Patents Represented by Attorney Patnaude & Videbeck
  • Patent number: 5730478
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for mounting a push/pull handle on a latch mechanism is disclosed. Recently, it has become desirable for large medical service facilities, such as hospitals, to change their door latch mechanisms from rotatable lever handles to push/pull handles. The apparatus comprises a pair of mating adapter plates mountable on either side of a door outwardly adjacent a mortise lock presently mounted in the door. The adapter plates include a plurality of pairs of aligned apertures, each of the several pairs of which are adapted to align with a pair of apertures which differing lock manufacturers position in differing radial and arcuate positions with respect to a mortise operating key. The adapter plates fasten through the mortise to the respective door sides and allow push/pull type handle assemblies to be mounted on the adapter plates so as to be operatively connected through the mortise operating key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignee: Architectural Builders Hardware Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard E. D'Hooge
  • Patent number: 5717338
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing flyback transformers counts the number of cycles of a decaying ringing signal generated in a resonant circuit including the secondary winding of the flyback transformer beginning with the second cycle and ending with the cycle where the amplitude of the ringing signal falls below twenty-five percent of the amplitude of the second cycle of the ringing signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1998
    Assignee: Sencore, Inc.
    Inventor: Terry D. Cook
  • Patent number: 5711265
    Abstract: An improved drive mechanism for rotary valves of the type used in internal combustion engines indexes the valves in selected attitudes of rotation to align the valve passage with an inlet or exhaust port and hold the valve in alignment for a selectable duration of crankshaft rotation. In like fashion, the valves are also indexed to close off an inlet or exhaust port for a selected duration of crankshaft rotation. Flow into and out of an engine cylinder is improved because each valve is held for a longer period of time in a full open position. while compression and power strokes are made more efficient by the gas seal maintained while the valves are positioned to close off the intake and exhaust ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Inventor: Donald A. Duve
  • Patent number: 5711608
    Abstract: A temperature sensing device includes a head piece having a solid metal body with a mounting surface and a recess within the mounting surface for receiving a thermocouple therein. The body has an attachment end, and hole extending through the attachment end which communicates with the recess such that a plurality of leads may extend through the hole and connect to the thermocouple. An insulating material of mica or metal oxide surrounds the leads and the conducting portions of the thermocouple so as to insulate them from each other and from the metal body of the enclosure. Several structures can be used to form the thermocouple fitted into the small enclosure. In one embodiment, a thermocouple is formed using thin strips of conducting material made of alloys suitable for forming a thermocouple. A thermocouple may be made by first removing the sheathing and insulation from the end of a thermocouple cable, exposing the leads and the leads are flattened or other wise shaped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Inventor: Philip F. Finney
  • Patent number: 5703598
    Abstract: A method of tracking stolen property uses a continously powered radio receiver for receiving encoded signals from a central station. When the received signal corresponds to a unique code stored at the receiver, a GPS receiver and a radio transmitter located with the stolen property are connected for a predetermined period of time to a source of power so that a GPS signal received by the receiver is processed and the position data produced thereby is transmitted to the central station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Inventor: Ardath H. Emmons
  • Patent number: 5697617
    Abstract: A game includes the head of an animal having a pair of jaws therein which are movable from an opened condition to a closed condition. The jaws are adapted to close upon a play object tossed between them, and a conveyor returns fallen play objects back to the contestants play position. A contestants score is determined by the number of play objects caught between the teeth of the animal head during the play time of the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventor: Keith J. Egging
  • Patent number: 5696354
    Abstract: A scale for weighing material as it is transported along a movable conveyor is disclosed as including a pair of wheatstone bridge load cell assemblies which are mounted subjacent and across a roller assembly forming a part of the conveyor. The entire scale assembly is mounted between the framework stringers of the conveyor by a pair of inexpensive IPS pipes. In accordance with the invention, the entire scale assembly is mountable on differing width conveyor systems simply by changing the lengths of the IPS pipe portions of the scale framework so as to fit the frame on the respective stringers. Input into the dual wheatstone bridge circuits is fed into a computer, along with input relating to the speed (displacement) of conveyor movement to provide data needed for calculating a number of potential output figures. Remote display and monitoring of numerous such conveyor scales provides for ease of monitoring multiple conveyor systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Sauk Valley Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard D. Linville, Jr., Roy E. Meyer, Doran R. Dockstader
  • Patent number: 5692422
    Abstract: A squaring machine has an elongate housing with a rotatable spindle extending from one end thereof and attached to which is a tool for squaring the end of work piece. At the opposite end of the housing are first and second feed members, the first feed member in the form of a screw which is locked against axial movement within the housing, and the second feed member in the form a nut which is locked against rotation with respect to the housing. The feed nut is rotatably connected to an end of the spindle such that rotation of the feed screw will cause axial movement of the spindle. Also, the machine includes a first and second removable retainers, each of which has a pair of opposing jaws for clamping around a cylindrical work piece, however, the jaws of the first retainer are for grasping a work piece of a different size than the jaws of the second retainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: The E. H. Wachs Company
    Inventor: Kenneth R. Pierce
  • Patent number: 5690183
    Abstract: The present invention is an improved drill head unit in which the lower portion of the drill chuck has a lobed shaped cross section which fits into a corresponding lobed shaped opening in a shaft connected to a spiral bevel gear mounted for rotation about a vertical axis. The lobed shaped cross section replaces the spline drive previously used in such units. An improved and simplified radial elastomeric seal is provided to separate a vacuum pressurized cavity in the housing from a lubricating cavity in the housing, and the seal is replaceable by removing a cartridge in the bottom of the drill head unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: The Sollami Company
    Inventor: Phillip A. Sollami
  • Patent number: 5639268
    Abstract: Through the wall hot and ground type stud connectors are disclosed for use being positioned through truck and other heavy duty motor vehicle battery box side walls, engine firewalls, dashboards and the like. The stud connector includes a unitary conductive connector element with opposed first and second male connector ends and a radially enlarged central segment therebetween. In the hot type stud connector an overmold insulative member extends around part of the enlarged central segment and has a face that abuts a surface of a wall member and an annular flange that extends through a wall aperture to insulate the connector from the wall. An insulative nut member has a face for abutting an opposing surface of a wall member. A complementary cylindrical recess in the nut member slidingly receives the annular flange for fitting through various thicknesses of walls. The ground connector has a smaller overmold insulative member with a face for abutting one surface of a wall member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Julian Electric, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Julian, John Julian
  • Patent number: 5634296
    Abstract: A door controlling device for opening and closing a door in a wall has a first arm, one end of which is mounted to the wall and the other end of which is pivotally attached to the second end of a second arm. The first end of the second arm is pivotally attached to the top of a door and is adapted for rotation about a horizontal axis at the first end thereof. An electric motor attached to the device has a shaft which drives a gear train, and an output shaft of the gear train is connected to the input end of an electrically operated clutch. The output shaft of the clutch is connected to the first end of one of the arms such that upon the simultaneous engagement of the clutch and the energizing of the motor, that arm will be rotated about the horizontal axis at the first end and will cause the door to be opened or closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Carol A. Hebda
    Inventor: Thomas J. Hebda
  • Patent number: 5631565
    Abstract: A device is provided for measuring the voltage and energy between the contacts of a male connector from a piece of electronic equipment after it has been disconnected for a given period of time from a source of AC power. The device has both a voltage meter and a milli-joules meter which are connected into any one of a series of four circuits. In the first circuit, the meters are connected across the high voltage contact and the low voltage contact of the male connector. In the second circuit, the meters are connected across the high voltage contact and the safety ground, in the third circuit the meters are connected across the low voltage contact and the safety ground, and in the fourth circuit the meters measure the residual voltage and energy between the tip of a conductive probe and safety ground. A control element controls a relay to connect or disconnect the meters into the circuit selected after the piece of equipment being tested has been disconnected from a source of power for a given period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: Bowden's Automated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Winter
  • Patent number: 5630653
    Abstract: To attach a wheel cover to a vehicle wheel, mounting brackets are provided which are attached to the lug nuts which retain the wheel to the vehicle hub. Each bracket includes a threaded bore for receiving a screw extended through the wheel cover to retain the cover to the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Inventor: John G. Polka
  • Patent number: D378997
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Inventors: Anthony Marozza, Sharon L. Marozza
  • Patent number: D379165
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Inventors: Anthony Marozza, Sharon L. Marozza
  • Patent number: D387162
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: CDS Technologies, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ran C. Zeimer, Marek T. Mori
  • Mop
    Patent number: D387527
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: M.B. Walton, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul B. Specht
  • Patent number: D388671
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Time Chemical America, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasufumi Suganami
  • Patent number: D388906
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Inventor: Thomas Chiang
  • Patent number: D389950
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Inventor: Thomas Chiang