Patents Examined by E Peavey
  • Patent number: 6161252
    Abstract: A door holder assembly used to maintain a door in an opened position. The assembly is made up of a door stop, a locking plate mounted on the door and a floor mounted door holder. The door stop and the door holder are fixed to the floor while the locking plate is fixed to the lower portion of the door and is positioned to engage the door holder when the door is opened. The locking plate has two joined segments one of which is planar and flat while the other of which has a right angled groove. Depending on the vertical elevation of the door's bottom above the floor, the same locking plate can be mounted to the door in one of two different positions. If the elevation is slight then the right angled groove portion is mounted on the vertical front door surface. If the elevation is larger and sufficient space exists, the locking plate may have the right angled groove portion mounted to the lower edge of the door between the door and the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Inventor: Miguel Angel Loera Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 6152455
    Abstract: The expandable band is used to secure a sealing element within a generally cylindrical structure, such as a pipe or manhole, or other round hole. The expandable band includes a band body having a first band end portion and a second band end portion. A plurality of slots are disposed in the first band end portion, and a locking member extends from the second band end portion. The locking member includes a tab for extending through the second band end portion and into one of the plurality of slots to lock the expandable band at the desired diameter. An end section of the second band end portion extends beyond the tab of the locking member to ease the transition between the overlapping first and second band end portions. When the band is expanded, the tab is disengaged from the slots and slides over the slots, allowing the first and second band end portions to move relative to one another. At the desired diameter, the tab engages one of the slots to lock the band at the desired diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: NPC, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Brockway, Lester F. Richardson
  • Patent number: 6149164
    Abstract: A sealing arrangement relating to cable and pipe lead-throughs that extend through a wall. The arrangement includes a frame and one or more modules made from a compressible material and including an axially-extending channel through which a cable or a pipe is adapted to pass in sealing abutment with respective module channels. The frame includes one or more modules that are mounted within and sealed relative to the frame, and also includes a first part and a second part, each provided with a respective opening, intended to be fitted on both sides of a wall in which an opening has been formed. A third frame part in the form of a body formed from a compressible material, such as rubber, and having an opening that has generally the same size as the openings in the respective first and second frame parts, is positioned between the first frame and second frame parts, wherein the third frame part accommodates the modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Roxtec AB
    Inventor: Thomas Kreutz
  • Patent number: 6145843
    Abstract: This invention discloses a completely different hydrodynamic gas seal configuration from both the Rayleigh bearing and other prior art. Instead of the shallow, wide, and short single pocket geometry for the Rayleigh bearing, and instead of the multiple depth grooves of the other prior art teachings, the hydrodynamic seal in this invention has a sealing face with lift pockets therein that are deep (normally in the range of about 0.010 inches to about 0.025 inches deep), narrow, long, multiple, coextensive, parallel, and single-depth. This invention incorporates the same basic hydraulic principle of generating pressure rise by the shearing gradient between the rotating shaft and stationary carbon elements, and therefore produces a force which is opposite in direction to the rubbing force generated by the ambient pressure drop across the seal. In this invention the forces are more evenly balanced across the axial face of the seal ring segments, thereby accommodating any conicity of the shaft race.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Stein Seal Company
    Inventor: Mingfong Hwang
  • Patent number: 6142476
    Abstract: A mechanical seal having two balance diameters and balance factors established separately and freely for two fluids which are opposed at a sealing face by providing two seal packings with a seal ring. A sidewall of a packing groove is removed on the sealed fluid side when the sealed fluid contains crystal deposits or solid substances, and a vacuum path is connected between the two seal packings. Also, a seal ring can be divided between the two seal packings into two parts so as to provide flexibility against deflection in a radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Inventor: Tomoichiro Iwane
  • Patent number: 6134821
    Abstract: A tubular signage assembly and related methods and components are provided which have a number of advantages and solve a number of problems over conventional magnetic signage products and processes. The assembly has an annular tube and at least one signage blank rolled up therein. The annular tube has instruction indicia thereon. The blank has a filled base layer having a magnetic powder filler and a thermoplastic resin, and has a surface layer having a thermoplastic material and a colorant. The blank preferably has indicia thereon for indicating the orientation of the magnetic pole of the blank. A method is also provided for making a magnetic sign from a large sheet of laminate involving cutting the laminate into blanks, placing a blank into a tubular body to form a tubular assembly, transporting the tubular assembly to a sign maker, placing indicia on the blank to form a sign and placing the sign in the tube for delivery to the user of the sign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Magnum Magnetics
    Inventor: Thomas G. Love
  • Patent number: 6119309
    Abstract: A handle structure of a suitcase includes an inverted U-shaped body and an attachment attached to the inside of the body. The body has a ridge extending from the inside thereof and a plurality of protrusions extending from the top and the bottom of the ridge. Two engaging members extend from the inside of the body and are located on two ends of the ridge. The attachment has a groove defined in the inside thereof and a plurality of recesses defined in the inner top and the inner bottom of the groove so that the ridge is received in the groove with the protrusions engaged with the recesses. The two engaging members are engaged with two apertures defined in the inside of the attachment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Ting Cheng Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Lien-Ching Lu
  • Patent number: 6116608
    Abstract: A brush seal is mounted between rotary and stationary components in a flow stream having solid particles. A gap is formed through the brush seal bristles and a deflector plate is disposed to catch and deflect solid particles on the upstream side of the brush seal to direct the particles through the gap to the downstream side of the brush seal. In this manner, the solid particles of the flow stream do not erode or otherwise deteriorate the brush seal bristles or ancillary parts of the brush seal. The deflector plates may be directed axially upstream, at an angle to a plane passing through the brush seal or may comprise an arcuate configuration directed upstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Christopher Edward Wolfe, Martin Francis O'Connor, Mehmet Demiroglu, Lawrence Edward Rentz, Frederick George Baily
  • Patent number: 6108869
    Abstract: A toothbrush has an elongated handle with bristles disposed at one end extending outwardly from one surface of the handle. The handle is formed of a semi-rigid plastic material having a pair of flanges disposed on the surface opposite that of the bristles for controlling the flexure at various points along the handle length and a softer material is formed onto that portion of the handle containing the flanges to provide a soft grip for the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Gillette Canada Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Meessmann, Gerald S. Szczech, William A. Bredall
  • Patent number: 6105970
    Abstract: A sealing arrangement for establishing a seal between two machine elements, such as a rod or piston undergoing axial motion within a housing. A rod or piston seal is arranged in a groove of the second machine element, which typically is the housing of the rod or piston. The groove is open in the direction of the first machine element, and contains a seal ring and a prestress ring made of elastomeric material. The seal ring has an essentially T-shaped cross-section and touches the surface of the first machine element which is to be sealed with the sealing surface of its radial ridge, forming a seal. The prestress ring is arranged between the base of the groove and the axial ridge of the seal ring, under elastic prestress. The transition from the faces of the radial ridge to the sealing surface is rounded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Firma Carl Freudenberg
    Inventors: Uwe Siegrist, Otmar Braun
  • Patent number: 6105967
    Abstract: A combined labyrinth/brush seal is provided in a seal between rotating and stationary components. The seal includes a plurality of arcuate sealing segments, each having one or more labyrinth teeth extending radially toward the surface of the rotating component. As original equipment or retrofit, a brush seal is provided among the labyrinth teeth in a slot formed in the sealing face of the seal segment. In one form, backing and/or forward plates for the brush seal have a tongue extending into an axially extending groove of the seal segments to prevent relative radial movement of the brush seal and seal ring segments. The end faces of the brush seal and seal ring segments may be bored and filled with weld material to prevent relative circumferential movement. Where a single radially extending slot is provided in the sealing ring segment, the brush seal may be stitch-welded to the seal ring segment along opposite sides of the brush seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Norman Arnold Turnquist, Robert Harold Cromer, Ronald John Placek, David Robert Skinner, Christopher Edward Wolfe
  • Patent number: 6098986
    Abstract: A seal (14) for use between a pair of substantially concentric elements (10 and 11) capable of relative movement with respect to each other, said seal comprising a sealing element (17) having a configuration of a helix wherein the opposed axial faces of the helix are of complementary configuration and are in close abutting relationship with each other, said sealing element (17) being formed of a rigid resilient wear resistant material having a low coefficient of sliding friction, said sealing element (17) being adapted to be supported from one element (11) by a support means (13) and being in close abutting relationship with the other element (10), a clamping means (19) for causing resilient compression of the seal against the other element, a resilient means (20) mounted between the axial ends of the sealing element (17) and adapted to resiliently resist relative rotation between the ends of the sealing element (17) in a direction which will cause the sealing element (17) to expand radially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignees: Aileendonan Research Pty Ltd, Gian Research Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Stanley Nowak