Patents Examined by Edgar S. Burr
  • Patent number: 6098535
    Abstract: The invention is a method of making a stamp face (the imprinting part of the hand stamp consisting of letters, numbers and/or pictures) interchangeable, removable and re-attachable to the stamp mount. The device consists of a new use for hook and loop fasteners. The hook and loop fasteners, when permanently attached to the stamp face and the bottom of the stamp mount (handle) allow the user to attach and re-attach a stamp face or interchange stamp faces an unlimited number of times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Inventor: Joy Lynn
  • Patent number: 6036381
    Abstract: A printer prints upon a book having a plurality of pages bound at a binding edge (1). The book is opened, placed on a supporting surface (16) and fed in a feed direction parallel to the binding edge. A supporting shaft (13) extends parallel to the supporting surface. A channel (17) receives the binding edge in the middle of supporting surface and extends perpendicular to the supporting shaft thereby dividing the supporting surface into a first area and a second area. A first supporting frame (14) is pivotally supported on the supporting shaft over the first area. A first rotating shaft (25) is rotatably supported by the first supporting frame parallel with the supporting shaft. A first upper feeding roller (26, 27) is fixed on the first rotating shaft and forced to engage any page placed upon the first area. A second supporting frame (15) is pivotally supported on the supporting shaft over the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: International Manufacturing & Engineering Service Company
    Inventors: Tokio Mizukami, Hiroshi Fujikura
  • Patent number: 5980143
    Abstract: A wrist rest assembly has a base and a layer of resilient gel supported above the base. The wrist rest assembly is for use adjacent a device operated by a person's hands or fingers, such as a computer keyboard, lap-top or portable computer, computer mouse or other input device. A layer of resilient nonwoven material is disposed between the base and at least a portion of the layer of gel to define, in combination with the layer of gel, a resilient wrist rest support structure supported from the base. A flexible liquid-impervious layer is disposed between the layer of resilient gel and the layer of resilient nonwoven web material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Glen H. Bayer, Larry A. Bettenhausen
  • Patent number: 5971637
    Abstract: A notebook computer (100) or other electronic device has a keyboard (106) using keys (40, 80) which can assume an active state for typing while a spring (64, 84) is pressed against a guide mechanism (44). By disengaging the spring (64, 84) from the guide mechanism, the keys (40, 80) assume a storage state at a lower height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Satwinder Malhi, Bruce D. Quinney, Craig A. Fischer
  • Patent number: 5918545
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning flexographic printing plates which are mounted on a printing cylinder of a flexographic printing press, whereby the printing plates are scrubbed to remove ink, foreign matter and residue resulting from the flexographic printing press, followed by a rinsing of the residue from the printing plates, with the centralized collection of such residue for proper disposal, and the drying of the printing plates by directing pressurized air onto the printing plate to remove excess moisture without the need to remove the printing plates from the printing cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: Oxy-Dry Corporation
    Inventor: Malcolm J. Pym
  • Patent number: 5908000
    Abstract: A multi-colored silk screen printing machine has an improved electric resistance heating station to cure silk screen printed ink on a substrate such as a textile. A control system has a proximity switch that detects the presence of a pallet within the heat curing station and starts supplying electrical power to a bank of electric resistance heaters automatically only when a pallet is present. An infrared temperature sensor is used to measure the ink temperature when the bank of electric resistance heaters is heating the printed ink on the textile. The infrared sensor provides a signal to a control system that interrupts power to the bank of electric resistance heaters when the signal exceeds a preselected maximum ink temperature value. A timer can also be used to override the infrared temperature sensor. A sheltered passageway and a low level air flow therethrough protect the face or lens of the infrared sensor from gases, smoke or other types of contamination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Holoubek, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis J. Spychalla, Theodore H. Kauth, Verne R. Holoubek
  • Patent number: 5902052
    Abstract: A color image-forming machine comprises a color image signal-forming means for outputting digital signals Cd, Md and Yd expressing, on tone levels, three primary colors C, M and Y for each of a number of pixels, and a correction means for correcting the digital signals Cd, Md and Yd by using a correction table. The correction table is formed by forming masking operation correction tables using many masking operation expressions, and then, detecting singular portions in the masking operation correction tables, and modifying the detected singular portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5893338
    Abstract: An animal housing including a housing top, a housing bottom with a perforated floor, and a skirt. The skirt is configured so as to receive and support the housing bottom. A pan is disposed within the skirt such that the perforated floor of the housing bottom allows dander, urine and feces to drop therethrough onto the pan, and the pan is insertable into and removable from the skirt without disturbing the remainder of the animal housing. The animal housing further includes negative air flow means communicating with the skirt to produce a gas flow from the skirt to the negative air flow means. The animal housing may also include a frame and a bottle. The bottle includes a mouth having at least one lateral interior flange and at least one lateral exterior flange extending from the outer circumference thereof, and the frame includes a panel having at least one bottle-receiving aperture for receiving the mouth of the bottle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Inventors: Neil E. Campbell, Chin Soo Park, James Best
  • Patent number: 5878669
    Abstract: A cleaning device provided on a rotary printing machine for cleaning the outer cylindrical surfaces of cylinders includes a pressing-on bar for pressing a cleaning cloth on a respective outer cylindrical surface, adjusting elements for engaging the pressing-on bar, and an elastic profile rail to guide and press a cleaning cloth onto an outer cylindrical surface over the entire cylinder width. The elastic profile rail receives a plurality of forces from spring elements. The elastic profile rail and the spring elements allow a uniform cleaning of the outer cylindrical surface despite the presence of uneven or rough portions of the outer cylindrical surface that might be encountered by the cleaning device during cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Willi Becker, Jens Friedrichs, Frank Kropp
  • Patent number: 5876132
    Abstract: A method and system for printing a high density sequence of characters of M characters per inch from a predetermined character set. A print head having multiple print wires or pins is utilized to print a matrix of "dots" at a selected pel density, preferably 4M pels per inch for higher print throughput. The character set is then examined and a small selected number of characters are identified which require a character matrix having a width of four pels to achieve a desired level of legibility. All remaining characters in a character set are assigned a character matrix having a width of three or three and one-half pels in order to achieve the desired level of legibility. Thereafter, a high density sequence of characters having a high level of legibility can be printed at low pel densities having only a slight degradation in legibility in the event that two characters which each require a four pel width character matrix are adjacent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Jack Louis Zable
  • Patent number: 5865120
    Abstract: A diagnostic system for a rotary printing press utilizes signals from angular position detectors on press components to identify wear patterns. These signals are compared to press-idiosyncratic operating patterns and changes between the two are analyzed to provide information on press component wear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer-Albert Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Reinhard Georg Gross
  • Patent number: 5865139
    Abstract: A feeding device (1) for feeding hogs and pigs. The feeding device (1) consists of a tube (2) mounted on a frame (7) which is fixedly mounted on a base (3). The tube (2) is suspended in at least two members (5, 6); in a suspension member (5) and a guiding member (6). The tube (2) is suspended freely rotatably in the suspension member (5). The guiding member (6) may be displaced in vertical direction on the frame (7) and is provided on its inner side with an elastic, flexible annular body (10). The elastic flexible, annular body (10) of the guiding member (6) will actuate the tube (2) so that after a swing it will return to its neutral, vertical original position. This feature combined with the vertical displacement of the guiding member (6) makes the feeding device easily adaptable to animals of different sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Egebjerg Maskinfabrik af 1983 A/S
    Inventor: Henrik Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 5862752
    Abstract: A used stencil receptacle for facilitating the disposal of used stencils. The used stencil receptacle is in the shape of a box, and comprises a base, a pair of long straight sides, a short straight side, and an open side or a movable side which is freely opened and closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Takahashi, Kazuhisa Takahashi, Hideyuki Kagawa, Yoshiharu Kanno, Terunobu Ohnuma
  • Patent number: 5863140
    Abstract: A self-adjusting printing assembly for accommodating generally planar media of differing thickness comprising a printing head for placement of indicia on said media, a guide assembly positioned adjacent said printing head for guiding said media to said printing head. The guide assembly includes a planar platen for continuously supporting one surface of said planar media and a planar shield member fixedly supported with respect to said platen for continuously supporting said surface of said planar media. The assembly also includes means for movably mounting said platen with respect to said shield for movement in a direction toward and away from said planar shield while maintaining said planar platen generally parallel to said shield for accommodating said media of differing thickness, and a drive means for urging said media through said guide assembly and towards said printing head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Thomas & Betts Corporation
    Inventor: Michael E. DeMarchi
  • Patent number: 5862751
    Abstract: Apparatus for use in providing printed wire markers, comprises a spool of unprinted wire markers, a casing for the spool, the casing bearing sensible indicia defining information related to the encased wire markers, a sensor for sensing the indicia and providing output signals indicative of the information and a wire marker printer for receiving the spooled, unprinted wire markers from the casing and printing thereon accordingly with the information. An elongate wire marker holder device for supporting a wire marker for imprinting thereon, comprises an elongate one-piece body defining an elongate opening and first and second elongate body portions cantilever-supported by the body in the opening and having respective free ends spacedly juxtaposed at a location distal from locations of contiguity of the elongate body portions with the body to define a slot therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Thomas & Betts Corporation
    Inventors: George C. Triantopoulos, Edward A. Fischer, Thomas H. Christensen
  • Patent number: 5860752
    Abstract: The tape printing device of the present invention has the function of automatically setting the length of the front and rear margins according to the width of the tape and the function of printing a square-array dot pattern on a wide region which is wider than the character string. Moreover, the tape printing device of the present invention has the function of feeding the tape, for example, between a print head and a cutter, when instructing to stop printing the character string, without printing characters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1999
    Assignees: King Jim Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Watanabe, Takanobu Kameda, Chieko Aida, Tomoyuki Shimmura, Yoshiya Toyosawa, Hiroyasu Kurashina, Takeshi Hosokawa
  • Patent number: 5852973
    Abstract: A portable, manually actuated mail bar code stamp including a hand-held, portable housing and an adjustable bar code printing assembly situated within the housing. The printing assembly is adapted to allow the printing of indicia on an envelope. The indicia includes a plurality of linear protrusions that are spaced and parallel with respect to each other. The linear protrusions have a first length and a second length thereby representing a coded equivalent of a zip code and routing number for facilitating the delivery of mail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Inventor: Ronald P. Kessler
  • Patent number: 5853254
    Abstract: A tape and/or ink ribbon cartridge releasably insertable into an inserting section of a tape printer has ink ribbon supplying and recovering sections in a casing of the cartridge and an ink ribbon path extending from the ink ribbon supplying section to the ink ribbon recovery section through a printing position. The ink ribbon path has a portion defined by first and a second side walls facing with each other across a constant gap. The first side wall has an opening formed therein. A shutter portion is formed for closing the opening when the upper and lower casing parts are assembled to constitute the casing of the cartridge. One of the side walls which faces to the ink surface of the ink ribbon has a wavy surface. With the opening formed in the side wall, the ink ribbon can easily be inserted in the narrow path between the first and second walls. Since the wavy surface is formed on the side wall, the ink ribbon is prevented from sticking on the side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation, King Jim Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Inakoshi, Hideo Sodeyama
  • Patent number: 5851075
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ink jet printer in which the temperature detecting circuit 8 is arranged between the thermistor 3 mounted on the ink jet head 2 and the flexible cable 7 for transmitting the signal output from the thermistor 3 to the CPU 30, and the analog signal, which is the voltage value corresponding to the temperature of the ink jet head 2, from the thermistor 3 is converted into the pulse signal (digital signal) by the temperature detecting circuit 8, the digital signal being output to the CPU 30 through the flexible cable 7, thereby the drive voltage of the ink jet head 2 is controlled according to the viscosity change of the ink occurring by the temperature change of the ink jet head 2 itself or the circumstance surrounding the ink jet head 2, by detecting the temperature of the ink jet head 2 through the thermistor 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Imai
  • Patent number: 5846008
    Abstract: A sheet alignment device for lining up a sheet being fed to a proper location for printing operation is disclosed. A driving gear is fittingly inserted and mounted on an axial end portion of a pivot on which at least a pair of feeding rollers are integrally formed. A torsion coil knock-up spring is used to link the pivot and the driving gear. When operated, the torsion coil knock-up spring reserves and accumulates torsion moment of the pivot. Upon cease of rotational motion of driving gear, the accumulates torsion moment forces the pivot to continue rotation thereof, allowing a sheet to advance more thereby securing printing operation from failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin-ho Park