the pad that would otherwise be caused by the expansion of internal contents upon freezing and prevents leakage of internal contents of the fillable pad in the event of an unintended breach in the hollow shell. The pad member is provided with at least one through-hole that acts as a supporting structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Mainstream Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew L. Carpenter, Robert P. Scaringe
  • Patent number: 11359760
    Abstract: A hinge device for supporting a display device is provided. The hinge device comprises a supporting seat, a shaft, a bearing plate, and an elastic module. The shaft rotatably passes through the supporting seat. The bearing plate is disposed on the shaft, and the display device is disposed on the bearing plate. The elastic module includes a cam and at least one elastic plate. The cam is configured on the shaft, and the cam and the shaft rotate synchronously. A fixed end of the elastic plate is fixed to the supporting seat. The elastic plate has a deformation amount to provide a balance torque to the cam when a free end of the elastic plate abuts against the cam. When an external force is applied on the display device, the bearing plate is actuated to drive the shaft and the cam to rotate to change the deformation amount and the balance torque of the elastic plate. When the external force is removed, the display device can be stopped at once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: SYNCMOLD ENIERPRISE CORP.
    Inventors: Chun-Hao Huang, Chien-Cheng Yeh
  • Patent number: 11362262
    Abstract: A mounting pad system and method for an HVAC outdoor unit that includes providing a lightweight fillable pad shell containing a gelling material and having securing slots extending from an underside surface to an upperside surface of the shell. The shell is filled with water through a port at its upper surface. Prior to leveling the filled pad on the soil at the site and installation of the outdoor unit, securing straps are inserted into the slots from the underside surface of the shell so as to extend through an upper surface thereof. The filling port is covered when the HVAC unit is placed on top of the pad. One or more securing anchors can be used to anchor the pad to the ground, which are also covered when the HVAC unit is place on top of the pad and an anti-theft cable can be employed to further prevent theft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Mainstream Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Elliott Sting, Robert P. Scaringe
  • Patent number: 11346378
    Abstract: The clamping device may comprise a platform base, a pair of locking claws, and a mount. The clamping device may be coupled to a base object via the mount. The clamping device may retain a clamped object to the base object using the pair of locking claws. An individual locking claw selected from the pair of locking claws may comprise an over-center linkage resulting in bistable positioning of the individual locking claw. The individual locking claw may transition from an open position to a closed position under the influence of a closing force. The individual locking claw may transition from the closed position to the open position under the influence of an opening force. As a non-limiting example, the clamping device may retain a paddle to a boat by clamping onto a shaft of the paddle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventor: Mackenzie Caleb Bonvallet
  • Patent number: 11338717
    Abstract: A device that includes a housing configured to couple to a vehicle console. The device further includes a lid that is configurable between a closed position and an open position. The device further includes a lock is configured to transition from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration. In the locked configuration, the lock is configured to maintain the lid in the closed position. In the unlocked configuration, the lock is configured to release the lid from the closed position. The device further includes a user interface configured to display products, receive a user input identifying a product, receive card information, send an authorization request that requests a purchase of the product, and send an authorization signal to a controller in response to receiving an approval message. The device further includes the controller configured to send an actuation signal to unlock the lock in response to receiving the authorization signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: 7-ELEVEN, INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Christopher Hodge, Gurmeet Singh, Maninder Singh Suri, Ranganathan Mohan
  • Patent number: 11339914
    Abstract: Afforded is a linear stage including first, second, and third supporting parts disposed on a supporting flat surface, a first shaft supported by the first and second supporting parts and extending in a first direction, a second shaft supported by the third supporting part and provided extending in the first direction, and a translating carriage translated in the first direction, guided by the first shaft and the second shaft. At least one supporting part among the first, second, and third supporting parts supports the shaft supported by that supporting part in a way such as to be displaceable in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and parallel to the supporting flat surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tatsuya Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11319731
    Abstract: An anti-theft device for securing an article of merchandise against unauthorized removal from a display counter. A bracket securely holds the article of merchandise. A latch plate is attached to an underside of the bracket. The latch plate has a rail having a lip. A quick-release interface is anchored to a display counter. The quick-release interface has a flanged channel configured to receive the rail of the latch plate. A latch is disposed within the quick-release interface. The latch immobilizes the rail within the channel, thus securing the latch plate to the quick-release interface. The quick-release interface has an access port providing access to the latch using a specialized tool. The tool can be used to disengage the latch from the rail, thereby releasing the latch plate from the quick-release interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Vanguard Products Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Kelsch, Jasen Paul Biggins, Lee Eckert, John N. Figh, Jr., Matthew Kuntz, Wade Zhu
  • Patent number: 11318806
    Abstract: A combination of components forming a steering stabilizer mounting assembly including a stabilizer, a bracket shim, an independent hollow tubular housing with a fixedly attached base washer, and nuts and bolts to fasten the components into place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Inventor: Larry Verbowski
  • Patent number: 11322678
    Abstract: A mounting pad system and method for an HVAC outdoor unit that includes providing a lightweight fillable pad shell containing a gelling material and having securing slots extending from an underside surface to an upperside surface of the shell. The shell is filled with water through a port at its upper surface. Prior to leveling the filled pad on the soil at the site and installation of the outdoor unit, securing straps are inserted into the slots from the underside surface of the shell so as to extend through an upper surface thereof. The filling port is covered when the HVAC unit is placed on top of the pad. One or more securing anchors can be used to anchor the pad to the ground, which are also covered when the HVAC unit is place on top of the pad and an anti-theft cable can be employed to further prevent theft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Mainstream Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Elliott M. Sting, Robert P. Scaringe
  • Patent number: 11299095
    Abstract: An apparatus for securing a side mirror to a vehicle includes a solid body having base and top surfaces. The base surface has a contour complementary to that of an exterior surface of the vehicle. First and second holes are formed through the solid body from the base surface to the top surface. Positioning the base surface face-to-face with the exterior surface of the vehicle aligns the first hole with a first threaded hole in the vehicle and aligns the second hole with a second threaded hole in the vehicle. Each of the first and second holes has a counterbore that opens to the top surface of the rigid body. A third hole in the solid body opens to the top surface between the counterbores of the first and second holes, wherein the third hole is threaded to receive a threaded screw that attaches a mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Inventor: Wayne Gary Clarke
  • Patent number: 11300240
    Abstract: A display device stand can include a base that includes a fore portion with an upwardly sloping top surface defined by a first angle, an extension with an upwardly sloping fore surface defined by a second angle that is less than the first angle, and an aft portion, where the fore portion includes a front edge, the aft portion includes a back edge and the extension includes a top side that define vertexes of an acute triangle; and an adjustable support that includes a retracted state with respect to the extension and an extended state with respect to the extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Perelli, Madison Smith
  • Patent number: 11292709
    Abstract: A clamp of the dispensing device may include a container engagement surface arranged to engage and/or disengage the clamp from the container neck when the clamp is pushed downwardly or pulled upwardly relative to the container neck. The container engagement surface may include a surface with a lower portion that slopes upwardly and inwardly, and an upper portion that slopes upwardly and outwardly relative to the container neck and that moves the clamp radially outwardly and away from the container neck as the clamp is moved vertically relative to the container neck. A latch may maintain a body portion of the dispensing device in an upper position, preventing needle insertion, until a container is suitably engaged with the base portion of the device, e.g., by a clamp. Sensors may detect engagement of a container with the device and/or insertion of a needle into the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Coravin, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Rider, Otto DeRuntz, Gregory Lambrecht
  • Patent number: 11292097
    Abstract: A structure for fixing a membrane to a carrier including a carrier; a suspended structure; and a holding structure with a rounded concave shape which is configured to fix the suspended structure to the carrier and where a tapered side of the holding structure physically connects to the suspended structure is disclosed. A method of forming the holding structure on a carrier to support a suspended structure is further disclosed. The method may include: forming a holding structure on a carrier; forming a suspended structure on the holding structure; shaping the holding structure such that it has a concave shape; and arranging the holding structure such that a tapered side of the holding structure physically connects to the suspended structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
    Inventors: Alfons Dehe, Reinhard Gabl, Ulrich Krumbein
  • Patent number: 11286681
    Abstract: A retainer clip for a compression post includes a retainer body defining a first lateral body end, a second lateral body end opposite the first lateral end, a retainer opening formed through the retainer body and positioned between the first and second lateral body ends, and a retainer tab extending into the retainer opening; and a substantially J-shaped ledge grip extending from the first lateral body end, the ledge grip defining a curved portion and a planar portion, the curved portion coupled to the first lateral body end, the planar portion extending from the curved portion distal to the first lateral body end, the planar portion extending beneath the retainer body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Inventor: Charles J. MacKarvich
  • Patent number: 11285876
    Abstract: An attachment structure includes a support part for an in-vehicle device, a plate spring attached to the support part, and a screw screwed into the support part. The attachment base slides and is received in a space interposed between left and right plate spring pieces. The screw is fastened in this state. A screw distal end presses a front surface of the attachment base to generate an appropriate force of fitting between the attachment base and the left and right plate spring pieces and thereby the attachment base and the plate spring are elastically fitted with each other. The in-vehicle device is attached to the attachment base via the plate spring using the elastic fitting. If an external force that is equal to or exceeds a predetermined value is applied to the in-vehicle device, the elastic fitting is cancelled and the in-vehicle device drops off from the attachment base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: MURAKAMI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naomi Sugimura
  • Patent number: 11276435
    Abstract: A shock absorber apparatus is provided. The shock absorber apparatus includes an elastic device and at least one mounting device connected to the elastic device. Each mounting device includes two securing elements. Each securing element is configured to secure an opposing portion of a structure. Each mounting device can also include two sliders. Each slider can have at least two surfaces, which are interconnected by an inclined surface facing an opposing slider, and a ground surface. The inclined surface can be slidably connected to one of the at least two securing elements. Each slider can be arranged to move in response to an applied force. The ground surface is configured to slidably connect to an inner wall of a box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: QUANTA COMPUTER INC.
    Inventors: Chao-Jung Chen, Ming-Sheng Chang, Po-Yu Yang, Sheng-Wei Tang