Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Polster, Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi
  • Patent number: 8341848
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the alignment of a vehicle wheel using an optical target assembly secured to the vehicle wheel in a non-determined position, the optical target assembly having a dimensionally stable shape and a plurality of optical target elements disposed on a plurality of target surfaces. Images of the optical target elements are acquired by an imaging system, together with target identifying indicia, and utilized together with previously stored target characterization data to determine a spatial orientation of the optical target assembly and an alignment of the vehicle wheel onto which it is secured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
    Inventors: Michael T. Stieff, Dennis M. Linson, Daniel R. Dorrance, Thomas J. Golab, Mark S. Shylanski
  • Patent number: 8337959
    Abstract: In imprint lithography, the mold is coated with a surface release layer for a non-sticking separation. Bonding strength of the release layer to the mold depends on the cleanness of the surface and the process of release layer deposition. In accordance with the invention, the mold is disposed in an evacuable chamber, cleaned to remove surface organic contamination and coated with the surface release layer in a chamber, all without relocation or undesired time delay. The chamber encloses a support chuck for the mold or substrate, a surface cleaner unit adjacent the support, a heating source adjacent the support, and advantageously, sensors of measuring chamber pressure, vapor partial pressure and moisture concentration. A vapor source connected to the chamber supplies release surfactant vapor. The mold is cleaned, and the cleaning is followed by vapor phase deposition of the surfactant. The mold is advantageously heated. Typical ways of cleaning include exposure to ozone or plasma ion etch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Nanonex Corporation
    Inventors: Wei Zhang, Lin Hu, Hua Tan, He Gao, Linshu Kong, Stephen Y. Chou
  • Patent number: 8336352
    Abstract: Detection of fault occurrences within a power distribution system. A transient detector and fault classification system (10) implements an algorithm that detects transients which may result from the occurrence of a fault in the power distribution system. The system includes a detection module (18) which processes a set samples obtained from electrical waveforms propagated of through the power distribution system and appear to be statistically anomalous compared to other sample data. This is done using an adaptive detection algorithm that is applied when large changes occur in a waveform over a relatively short period of time. The identified samples are then provided to a signal classifier module (20) which processes sets of samples to classify a transient they represent as a likely fault occurrence or some other type of anomaly which is likely not a fault occurrence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Aclara Power-Line Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Priotomo Abiprojo, Gordon Gregg, David Rieken
  • Patent number: 8336457
    Abstract: Applicants have discovered that electrostatic discharge (ESD) may, in some circumstances, result in current densities sufficient to ignite unprotected reactive composite materials. They have further discovered that a reactive composite material (RCM) can be protected from ESD ignition without adversely affecting the desirable properties of the RCM by the application of conducting and/or insulating materials at appropriate locations on the RCM. Thus ESD-protected RCM structures can be designed for such sensitive applications as ignition of propellants, generation of light bursts, and structural materials for equipment that may require controlled self-destruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Nanofoil Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy P. Weihs, Etienne Besnoin, Ramzi Vincent, Somasundaram Valliappan, Ellen Heian, David Van Heerden, Timothy Ryan Rude, Omar Knio, Ronald Spraker, Yuping Lin
  • Patent number: 8336373
    Abstract: A device for sensing a mass in a liquid environment including a resonator comprising a piezo layer having a top electrode and a bottom electrode, a sensing surface located adjacent and opposite the top electrode, the resonator and the sensing surface defining a gap therebetween, and a post attached to the sensing surface and the resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Curators of the University of Missouri
    Inventor: Jae Wan Kwon
  • Patent number: 8333583
    Abstract: A mold for imprinting a patterned region by imprint lithography is provided with a peripheral groove around the patterned region. The groove is connected, as by channels through the mold, to a switchable source for gas removal to prevent bubbles and for the application of pressurized gas to separate the mold and substrate. In use, the mold is disposed adjacent the moldable surface and gas is withdrawn from the patterned region through the groove as the mold is pressed toward and into the moldable surface. At or near the end of the imprinting, the process is switched from removal of gas to the application of pressurized gas. The pressurized gas passes through the groove and separates or facilitates separation of the mold and the moldable surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Nanonex Corporation
    Inventors: Wei Zhang, Hua Tan, Stephen Y. Chou
  • Patent number: 8328552
    Abstract: An endodontic tool is provided to facilitate the removal of the smear layer and to enhance deep lateral cleaning of a root canal system. The tool is comprised of a sonic or ultrasonically driven activator which is made from a strong, flexible, non-metallic, and non-cutting material. The activator can be smooth. A snap-on coupler is adapted to attach the tool to a driver via a snap on action and without the use of tools. The driver will vibrate, sonically or ultrasonically, the flexible activator within a root canal of a tooth. The tool can be provided with fluid passages which allow for irrigating reagents to be delivered through the activator and into the root canal space during endodontic procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Endo Inventions LLC
    Inventors: Clifford J. Ruddle, Robert H. Sharp
  • Patent number: 8317564
    Abstract: A children's building system is comprised of panels that can be connected together to form a structure formed from one or more layers of connected panels. The panel includes a connecting flange along one side edge and a channel member along an opposite side edge. The channel member is sized, configured, and shaped to receive the connecting flange of an adjacent panel, such that panels can be connected together to form a “wall”. In one embodiment, the system includes a connector to vertically connect the panels. The connector defines upper and lower channels or slots and can rest on a lower panel and receive an upper panel, thereby enabling a second level of panels to be formed over the first level of panels. In another embodiment, the panels include a tongue on an upper edge and an downwardly opening slot in the bottom edge, wherein the tongue is sized and shaped to be received in the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Inventor: Gary Buhrman
  • Patent number: 8316876
    Abstract: A drain ring adapted for use in a device for flushing a dead-end of an underground municipal water distribution system includes a pair of annular seals and a channel between the seals, an outlet passage extending from inside the ring to the channel, and a flapper adapted to close the outlet passage under the influence of at least one of pressure and flow. The drain ring is removably positioned between a shut-off valve and an outlet of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: John C. Kupferle Foundry Company
    Inventor: Daniel G. McKeague
  • Patent number: 8314839
    Abstract: A concealment (10) for equipment (13) including imaging devices, audio equipment, and sensors. The concealment comprises a frame (12) which, when assembled, forms the outline of a naturally occurring or manmade object. A covering (22) fits over the assembled frame. An outer surface (24) of the covering has a texture and finish that passes for the outer surface of the natural or manmade object the concealment represents. The frame provides a mounting for the equipment installed within the concealment, with the equipment being positioned to provide surveillance of an area (A) within which the concealment is located. The frame and covering are both made from materials which do not interfere with the transmission of signals from the equipment to a monitoring site, nor the reception of signals from the monitoring site to the equipment installed within the concealment to control operation of the equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sentrus, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard D. Weinstein, Ric Sauer
  • Patent number: 8297457
    Abstract: A closure for a container including a downwardly depending skirt having an upper end and a bottom end and a periphery defining a perimeter of the closure for sealable connection to the mouth of said container. Each of two side edges of the lid has a proximal end adjacent a different side of the hinge on the skirt and angling outwardly from the hinge at increasing distances from the opposing side edge to a distal end defining a different end of the outer edge. The end wall has shoulders integrally formed with the end wall and skirt proximate the upper end of the skirt on opposite sides of the lid hinge. The shoulders extend across portions of the end wall such that the thickness of the end wall in the regions of said shoulders is thicker than a thickness of said end wall free of the shoulders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: C.A.P.S., Inc.
    Inventor: James Kick
  • Patent number: 8297905
    Abstract: A mechanism for inverting containers or other objects. The mechanism inverts the container or object a full 180 degrees while providing motion control without the use of hydraulic actuators; thereby eliminating the costs, maintenance, environmental issues, and contamination concerns associated with hydraulic systems. The primary application for the inverting mechanism is inverting containers for the purpose of emptying the contents. The mechanism may also be employed to rotate a variety of other objects in other applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Inventor: Lindy Lawrence May
  • Patent number: 8300313
    Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a filter is fabricated to take into account the effect of absorption by filter material. The method is exemplified by the fabricating of an ultraviolet light transmission filter for transmitting a band within the range 230-320 nanometers. The resulting filter comprises plurality of hard-coating, thin-film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction. The improved filter provides high transmission, sharp edge slopes, and deep and extended out-of-band blocking. As compared with currently available filters, the filter provides transmission up to three or more times greater, edge slopes up to four times sharper, and deep extended out-of-band blocking extending further, even through the visible range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Semrock, Inc.
    Inventors: Atul Pradhan, Jay Anzellotti, Joseph T. Foss, Ligang Wang, Turan Erdogan
  • Patent number: 8290868
    Abstract: Systems and methods for personal financial management using a financial card having a body with a front side and a back side, and a primary account number user associated with a primary account of a user of the financial card. A user interface is configured for receiving input from the user at a time of use of the financial card for selecting a subaccount indicator from among a plurality of subaccount indicators each of which is associated with a subaccount within the primary account. A magnetic strip is positioned on the back side and includes a user definable portion configurable by the user at a time of use of the financial card for a transaction. The user interface is adapted to configure the user definable portion to include the user selected subaccount indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Inventor: Richard H. Chenot
  • Patent number: D669079
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems
    Inventor: Kurt S. Hansen
  • Patent number: D669250
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Wurzburg Holding S.A.
    Inventors: François Girbaud, Marithé Bachellerie
  • Box
    Patent number: D669352
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Positive Outcomes, Inc.
    Inventor: Ray N. Paslawski
  • Patent number: D670820
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Inventors: Linnie L. Moses, Milton R. Moses
  • Patent number: D672569
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Roho, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Eric Sprouse, II
  • Patent number: D673785
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Roho, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Eric Sprouse, II