Patents by Inventor William J. Howard

William J. Howard 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: 5492766
    Abstract: Metallic articles, and method for making same, having a thin, adherent, chemically formed coating on their surface which preserves the uncoated article appearance and provides a unique combination of functional properties including resistance to chipping and flaking during elevated temperature use, resistance to corrosion from chemicals in the form of gases or aqueous acidic or alkaline solutions including salt spray, organic solvents, oils and vehicle fuels and suitability as a base for paint for parts within the engine compartment of vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Assignee: Michigan Chrome and Chemical Company
    Inventors: William J. Howard, William E. Emmons
  • Patent number: 5435094
    Abstract: A fishing system for carrying a fishing line away from the wake of a vessel employing an improved float. The float has mating female and male halves in the form of a tube. Each half has an integral eccentric weight and a passage to receive a fishing line. The ends are tilted. The integral eccentric weight is carried by the inside of the tube. The passage passes from the tilted surface of the female half through to the tilted surface of the male half. The float is wholly of thermoplastic resin. The open end of the male half mates in a water-tight manner with the open end of the female half with the integral eccentric weight of the female half juxtaposed from the integral eccentric weight of the male half. Rotational displacement of the integral eccentric weight from the downwardmost position causes the weight to exert a righting moment on the float. The float can be manufactured by injection molding techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 5345660
    Abstract: A process for making these magazines includes the steps of providing mold halves forming a cavity with an insert-receiving core, and a number of inserts each having a projection-producing depression a distance from the top of the magazine equal to that occupied by the given number of cartridges. After selecting an insert it is secured to the core; the mold halves are mated; and a melted hot plastic composition is injected into the cavity to form a hot casting of the shell of the magazine. The mold is opened, the hot casting removed and cooled to form a shell which is then assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 5329718
    Abstract: A magazine for holding and for reliably and rapidly feeding cartridges to the chamber of a bolt-equipped firearm. Each cartridge to be fed has a rim and a shoulder. The magazine has lips, guides, and a follower. The lips are cartridge-retaining lips, which are uniformly forwardly outwardly angled substantially the entire length of the cartridge from the rim to the neck. The guides guide two parallel rows of cartridges toward the lips. The follower and a spring upwardly bias the two rows of cartridges such that the uppermost cartridge in one row contacts the lip above that row and the uppermost cartridge in the other row contacts the lip above the other row. The walls of the magazine have outwardly flared parallel skirt guides. These skirt guides retain a skirt which has certain features preventing its accidental removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 5285590
    Abstract: A magazine for reliably feeding cartridges to the chamber of a firearm without stovepiping. Each of the cartridges has a uniformly tapered casing holding a projectile which projects from the casing. The magazine has a pair of juxtaposed, cartridge-retaining lips; a spring for biasing the cartridges toward these lips; and a pair of juxtaposed cartridge guides adapted to contact the projectile. These guides preventing orthagonal rotation of the cartridge during feeding of the cartridge to the chamber and this prevent stovepiping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 5279059
    Abstract: Described is a dual magazine assembly comprising a left magazine and a right magazine held together by a holder. The assembly permits either magazine to be received by a firearm even when the firearm has only a single magazine port. The holder comprises a female half, and a male half.The female half has a plate with left and right extensions for engaging the left and right magazines. The female half also has a tube perpendicular to the plate and integral with it. The tube has a hook-receiving surface.The male half also has a plate with left and right extensions for engaging the left and right magazines. It carries a prong adapted to mate with the tube of the female half. The prong has a manually releasable hook at its extremity. The hook overrides the ramp and engages the hook-receiving surface of the female half thereby holding the two halves together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 5219617
    Abstract: Metallic articles, and method for making same, having a thin, adherent, chemically formed coating on their surface which preserves the uncoated article appearance and provides a unique combination of functional properties including resistance to chipping and flaking during elevated temperature use, resistance to corrosion from chemicals in the form of gases or aqueous acidic or alkaline solutions including salt spray, organic solvents, oils and vehicle fuels and suitability as a base for paint for parts within the engine compartment of vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Michigan Chrome and Chemical Company
    Inventors: William J. Howard, William E. Emmons
  • Patent number: 5149897
    Abstract: A see-through magazine of a polyamide composition in which cartridges within the magazine are visible through the composition of the walls. The magazine holds and feeds cartridges to a bolt-equipped firearm. The magazine has a front wall, a back wall, and two sidewalls joining the front wall to the back wall. It also has a bottom plate closing the bottom of the magazine. A follower is spring-biased to move it away from the bottom plate. There are a number of integral translucent windows between internal ribs. Cartridges, when present can be seen through these windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4888900
    Abstract: A magazine for holding and for reliably feeding cartridge to the chamber of a firearm. The magazine has structure that causes lateral rotation of an advancing cartridge. This moves the tip of the projectile toward the centerline of the magazine. The magazine also has structure which then causes further lateral rotation and raising of the tip of the projectile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1989
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4777752
    Abstract: A blank magazine for feeding blank rounds to a bolt-equipped firearm.The magazine has a back wall and a front wall.The distance between the inner surface of the back wall and the inner surface of the front wall is less than the length of a standard round but is greater than the length of a blank round.The magazine also has structure which prevents any standard round from being fed by the bolt of the firearm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1988
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4719715
    Abstract: A magazine charger having a body with a spring and an open end for receiving a magazine to be charged with cartridges. The body has a closed end with a passage having outwardly flared walls. A plunger is in the passage. The plunger is adapted to move cartridges against the magazine spring. The charger also has a plunger spring which biases the plunger away from the open end of the charger. The plunger is operable to sequentially depress the uppermost cartridge, facilitating feeding of the cartridges to a magazine having two parallel rows of cartridges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4689909
    Abstract: A magazine charger having a body with a spring and an open end for receiving a magazine to be charged with cartridges. The body of the charger also has a closed end opposite the open end. The charger is equipped with a plunger axially, slidably carried by the closed end of the body. The plunger is adapted to move cartridges against the magazine spring. The charger also has a plunger spring which biases the plunger away from the open end of the charger. The plunger is operable to sequentially depress the uppermost cartridge, facilitating feeding of the cartridges to the magazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1987
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4538371
    Abstract: A magazine loader and a cartridge clip for rapidly and easily loading cartridges into a firearm magazine. The magazine loader comprises a cartridge-neck holder and a cartridge-base holder, both attached to a skirt. The base holder is adapted to receive cartridges held by a standard retainer strip or the novel cartridge clip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1985
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4472900
    Abstract: A telescoping magazine for holding and feeding cartridges to a firearm. The magazine has a fixed portion which itself comprises a firearm-engaging section and a skirt. The firearm-engaging section and the skirt are each provided with a plurality of ribs for holding two parallel offset rows of cartridges. A slide slides within the skirt and comprises slots adapted to receive ribs of the skirt. The magazine also has a follower biased by a spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 25, 1984
    Inventor: William J. Howard
  • Patent number: 4139959
    Abstract: A cartridge magazine comprises a curved, molded, plastic case with a spring-pressed follower to urge the stack of cartridges therein toward the upper end for ejection. This follower is pivoted on the end of the spring for forward and backward angular movement, and has a post on its forward end to engage the spring.A closure plate on the lower end of the case includes a latch which is retained against release by the post on the follower when the follower is at the lower end with the magazine filled with cartridges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1979
    Inventors: William J. Howard, William A. Harvey