Patents Represented by Attorney Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC
  • Patent number: 7946451
    Abstract: A carton with an improved dispenser at one of the carton which preserves the integrity of the carton when the carton is opened by permitting a bottom end flap attached to the bottom panel to remain in place and also a portion of each side end flap that is adjacent to the bottom end flap. This dispenser may also provide a safety net for the first container that is automatically dispensed when the carton is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
    Inventor: Raymond Rudolph Spivey
  • Patent number: 7946450
    Abstract: A container for dispensing a product is provided, the container including an outer casing body having a cavity; a dispensing tray adapted for sliding movement within the cavity of the outer casing body between a closed and locked position and a dispensing position, the dispensing tray having an internal storage compartment for storage of a plurality of units of a product to be dispensed, a dispensing window, and a stop for engaging the outer casing body to prevent removal of the dispensing tray from the cavity; and a locking mechanism for releasably locking the dispensing tray in the cavity, the locking mechanism including protrusions projecting from the outer casing body into the cavity and positioned adjacent to a moveable flap formed in the outer casing body, and recesses carried by the dispensing tray and positioned to engage the protrusions when the dispensing tray is in the closed and locked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: John A. Gelardi, Caleb S. Loftin
  • Patent number: 7946104
    Abstract: A bleed air relief system for engines in which a flow of bleed air from the engine compressor is passed along a bleed air duct and exhausted into a bypass air stream passing through the engine. A cover is mounted over the outlet of the bleed air duct and can include flow passages and a diffuser for controlling the flow of bleed air being exhausted to enhance mixing of the bleed air with the bypass air stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel H. Frank, Gabriel N. Torres
  • Patent number: 7946233
    Abstract: A system and method for forming synthetic/artificial grass or turf products in which a series of tufts of artificial/synthetic grass filaments or yarns are formed in a backing material. The system generally will include spaced rows of needles mounted along a tufting zone and which are reciprocated through the backing to different penetration depths. A series of loopers and a series of hooks will be aligned with and will engage the needles in order to form cut and loop pile tufts of yarns having varying lengths in the backing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Card-Monroe Corp.
    Inventors: Wilton Hall, Cody Godfrey, Marshall Allen Neely
  • Patent number: 7944435
    Abstract: A haptic feedback planar touch control used to provide input to a computer. A touch input device includes a planar touch surface that inputs a position signal to a processor of the computer based on a location of user contact on the touch surface. The computer can position a cursor in a displayed graphical environment based at least in part on the position signal, or perform a different function. At least one actuator is also coupled to the touch input device and outputs a force to provide a haptic sensation to the user contacting the touch surface. The touch input device can be a touchpad separate from the computer's display screen, or can be a touch screen. Output haptic sensations on the touch input device can include pulses, vibrations, and spatial textures. The touch input device can include multiple different regions to control different computer functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Immersion Corporation
    Inventors: Louis B. Rosenberg, James R. Riegel
  • Patent number: 7943622
    Abstract: Disclosed are novel piperazine derivatives that act as agonists of the ?7 nAChR. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions, methods of treating inflammatory conditions, methods of treating CNS disorders, methods for inhibiting cytokine release from mammalian cells and methods for the preparation of the novel compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Cornerstone Therapeutics, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger B. Clark, Daniel Elbaum
  • Patent number: 7940968
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided the autocentering, autofocusing, acquiring, decoding, aligning, analyzing and exchanging among various parties, images, where the images are of arrays of signals associated with ligand-receptor interactions, and more particularly, ligand-receptor interactions where a multitude of receptors are associated with microparticles or microbeads. The beads are encoded to indicate the identity of the receptor attached, and therefore, an assay image and a decoding image are aligned to effect the decoding. The images or data extracted from such images can be exchanged between de-centralized assay locations and a centralized location where the data are analyzed to indicate assay results. Access to data can be restricted to authorized parties in possession of certain coding information, so as to preserve confidentiality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: BioArray Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Seul, Xiongwu Xia, Chiu Chau
  • Patent number: 7938257
    Abstract: A beverage carrier including at least two cartons and a tray having a retractable handle for holding the cartons is provided. The cartons and the tray are each formed from blanks of sheet material. Each carton includes a first and second side wall, a top panel, a bottom panel, and first and second end walls, wherein the side walls, the top panel, the bottom panel and the end walls are interconnected to form the carton. The tray includes a first and second side panel, a first and second bottom panel, a first and second divider panel, and a first and second end panel. The tray includes an opening through which a retractable handle is placed. The retractable handle is configured to move between a recessed position and an extended position. The tray is configured to hold at least two cartons for easy transport and storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
    Inventor: Karl A. Kohler
  • Patent number: 7938312
    Abstract: A carton for containing a bag having dispensable material therein. The carton comprises a plurality of panels that extend at least partially around an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels comprises a first end panel, a second end panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. At least two end flaps respectively foldably attached to respective panels of the plurality of panels. The end flaps are overlapped with respect to one another and thereby at least partially form a closed end of the carton. A closure removably attached to the carton having an aperture for receiving at least a portion of the bag to close the bag and seal the material held therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin P. Ford
  • Patent number: 7934459
    Abstract: Ergonomic workstations include devices with raising and lowering elements, such as tables and desks. The devices include one or more legs, and when more than one leg is present, each leg is substantially parallel to the other legs. Each leg is provided with a base for attaching the leg to another or to multiple other legs. The devices further include one or more sub-surfaces for connecting one or more of the legs and one or more top surfaces. The substructure is provided with more than one arrangement of hole patterns for attaching the top surface and/or the legs. In some aspects, the devices include two top surfaces which are raised or lowered by actuators in the legs. The plurality of legs can either maintain the second top surface at a constant height, or can raise and lower the second top surface independent of the first top surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Inventor: Brian Frazier
  • Patent number: 7935645
    Abstract: A method of producing a nonwoven fabric comprising spinning a set of bicomponent fibers which include an external fiber component and an internal fiber component. The external fiber enwraps said internal fiber and has a higher elongation to break value than the internal fiber and a lower melting temperature than the internal fiber component. The set of bicomponent fibers are positioned onto a web and thermally bonded to produce a nonwoven fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: North Carolina State University
    Inventors: Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Nataliya V. Fedorova, Stephen R. Sharp
  • Patent number: 7935862
    Abstract: The invention provides various methods for the targeted integration and stacking of nucleotide sequences in the genome of a host plant cell using homologous recombination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Syngenta Participations AG
    Inventor: Qiudeng Que
  • Patent number: 7931701
    Abstract: The present invention provides a composition that permits spray dyeing of a cellulosic, such as cotton, fabric or garment. The composition includes a wetter, an alkali, a reactive dye, and water, and preferably a thickener. The present compositions are made by first mixing together the wetter, reactive dye and water to form a first solution, then mixing the thickener into the first solution to form a second solution, and thereafter mixing or merging the alkali to the second solution within five minutes prior to spray application onto the cellulosic fabric or garment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: HBI Branded Apparel Enterprises, LLC
    Inventors: Ruth E. May, Martin Bentham
  • Patent number: 7931700
    Abstract: The composition that permits spray dyeing of a cellulosic, such as cotton, fabric or garment. The composition includes a wetter, an alkali, a reactive dye, a thickener, and water. The present compositions are made by first mixing together the wetter, reactive dye and water to form a first solution, then mixing the thickener into the first solution to form a second solution, and thereafter mixing or merging the alkali to the second solution within thirty minutes prior to spray application onto the cellulosic fabric or garment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: HBI Branded Apparel Enterprises, LLC
    Inventors: Ruth E May, Martin Bentham
  • Patent number: 7932022
    Abstract: The present invention relates to molecular constructs and methods of their use in detecting biochemical reactions. In particular, the invention relates to a molecular construct having a capture portion and a substrate portion, where the capture portion isolates the construct from a sample medium, and the substrate portion enables the construct to be acted upon and undergo a physical change which can be detected and measured. These molecular constructs may be used in diagnostic assays, genetic screening for potential risks of certain diseases in individuals, and drug discovery and toxicogenomics, using high throughput screening of compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: BioArray Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: Jiacheng Yang
  • Patent number: 7931699
    Abstract: Compositions are provided for spray dyeing of a cellulosic, such as cotton, fabric or garment. The compositions include a reactive dye, a wetter, an alkali, and water. The present compositions are made by first mixing the reactive dye, the wetter, and the water to form a solution, and thereafter adding the alkali to the solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: HBI Branded Apparel Enterprises, LLC
    Inventor: Ruth E. May
  • Patent number: 7927796
    Abstract: Disclosed is number coding of pairs (“doublets”) or small sets (“multiplets”) of solid phase carriers which provides distinguishable subtypes of a given type of such carriers, where each carrier type is distinguishable on the basis of a different code. Such number coding is useful for augmenting a coding system, such as a color code, and thereby effectively multiplying the number of “colors” (distinguishable sub-types). It can be applied, for example, to determine whether a sample is homozygous or heterozygous at a number of different sites for one of two different alleles, where the same color code is applied for each of the two alleles, and the alleles with the same color code are distinguished by knowing how many carriers are associated with molecules which detect each different allele.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: BioArray Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Seul, Enqing Tan, Chiu Chau
  • Patent number: 7926295
    Abstract: A blank, carton, package, and method for enclosing a plurality of containers in a carton is disclosed. The carton includes first and second top panels, first and second side panels, and a bottom panel. The top panels each include separation lines with one top panel disposed over the other top panel when formed as a carton. The carton is openable along the separation lines to expose the containers. The carton is capable of receiving a cooling substance therewithin when the top panels are separated along the separation lines. The carton including at least two handle tear lines with a handle disposed therebetween. The handle capable of being engaged to move the carton or package as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
    Inventor: Kirsten L. Brand
  • Patent number: D638142
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Endura Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Van Camp, Andrew Krochmal, Michael K. Mitchell
  • Patent number: D638143
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Endura Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce E. Procton, Kevin T. MacDonald, Brent Van Camp