Abstract: A liquid diffuser includes a base, a liquid reservoir, a spout for resting on the reservoir and having an upper opening, a fan, a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir, and a cover. The gasket includes a flange extending over a portion of an upper surface of the base that extends laterally beyond the liquid reservoir. The cover is sized and configured to be positioned over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout, and to rest upon the flange of the gasket. Methods of assembling such a liquid diffuser include resting the spout upon the liquid reservoir, and resting the spout upon the flange of the gasket over the base. Method of using such a liquid diffuser include powering a transducer for generating atomized droplets of the liquid, and supplying power to the fan to carry the atomized droplets of the liquid out from the diffuser with forced airflow.

Abstract: A liquid diffuser includes a base, a liquid reservoir, a spout for resting on the reservoir and having an upper opening, a fan, a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir, and a cover. The gasket includes a flange extending over a portion of an upper surface of the base that extends laterally beyond the liquid reservoir. The cover is sized and configured to be positioned over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout, and to rest upon the flange of the gasket. Methods of assembling such a liquid diffuser include resting the spout upon the liquid reservoir, and resting the spout upon the flange of the gasket over the base. Method of using such a liquid diffuser include powering a transducer for generating atomized droplets of the liquid, and supplying power to the fan to carry the atomized droplets of the liquid out from the diffuser with forced airflow.

Abstract: A liquid diffuser includes a base, a liquid reservoir, a spout for resting on the reservoir and having an upper opening, a fan, a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir, and a cover. The gasket includes a flange extending over a portion of an upper surface of the base that extends laterally beyond the liquid reservoir. The cover is sized and configured to be positioned over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout, and to rest upon the flange of the gasket. Methods of assembling such a liquid diffuser include resting the spout upon the liquid reservoir, and resting the spout upon the flange of the gasket over the base. Method of using such a liquid diffuser include powering a transducer for generating atomized droplets of the liquid, and supplying power to the fan to carry the atomized droplets of the liquid out from the diffuser with forced airflow.

Abstract: A multi-purpose dumping device mounted on one vehicle assists with the emptying of both a heavy commercial refuse container and a lighter residential refuse container and easily operable by the current vehicle structure without substantial modification to the tipping mechanism.

Abstract: A liquid diffuser includes a base, a liquid reservoir, a spout for resting on the reservoir and having an upper opening, a fan, a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir, and a cover. The gasket includes a flange extending over a portion of an upper surface of the base that extends laterally beyond the liquid reservoir. The cover is sized and configured to be positioned over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout, and to rest upon the flange of the gasket. Methods of assembling such a liquid diffuser include resting the spout upon the liquid reservoir, and resting the spout upon the flange of the gasket over the base. Method of using such a liquid diffuser include powering a transducer for generating atomized droplets of the liquid, and supplying power to the fan to carry the atomized droplets of the liquid out from the diffuser with forced airflow.

Abstract: An injection molded one-piece optical disc case with a front cover and a back cover attached to a spine via live hinges. The case, when closed, has generally semi-cylindrical rimwalls, including upper and lower rimwalls, a spine rimwall, and a closure rimwall. The rimwalls intersect in generally quarter-spherical comers. The generally semi-cylindrical rimwalls may be optionally flattened slightly to prevent multiple closed cases that are being pushed down an assembly line from climbing over one another. Another novel feature of the optical disc case is an off-center disk mounting hub on each cover to leave room for a title band at the top of the case and also to leave room for the attachment of an EAS tag inside the case. The case also optionally incorporates antitheft elements.

Abstract: An injection molded DVD case includes a spine, a front cover coupled to the spine via a first living hinge, and a back cover coupled to the spine via a second living hinge. The case, when in a closed configuration, has generally semi-cylindrical rimwalls, including upper and lower rimwalls, a spine rimwall, and a closure rimwall, which intersect in generally quarter-spherical corners. The generally semi-cylindrical rimwalls have been flattened slightly to prevent multiple closed cases that are being pushed down an assembly line from climbing over one another. The new DVD case has an off-center disk mounting hub so that the disk cannot be seen through a transparent title band at the top of the case and also to leave room for the attachment of an EAS tag inside the case. The case also incorporates significant anti-theft features.

Abstract: A one-piece, injection molded intended for display by positioning it upright includes a spine, a front cover coupled to the spine via a first living hinge, and a back cover coupled to the spine via a second living hinge. When in a closed configuration, the case has generally semi-cylindrical sidewalls, including upper and lower sidewalls, a spine sidewall, and a closure sidewall, which intersect in generally quarter-spherical corners. The case also has a pair of spaced-apart feet positioned along the lower sidewall of said case, each of said feet being medially split into first and second halves, said first half being integral with the front cover and said second half being integral with the back cover. The case may incorporate a flexible, polymeric sleeve that wraps around the spine sidewall, is bonded to the front and back covers near the edges of the closure sidewall.

Abstract: A one-piece gift case for flexible plastic magnetic or smart cards is loosely patterned after digital video disc cases, in that it is of clamshell design, having a spine, front cover, and rear cover s interconnected by “living” hinges. Made preferably of polyolefins, the rear cover of the case incorporates an elevated card receptacle, which includes a generally rectangular walled recess sized to fit a card. A shoulder within the recess provides support for the edges of the card, and elevates the card from the panel that serves as the case's outer rear wall. The card is retained by a pair of protrusions molded into opposing walls of the recess. The card is installed in the recess by flexing it and sliding it beneath the protrusions. Cutouts in the other two walls of the elevated receptacle facilitate the cards removal from the recess.

Abstract: A one-piece, standard thickness, injection molded DVD case has at least one recess on an outer surface for the installation of a decorative insert. For one preferred embodiment, the recess is coextensive with the front cover, with the exception of a narrow perimetric border. The decorative insert may be formed from vacuum-formed polymeric material, molded plastic, or stamped from sheet metal having a thickness in a range of about 0.005 to 0.01 inch (0.127 to 0.254 millimeters). Optimum thickness for the preferred embodiments disclosed herein is deemed to be about 0.0075 inch (about 0.2 millimeters). The decorative insert may include graphic images and text in relief, which may be painted for further affect. For another preferred embodiment, the recess on the front cover may cover only a portion of the available area. On the back cover, similar recesses may be formed above and below the disk storage region.

Abstract: An ultra-thin, two-piece sheet metal case includes a receptacle and a lid. The receptacle is a generally rectangularly shaped tray-like item having rounded corners, a generally planar bottom panel, and a short perimetric wall extending from and unitary with the bottom panel, with outwardly rolled edges that form a tubular, semi-tubular, or fold-back flange. The lid of the case is slightly wider than the receptacle, and has a generally planar top portion which transitions to downwardly-bent walls on three sides thereof. The outer edges of the downwardly-bent walls are inwardly rolled to form a tubular, semi-tubular, or fold-back rim at the bottom thereof. The lid is designed and sized to slide over the receptacle so that the outwardly-rolled flange of the receptacle is trapped between the planar top panel and the inwardly-rolled rim of the lid.

Abstract: A protective container is provided for a magnetic card, such as a gift card or credit card, which shields the enclosed card from potentially damaging magnetic fields, thereby greatly reducing the possibility that information stored on the card will be erased. A preferred embodiment container having high magnetic permeability is stamped from metal containing nickel and iron. Other embodiments of the container, which provide less protection from unwanted magnetic fields, are stamped from mild steel. The protective container may take a variety of shapes and may include an injection molded or vacuum-formed plastic insert which retains the stored card in a preferred position. A protective container preferably has a lid which provides a full surround enclosure. The lid may be of a slide-on, press-on, or hinged type.

Abstract: A three-piece jewel case for information storage discs, such as CDs and DVDs, is of the clam-shell type, and includes a base portion having a pair of generally rectangular hinge recesses positioned at adjacent corners along a rear side edge thereof, a lid portion having a pair of generally rectangular hinge arms positioned at adjacent corners along a rear side edge thereof, and a media tray having a lid portion supporting hub, which snaps into the base portion. For a preferred embodiment of the case, the media tray is hingeably connected to the base portion along the rear side edge. Each hinge arm has a rectangular solid component that extends from the outer edge to the inner edge and from the front edge to the back edge thereof. This feature rigidifies the rectangular hinge so that it is much more resistant to mechanical damage from crushing or dropping loads.

Abstract: The apparatus of the present invention uses fluid motor driven rotating hooks mounted within the rear opening of a refuse collection vehicle. These hooks grasp and lift dumpsters by their trunnion bars and pull them into the vehicle. Following the initial hook motion, a lever pivots upwardly to invert tile receptacle and empty its contents. In another feature, there is provided an accessory for attachment to the rotating hooks for grasping and dumping smaller containers. This device uses a cam-actuated mechanism that operates during initial rotation of tile hooks. The cam actuates linkage which grasps the lower handle of the container and the complete rotation of the hooks inverts the container.