Patents by Inventor Houston Rehrig

Houston Rehrig has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6684414
    Abstract: A portable urinal for collecting and storing urine from a user is provided. The portable urinal includes a receptacle for collecting the urine, where the receptacle includes a body portion having an inlet sized to sufficiently receive the genitourinary area of the user, and an outlet. The portable urinal further includes a storage container for storing the urine, where the storage container has an inlet for receiving the urine from the receptacle. A connector attached to the storage container receives the storage container inlet and removably receives the receptacle outlet, such that the connector releasably joins the receptacle with the storage container allowing the urine to flow from the receptacle outlet into the storage container inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 5441288
    Abstract: A shopping cart has a molded plastic basket and a chassis including a generally U-shaped cart handle tube and a reinforced plastic molded lower support structure. A basket support wire braces the basket against the cart handle tube and lends rigidity and strength to the basket. The support wire has legs that extend within respective channels provided along opposing side segments of an upper peripheral edge portion of the basket, less than the entire lengths of the opposing side segments. Bent end portions of the legs, extending into openings provided in the basket peripheral edge portion, fixedly secure the support wire to the basket. A cross-arm portion of the support wire connects the legs and engages the cart handle tube. Upper leg portions of the cart handle tube extend downwardly along a rear panel of the cart basket. Lower leg portions of the cart handle tube extend along rear edge surfaces of the lower support structure and provide at their ends wheel assembly mounting locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: Houston Rehrig
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 5368318
    Abstract: A collapsible child seat assembly for a shopping cart has a plastic seat panel and a plastic leg opening cover, both of which are pivotally mounted on a horizontal hinge wire that itself is fixedly mounted on a swingable rear gate of the cart. The forward edge of the seat panel is slidably mounted to a seat back pivotally attached to the rear gate. The rear edges of the seat panel and leg opening cover have interdigitated hinge extensions forming slots that accept therein the horizontal hinge wire for pivotal motion thereon. The hinge wire has protuberances corresponding to the locations of the hinge extensions of the leg opening cover. These protuberances cooperate with cantilevered leaf springs extending into the slots of the hinge extensions of the leg opening cover to frictionally retain the leg opening cover in its upright position covering the leg openings until it is manually folded against the seat panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Houston Rehrig
    Inventors: Houston Rehrig, Matthew Valla
  • Patent number: 5331756
    Abstract: For walls of shopping cart baskets, advertising panels which include a plate element and a frame element which fits on the plate element and is releasably held in place thereon by a tab-and-slot arrangement. When held in place, a slot and a card display area which is encircled by the frame element are formed between the plate and frame elements. An advertisement display card can then be easily slid into and out of the display area through this slot. Projections on at least one of the elements keep the carol from falling out of place when in the area. Retrofitted and molded-in panel versions are disclosed. Plate elements of the retrofitted version can be secured together on the inside and outside of the basket wall providing inwardly and outwardly disposed display areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 5210968
    Abstract: For walls of shopping cart baskets, advertising panels which include a plate element and a frame element which fits on the plate element and is releasably held in place thereon by a tab-and-slot arrangement. When held in place, a slot and a card display area which is encircled by the frame element are formed between the plate and frame elements. An advertisement display card can then be easily slid into and out of the display area through this slot. Projections on at least one of the elements keep the card from falling out of place when in the area. Retrofitted and molded-in panel versions are disclosed. Plate elements of the retrofitted version can be secured together on the inside and outside of the basket wall providing inwardly and outwardly disposed display areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1993
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 5201134
    Abstract: An advertisement card display assembly particularly suitable for walls of plastic shopping carts. The assembly includes a rectangular backing plate held or formed in a cart wall opening. An upright wall is formed on and about the entire perimeter of the plate. Inwardly disposed tabs are formed on top of the wall on three of the four sides define slots. Display cards can be inserted from the fourth side into the slots and into a display position against the backing plate. The tabs retain the card in the display position. Keeper ribs on the backing plate at the fourth side prevent the card from slipping out of the display position but do not prevent the removal therefrom by being lifted slightly and slid back out the slots. The entire assembly is injection molded as one piece with the basket wall. Mold inserts form the slots and tabs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1993
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventors: Houston Rehrig, Steven C. Decker, Alan R. Kern, Lonnie G. Dickerson
  • Patent number: 5111604
    Abstract: A basket wall and display card assembly including a basket wall having interior and exterior wall faces. A back plate is secured to and integrally formed and molded with the basket wall and generally encircled by the basket wall. The back plate has a front face, a plate perimeter and an upright edge wall around a substantial portion of the plate perimeter and extending out from the front face. The front face is recessed in a distance from the exterior wall face. A display card frame is manufactured as a separate piece from the back plate, and a notch and tab assembly releasably holds the frame relative to the edge wall whereby the frame and the back plate are in a securely held position. This holding assembly allows the frame and the back plate to be completely separable one from the other. When the frame and the back plate are in the held position, a display card display area is defined generally therebetween wherein a replaceable diplay card can be held and viewed generally through the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1992
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 4946059
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a plastic container having a reinforcing ring disposed around its upper edges to provide additional strength. The reinforcing ring is preferably formed of a cross-sectionally round wire which is obtained from a coil, straightened, cut, and bent to suitable dimensions. If desired, the reinforcing ring may have its ends welded together and the ring may extend around the entire top opening. The reinforcing ring is disposed within a peripheral outwardly facing channel of the shopping cart basket, crate, or other container. The channel includes top and bottom walls and an inner side wall. The reinforcing ring is free of projections that engage the walls of the channel. The channel has retaining ridges and/or a plurality of resilient discrete projections which retain the reinforcing ring and enable the reinforcing ring to be snap-actingly receivable within the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignees: Rehrig International, Inc., Rehrig-Pacific Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 4922639
    Abstract: Molded-in advertising panels which may be integrally formed with any of the walls of a plastic shopping cart basket. The molded-in advertising panel includes a plate portion, molded with and recessed from the outer surface of the walls of the plastic basket, and a frame element. The frame element for the molded-in panel is preferably identical to that for the retrofitted panel embodiment and is also retained in position using tabs and slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: 4865338
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a plastic container having a reinforcing ring disposed around its upper edges to provide additional strength. The reinforcing ring is preferably formed of a cross-sectionally round wire which is obtained from a coil, straightened, cut, and bent to suitable dimensions. If desired, the reinforcing ring may have its ends welded together and the ring may extend around the entire top opening. The reinforcing ring is disposed within a peripheral outwardly facing channel of the shopping cart basket, crate, or other container. The channel includes top and bottom walls and an inner side wall. The reinforcing ring is free of projections that engage the walls of the channel. The channel has retaining ridges and/or a plurality of resilient discrete projections which retain the reinforcing ring and enable the reinforcing ring to be snap-actingly receivable within the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1989
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D464729
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D467338
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D311983
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1990
    Assignees: Rehrig International, Inc., Rehrig-Pacific Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D317219
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D364961
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1995
    Assignee: Houston Rehrig
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D377255
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D382999
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D384815
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Inventor: Houston Rehrig
  • Patent number: D412046
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Inventors: Houston Rehrig, Lori Jane Hodge
  • Patent number: D426365
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Inventors: Houston Rehrig, Lori Jane Hodge