Patents Represented by Attorney Alfred M. Walker
  • Patent number: 6745505
    Abstract: A collection of beverage bottles includes respective color-coded beverage caps. The beverage caps have permanent passive non-verbal indicia indicating the identity of the user of an unencumbered beverage bottle without tangible surface-interfering customized or temporary identifiers, such as tangible surface interfering elements, including stick-on labels, customized beverage can lids, or modified surfaces of beverage containers. The color-coded bottle caps are used as the actual caps for conventional beverage bottles. The color-coded caps do not add cumulative indicia to the bottle caps, in additional to pre-existing indicia, such as brand name logos, on the bottle caps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Inventor: Margaret Moran
  • Patent number: 6743091
    Abstract: A carbon monoxide ventilation system, comprising a carbon monoxide sensor, a fan, and a vent. The carbon monoxide sensor supplies power to the fan when a threshold level of carbon monoxide is detected. The fan includes a motor and a propeller which draws air into the fan unit, and expels the air through the vent. The sensor also includes an indicating device which produces an audio or visual indication that the threshold level has been reached. The indication continues until reset by a reset button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Inventor: William J. Meneely, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6741176
    Abstract: A flood light lamp removal alarm for security lights mounted on or near a home, wherein the lights are designed to turn on automatically if a motion detector is triggered and the ambient light level is low, detects if the motion detector or any of the flood light lamps and sockets are moved out of position, either prior to a burglary or during the attempt to disable the flood light assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Inventor: Joseph Ferraro
  • Patent number: 6726426
    Abstract: A combination book binding machine with a plastic coil forming machine, whereby a plastic spiral coil is formed at a first raised temperature, then cut to a length sufficient for the plastic spiral coil to bind a book, cooled and then advanced toward a receiving coil conveyor of a coil binding machine, for binding the book with a plastic coil at the lowered cooled temperature. The binding machine and method for spirally binding a sheaf of papers into a book uses an adjustable speed drive to rotate the cooled flexible plastic spiral coil into respective holes in the book. The book has a plurality of holes in a row adjacent one edge of the book to receive the leading edge of the plastic spiral binding coils. A cylindrically shaped mandrel is spaced apart from a glidable block. The plastic pre-formed spiral binding coil is fed onto the mandrel from the distal end thereof, with the leading edge of the binding element facing and spaced apart from the book.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Inventor: Norton Spiel
  • Patent number: 6722513
    Abstract: A child-resistant closure prevents a toddler or other young child from unscrewing the top off from a beverage container, such as a milk bottle or covered sipping cup, and spilling its contents on furniture or other inappropriate locations. The child-resistant closure prevents ugly staining of clothes or furniture by difficult to wash beverages, such as grape juice. The child-resistant closure for a beverage container includes an inner screw cap which is threadably mountable on the beverage container, such as the milk bottle with a nipple or the sipping cup. An outer operating ring cap is mounted on the inner cap. The outer operating ring cap has a circumferential retaining rim on a lower end thereof to retain the inner cap within the outer cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Inventors: Dennis Flood, Jocelyn Flood
  • Patent number: 6719438
    Abstract: A trim assembly is mounted by a resilient spring in a housing, which is recessed in a ceiling, to support a light fixture. The trim assembly includes a cylindrical collar insertable within the housing and a flange with a central opening supporting one end of the cylindrical collar surrounding the opening being flush with the ceiling, when the trim assembly is mounted within the housing. A gimbal, which is located within and spaced apart from the collar, supports the light fixture. The springs are attached to opposite sides of an outer surface of the collar, for engaging an inner surface of the housing, to hold the trim assembly in place. In addition, the gimbal is retained within the collar by fasteners which allow limited rotation of the gimbal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Tripar Inc.
    Inventors: Lloyd Sevack, Mario Viscusi
  • Patent number: 6712979
    Abstract: A system and method removes contaminated sediments during mechanical dredging operations, while maintaining a predetermined low moisture content of the contaminated sediments. The system uses a specially designed positive pressure controlled enclosure or enclosed excavator that houses a mechanical bucket and prevents ambient water from contacting the sediment during the excavation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Inventors: Warren Howard Chesner, James Melrose
  • Patent number: 6702577
    Abstract: An ergonomic non-obstructive illuminated examination mirror for dentistry, medicine and surgery, without the need of fiber optics, includes a slim line elongated member having a wire connection passage, a weighted first proximal end with a battery chamber and a second distal end. A removable disposable non-fogging angled reflective mirror head is coupled to the second end of the elongated member. Light to the mirror is provided by a low heat emitting light source attached to the second end of the rod directed toward the angled reflective head. The power source is connected to the low heat light source by one or more conductive wires within the wire passage and a switch, thereby forming a circuit with the power source and the light source, which is activated by a switch connected to the conductive wire connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Carl Parker Associates, Inc.
    Inventor: Chan Wong
  • Patent number: 6691496
    Abstract: An advertising arrangement applicable to laminar strips of plastic material for shrink-wrapping and protecting luggage, which consists of incorporating inside the tunnel (3) of a machine for protecting luggage means for positioning labels (5) and (5′) of any shape considered appropriate, provided with means for fixing in the central area of the luggage (9). The labels to be incorporated or the similar means are made up of a spool (6) and (6′) situated in the upper part and tensioned in the lower part by appropriate means (7) and (7′). The luggage (9) exits by means of a conveyor or roller belt (4′).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Inventor: Norberto Chinique Peña
  • Patent number: 6693395
    Abstract: An electronic ballast system controls one or more ballasts of HID or fluorescent lamps, which are controlled in an “on/off” manner by a ultra low power controller that is isolated for a primary power circuit or derives its very low switch power from the ballast itself. The on/off control provides a near lossless control system. This system may be applied to electronic ballast for operates at fractional power levels corresponding to different lighting intensities and with conventional occupancy sensors. The system may also be applied to other electronically compatible end-use devices and applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: Nextek Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: William George Wilhelm
  • Patent number: 6681407
    Abstract: A women's waistless and seamless clothing adherable underwear includes an oval pad made of a soft absorbent material, wherein the pad has double sided strips of adhesive tape with removable peel-off cover strips to attach to the inside crotch area of low slung clothing pants, such as tight pants, leotards or dungaree jeans facing upward to the skin and crotch of the wearer. The material is preferably a soft, non-woven, absorbent material. The underwear is particularly suited for women who wear tight pants, or low waist hip hugger pants, which widely reveal waist bands and seams of panty underwear, or expose underwear waist bands. The underwear is minimally intrusive and is attractive for women who like to wear jeans without underwear but who fear bacterial infection or exposure to clothing dyes or irritating stitching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Inventor: Christine Martz
  • Patent number: 6672954
    Abstract: A portable after market vehicle cabin ventilator provides a portable exhaust for a vehicle cabin, which utilizes the vehicle window for mounting and which promotes the quality of air within the vehicle cabin, without the need to open the windows in inclement cold or hot weather. The ventilator also optionally detects dangerous carbon monoxide fumes within a parked or moving vehicle. The ventilator of the present invention enhances the air quality of the vehicle interior by incorporating smoke and gas detectors, as well as one or more fans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Inventor: Julio Gabriel Shtanko
  • Patent number: 6663022
    Abstract: An anti-squirt ring acts as a handle guard for a palm operated garden hose nozzle lever. The guard is a circular ring, which obliquely surrounds the trigger lever of the garden hose nozzle. If the garden hose nozzle is accidentally dropped, the annular guard ring. The guard provides clearance if the trigger lever and nozzle are dropped. Therefore, the trigger lever will not forcefully contact the ground and be accidentally engaged, suddenly and erratically. The guard prevents unwanted spraying water from the nozzle in unwanted directions, such as at the user or at objects which should not get wet. The wire is configured in an annular ring and is either manufactured with the garden hose nozzle, or is attached by clamps, cable ties or hook and loop type fasteners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Inventor: John Baker
  • Patent number: 6655687
    Abstract: A game board has a pair of vertically extending panels with channels separated by partitions therebetween. The game board also has internal channels with curved protrusions and occasional open spaces between them such that a game disk may be deviated from the channel into which it were introduced into an adjacent channel. In addition, curved protrusions in the bottom may cause a game disk to pass from one channel to a next one, thereby providing a degree of player enhancement and heightened experience of chance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Inventor: Encarnacion Orgaz Sanchez-Seco
  • Patent number: 6640470
    Abstract: A method is described for containing dispersed particulate or soluble matter during contaminated sediment remediation operations in the marine environment. The preferred method comprises the use of a specially designed marine vessel that establishes a negative differential pressure gradient between a defined remediation control zone and the external ambient water environment, thereby preventing the release of contaminants dispersed during the remediation process. The preferred method also includes the use of marine vessels to remove contaminants contained within said control zone and to provide for the management of solids collected in the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Inventors: Warren Howard Chesner, James Melrose
  • Patent number: 6641522
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for relaxing a person in a stressful environment, such as a health care, business, hospitality or educational setting, provides a person with a choice of selecting for viewing one or more high resolution spatially open, serene natural landscape scenes to which the person is believed to have an innate positive (biophilic) affinity, upon a fabric frame display member mounted upon a flexible wall partition, such as a hospital curtain, a ceiling, a stand or other display member. In one embodiment, the spatially open, serene natural landscape scene is a savanna-type landscape or a like scene to which humans are believed to have a biophilic affinity. The biophilic landscape picture is printed preferably on a flexible fabric by a high resolution sublimation printing process, wherein an image is first scanned into a computer and then transformed by state-of-the-art technology to the fabric herein. The image may also be printed directly on all or a portion of a curtain itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Inventor: Joseph August
  • Patent number: 6637135
    Abstract: A method is described for removing sediments during dredging operations to minimize the release of contaminants at marine locations containing sediments that are deemed contaminated and require removal. The preferred method comprises the use of a specially designed marine vessel that establishes a negative differential pressure gradient between a dredge control zone and the external ambient water environment, thereby preventing the release of contaminants dispersed during the dredge process into the ambient water environment. The preferred method also includes the use of marine vessels to remove contaminants contained within said control zone and to provide for the management of solids collected in the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Inventors: Warren Howard Chesner, James Melrose
  • Patent number: 6633253
    Abstract: The dual synthetic aperture array system processes returns from the receiving arrays. The two identical receiving arrays employing displaced phase center antenna techniques subtract the corresponding spectrally processed data to cancel clutter. It is further processed that a moving target is detected and its velocity, angular position and range is measured, in or out of the presence of clutter. There are many techniques presented in the disclosure. These techniques are basically independent but are related based on common set of fundamental set of mathematical equations, understanding of radar principles and the implementations involved. These many techniques may be employed singly and/or in combination depending on the application and accuracy required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Inventor: Thomas J. Cataldo
  • Patent number: 6626780
    Abstract: A continuously variable transmission includes one or more cone shaped members which each have a cone shaft centrally positioned therethrough. The cone shaped member also includes a pair of fixed spiraled grooved shafts, including a first shaft therein with a respective spiral groove that spirals in a direction 180 degrees from the direction of each spiral groove in a second fixed spiral grooved shaft. A sliding alignment guide moves laterally within each cone shaped member. Moreover, the alignment guide has a first end interacting with a keyed sprocket, having engagement teeth and an internal nib. The alignment guide has a second end interacting with a second keyed sprocket, also having engagement teeth and an internal nib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Inventor: Frank A. Fragnito
  • Patent number: D490238
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Inventor: Susan Bristel