Patents Examined by Douglas D. Watts
  • Patent number: 6877230
    Abstract: An instrument for cutting hair comprises first and second members extending longitudinally in a direction generally perpendicular to a hinge axis of a hinge that connects the two members at proximal ends thereof. Each member has an arm and a leg. The legs have sockets in which blades are received. The arms comprise grip portions for grasping and actuating by a user's hand. During use, the actuation of the arms moves the legs in an arcuate path about the hinge axis similar to jaws on a pair of tongs. The instrument has a closed pinching or clamping position in which the blades meet each other in abutting relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Inventor: Chris Tapia
  • Patent number: 6877231
    Abstract: An expandable storage container includes a primary storage container having a series of openings arranged in an upper portion and a cavity on one side, and a secondary storage container arrange at least partially within the primary storage container. The secondary storage container has a series of openings arranged in an upper portion therein, and is sized to be slidably nested within at least a portion of the primary storage container. Items such a knives, rods, screwdrivers, etc. are stored vertically within the openings, and the secondary storage container slides outwardly from the primary storage container to permit additional storage as the use increases the number of item needing storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Inventors: Gayle Rosenberg, Eli S Pine
  • Patent number: 6874235
    Abstract: The invention concerns a cutting wire for trimming and cutting plants useful in appliances with rotary heads, such as bush cutters and hedge trimmers. It has formed shapes of larger cross-section, such as annular shapes, in succession at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the wires, the shapes being separated from one another by intermediate longitudinal sections of the wire, with smaller cross-sections. Such a cutting wire provides operating noise reduction, in particular elimination of squeal and other high pitched sounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Speed France
    Inventor: Emmanuel Legrand
  • Patent number: 6874388
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for applying hardfacing to a shirttail portion of a roller cone drill bit, including masking around the shirttail portion of the bit and operating a high pressure/high velocity oxygen fuel torch to apply the hardfacing to the shirttail portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Smith International, Inc.
    Inventors: John Ramsay Crowe, Angus Greig, Robert Hamilton, Gary Farquhar, Kevin Angus
  • Patent number: 6871404
    Abstract: The seam gauge and table guard attachment attaches to a pair of conventional scissors. The protective guard includes a rigid, unitary U-shaped frame with a rectangular base portion and an inclined cover portion. The inclined cover portion has a plurality of fastener holes for receiving a fastener. A fastener is provided for engaging the fastener holes to secure the protective guard to the conventional scissors. The inclined cover portion is positioned over the stationary blade and the protective guard is secured to the scissors by the fastener. The rectangular base portion is disposed below the cutting blade to prevent the scissors from cutting beyond a specific point. The protective guard allows a user to clip the seam allowance on a rag quilt without cutting through and damaging the seam of a rag quilt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Inventors: Frank M. Cook, Dayle M. Cook
  • Patent number: 6865812
    Abstract: A nail trimmer for enabling a person to comfortably trim toenails without having to take on an awkward or uncomfortable posture. The nail trimmer has a long extension housing, which has a handle at its upper end and a trimmer unit at its lower end. A battery operated motor and on/off switch are incorporated into the handle end. A detachable trimmer unit is connected at the lower end. A dado cutting blade and a gear unit are enclosed in the trimmer unit. An opening in the trimmer unit housing provides access to the cutting edge of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Inventor: Roy C. Martin, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6854360
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a socket tool includes: forging a socket blank to form a plurality of arcuate locking grooves; hydraulic working to form a plurality of helical arcuate locking grooves in the socket blank; turning and cutting the periphery of the socket blank to make the periphery of the socket blank smooth; performing a heat treatment on the socket blank; and forming a socket tool having a plurality of helical arcuate locking grooves which are extended and contracted from an outer end to an inner end of the socket tool to form a contracted conical hole. Thus, the socket tool can be used to forcibly rotate and detach a hexagonal screw member having worn or rust corners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Inventor: Te Chen Chu
  • Patent number: 6851194
    Abstract: A reciprocating saw includes a main body, a blade holding device mounted on the main body, and a blade detachably mounted on the support seat of the main body by the blade holding device. The blade holding device includes a bushing, a slide, a sleeve, a positioning ball, a torsion spring, and a guide rod. Thus, the blade can be mounted on and detached from the support seat of the main body easily and conveniently by rotation of the sleeve, thereby facilitating the user replacing the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Inventors: Ruey Zon Chen, Eric Lo, George Ku
  • Patent number: 6851196
    Abstract: A ruler that is to be used for cutting sheets of material perpendicular to its longitudinal edges. The ruler is a longitudinal piece of rigid material that increases in thickness from one edge to the other. A cutting groove is placed into the rigid material at a thickened edge so as to aid the direction of a sharpened instrument passing through the groove while cutting the material. A hardened insert may be inserted into the groove to prevent the edges of the groove being damaged by the sharp cutting instrument. One end of the ruler has an extension of eyelet molded thereon and the other end of the ruler has a depression molded into an under surface of the ruler. Both the eyelet and the depression have a matching configuration to snap-fit into each other to thereby connect two rulers together in a rigid manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Inventors: Pamela J. Fry Leever, Phillip William Leever, III
  • Patent number: 6839969
    Abstract: A heavy-duty demolition shear with a replaceable shearing tip has a lower jaw and an upper jaw piviotally connected to the lower jaw. The upper jaw has primary and secondary shear blades. A replaceable shearing tip is mounted to the upper jaw. The replaceable shearing tip has two L-shaped sections which engage the upper jaw between them. The replaceable shearing tip engages the upper jaw on at least three seats. The replaceable shearing tip is connected to the upper jaw by socket-head cap-screws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Genesis Equipment and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel P. Jacobson, Bruce Bacon, Ross D Christenson
  • Patent number: 6837130
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a cutting blade includes providing a blank that is to be formed into a cutting blade. The blank has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a first edge extending between the top and bottom surfaces. The method further includes forming a bevel on the first edge, the bevel defining a cutting edge in a first location with respect to the top and bottom surfaces, and then repositioning the cutting edge of the bevel on the first edge to a second location with respect to the top and bottom surfaces. Preferably, forming the bevel includes one of milling, coining, shearing, and rolling the first edge, and repositioning the cutting edge includes changing the orientation of the bevel using a stamping die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Fisher Barton, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrel Lee Turner, Gary John Kutzler
  • Patent number: 6837129
    Abstract: A device for planishing a band saw blades or the like, includes elements for continuously driving the blade, elements for detecting deformations of the blade and planishing elements. The detecting elements consist of position sensors integral with a table positioned underneath the blade, the sensors being uniformly spaced on a line transverse to the forward moving direction of the blade, and the planishing elements consist of hammers co-operating with an anvil positioned underneath the blade, such that, when a sensor detects a deformation of the surface of the blade body, the hammer corresponding to the sensor is actuated to even out the deformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Inventor: Aime Martin
  • Patent number: 6834566
    Abstract: A working method includes: forming a slideway in a drive portion of an adjustable spanner, forming a substantially inverted U-shaped hole in the drive portion, and forming an oblique hole in a connection of the drive portion and a fixed jaw of the adjustable spanner. The slideway, the inverted U-shaped hole and the oblique hole form a receiving hole. Thus, the method uses the milling technology to simplify the procedure of forming the receiving hole in the adjustable spanner, thereby saving time and cost of fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Inventor: Chih-Ching Hsien
  • Patent number: 6834433
    Abstract: A cloth cutting device used to cut perfect circular pieces from a piece of cloth. The cloth cutting device is positioned over the cloth and utilized in incising a perfect circular piece from the cloth. The device has a base support assembly that maintains the cutting device in a stationary position on the cloth to be cut, a cutting blade enclosed in a housing assembly, a rotateable handle, and a shaft interconnected between the housing assembly and the handle. Rotation of the handle causes the shaft to rotate, effectuating downward movement of the blade onto and into the cloth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Inventor: Deborah Dingus
  • Patent number: 6829829
    Abstract: A gardening pruner comprises two handles, two blades, two pivoting plates, and two actuating plates. The actuating plates are fastened at a bottom end with the handles and are provided at a top end with a toothed portion. The two actuating plates are pivoted together with the two pivoting plates by a pivot. The two blades are provided at a bottom end with a toothed portion and are pivoted together with the two pivoting plates by another pivot such that the toothed portions of the two blades are respectively engaged with the toothed portions of the two actuating plates, thereby resulting in a gear-type transmission of force from the handles to the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Inventor: Yao-Chung Huang
  • Patent number: 6829830
    Abstract: A cut guide for a portable hand-held saw that has a blade with a cutting portion that is disposed along a generally vertical axis. The cut guide includes a mounting portion, which is configured to be coupled to the saw, a guide block portion, a guide portion and an adjustment mechanism. The guide block portion, which defines a generally vertical cutting stroke axis, is pivotally coupled to the mounting portion such that the cutting stroke axis can be pivoted relative to the cutting portion of the blade. The guide portion is movably coupled to the guide block portion along the cutting stroke axis. The guide portion includes an abutment structure with at least one feature for establishing an orientation of the cutting stroke axis relative to a longitudinal axis of a workpiece. The adjustment mechanism pivots the guide block portion relative to the mounting portion to thereby adjust an angular relationship of the cutting stroke axis relative to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventor: Michael L. O'Banion
  • Patent number: 6826835
    Abstract: An electric shaver has two elongate shaving heads extending across an upper end of a body on front and rear sides thereof. Each head has co-operable outer cutting foil and inner shearing cutter. A drive mechanism is located in the upper body end and is in drive engagement with the heads for reciprocating the cutters in opposite directions against the corresponding foils for cutting. Each head has a first part and the upper body end includes a second part, which are in movable engagement with each other such that the head is compressible downwardly to move outwardly from the front/rear side of the body, thereby stretching a user's skin flat to facilitate shaving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Raymond Electric (China) Ltd.
    Inventor: John Ying Man Wong
  • Patent number: 6823594
    Abstract: A shaving device that defines a substantially cylindrical volume to receive an index finger of a user. Rotation about the index finger under control of the adjacent thumb and middle finger provide precise finger-tip control of the pitch, angle and pressure applied the fixed or replaceable shaving blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Rolling Razor, LLC
    Inventors: David Kludjian, Alon Leon Coresh
  • Patent number: 6820338
    Abstract: An electrical gardening tool includes a working piece having a main body, and a seat body with a base seat. The main body includes a coupling strip with actuating and hook ends and a projection that is disposed within the main body, and a side wall with a slot. The base seat has a coupling end surface that is formed with a fixed bar to engage the hook end so as to fix the seat body to the working piece. The actuating end of the coupling strip is rotatable forcibly relative to the main body to turn the projection out of the main body through the slot so as to remove the hook end from the bar, thereby permitting removal of the seat body from the working piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Macauto Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Paul Lin
  • Patent number: 6813833
    Abstract: An improved utility knife with an ergonomically shaped handle having a cavity and a working blade holder slidably disposed within the cavity is described. A bottom release lever and a top drive lever are pivotally mounted to the handle and movable with respect to the handle for releasing and moving the working blade holder, respectively. The knife includes an extra blade holder slidably mounted to the handle and movable with respect to the handle within the cavity. The extra blade holder includes a front support end for engagement with a working blade, whereby slidable displacement of the extra blade holder disengages the support end from the working blade to allow removal and replacement of the working blade from the utility knife.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig M. Saunders, Jeffrey R. Kalman, Todd A. Spiegelberg