Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm John R. Benefiel
  • Patent number: 7802375
    Abstract: A lint screen assembly for a clothes dryer has a scraper blade within an open frame which mounts a lint screen panel to enable scraping out accumulated lint therefrom. The scraper blade is pivotable from a stowed position to an on-edge operative position and guided when being stroked across the lint screen panels by pivot pins captured in slots in opposite side members of the open frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Inventor: Michael Johnson
  • Patent number: 7793531
    Abstract: An adjustable die set and method for forming corrugations in a sheet in which pairs of elongated forming bars are detachably mounted parallel to each other in respective holders driven by upper and lower press members. One pair is more closely spaced than the other and moves between the forming bars of the other pair to form a corrugation. The spacing and depth of the bar is varied to produce corresponding varying configurations of the corrugations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Inventor: Gordon Baker
  • Patent number: 7788870
    Abstract: A method for inhibiting growths on shingled roofs, one or more of the strips installed along shingle courses. The strips are preferably formed of copper and have an upper portion formed with a pattern of through holes along the length of the strip and pattern of dimples extending along a lower portion of the length of the strips to increase the duration and extent of contact of rain or dew with the copper metal to increase the release of cupric ions effective in inhibiting growths on the roof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Inventor: David Spencer
  • Patent number: 7775384
    Abstract: A balancer hoist has an electric servomotor driving irreversible gearing in turn driving a hoist chain drive. A float mode and a manual mode are provided using two independent load sensors for sensing the load weight and force applied to a control grip. A traversing control is produced by a tractor carriage rolling on an overhead rail connected to a trolley also traveling on the rail and supported on upper hoist assembly. A load sensor interconnects the tractor carriage and upon hoist assembly to sense forces created by an operator pulling on the chain, which are used to control an electric motor on the tractor carriage driving a pinion gear engaged with a gear rack on the overhead rail to positively drive the carriage, trolley and upper hoist assembly along the rail. A stationary dual hoist system is also described in which two hoist assemblies are interconnected by a chain and sprockets to provide synchronized operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Inventor: James Zaguroli, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7747410
    Abstract: A measurement system and method to determine the operating characteristics of a door closure sensor technology and others. The objective of the device is to obtain in a simple manipulation, accurate, high speed data. Among the identified metrics are elements such as speed, three dimensional position, hinge orientation, cabin pressure, sound quality, inertia, work, input energy and others. Another part elaborates the methodology for data acquisition and analysis to obtain reliable results reducing user dependency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Inventor: Tom Van Esch
  • Patent number: 7727295
    Abstract: An oil mist collection system for a plurality of machine tools each having a coolant system directing coolant at the cutting tools and collecting coolant and returning the same to a filtration system includes an oil mist collector at each station collecting oil from mist present at each station and draining the oil back to the associated machine tool coolant return, and return air ducts from each of the oil mist collectors extending to a central air filtration apparatus. Each oil mist collector preferably includes a vertical spiral coil wall defining a spiral flow path into which the mist is directed, the oil droplets collecting onto the spiral coil wall and draining into a collection chamber below the spiral coil wall for return to the associated machine tool via a drain line. Each mist collector is comprised of an inlet housing, a spiral coil housing and a collection housing forming a unitary housing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Filtra Systems Company
    Inventors: Ivo Fill, Bryn Hartshorne
  • Patent number: 7717388
    Abstract: A display mounting for an ornamental object includes a spring clip having an elongated spring attached at one end and the ornamental object is affixed to the opposite end to be readily attachable to the bill of a cap, Christmas branches etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Inventor: Tony Rizzo
  • Patent number: 7719415
    Abstract: An external access station for interfacing with existing building monitoring systems to obtain data and control at least some of the systems for use by first responders to an emergency. The access station includes a protective enclosure recessed into a building exterior wall or adjacent kiosk housing a panel PC and touch screen display viewable upon opening a locked cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Inventors: Andrew A. Dahl, Edward V. Keiser
  • Patent number: 7712995
    Abstract: A method for controllably releasing venting gases from a manhole space around the perimeter of a manhole cover by allowing the manhole cover to rise up in stages upon development of upward forces in an explosion to vent gases developed by the explosion while being restrained from being completely blown free except under extreme conditions. A lock body mounts a latch slide which has an outer end and which can be extended to prevent removal of the manhole cover. When a shear pin fails the lock body pivots down, to a limited extent, and a secondary shear pin can also be included allowing the cover to be blown completely free upon development of pressures of a great magnitude. A slotted skirt is used to direct venting gas flow so as to retard the inflow of free air and attenuate the explosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Inventor: David Stadler
  • Patent number: 7654197
    Abstract: A hand press (1) for squeezing garlic cloves having a double lever linkage driving a ram 30 into a receiving container (2). Two handles (4,5) pivoted together at one end to operate as levers operate two crossing lever arms (6,7) which are pivoted to each other. Pressing with minimal effort takes place due to the mechanical advantage which is produced by the double lever linkage. Additional advantages of the device are that it can be manufactured with minimal edge clearance between the ram (3) linkage and the receiving container (2), a stop (71) for automatically positioning the ram (3), a return spring (8) for automatically opening the hand press (1), and an anti-adhesive coating of the discharge pins (33) on the ram (30) and the base (20) of the receiving container (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Inventor: Othmar Knusel
  • Patent number: 7637417
    Abstract: A foldable utensil set including a bowl, dish, cup and spoon each foldable from a prescored plastic sheet which is semitransparent to allow angled folds at the corner to be visible as an aesthetic feature. The rims of the bowl and cup have portions at two different levels to prevent liquid from reaching the level of the mating snaps used to secure the bowl and cup in the folded condition. The spoon is folded from a flat sheet having two contiguous sections scored so as to form a handle and bowl portion when folded. The dish has side edges stiffened with a fold over section which also holds the folds in position. Oval shaped scoring is provided as an aesthetic feature and to aid in forming corners on the utensils when being folded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Inventors: Francis Bartow Fite, IV, Ng Hon Ming, Tang Lai Ho
  • Patent number: 7628950
    Abstract: An open-topped container has an outwardly turned rim extending around the open top a thermoformed body of the containers with the rim formed by a clamping ring which has one or more projections each forming an indentation into the rim. Trim tooling subsequently forms a slit through the bottom wall of each indentation able to receive a flat plastic display inserted therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Inventors: Ty A. Hansen, Michael P. Witer
  • Patent number: D600411
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Inventor: Barbara J. O'Reilly
  • Patent number: D603226
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventors: Lance Hood, Ryan C. Moore
  • Patent number: D607601
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Inventor: Thomas N. Eichbaum
  • Patent number: D611779
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Inventor: Phillip Campbell
  • Patent number: D617438
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Inventor: Moses Miller
  • Patent number: D621227
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Inventor: Joan V. Connor
  • Patent number: D623279
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Inventors: Robert E. Joly, Jr., Terry Claypool
  • Patent number: D624385
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Inventor: Emiddio Zarro