Patents Examined by Steven N. Meyers
-
Patent number: 5737783Abstract: The invention is directed to a mattress retention bracket for an adjustable bed to prevent an associated mattress from sliding laterally thereon. The mattress retention bracket in a preferred embodiment of the invention is a generally U-shaped member defined by a bight portion and a pair of legs with each leg having first and second end portions normally offset from each other. Terminal ends of the legs are secured to an underside of a mattress supporting member and first end portions and a bight portion of the U-shaped member lie contiguous peripheral edges of the mattress supporting member and the mattress to prevent relative shifting therebetween as a user/patient ingresses or egresses the bed. In lieu of the latter, another mattress retention bracket is substantially of a T-shaped configuration defined by an arm and a depending leg with the leg having first and second end portions defining an angle generally normal therebetween.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 1995Date of Patent: April 14, 1998Inventor: Santino Antinori
-
Patent number: 5737781Abstract: The invention includes several novel devices for transferring patients. A first system of horizontal transfer of patients is adapted to use existing transfer sheets and cart appropriately modified. The sheet is attached to a clamping device that has a releasable catch that holds the sheet in a cavity. A plurality of straps are attached to the clamping device. The other ends of the straps are attached to reels that are part of a winch. Activation of the winch winds the straps onto the reels. Other designs of horizontal transfer devices are included within the invention. The invention also includes improved bed jackets that can be attached to, a winch for lifting a patient either to re-position them on a surface or to transport them. The invention also includes cushions and side rails with very low friction surfaces to assist with the transfer process.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 1995Date of Patent: April 14, 1998Assignee: Ergodyne CorporationInventor: Thomas W. Votel
-
Patent number: 5737950Abstract: An ambidextrous vertical inverted handed cam lock for cabinet doors and drawers has a conventional pin tumbler cylinder and plug assembly. An arcuately movable bolt is journaled for rotation about a rearwardly extending portion of the plug. A conventional lazy cam drives the bolt. An arcuately repositionable bolt rotation limiter provides either left hand or right hand throws for the bolt while simultaneously allowing for inverted vertical use.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 1995Date of Patent: April 14, 1998Assignee: Olympus Lock, Inc.Inventor: Hsu Yun-Bin
-
Patent number: 5735558Abstract: An apparatus for mounting a front latch device to a front side of a sliding door to be closed and opened by moving in front-and-rear direction of a vehicle body comprises a mounting wall to which the front latch device is mounted by screws or bolts. The front latch device is provided with a latch body accommodating a fork member and pawl member, and first and second metal plates mounted to the latch body. The first metal plate is closely adhered onto the mounting wall, and the second metal plate has boss portions to be engaged with ends of the screws or bolts. The latch body sandwiched between the first and second plates. The mounting wall is parallel to a direction in which the front latch device moves.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 1996Date of Patent: April 7, 1998Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hrofumi Watanabe
-
Patent number: 5732988Abstract: A vehicle door latch device enclosed entirely within a vehicle door comprises a latch unit having a fork member which engages with a striker fixed to a vehicle body and a pawl which engages with the fork member for preventing the fork member from reversing, a power unit for turning the fork member from a half-latch position to a full-latch position, and a cable for transmitting power of the power unit to the fork member. The cable has a middle portion provided in vicinity of a bottom edge of the door, a first end portion which is provided in proximity of a rear edge of the door in such a manner as to extend nearly vertically, and a second end portion which extends almost parallel with the first end portion and is connected to the power unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 1996Date of Patent: March 31, 1998Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tetsuro Mizuki
-
Patent number: 5732423Abstract: A chair bed for supporting a person is provided, the chair bed having a head end, afoot end, and opposing sides. The chair bed includes a frame and a deck supported on the frame. The deck includes head, seat, and foot sections. A mattress is mounted on the deck and has an upwardly-facing patient surface. The mattress also has head, seat, and foot portions corresponding, respectively, to the head, seat, and foot sections of the deck. The head section of the deck and the mattress portion thereon is pivotable from a generally horizontal down position through various positions upwardly to a back-support position. A pair of side rails is mounted on each side of the chair bed. Each pair of side rails includes a body section side rail mounted to move with the deck seat section and extending laterally adjacent the deck head and seat sections and a head section side rail mounted to move with the deck head section relative to the body section side rail and extending adjacent only the deck head section.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1995Date of Patent: March 31, 1998Assignee: Hill-Rom, Inc.Inventors: Matthew W. Weismiller, Joseph A. Kummer, Peter M. Wukusick, Kenneth L. Kramer, Philip D. Palermo, Daniel F. Dlugos, Jr., David A. Albersmeyer, Jason C. Brooke
-
Patent number: 5733086Abstract: The invention is directed to a rivet nail which can include two separate pieces or one single piece. Each rivet nail has a hollow rivet part having a head (1) and a cylindrical stem (2) axially connected to the head. The end located opposite to the end carrying the head (1) has a hollow cylindrical space extending inside the cylindrical stem (2) over at least a part of the cylindrical stem (2) length, and a nail part including a hollow cylindrical stem extending taperwise to form a nib (4).Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 1995Date of Patent: March 31, 1998Assignee: ASERInventor: Horst Jakob
-
Patent number: 5729848Abstract: A bed with a wash tub for pubes which may reduce nursing work loads and improve conditions of the patients during the washing. The bed 3 with a wash tub for pubes comprises a main frame 5 with legs 5, and a wash tub 21 for pubes positioned at the center of the main frame 5, a mattress 11, 13, 15, laid on the main frame. The wash tub 21 for pubes has a tub body 23, a pair of left and right hip supports 25 partially provided in the tub, a hot water supply means 29 which supplies hot water to a col portion between the hip supports and a drain 31. The patient's hips 2 are placed on the paired hip supports 25 and then the col portion between the hip supports 25 is showered with a hot water to wash the pubes of the patient successfully.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 1995Date of Patent: March 24, 1998Assignee: Yukigaya Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Inventor: Tooru Yamagishi
-
Patent number: 5729850Abstract: A stretcher for moving, particularly in narrow spaces, injured and sick persons is constructed with a minimum of fastening elements, and with advantageously located hand holds. A flexible sheet material has a first portion with a width greater than a patient's breast area and a second portion with a width greater than a patient's leg area, but less than the breast area portion. At least one bottom stiffener is attached to the sheet, and reinforcing straps are attached to the bottom surface of the sheet. Longitudinal support elements (preferably with stiffeners) are connected along the longitudinal edges of the sheet, and fastening straps (as least some of which are adjustable) extend between the longitudinal straps and the longitudinal support elements. A minimum number of fasteners extend from the longitudinal support elements to be connected together and thereby hold the sheet wrapped around the person.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 1996Date of Patent: March 24, 1998Assignee: Tarpaulin KyInventor: Lassi Eskeli
-
Patent number: 5730565Abstract: An anchor bolt for anchoring with a compound mass in a hole drilled in a building component comprises a bolt element having a leading end and a rear end, elements for fixing an article at the rear end, and a mixing attachment arranged at the leading end of the bolt element and having a point. The mixing attachment has an outer surface provided with a plurality of radially projecting lugs which are arranged circumferentially and axially spaced from one another.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 1995Date of Patent: March 24, 1998Assignee: fischerwerke, Artur Fischer GmbH & Co. K.G.Inventors: Bernd Hein, Willi Haug
-
Patent number: 5730566Abstract: A self-aligning, anti-cross threading fastener having a first member with lead threads having a curved surface feature from the minor diameter to the major diameter which allows the surface of the lead threads to cam over the mating threads of a second member and thereby aligning collinearly the longitudinal axis of the two members. The initial presentation angle of the two threaded members may be restricted and therefore enhanced by providing a protruding diameter feature.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 1997Date of Patent: March 24, 1998Inventors: Jerry J. Goodwin, Michael A. Garver, Anthony L. Snoddy
-
Patent number: 5727270Abstract: The invention is an inflatable self sealing valveless fluid or gas container useable for a wide variety of applications including cushioning, package filler, mattresses, rafts and the like. The container is formed from one or more inflatable self sealing elements, each inflatable element being formed from a pair of inflatable cells. Each cell is formed from an inner and outer sheet of thermoplastic or other impermeable material, the sheets being sealed together at boundaries which define the inflatable cell. The inner sheets of each cell in the pair are sealed together such that the boundaries of the seal define a fill channel through which fluid or gas may pass between the cells. Apertures in the inner sheets of both cells within the fill channel allow fluid or gas to pass from the fill channel into both cells to cause inflation.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: March 17, 1998Assignee: AirCelTec Inc.Inventors: Dennis Allen Cope, John Edward McGrath
-
Patent number: 5727265Abstract: A collapsible playyard for an infant includes a pair of frame subassemblies and a plurality of collapsible connecting members which normally maintain the frame subassemblies in spaced substantially parallel relation. The frame subassemblies include knuckle joints which cooperate to maintain the frame assembly in an erected position, but at least a portion of which are reoriented as the connecting members are collapsed to allow the frame subassemblies to also be collapsed. The width of one of the frame subassemblies is smaller than the width of the other frame subassembly to allow the two frame subassemblies to be at least partially nested together and then folded in half to form a compact collapsed structure.Type: GrantFiled: February 29, 1996Date of Patent: March 17, 1998Inventors: Scott Ziegler, Kevin Maloney
-
Patent number: 5727408Abstract: A key device includes a signal processing device for generating a signal containing specific information, a key plate having a stem and fitting device for fitting the signal processing device and the stem, the fitting device provided with the stem and the signal processing device, the fitting device of the signal processing device being formed while preliminarily resin-molding.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1995Date of Patent: March 17, 1998Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki SeisakushoInventors: Takashi Mizuno, Sadao Kokubu, Hisashi Aoki, Shinichi Koga, Yoshiyuki Mizuno
-
Patent number: 5727407Abstract: An exit door has a security device comprising a flexible member, e.g. a chain, for connecting two locking devices which may be fixed on a door and doorway or on double doors. The first locking device is operable by a first key removable only when the locking device is activated and a second key removable only when the locking device is deactivated. One end of the flexible member is fixed to the second key and the other end is fixed to the second locking device, which is operable by the second key, being removable from the second locking device only when it is activated, and by a third key removable only when the second locking device is deactivated. The security devices are members of a series of such security devices in which the third key of each security device serves as the first key of the next security device in the series. The last key in the series is essential to operation of a control unit permitting use of a building provided with the exit door.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 1996Date of Patent: March 17, 1998Assignee: Castell Safety International LimitedInventor: Nicholas Cowen
-
Patent number: 5724687Abstract: A therapeutic cushion with detachable jade protrusions comprises a removable lattice of cylindrical members, an outer cover, and cushion fill. The removable lattice of cylindrical members are attached to a plurality of other cylindrical members in a uniform fashion by a plurality of threads which are interwoven through each member, forming a symmetrical lattice. The lattice is placed inside the outer cover and the plurality of cylindrical members are pressed through the plurality of apertures. The cushion fill is also placed inside the outer cover which presses against the lattice thereby maintaining the plurality of cylindrical members within said plurality of apertures. The outer cover is then sealed by a zipper to maintain the cushion fill and the lattice in place. The result is a cushion with a plurality of protrusions made of jade extending from the cushion, providing a massaging and therapeutic effect.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 1996Date of Patent: March 10, 1998Inventor: Young Ho Kim
-
Patent number: 5724685Abstract: A deck is provided for a bed which is configured to support a mattress including a lower mattress section having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side wall, and an upper mattress section having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side wall. The deck includes an upper deck, and a lower deck coupled to the upper deck by a deck side wall so that the lower deck is spaced apart from the upper deck to define a recess of the deck. The lower deck is configured to support the lower mattress section within the recess of the deck with the bottom surface of the lower mattress section engaging the lower deck. The side wall of the deck is configured to be located adjacent the side wall of the lower mattress section. The top surface of the lower mattress section is aligned generally in a plane of the upper deck. The upper deck is configured to support the upper mattress section with the top surface of the upper mattress section extending above the upper deck to provide a body support surface.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1995Date of Patent: March 10, 1998Assignee: Hill-Rom, Inc.Inventors: Matthew W. Weismiller, Gregory W. Branson, Kenneth L. Kramer, Philip D. Palermo, David J. Ulrich, David A. Albersmeyer, Jason C. Brooke, Eric R. Meyer, John D. Miller
-
Patent number: 5725342Abstract: Spreading dowel, consisting of a dowel component (15) and a non circular spreader screw (1); whereby, the inner notch (17) of the dowel component (15) is fitted in its form for the outer contour of the spreader screw (1); whereby, the spreader screw (1) has one or more thread convolutions (9). By means of these thread convolutions (9), twisting the spreader screw (1) achieves the spreading expansion of the dowel component (15) together with an axial shifting of the spreader screw (1).Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 1996Date of Patent: March 10, 1998Assignee: Grass AGInventor: Wilfried Gehrer
-
Patent number: 5722274Abstract: A lock cylinder set to a lock has an outer cylinder serving as a housing. In the outer cylinder, a first inner cylinder into which an electronic key is inserted and a second inner cylinder connected to a locking/unlocking mechanism of the lock are rotatably set. A connecting pin is movably held by the first inner cylinder to connect the first inner cylinder with the second inner cylinder when the pin advances. A connecting pin control mechanism advances the connecting pin to mechanically hold the advance state of the pin when a proper key is inserted and retreats the connecting pin when the key is extracted. The connecting pin control mechanism has a cam plate contacting the protrusion of the connecting pin. The connecting pin retreats when the cam plate tilts and advances when the cam member rises.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 1996Date of Patent: March 3, 1998Assignee: Kokusai Gijutsu Kaihatsu Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shunsaku Nakauchi, Syuji Maeda
-
Patent number: 5722704Abstract: A door lock has a latch which is rotatable from a retracted position to an extended position by means of a linkage. A safety button extends from the latch when the latch is retracted. The linkage cannot be moved unless the safety button has been pressed, which occurs when the door is adjacent the door frame. This prevents the latch from extending and so damaging the keeper in the door frame. The linkage also has a notch which cooperates with a tang projecting from the housing. The tang an notch prevent the latch from being rotated from the extended position to the retracted position except by operation of the linkage. This feature makes it difficult to force the lock open without a key. In addition, one or more remote locks may be added to the main lock. With two remote locks it is possible to provide three anchor points for a door.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1996Date of Patent: March 3, 1998Assignee: Reflectolite Products, Inc.Inventors: Ivanhoe E. Chaput, Petros Z. Mantarakis