Patents by Inventor Robert A. Shoaf

Robert A. Shoaf 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: 8998524
    Abstract: A liquid-application device that permits a user to selectively apply herbicide to weeds without applying the herbicide to adjacent plants. A reservoir of herbicide is mounted to a container end of an elongated tube and a wick is mounted to an opposite end. The tube has a central passage through which the liquid flows from the container end to the wick end by gravity. A valve mechanism at the wick end controls the flow of liquid out of the central passage. A wick retainer in the valve mechanism holds a wick that receives liquid released through the valve. A shroud covers the wick and the wick protrudes after the shroud is seated on a weed leaf. The shroud can be withdrawn by a mechanical connection, such as a trigger, or by simply forcing the shroud out of the way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Inventor: Robert A. Shoaf
  • Patent number: 8742761
    Abstract: The present invention is a metallic sensing ground probe comprising a rod and a handle having a port for storing a power supply in electrical communication with a circuit, for generating an electric field between a sensor tip on a distal end of the rod and a logic circuit for actuating an LED in an LED display unit on the handle, when the sensor tip encounters a metal object within the ground thus completing the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Inventor: William Robert Shoaf
  • Patent number: 8561719
    Abstract: A computerized boring system provides real-time monitoring and control of a bore head during boring operations to prevent inadvertent damage to buried objects such as utility cables. A boring machine with a shaft, a bore head on an end of the shaft, and one or more proximity sensors for detecting underground target objects is controlled manually and by a computer control system in communication with the sensors, a programmable logic computer and/or electrical relay system providing control of rotational and longitudinal movement of the bore head in response to data generated by the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Inventor: William Robert Shoaf
  • Publication number: 20120121314
    Abstract: A liquid-application device that permits a user to selectively apply herbicide to weeds without applying the herbicide to adjacent plants. A reservoir of herbicide is mounted to a container end of an elongated tube and a wick is mounted to an opposite end. The tube has a central passage through which the liquid flows from the container end to the wick end by gravity. A valve mechanism at the wick end controls the flow of liquid out of the central passage. A wick retainer in the valve mechanism holds a wick that receives liquid released through the valve. A shroud covers the wick and the wick protrudes after the shroud is seated on a weed leaf. The shroud can be withdrawn by a mechanical connection, such as a trigger, or by simply forcing the shroud out of the way.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventor: Robert A. Shoaf