Patents Represented by Law Firm Barnes, Kisselle, Raisch, Choate, Whittemore & Hulbert, P.C.
  • Patent number: 6056359
    Abstract: A power boat helmsman's station chair having a two-section seat bottom articulated by a pivotal hinge framework so that the front section of the seat can be folded up from its normal position as a horizontal extension of the rear section of the seat bottom to a position raised and disposed over the rear section. Port and starboard hinge subassemblies include a L-shape angle corner bracket that is fastened to both the bottom and the side boards of the rear seat section framework, thereby reinforcing the same, and that pivotally carries one end of an associated hinge arm fastened at its other end to the framework of the seat bottom front section. A one piece plastic member of generally inverted V-shaped configuration has one arm fixed to the upright flange of the comer bracket with the other arm disposed for spring latching, camming engagement with a cam follower edge surface of the pivot end of the hinge arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Tecla Company Inc.
    Inventor: Richard N. Clark
  • Patent number: 6026769
    Abstract: A two-stroke internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder with a combustion chamber defined between the cylinder head and a reciprocating piston, and a carburetor which delivers a rich fuel and air mixture to a compressor with a reciprocating piston driven by the engine to compress the mixture until the mixture is under sufficient pressure to open a differential pressure injection valve and thereby inject the mixture directly into the engine combustion chamber. The mixture is ignited by a spark plug to drive the engine piston through its power stroke and rotate its associated crankshaft which is connected to a crankshaft of the compressor to reciprocate its piston and thereby compress the fuel and air mixture and inject it into the cylinder in timed relation with the engine piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventors: Muniappan Anbarasu, William E. Galka, Martin L. Radue, Ronald H. Roche, Kevin L. Williams, Charles H. Tuckey, J. D. Tuckey, deceased
  • Patent number: 6003848
    Abstract: A gas spring with a sealing and bearing assembly received within a casing of the gas spring adjacent to a rod slidably received through the assembly for axial reciprocation. The assembly has an annular retaining ring received within the casing, an annular bearing with a throughbore through which the rod reciprocates carried by the retaining ring, an annular retainer carried by the retaining ring downstream of the bearing, and a sealing member received within the retaining ring adjacent to the retainer and in firm engagement with the rod and retaining ring to provide a gas-tight seal between the rod and the retaining ring to prevent the escape of gas from the gas spring. The retainer preferably has a dovetail flange extending therefrom and the sealing ring has a complementarily shaped recess molded or press-fit onto the flange to attach the sealing ring to the retainer. The retainer is preferably firmly clamped to the retaining ring by rolling its upper edge over the retainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Diebolt International, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Cotter, Patrick J. Cotter
  • Patent number: 5979208
    Abstract: An apparatus constructed to be received within an interior opening of a sheet metal panels to form a pre-hem and a complete hem about the periphery of the opening with a plurality of generally radially outwardly movable hemming plates or steels which are driven by an actuator to move from a retracted position within the opening to an extended position overlying a portion of the periphery of the opening to pre-hem a flange about the periphery of the opening. With the hem steels in their extended position, a second actuator displaces the steels towards the sheet metal panels to complete the folding or final hemming of the flange about the periphery of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: UNOVA IP Corp.
    Inventor: William R. Hartley
  • Patent number: 5951064
    Abstract: An array of a plurality of module blocks with a common through-passageway with a combined fluid coupling and mechanical connector fitting received in the passageway between each pair of adjacent blocks. The fitting has a swivel body rotatably retained by a flexible retaining wire on a main body with two static-type O-rings. The main body has external straight threads on one end and a hex head protrusion adjacent the other end. A fluid conducting through-passageway in the main body has an enlarged cylindrical counterbore open at the hex end and with a circular internal groove therein. A tangentially intersecting wire-insertion radial opening leads from an external surface of the hex head into this groove. The swivel body has external straight male threads at one end, a cylindrical shank at the other end and a fluid conducting through-passageway communicating at one end with the main body passageway and having a hex socket in the other passageway end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Diebolt International, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan P. Cotter
  • Patent number: 5944325
    Abstract: A collet for holding and precisely locating a cutting tool within a tool holder has a bore constructed to receive a shank of the cutting tool therein, a hydrostatically displacable sleeve received in the bore, a piston received within a passage communicating with the sleeve and displaceable to pressurize fluid within the passage to actuate the sleeve and a retaining nut threadably received on the tool holder to displace the piston to pressurize the fluid within the collet as the nut is rotated on the tool holder. The pressurized fluid within the collet acts substantially uniformly across the sleeve to urge the sleeve into firm engagement with the cutting tool to firmly hold and accurately and repeatably locate the cutting tool within the collet. Also, the pressurized fluid acts substantially uniformly on the interior wall of the collet to substantially uniformly urge the collet into firm engagement with the tool holder to firmly hold and accurately and repeatably locate the collet within the tool holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Hydra-Lock Corporation
    Inventor: John P. Schmeisl
  • Patent number: 5939801
    Abstract: Apparatus for controlling distribution of d.c. power to a plurality of remote d.c.-powered LAN transceivers, which includes a plurality of primary d.c. power supplies and at least one backup d.c. power supply, all having means for connection to a source of electrical power to provide output d.c. power independently of each other. A plurality of electrical switches are each operable in a first mode of operation to connect one of the primary power supplies to at least one set of output terminals for connection to a remote transceiver. Comparator circuits compare the output voltage at each of the primary power supplies to the output voltage at the backup power supply to indicate a failure condition at one of the primary supplies. Circuitry is responsive to a failure indication for operating one or more of the electrical switches in a second mode of operation in which at least one set of output terminals is connected to the backup power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Inventors: Donald M. Bouffard, Gary L. Stepanian, David C. Emmett, Jeffrey P. Stolaruk
  • Patent number: 5925962
    Abstract: A flat commutator for an electric motor of a vehicle fuel pump. The commutator, is made with a one-piece carbon ring having a flat outer face, a one-piece conductor ring underlying the outer face of and embedded in the carbon ring, and a housing of a plastic insulating material molded on the rear face and the inner and outer edges of the carbon ring and adapted to mount the commutator on a motor armature. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart grooves extend radially and axially completely through both the carbon ring and the conductor ring to provide a plurality of individual sintered carbon segments each with a separate conductor for electrically connecting the segments with armature coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventors: Richard L. Kobman, Michael L. Mercer, Dirk G. Westendorf, Arthur J. Birchenough, James A. George, Marc B. Ruprecht, J. D. Tuckey, deceased
  • Patent number: 5905423
    Abstract: A permanent magnet armature solenoid has a tip formed of a non-magnetic material operably connected to a ferromagnetic insert which is firmly held to the end of the magnetic armature by the magnetic attraction between the insert and armature. The magnetic field of the armature holds the armature and the insert together as a single unit, even under high acceleration, deceleration and rapid movement of the armature. The insert is relatively small compared to the armature and the addition of the insert to the solenoid does not significantly adversely affect the performance of the solenoid. The insert is preferably formed of a magnetically susceptible metal such as iron, steel or stainless steel. Desirably, the tip is formed of a polymeric material and preferably of an elastomer so that the tip may be molded directly to the insert by conventional molding techniques to facilitate molding the non-magnetic tip onto the insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey C. Hoppe
  • Patent number: 5884480
    Abstract: In the field of fluid power control, there is a need for a control scheme that supplies working fluid under pressure to a load in the event of failure of power supplies to control apparatus associated with the circuit. The disclosure relates to a control circuit 10 in which output pressure from a pump 11 is fed to a control piston 13 therefor via a pressure compensator 17. The pressure compensator 17 is biased to disconnect the supply of fluid at outlet pressure when this pressure is below a threshold value, and permit such supply when the outlet pressure exceeds the threshold value determined by the biassing force on the pressure compensator. A proportional control valve 16 may be employed further to counteract the biassing of the pressure compensator 17, whereby to control the threshold pressure at which the compensator 17 operates to feed fluid at control pressure to the piston 13. The invention is of particular use in control circuits eg. for cooling pumps and cooling fans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Trinova Limited
    Inventors: Thomas Dahl, Sten Frodin
  • Patent number: 5884614
    Abstract: A crossbow that includes a barrel having a pair of limbs and a bowstring cable that extends between the limbs, a trigger mechanism for selectively capturing and releasing the bowstring cable against flexure of the limbs, and a guide for supporting a bolt on the barrel when the cable is captured by the trigger mechanism. The trigger mechanism in the preferred embodiment of the invention includes a latch mounted for pivoting between a closed position in which the latch captures the cable and an open position for releasing the cable. A latch release arm is mounted adjacent to and in opposed engagement with the latch. The upper surface of the latch release arm engages the latch for releasably holding the latch in both the open and closed positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Container Specialties, Inc.
    Inventors: Rex F. Darlington, Scott H. Phillips
  • Patent number: 5886304
    Abstract: In an omni-directional sound system such as a sound-light combination arrangement having at least one loudspeaker and optionally at least one light source, a bass loudspeaker arrangement includes a cylindrical casing having end walls at which are installed a bass loudspeaker and an insert casing respectively. The insert casing forms one or more bass reflection spaces within the casing. A sound deflection cone is arranged with its tip opposite the bass loudspeaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Inventors: Dieter Schlenzig, Thomas Apfel
  • Patent number: 5881704
    Abstract: A composite reinforced limb of an archery bow is at least partially covered with a dry film of a polymeric coating initially applied in a generally liquid mixture adjacent to and firmly engaging at least a portion of the limb to prevent the underlying composite layers or fibers of the limb from becoming noticeably detached from the limb, to reinforce the limb and to reduce vibration and noise of the bow during use. Preferably, a substantial portion of the periphery of the limb is covered by the polymeric coating which is preferably sprayed on to the limb with a spray applicator. Preferably, the spray applicator is automated and several limbs are coated in an assembly line fashion by the spray applicator. Alternatively, the polymeric coating can be brushed on or the limb can be dipped into a supply of the coating material to cover at least that portion of the limb. The polymeric coating dries to a film in generally solid but pliable state and does not effect the draw length or draw weight of the bow in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: High Country Archery, Inc.
    Inventor: Albert A. Andrews
  • Patent number: 5881698
    Abstract: A fuel pump with an inlet through which fuel is drawn from a fuel tank and an outlet through which fuel is discharged under pressure to an operating engine of a vehicle has an inlet throttle valve actuated by the pressure of the pump outlet fuel to at least partially restrict the flow of fuel through the inlet of the fuel pump and thereby reduce the flow rate of fuel discharged from the fuel pump when the fuel pump is delivering more fuel than is being consumed by the engine. The valve is preferably received within an inlet module between the fuel tank inlet and the fuel pump inlet. Preferably, the valve is slidably received in a passage in the module and actuated by a diaphragm received in the passage and displaceable by the pressure of the pump outlet fuel in response to engine fuel demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Tuckey, G. Clarke Oberheide
  • Patent number: 5879278
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for repetitively making products, such as cap liners continuously from web material. A rotary knife drum having an array of die cutters cooperates with a counter-rotating anvil to thereby define a convergent web working zone therebetween. A pair of servo-motor driven nip feeders feed a web through the convergent work zone of the drum and anvil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Atlantic Commerce Properties
    Inventor: William A. Cox
  • Patent number: 5878709
    Abstract: A positive off and automatic on ignition stop switch and electronic circuit for use in an internal combustion engine. The circuit that allows for normal operation of the engine in an unbiased state. When it is desired to turn the engine off, a stop switch is triggered which provides a single mechanism for shutting off the engine. After the switch is activated, the circuit holds the ignition circuit in an off state for a sufficient amount of time to allow the engine to completely stop operation. The circuit holds the engine in the off state for a period of time even after the switch is deactivated. As a result, the operator of a piece of equipment in which the present invention is utilized can activate a switch one time, which results in the engine coming to a complete stop, without the requirement of further activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventors: Martin N. Andersson, Jason R. Koziatek
  • Patent number: 5876194
    Abstract: A fixed displacement vane-type hydraulic machine that includes a cartridge assembly having a rotor, a plurality of vanes carried by the rotor, side plates on opposed sides of the rotor, and a cam ring carried between the side plates surrounding the vanes and rotor to define fluid chambers between the vanes. A housing surrounds and encloses the cartridge assembly, and provides inlet and outlet passages for feeding fluid to and from the chambers. A shaft is coupled to the rotor and extends from the housing. A cam pin extends radially between the cam ring and the housing surrounding the cam ring for preventing rotation of the cam ring with respect to the housing so as to absorb reaction torque on the cam ring with respect to the housing due to pressure applied to the machine. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cam pin is affixed to the cam ring, and is slidably received within an axial pocket in the surrounding housing during assembly of the cartridge to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Vickers, Inc.
    Inventor: Barry D. Suelter
  • Patent number: 5875678
    Abstract: A device with a pivoting work arm for carrying and positioning a tool which is moved by a modified Watts linkage powered by a linear actuator is provided with shock absorption adjacent both the fully extended and fully retracted work arm positions. The modified Watts linkage engages a pawl which rotates a lever arm in the same direction to actuate the same shock absorber(s) when the work arm is moved to both its fully extended and fully retracted positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: UNOVA IP Corp.
    Inventor: Jeffrey S. McNamara
  • Patent number: 5876165
    Abstract: A dunnage bar construction comprises an elongated tubular bar of rectangular cross-section having an elongated slot in the inner wall thereof. A reinforcement for the tubular bar comprises an elongated channel extending lengthwise within the bar. The channel has a bottom wall spaced from the inner slotted wall and side flanges welded to the side walls of the tubular bar. The channel and the slotted inner wall define a pocket for a dunnage strip. The dunnage strip has a nose portion projecting through the slot. The reinforcement also includes an elongated brace of inverted, generally U-shape extending lengthwise within the space beneath the channel. The brace has a base in full surface-to-surface contact with and secured to the bottom wall of the channel. The brace has side flanges extending from the base into contact with the tubular bar at the intersections of the outer wall and side walls of the tubular bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Transportation Technology Group
    Inventor: Howard W. Campbell
  • Patent number: 5873349
    Abstract: For a fuel injected combustion engine a fuel pressure regulator having a rapidly and accurately regulated output pressure over a wide range of flow rates by bypassing and returning to a fuel tank a portion of the input fuel from a fuel pump through a bypass valve actuated by a flexible diaphragm. The diaphragm is responsive to the pressure of the input fuel on one side of the diaphragm and a vacuum on the other side of the diaphragm having a magnitude which is varied as a function of the flow rate of the fuel bypassed through the valve and returned to the fuel tank. Preferably, this vacuum is produced by a venturi or orifice through which the bypass fuel flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Walbro Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Tuckey, G. Clarke Oberheide