Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Richard L. Miller, P.L.
  • Patent number: 6945451
    Abstract: A mail receptacle. Exterior and interior portions are attached to opposing sides of a door. The exterior portion includes a first flap hingedly attached to the door and selectively closes a mail slot in the door, and an exterior receptacle affixed to the door and selectively closed by a second flap hingedly attached to the door. The interior portion includes an interior receptacle affixed to the door, communicates with the mail slot, and is selectively closed by a third flap hingedly attached to the door, and a clasp hingedly attached to the third flap and selectively overlying the interior receptacle. A padlock is welded to the clasp and a staple extends outwardly from the interior receptacle and is positioned to pass through the clasp, and after the staple passes through the clasp, the staple is engaged by the shackle of the padlock, and by closing the shackle, the interior portion becomes locked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Inventor: Earl Bridges
  • Patent number: 6857159
    Abstract: A renewable sponge. A body includes a non-abrasive layer and an abrasive layer that overlies, and is attached to, the non-abrasive layer. Each of the non-abrasive layer and the abrasive layer include a plurality of peel-off layers that are substantially separated from each other by strategically positioned slits so as to allow each of the plurality of peel-off layers to be peeled off when exhausted and expose a next peel-off layer so as to renew the renewable sponge. The strategically positioned slits extend between adjacent ones of the plurality of peel-off layers completely across the body, from one side of the body to the other side of the body. The strategically positioned slits that are between adjacent layers of the plurality of peel-off layers are separated from each other by non-slitted portions of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Inventor: Tracy Strine
  • Patent number: 6761603
    Abstract: A personal water rescue device. A gas device is connected to a housing and releases gas bubbles. A light device is contained within the housing and illuminates the gas bubbles. The light device includes a pair of vials that contain chemicals that when mixed form chemical illuminance and which communicate with inwardly deformable bulging ribs on the housing so as to allow mixing the chemicals and forming the chemical illuminance when the inwardly deformable bulging ribs are squeezed and their displacement ruptures the pair of vials. A tubular member of the housing terminates in a pin that punctures the gas device when the tubular member is further threaded into a connector sleeve of the housing, and in so doing, releases the gas bubbles for heads up surface positioning for a disoriented water victim, while the chemical illuminance from the light device provides illumination therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Inventor: George J. Govatzidakis
  • Patent number: 6340026
    Abstract: A caring device for toes that includes a body and a pair of handles. The body is either tubular, flat, solid, or a sheet of rolled material for moving longitudinally between a pair of adjacent toes or is an endless loop for moving longitudinally and simultaneously between two pair of adjacent toes. The body is made of either cheesecloth, disposable paper, stockinet, or 100% cotton, is seamless and braidless for obviating risk of scarification of the toes caused by seams and braids when the body is moved between the toes during use, and is either dry for drying the toes so as to prevent formation of athlete's foot and other skin irritations and odors originating from moisture or is impregnated with a medicinal powder or cream for preventing at least skin cracking, infection, and fungus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Inventor: Ada Shapiro
  • Patent number: 6260228
    Abstract: A hand-held device for removing lint balls from a fabric that includes a body, and a pad. The body is fork-shaped and includes a handle, and bifurcations that extend longitudinally from the handle. The bifurcations have grooves that extend longitudinally therein, and the handle has a groove that extends transversely thereacross and communicates with the grooves in the bifurcations so as to form a generally U-shaped channel. The body further includes a plate that extends from one bifurcation to the other bifurcation and provides rigidity for the pad. The pad is a layer of flexible material that is snugly, slidably, and selectively disposed in the generally U-shaped channel. The exterior surface of the layer of flexible material is covered with prongs that function similarly to hooks of a hook and loop fastener for engaging and removing the lint balls from the fabric when brushed thereacross.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Inventor: Aracelis Arroyo-Youngblood
  • Patent number: 6244326
    Abstract: A customizable device for tying back an item selected from the group consisting of curtains, draperies, decorations, towels, and vertical blinds to a wall. The device includes a strap that is slender, elongated, and has a curtain-facing surface, an ambient-facing surface that is opposite to the curtain-facing surface thereof, and a pair of ends. One end of the strap is attached to the wall. The strap is tubular and opens at the pair of ends thereof so as to allow insertion of a material therein so as to customize the strap. The pair of ends of the strap are relieved on the curtain-facing surface thereof so as to facilitate insertion of the material. The strap is clear so as to allow the material therein to be visible therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Inventor: Angelina Grieco
  • Patent number: 6230440
    Abstract: A rotatable display device that is suspendable from a ceiling and allows a planter to be rotatably suspendable therefrom. The device includes a lower housing. An upper housing is replaceably attached to the lower housing. A top hanger assembly extends upwardly from the upper housing and suspends the rotatable display device from the ceiling while providing a means for grabbing the upper housing when the upper housing is to be removed from the lower housing. A rotatable plate is contained in, and rotatable relative to, one of the lower housing and the upper housing. A bearing assembly rotatably connects the rotatable plate to the other of the one of the lower housing and the upper housing. A driven gear is fixedly attached to, for rotation with, the rotatable plate. A bottom hanger assembly extends downwardly from, and rotates with, one of the rotatable plate and the driven gear for rotatably suspending the planter therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Inventor: Richard Deutsch
  • Patent number: 6223758
    Abstract: A novelty umbrella for a child that includes a rod, a frame, and a cover. The rod has a pair of handles that extend radially outwardly from its proximal end and are shoe-like and a pair of hands that extend radially outwardly from its midpoint and are arm-like. The frame includes a plurality of ribs pivotally mounted to the rod. The cover includes a plurality of panels, each of which extends as a web between a pair of adjacent ribs, is made from a glow-in-the dark material for allowing the child to be more safely visible to traffic, and is provided with a transparent portion for allowing the child to see through the cover without having to lift it up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Inventor: Allan R. Feldman