Patents by Inventor William Blake Ratcliffe

William Blake Ratcliffe 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: 5785407
    Abstract: A container having a bottom, a side wall and a rim defining the container top can be filled with a fluid such as water. An enclosure holding an energy source (e.g. a battery) and a switch is disposed at the container bottom, preferably within the container. A resilient cover on the enclosure defines a movable contact of the switch and provides open and closed states with a fixed contact within the enclosure. A member disposed externally of the enclosure and defining an electrical circuit with the energy source and the switch becomes illuminated in accordance with the flexing of the cover. A button disposed at the container bottom extends through the container bottom in a sealed relationship with the container bottom and engages the resilient cover when the container is disposed with a particular force on a support surface or when the container on the support surface becomes at least partially filled with fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: Marpole International Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Ratcliffe, William Blake Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: 5680718
    Abstract: The front end of a body portion on a hat (e.g. cap) may be continuous and the rear end may have separable sections. The hat may have a visor to form a cap defined by two (2) cloth layers separated by a backing member (e.g. cardboard). The backing member and the visor lower layer may have matching apertures to receive a module defined by a container and a cover pivotable on the container between open and closed positions. A switch, a battery and a printed circuit board may be disposed in the container. The switch may be manually closed, with the container closed, to energize electrical circuitry on the board. Such energizing may illuminate a member (e.g. LED) preferably disposed on the body portion and optically coupled to a display member to illuminate an individual design on the display member. The display member may be attached to the continuous front external surface of the body portion. Alternatively, the hat may have a band on the internal surface of the body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: First Choice Trading Limited
    Inventors: William R. Ratcliffe, William Blake Ratcliffe, Erik Loose