Patents Represented by Attorney Lawrence E. Laubscher
  • Patent number: 6631928
    Abstract: Both ends of a bellows-type outer cylinder [31] capable of axial expansion and contraction are connected in a leakproof manner to a pair of connection passage ends [20], thereby constituting an expansion passage [30]. A cylindrical resin film [33] having no permeability to fluid is arranged in an interior of the bellows-type outer cylinder [31], and the axial ends thereof are connected in a leakproof manner to said connecting passage end regions. The cylindrical region [34] positioned in the intermediate region of the cylindrical resin film [33] covers the inner surface of said bellows-type outer cylinder [31] in a leakproof manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Asahi Beer Engineering Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuzo Sakata
  • Patent number: 6626259
    Abstract: When passengers are transported in automotive vehicles, in particular, when automotive vehicles are used in motor sports events, there is an increased risk of injury for the occupants of the vehicle. In particular, if the vehicle is hit from the side, rolls over or catches fire, it is therefore necessary to provide the occupants with optimum protection against the consequences of such an accident. To this end the invention provides a safety seat system comprising a shell element which is secured to a vehicle body and has integrally formed therein a foot area, a seat area and a backrest area, the safety seat being displaceable as a whole relative to the vehicle body upon impacts acting thereon. As a result, the passive safety of an occupant is considerably increased and, in particular, the a consequences of an injury are kept to a minimum or are prevented altogether.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Team Rosberg GmbH
    Inventor: Eckhardt Doehrer
  • Patent number: 6626277
    Abstract: The present invention refers to a synchronizer sleeve, and a method of manufacturing a synchronizer sleeve for a change speed gear. The synchronizer sleeve comprises in a known manner a shift fork recess opening towards the outer peripheral surface, and a tooth arrangement formed at its inner peripheral surface. The synchronizer sleeve according to the invention, which can be manufactured at a low price without affecting the wear to resistance, is characterized by a surface hardness of the shift-force recess, which is set by cold rolling, wherein the tooth arrangement is hardened locally, in particular it is hardened inductively. In the method of manufacturing the synchronizer sleeve according to the invention the shift fork recess is ready worked by cold rolling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Hay-Tec Automotive GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Gerald Hauf
  • Patent number: 6623233
    Abstract: This invention relates to a system and a process for the removal of bulk material from a container, in particular, from a box-shaped transport container. In order to be able to suction the bulk material off in a simple and reliable manner out of the transport container, one first of all attaches to an outlet area of container (10) a removal instrument (23) that has a conveyance device. This conveyance device conveys the bulk material in the removal instrument (23) essentially against its direction of outflow out of container (10) into a discharge area of the removal instrument (23) out of which bulk material is sectioned off by means of an off-suctioning device (39) that is connected thereto. To support the off-suctioning of the bulk material, air—by means of an air supply device (17, 19, 20′)—is so piped into the bulk material located in container (10) that the bulk material is fluidized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Inventor: Arthur Peveling
  • Patent number: 6621577
    Abstract: A spectral rejection device for forming an image on an optical sensor, including a system for forming a beam of light rays coming from an observed scene, a scanning system, a system for spectrally dispersing the beam in a direction, at least one mask disposed on the path of the dispersed rays to intercept a narrow band of wavelengths, and a system for combining the dispersed rays into a beam of parallel rays focused by a lens onto an optical sensor. The invention applies in particular to the spectral analysis of a luminous flux coming from an observed scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Architecture, Traitement D'Images et Simulation
    Inventor: Yves Guern
  • Patent number: 6607185
    Abstract: A front suspension fork for cycles includes an inverted U-shaped reversed arch having downwardly extending legs that are integral with the upper ends of the outer sections of the telescopic fork, thereby to define a rigid unitary slider component fork. The reversed arch is inclined rearwardly at an acute angle relative to the vertical plane of the fork. Strengthening mass portions extend forwardly from the lower ends of the arch between the inner fork sections, thereby to increase the rigidity of the slider component without interfering with brake operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Answer Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent T. Graves, James C. Rathbun
  • Patent number: 6604467
    Abstract: The invention provides a safety system for a small arms projectile in which an initiating device is impacted by a firing member in order to detonate a main explosive charge. The system requires the firing member to be retained in a safe position in relation to the initiating device by at least two independent mechanisms. The firing member is initially supported in a forward position, in which it assists in holding the initiator device in a safe condition, and is caused to move rearwardly, through inertia, when the projectile is fired, destroying one of the retaining mechanisms and allowing the initiator device to adopt a primed position in which it can be activated by the firing member which at this time is retained by the other retaining mechanism which is automatically released when the projectile is in flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Inventors: Michael Alculumbre, Frederick Sharp
  • Patent number: 6601727
    Abstract: The invention relates to a can lid consisting of a lid ring and a lid membrane having an end face, wherein the lid ring has an annular flange configured as a flattened roll on its inner periphery and surrounding an opening, the end face of said annular flange being directed radially outward and the lid membrane being connected with the annular flange so as to be flat for sealing the opening. A can lid designed according to the present invention should result in fewer injuries during normal handling and should be more resistant to corrosion as a result of the folding under of the peripheral area of the lid membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Rasselstein Hoesch GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Sauer, Werner Erfgen
  • Patent number: 6601319
    Abstract: An article of footwear of shortened midsole construction includes a heel wedge member that extends forwardly from the rear portion of the article a distance of about three-fourths the length of the article, thereby to increase the flexibility of the article. Lock stitching secures the heel wedge member to the adjacent rear end portion of an annular welt member that extends around the bottom periphery of the foot enclosure portion of the article. The front portion of the outsole member is secured by front stitching to the adjacent forward portion of the welt, and the rear portion of the outsole member is secured to the heel wedge member, preferably by a layer of adhesive. The front stitching and the lock stitching overlap adjacent the juncture between the arch and ball portions of the wearer's foot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Munro & Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Jackie N. Clements
  • Patent number: 6598487
    Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the rate of flow of a fluid in a conduit includes a receptor assembly arranged on the external surface of the conduit, and a removable external connector assembly including an electromagnet for establishing a magnetic field that extends transversely across the conduit, and a plurality of circumferentially arranged electrodes that are insertable into direct contact at their tips with the fluid in the conduit via sealable gland passages contained in the receptor assembly. A calibration adjustment arrangement is provided for adjusting the calibration factor of the flow signal processing system as a function of the conduit cross-sectional area. In a first embodiment, the glands are self sealable, whereupon the gland passages are automatically closed when the electrodes are removed therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Marsh-McBirney, Inc.
    Inventor: Lawrence B. Marsh
  • Patent number: 6595118
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a toaster having a housing (11) that is provided with one or more slots (14) each for accommodating one or more slices of bread for making toast. To improve the handling of the toaster while making toast and to simplify keeping it warm, the housing (11) is provided with a compartment (20) for accommodating a slidably mounted drawer (21) onto which a collapsible toast rack device (26) is mounted. When the toast rack device is in the collapsed condition, the drawer is adapted to be pulled out of and pushed into said housing (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Pro-duct SDA Manufacturers Ltd.
    Inventor: Neil Gould
  • Patent number: 6584930
    Abstract: A milking method in which at least one teat cup is connected to a teat of the animal to be milked and milked milk is discharged from the teat cup, and in which upon cessation of the flow of milked milk a cleaning medium is passed via a supply line into the teat cup. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an apparatus which is suited for carrying out the method and comprises at least one teat cup which communicates with a milk line conducting milked milk and in the interior of which a supply line ends via which cleaning medium which has been discharged from a source can be introduced into the teat cup. The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for preventing dirt and germs from penetrating into the milked milk with more reliability. According to the invention the cleaning medium as well as air introduced for discharging the milked milk are introduced via the supply line into the teat cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Wesfalia Landtechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Heinz Buecker
  • Patent number: 6578872
    Abstract: A system for variable absorption of energy in the direction of the axis of an automobile vehicle steering column includes a steering shaft mounted in a body-tube connected to a mobile support member connected to a fixed support member fastened to the chassis of the vehicle and immobilized thereon up to a particular value. A coil is disposed on each side of the steering shaft and is connected to each of the fixed and mobile support members by a respective connecting pin A pyrotechnic displacement system operates selectively on a mobile retaining rod of each coil to modulate the absorption of energy in the event of an impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Nacam France S.A.
    Inventors: Benoît Duval, Abdel Karim Ben Rhouma, Philippe Badaire, Sylvain Antigny
  • Patent number: 6580346
    Abstract: The present invention relates to techniques for enlarging an opening, which accommodates a subject, in a superconducting magnet apparatus for use in MRI system, so as to prevent the subject from feeling claustrophobic, and for realizing low magnetic field leakage therefrom, and for reducing the weight thereof, and for realizing a large high magnetic field strength uniform magnetic field region. Static magnetic field generating sources of the superconducting magnet apparatus are constituted by two sets of superconducting coils, the respective sets of which are placed in such a manner as to face each other across a uniform magnetic field generating region. Each of the sets of superconducting coils consists of a main coil for feeding electric current in a specific direction, a bucking coil for feeding electric current in a direction opposite to the direction of the electric current flow passing through the main coil, and a coil for correcting magnetic homogeneity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotaka Takeshima, Hajime Kawano, Shigeru Kakugawa, Noriaki Hino
  • Patent number: 6577403
    Abstract: In a process for analyzing the wavefront of a light beam, a diffraction grating with rectangular meshing is placed in a plane perpendicular to the light beam to be analyzed and optically conjugate with the analysis plane. Different emergent beams from the grating interfere to form an image whose deformations are related to the slopes of the wavefront analyzed. The grating multiplies an intensity function, implemented by a two-dimensional intensity grating, which defines a rectangular meshing of sub-pupils transmitting the light from the beam to be analyzed into a plurality of emergent beams disposed in accordance with a rectangular meshing, with a phase function implemented by a two-dimension phase grating which introduces a phase shift between two adjacent emergent beams such that the two emergent beams are in phase opposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: ONERA (Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales)
    Inventors: Jérôme Primot, Nicolas Guerineau
  • Patent number: 6575658
    Abstract: A device for assembling a steering column bracket with a steering gear shaft, comprising a clamping bolt cooperating with a clamping nut disposed in one of two branches of the bracket, the clamping nut being held in place against rotation and translation by an antirotation elastic member and having a radial protrusion. An axial prepositioning abutment is fastened to the bracket. When the radial protrusion of the clamping nut is pressed against the axial prepositioning abutment, the clamping nut is partly withdrawn along its axis to allow the bracket to be engaged over the end of the shaft. At the end of tightening the clamping bolt in the clamping nut, the clamping bolt neutralizes the antirotation function of the antirotation elastic member in order to allow the clamping nut to escape from the axial prepositioning abutment and immobilize the bracket on the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Nacam France SA
    Inventors: Philippe Daniel, Pascal Goulay, Pascal Monteil
  • Patent number: 6577742
    Abstract: A system for tensioning a membrane within a frame for a loudspeaker or a microphone is characterized by a frame containing an opening, a membrane connected to an exterior surface of the frame and spanning the frame opening, and a tensioning device connected with the frame for deflecting a portion of the membrane within the frame opening. The tensioning device is compliant thereby allowing the membrane to exhibit a high degree of flexure both within and beyond a plane containing the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Inventor: Paul F. Bruney
  • Patent number: D475593
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Connectool, Inc.
    Inventor: Leslie B. Shutts
  • Patent number: D479163
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Answer Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent T. Graves, James C. Rathbun
  • Patent number: D480772
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Inventor: Erick Washington