Patents by Inventor Thomas G. Marsden

Thomas G. Marsden 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: 6916300
    Abstract: A seat massager for massaging a person's back has, according to the present invention, a pair of inflatable, massage bladders configured so as to be received in close proximity to a person's back and oriented so that these bladders share an overlaid portion with each other, a pump that supplies fluid to the bladders, a fluidic having an inlet and two exhaust ports, a conduit that connects each of the fluidic exhaust ports to one of the pair of bladders, wherein the fluidic is configured so as to yield alternating flow from the exhaust ports that cyclically inflates and deflates each of the bladders so as to provide a massaging sensation to the back. This massager may also include an inflatable support bladder positioned beneath the massage bladders, another pump that supplies fluid to this support bladder, and a carrier plate on which the pumps are mounted, this plate being configured so as to aid in attaching the seat massager to the frame of a seat into which the seat massager is to be installed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Bowles Fluidics Corporation
    Inventors: Russell D. Hester, Alan S. Romack, Keith R. Berning, Thomas G. Marsden, Rosa Korobkov
  • Publication number: 20040097854
    Abstract: A seat massager for massaging a person's back has, according to the present invention, a pair of inflatable, massage bladders configured so as to be received in close proximity to a person's back, each of said bladders having a front surface, with a portion of said front surfaces being overlayed so as to provide a rolling massage sensation when the bladders are inflated and deflated, a means for supplying fluid to the bladders, a fluidic having an inlet and two exhaust ports, a conduit that connects each of the fluidic exhaust ports to one of the pair of bladders, wherein the fluidic is configured so as to yield alternating flow from the exhaust ports that cyclically inflates and deflates each of the bladders so as to provide a massaging sensation to the back.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Applicant: Bowles Fluidics Corporation
    Inventors: Russell D. Hester, Alan S. Romack, Keith R. Berning, Thomas G. Marsden, Rosa Korobkov
  • Patent number: 5921860
    Abstract: A vehicle air outlet having an outlet bell, an upstream intruder member, a control shaft secured to the upstream intruder member, and a ball and socket device for mounting the control shaft to the outlet bell. In a preferred embodiment a portion of the control shaft is made to serve as a housing having a fixed hemispherically shaped bearing seat which is integrally formed therein at the closed end of the housing and a slot is formed in the housing to allow the ball supporting struts to extend outwardly from proximate the axial center of the outlet. A spring loaded bearing seat forming a second hemispherical and floating portion of the socket is guided by the housing into engagement with and to capture the is ball in the socket and a closure cap retains the compression spring in position. In a preferred embodiment, a long compression spring is used. This is advantageous over a short spring element where minor changes in compressed length can cause relatively high changes in spring force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Bowles Fluidics Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas G. Marsden
  • Patent number: 5636794
    Abstract: A windshield washer system has a nozzle mounted on a vehicle for issuing wash fluid to a windshield and a check valve for a fluid circuit from a supply of wash fluid to the nozzle. The nozzle has a fluid feed tube integrally formed therewith with annular walls defining a washer fluid flow path and a diameter of at least D. The feed tube has an external surface adapted to receive and retain a flexible hose from a supply of wash fluid. A spring shoulder receives a coil compression spring having upstream and downstream ends with the downstream end bearing on the spring shoulder. A valve element bears on the upstream end of the spring element, and a tubular insert having an inner end and an external diameter at least D and sufficient to form an elongated wash fluid seal with the annular walls defining a washer fluid flow path, and complementary-shaped valve seat formed on the inner end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Bowles Fluidics Corporation
    Inventors: Richard W. Hess, Thomas G. Marsden