Patents Examined by Bao-Thieu L Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9803316
    Abstract: A method and device for producing a rope, in particular a wire rope, a fiber rope or a rope having wire and fibers, wherein the rope is provided with a marking during the stranding thereof. The marking is changed during the stranding operation. Expediently, during stranding, the marking is provided successively with details characterizing the stranding progress. The details include production parameters, for example information relating to the length of the rope already formed, about raw materials used, the stranding speed and/or the current stranding time. The details are provided on a wire, a wire strand and/or a marking strand, wherein the details are printed on the wire, the wire strand or the marking strand or are embossed in the wire, the wire strand or the marking strand, and/or chips, preferably radio chips, are arranged in the rope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: CASAR DRAHTSEILWERK SAAR GMBH
    Inventor: Bruno Lauer
  • Patent number: 9788605
    Abstract: An insulated sole having down feather insulation held captive therein and method of fabrication is described. The sole is formed with open top end cavities in which there is disposed down feathers or mixtures thereof to capture and retain heat. A membrane seals the open top end of the cavities. The insulated sole is used in the fabrication of articles of footwear for use in cold weather climate to resist to the cold emanating from the ground to shield against heat loss from the wearer's feet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Inventor: Ronie Reuben
  • Patent number: 9788609
    Abstract: An article of footwear includes a fitting system with an upper member that is supported by the upper and a strand guide that is supported by the sole structure. The strand guide is flexible and flexes in concert with the sole structure. The strand guide has a guide surface. The fitting system further includes a tensioning system with a flexible strand that is configured to bias the upper member toward the strand guide. The flexible strand has a first section coupled to the upper member and a second section extending through the sole structure. The second section abuts the guide surface. The second section is configured to slide across the guide surface as a result of flexure of the strand guide. The first section and the upper member are configured to move relative to the sole structure as a result of sliding of the second section across the guide surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Dervin A. James, Zachary M. Elder, Elizabeth A. Kilgore
  • Patent number: 9788592
    Abstract: A helmet contains a convex, hard outer shell, a concave, impact-dissipating inner layer, a shield, and a shield cover. The concave, impact-dissipating inner layer is fitted to the convex, hard outer shell and contains a front portion having a shield indentation, a back portion, a top portion a right side portion, and a left side portion. The left side portion is opposite the right side portion. The shield is pivotably attached to the helmet via a fulcrum and pivots about the fulcrum. The shield also partially occludes the shield indentation. The shield cover is fixably attached to the helmet and at least partially occludes the front portion. The shield cover also at least partially occludes the shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Strategic Sports LLC
    Inventors: Tien Hou Cheng, Michael Ming-Jae Lin
  • Patent number: 9782026
    Abstract: An apparatus and system for designed for supporting a hip of a pregnant woman who often experiences hip pain associated with her pregnancy to help relieve this pain including a leggings with hook-and-loop belts, straps and strips associated with pillows for the thigh and ankles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Macapak, Inc.
    Inventor: Adam K. Cohan
  • Patent number: 9775401
    Abstract: An article of footwear including a sole system, including an upper and the sole system. The sole system includes a knitted component incorporating a one-piece knit outsole. The knit outsole has a ground-facing side, a top side, and a ground-engaging cleat member protruding from the ground-facing side of the knit outsole. The upper is connected at its bottom to the top side of the knit outsole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Tory M. Cross, Daniel A. Podhajny
  • Patent number: 9775392
    Abstract: An innerwear system combines a form fitting article of clothing, worn as a layer, typically below a presentation layer of street clothing or conventional clothing. The innerwear article of clothing is provided with a pocket having two opposing and overlapping pockets as the containment portion and cover portion, respectively. The smaller (inverted, cover) pocket overlaps the upper portion of the lower (upright, main) pocket or containment portion. Fingers of a user may reach under the cover, engage the edge of the containment, and open a “mouth” to insert securely an object such as a phone, insulin pump system, personal article, or the like. A stabilized access port out through the cover or inward through the clothing article may pass a line from the contained object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: POCKET INNERWEAR, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholle Peterson, Katie McGee Larsen, Laurel Kay Bloomfield
  • Patent number: 9770059
    Abstract: A medical gown includes a self-adjusting strap(s) that expands an upper torso section beyond a nominal girth thereof, for an adjustable fit. An upper and lower self-adjusting strap may be provided across the back. The straps may be formed from perforations in the upper torso section. A portion of the gown breaks away along the perforations to form the straps in response to stress or pulling when donned or during use. The self-adjusting straps allow expansion of the upper torso section to conform to users who require larger than the nominal girth, while continuing to secure the medical gown on the wearer during use. Extendable tie straps may be included, which are unfolded and elongated for adjustably sizing the closure around the wearer's waist. The tie straps may be sufficiently long to extend to the back, and back around the waist again for tying in the front of the gown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Prestige Ameritech, Ltd.
    Inventors: George Daniel Reese, Donna L. Reese
  • Patent number: 9766044
    Abstract: A protective system includes a garment configured to be worn by a user. The garment includes a padding layer having at least one layer of elastomeric material and at least one layer of high tensile strength fibrous material. The padding layer also includes a plurality of openings formed in a surface thereof. The system may further include one or more load bars. Each of the load bars would extend along the surface of the padding layer between respective ones of the plurality of openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Matscitechno Licensing Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Vito, Michael Foerster
  • Patent number: 9750297
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a protective shell having an exterior surface and an interior surface and a lever assembly positioned between the interior surface of the protective shell and a portion of a body. The lever assembly includes a lever having an elongated member extending between a first end and a second end and a pivot location. A fulcrum pivotally engages the pivot location of the lever, wherein the lever rotates about the fulcrum in response to an impact force applied along a first direction to the exterior surface of the protective shell. The lever assembly further includes a spring engaging the lever, wherein a rotation of the lever deforms the spring in a second direction to absorb a portion of a kinetic energy of the collision to redirect and reduce a transfer of a portion of force to the body. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Titon Corp.
    Inventors: Juan Francisco Javier Mini Townson, José Rodrigo Aragón Cabrera, Juan Pablo Alfaro Samayoa
  • Patent number: 9743706
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an outdoor shoe, in particular a climbing or hiking shoe, with an inside lining and an upper material. The invention is characterized in that the inside lining has a first material and a second material, wherein the second material is arranged at least in the area of a hallux basal joint position and wherein the second material has a greater extensibility than the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Inventor: Johann Friedl
  • Patent number: 9745672
    Abstract: A bale opener for stripping fiber flocks from fiber bales, including a stripping tower arranged on a running gear or a bogie and having a stripping arm. The stripping arm is mounted in a height-adjustable mount in a guide on the stripping tower. A lifting gear is provided for the height adjustment of the stripping arm, wherein the lifting gear is mounted on the stripping arm and on the stripping tower, and the lifting gear has at least one load cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG
    Inventors: Alexander Schmid, Gerhard Gschliesser
  • Patent number: 9743652
    Abstract: A fishing line knot tying device includes a housing having a hollow upper portion and a contiguous lower portion. The upper portion includes a peripheral upper edge and a V-shaped notch formed therein. The lower portion includes a lower edge and a slot formed therein, an alignment of a gap of the slot being offset from a center of the V-shaped notch of the upper portion, a longitudinal groove formed in an outer surface of the slot, and a flat thumb surface being formed in an outer surface of the lower portion from an end of the gap of the slot and extending to an outer surface of the upper surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Inventor: Sam E. Hodges
  • Patent number: 9730482
    Abstract: A helmet with an airbag assembly coupled to the shell of the helmet. The airbag assembly includes an airbag and an inflation device. The inflation device is configured to at least partially inflate the airbag upon deployment of the airbag assembly. The helmet also includes a processing circuit disposed at least partially within the shell. The processing circuit is configured to receive helmet data regarding a second helmet, transmit deployment data regarding inflation of the airbag assembly, and control operation of the inflation device to inflate the airbag based on the helmet data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Paul G. Allen, Philip V. Bayly, David L. Brody, Jesse R. Cheatham, III, Richard G. Ellenbogen, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Eric C. Leuthardt, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Tony S. Pan, Robert C. Petroski, Raul Radovitzky, Anthony V. Smith, Elizabeth A. Sweeney, Clarence T. Tegreene, Nicholas W. Touran, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Victoria Y. H. Wood
  • Patent number: 9732468
    Abstract: A spliced rope apparatus and a method of forming the same are disclosed. The apparatus has a first rope including a first plurality of strands and a second rope including a second plurality of strands. The apparatus also has a splice connecting the ropes and defined by the first and second pluralities of strands. The splice has a spiral section including a first pair having strands of the first plurality of strands that are positioned proximate each other. The first pair extends helically and the strands of the first pair together pass under a plurality of picks defined by the second plurality of strands and together pass over a remainder of the second plurality of strands. The splice also has a tuck section in which at least some of the first plurality of strands extend longitudinally to pass under and over sequential picks defined by the second plurality of strands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Actuant Corporation
    Inventors: Neathan Devero, Randy Longerich
  • Patent number: 9717297
    Abstract: An improved protective shell for a helmet, where the shell has angled panels forming pyramid-like surface structures covering the surface of the helmet. Each pyramid-like structure has three or more panels conjoining to form an apex. In one embodiment, each of the panels is a triangle having a base and a point that conjoins adjacent panels, thereby forming the apex. The limited number of apex points and the orientation of the angled panels reduce the probability that an impacting object will deliver a square blow to the helmet. The probability is increased that such blows will be only glancing in nature, thereby reducing the severity of the blow and head injury to the wearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventor: Lenard Harris
  • Patent number: 9719192
    Abstract: A method and system for operating an air jet spinning machine, that features at least one spinning unit with one spinning nozzle for producing a yarn. During normal operation of the spinning unit, a fiber composite is fed to the spinning nozzle through an inlet and in a predefined transport direction. The fiber composite within a vortex chamber of the spinning nozzle receives a twist with the assistance of a vortex air flow, such that a yarn is formed from the fiber composite, which leaves the spinning nozzle through an outlet. After an interruption in yarn production, a piecing process is carried out, with which one yarn end on the spool side moves counter to the transport direction through the spinning nozzle, is overlaid with one end of the fiber composite after passing through the spinning nozzle and, together with this, is brought through the inlet into the spinning nozzle. After conclusion of the piecing process, the production of yarn is continued through the resumption of normal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG
    Inventors: Markus Kübler, Gernot Schäffler, Martin Widmann
  • Patent number: 9687045
    Abstract: An article of footwear with a sole and an upper. The upper includes an inner layer configured to receive a foot and an outer layer with a first portion more stretchable than a second portion. A strobel board is disposed above the sole and attached to the inner layer. An inflatable bladder is disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer and attached to both a medial side and a lateral side of the strobel board. The inflatable bladder extends across a throat region of the upper and is operatively coupled with an inflation mechanism and release mechanism configured to inflate and deflate the inflatable bladder. A saddle is disposed between the inflatable bladder and the outer layer in lateral and medial quarter regions of the upper, but not extending into the throat region. The first portion of the outer layer covers the inflatable bladder at the throat region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: REEBOK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Kevin Leary, Thomas Piacentini, Paul Davis, Paul Bates, Paul Litchfield
  • Patent number: 9675138
    Abstract: Sports footwear comprising an upper having a toe portion and a sole fixed to said upper. The sports footwear also comprises a protection element mounted on the side surface of the toe portion. This protection element is fixed permanently to the side surface of the toe portion and is provided with an outer surface provided with first coupling means for coupling a covering component on the protection element. The first coupling means of the protection element define a seat suitable for housing a fastening element for fastening the covering element onto the protection element. The seat has a direction of insertion which is substantially parallel to the side surface of the toe portion of the footwear on which the protection element is mounted. A covering component suitable for use with footwear is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: ALPINESTARS RESEARCH SRL
    Inventors: Giovanni Mazzarolo, Daniele Vanin
  • Patent number: 9675119
    Abstract: A hosiery product, such as a sock, footie, trouser sock or panty hose, includes and inner layer of hosiery material, such as nylon or spandex covering the bottom and top surfaces of the wearer's foot, and outer layer of similar hosiery material, and at least one cushion section disposed between the inner and outer layers. The cushion sections include an elevated cushioning material that conforms to the contours of the wearers foot, such as macro-gel activated support discs or memory foam. The ball of foot cushion sections are elevated attached circles, arch and heel cushions. All layers are attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Fushionz LLC
    Inventor: Melanie Yvonne Alston