Patents by Inventor Michael R. Lavender

Michael R. Lavender 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: 6554678
    Abstract: A sculptural toy or building block designed and adapted to be joined to other identical sculptural toys or building blocks to create infinite figures and shapes. The sculptural toy or building block is an elongated member that is comprised of five portions: two legs, two feet, and an opening. Each leg is provided with a foot at its distal end and is separated from the other leg by the opening located in the center of the elongated toy member. The legs, feet, and opening are linearly oriented in the same plane with each formed into rectangular or square configurations. The leg configurations also include slots that extend along the entire length of the leg. The feet of one toy member can be received at various angles along the slots in the legs of another toy member. Also, the leg of one toy member can be slidably received into the opening of another toy member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Emerging Playthings, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael R. Lavender
  • Publication number: 20020115374
    Abstract: A sculptural toy or building block designed and adapted to be joined to other identical sculptural toys or building blocks to create infinite figures and shapes. The sculptural toy or building block is an elongated member that is comprised of five portions: two legs, two feet, and an opening. Each leg is provided with a foot at its distal end and is separated from the other leg by the opening located in the center of the elongated toy member. The legs, feet, and opening are linearly oriented in the same plane with each formed into rectangular or square configurations. The leg configurations also include slots that extend along the entire length of the leg. The feet of one toy member can be received at various angles along the slots in the legs of another toy member. Also, the leg of one toy member can be slidably received into the opening of another toy member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventor: Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 6106508
    Abstract: An ostomy pouch has a first and second panels of flexible material sealed to each around the edges to form a bag, and a aperture for receiving waste product from a stoma. A seal i provided on the inner surfaces of the two panels to seal waste products in the pouch before the pouch is removed from the side of a wearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Inventor: Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 5562107
    Abstract: A reclosable wound cover having a base for securement to the skin surfaces of a patient surrounding a wound and having a reclosable, transparent cover is disclosed. The base is formed of a barrier layer of soft, conformable fluid-absorbing, adhesive material and a thin, elastomeric backing layer which covers a surface of the barrier layer opposite from its skin-contacting surface. The cover includes a planar, transparent cover film which allows for visual inspection of the underlying wound through an opening in the base. The cover is smaller than the perimeter of the base so that lifting forces applied to the cover will not tend to separate the base from the skin surfaces of the patient and so that the cover does not contact the skin surfaces of the patient. An adhesive border is secured along the peripheral edge of the cover for releasably securing it to the backing layer of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: Hollister Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael R. Lavender, David D. Rhodes
  • Patent number: 5490504
    Abstract: An endotracheal tube attachment device for positively securing an endotracheal tube to a patient and allowing selective lateral positioning and locking of the tube without removing the device or tube from the patient is disclosed. The device comprises an elongated strip of flexible material adapted to be adhesively attached to an upper lip region of a patient and a tube holder which is slideably mounted upon the strip. The tube holder has an arm extending in a direction perpendicular to and away from the strip and a securement strap is provided for positively securing the tube along the length of the arm. Positioning and locking mechanisms are provided for allowing selective lateral positioning of the tube holder along the length of the strip and positively locking the tube holder and tube in a selected position. The tube holder also allows for efficient and easy longitudinal adjustment of the endotracheal tube in the patient's trachea which is often required soon after initial placement of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: Hollister Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Vrona, Michael R. Lavender, James J. Peterson, Margo E. Love
  • Patent number: 5185008
    Abstract: A two-piece ostomy appliance having a pair of coupling rings that detachably connect a collection pouch and an adhesive faceplate. One of the coupling rings, preferably the faceplate coupling ring, is provided with a substantially non-compressible insert that includes an axially-extending collar, a bulbous non-deformable wedge body, and a radially-extending pivot stem that centrally connects the collar and wedge body. The pivot stem allows limited forward and rearward rocking movement of the wedge body about a pivot axis extending through the stem. A massive front portion of the wedge body has an inwardly and rearwardly curved bearing surface of progressively increasing distance from the pivot axis so that the radial width of the insert decreases as the wedge body rocks rearwardly and forceably increases as it rocks forwardly about the axis, in response to frictional engagement with the walls of the channel, when coupling and uncoupling forces are exerted on the rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignee: Hollister Incorporated
    Inventor: Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 5167651
    Abstract: A two-piece ostomy appliance in which one of the components, preferably the pouch component, is provided with a dual-state, bistable coupling ring for sealingly engaging the companion ring of the other (e.g., faceplate) component. The ring is formed of relatively stiff but flexible plastic material and is capable of assuming two stable states or conditions. In one such state, its normal one, the ring is substantially untensioned and its configuration is frusto-conical; in its other state, the direction of the conical taper is reversed or inverted and the ring again assumes a stable but now tensioned condition. When in its normal state, the ring has an inside diameter substantially smaller than in its inverted state, so that in mating such rings together, a user may enlarge the opening to facilitate joining the parts together and may then return the bistable ring to its normal state to insure a secure, fluid-tight seal between the parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Hollister Incorporated
    Inventors: Walter F. Leise, Jr., Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 5147340
    Abstract: A two-piece ostomy appliance in the form of a collection pouch and an adhesive faceplate respectively equipped with coupling rings for latching the two parts together. The coupling rings are relatively large and the pouch coupling ring has attached thereto a peristomal barrier ring of soft, deformable, skin-contacting sealant material extending radially inwardly from the pouch coupling ring and defining a stoma-receiving opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Hollister Incorporated
    Inventor: Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 5139492
    Abstract: A two-piece ostomy appliance with a low profile coupling ring assembly in which the rings are moved transversely rather than axially into and out of interlocked condition. The faceplate ring has an upturned flange along its lower border and the pouch ring has a downturned flange along its upper border, with the flange of each ring defining a channel for receiving a peripheral portion of the other ring for locking the rings together as they are shifted transversely (radially) into axial alignment. The configuration of each ring about the stoma opening thereof results in a preloaded annular seal when the rings are coupled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1992
    Assignee: Hollister Incorporated
    Inventors: Walter F. Leise, Jr., Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 5080661
    Abstract: An external fixation pin entry site dressing, and the method of its application, in which an elongate body of soft, tearable, and compressible absorbent material has a longitudinal primary slit extending inwardly from one side of the body to about the longitudinal midline thereof and a plurality of pairs of transverse slits extending inwardly from opposite sides of the body and partially dividing the body into a multiplicity of separable segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Assignee: Hollister Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael R. Lavender, James A. Stupar
  • Patent number: 4729690
    Abstract: A self-righting roadway marker support for a flexible boundary or roadway marker has a hollow anchor sleeve sunk into a supporting surface, a mounting collar secured to said anchor sleeve, a pivot strut extending through and upward from the collar, a compressible coil spring to resiliently urge the strut into contact with the collar, and a spring stop which selectively limits the extent to which the coil spring may be compressed. An oblong, radiused or chamfered aperture formed in the collar cooperates with a spring-mounting eyebolt to prevent the strut from rotating when deflected. A tool is also disclosed for installing the marker support. The force required to deflect the support assembly is set to be less than the force that would destroy or permanently set or deform the boundary marker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1988
    Assignee: Amerace Corporation
    Inventors: Michael R. Lavender, Henry R. Krepel, Sidney A. Heenan
  • Patent number: 4412358
    Abstract: An individually fitted helmet liner includes a plurality of layers, each of which consists of a thermoplastic sheet formed with an array of pockets receiving the major portions of energy-absorbing spheres, the spheres of one layer being in register with the spaces between the spheres of an adjacent layer. The liner is fitted to an individual wearer's head by heating the sheets to a plastic state, placing the liner between an outer shell and the wearer's head, and applying tension to the layers around their periphery to deform the sheets to a degree determined by the relative position of the spheres. A mold member for use in making the individual resin-sphere layers and a method employing the mold member to make such layers are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1983
    Assignee: Gentex Corporation
    Inventor: Michael R. Lavender
  • Patent number: 4345338
    Abstract: A custom-fitted helmet in which a preformed elastomer sack containing a resin-bead composite adapted to rigidify in response to mechanical deformation accommodates a single rigid outer shell to various individual head sizes. The underside of the sack is formed with circular channels concentric about the top of wearer's head which lockingly receive resilient strips that are part of a preformed inner helmet assembly. The resilient strips are carried on the inner assembly by intermediary energy-absorbing strips which are in turn adhered to a flexible leather liner fitting over the wearer's head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1979
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1982
    Assignee: Gentex Corporation
    Inventors: Leonard P. Frieder, Jr., Michael R. Lavender