Patents Examined by Frederick Nicolas
  • Patent number: 6378735
    Abstract: A container assembly includes a container with a first cap mounted to the opening of the container and the first cap has a first aperture and a protrusion. A second cap is rotatably mounted to the first cap and has a slot for the protrusion being movably received therein. A second aperture is defined through the second cap and can be moved to communicate with the first aperture. A tube has a first open end rotatably engaged with the second aperture and an end member is rotatably connected to a second open end of tie tube. The contents in the container can be poured into the end member at desired quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Inventor: Lien-Fang Chu
  • Box
    Patent number: 6378733
    Abstract: A box is erected from a blank and has a rectangular bottom, four sides and a rectangular top. The top is formed by four flaps, each extending foldably from an upper edge of one of the sides. These flaps overlap and interlock with one another. The flaps are additionally provided with finger-grip openings dimensioned to receive fingers of a person carrying the box. The arrangement of the openings is such that when the box is carried by fingers received in the openings provided in the opposing flaps, the interlock between the flaps prevents the flaps from parting from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Fleurfontein Mountain Estates (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventor: Graham Harry Boonzaier
  • Patent number: 6367666
    Abstract: An ink container includes a casing and an ink reservoir. An air bag is set within the ink reservoir for pressure modulation, an air vent enabling air to enter or exit the air bag. The ink reservoir further includes a fixed piece, a helical spring and a restraining plate. The fixed piece has a first fixed surface fixed inside the casing and a second fixed surface. The helical spring has a first end connected to the second fixed surface and a second end. The restraining plate has a first surface connected to the second end of the helical spring and a second surface pressing on the air bag to clamp the air bag between the second surface of the restraining plate and the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: International United Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: I-Chung Hou, Cheng-Wei Hsu, Yuan-Liang Lan
  • Patent number: 6367660
    Abstract: A safety device for a double valve arrangement for beer keg comprises a housing and a down pipe. A liquid valve and a gas valve are formed in the housing. A locking member is disposed between the down pipe and the housing, with two flaps protruding out of the housing to prevent the propping out of the valve arrangement from the beer keg when it is not intended. An inward bending connected to the locking member is in contact with a lower portion of the down pipe. When a special tap is engaged to push down a valve ring and the down pipe, the direction of the inward bending changes outwardly, which results in a changed position of the locking member, retrieving the flaps to the inside of the housing, making it possible to detach the double valve arrangement out of the beer keg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Inventor: Kung-chien Chang
  • Patent number: 6354467
    Abstract: An opening and closing device for a package containing a pourable product. The device is affixed to the package at the top end of the package and includes a ring affixed to the surface of the package. The ring encompasses an intended pouring opening which is prescored. A combination of a rupture element and a lever arm are hingedly mounted within the ring in position for activation of the rupture element through the lever arm, to rotate the distal end of the rupture element against the prescored region and to partly tear away a tab of the package. Further rotation of the rupture element carries the tab into the interior of the package. Provision is made for retention of the rupture element and tab within the interior of the package out of the flow path of contents being poured from the package through the opening formed by removal of the tab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: International Paper Company
    Inventor: Michael S. Mabee
  • Patent number: 6338425
    Abstract: A dispensing closure for a product container including a base positioned on the container and a cap operable on the base between a closed and an open position. The base includes an upstanding plug engageable within an aperture formed in a top platform of the cap to seal the aperture when the cap is moved to closed position on the base. An annular generally U-shaped sealing flange is formed on the aperture and depends below the top platform of the cap. The flange moves into compression engagement with the plug when the cap is in its closed position so as to seal the contents of the container and prevent product and/or carbonated gas leakage therefrom until the cap is moved to open position. Also disclosed is an overcap positioned over the cap. The internal configuration of the overcap is in substantial conformity with the external configuration of the cap so that the cap can be moved to its opened and/or closed positions by movement of the overcap and without touching the external surface of the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Courtesy Corporation
    Inventors: Gary Berge, Thomas C. Stoneberg
  • Patent number: 6332564
    Abstract: A liquid container comprises a bag-shaped container body formed of a flexible film and a delivery unit having a mouth portion, a joining portion and a shank portion, the joining portion being secured to an opened end portion of the bag-shaped container body, the mouth portion extending outward of the bag-shaped container body from the joining portion and the shank portion extending inside the bag-shaped container body from the joining portion. The joining portion and the shank portion of the delivery unit are connected to be relatively rotatable with each other by an engaging member such as pin-and-hole connection or other flexible member such as bellows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Hosokawa Yoko Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tooru Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 6318600
    Abstract: A dispenser for dispensing shaving cream or other aerosol dispensed products from cans having different heights and diameters. The device can be easily mounted on a wall or retained on a counter for easy dispensing of the can's contents through the use of only one finger. The device provides a simple mechanical dispensing member which can accommodate cans of a given diameter and different heights and can also accommodate cans having a shorter height and wider diameter, and which is configured so that each specific can is brought into alignment so that its dispensing nozzle is aligned with the dispensing peg on the transverse handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Inventors: Harold G. Winnett, Bernard Ilan Urfig
  • Patent number: 6318604
    Abstract: A spout (10) for mounting on a liquid container (12) to provide controlled dispensing of liquid therefrom includes a manual control for stopping the flow of liquid through a pouring tube (22) and an automatic control to prevent spills due to overfilling. Manual control over the amount of liquid flowing through the pouring opening of the spout (10) is provided by a preferably tubular rod (26) having a stop (28) mounted at one end and a push button actuator (34) at the other end of the rod (26). The spout (10) includes a body (24) with the pouring tube (22) extending from one side and the push button (34) for opening the stop (28) to dispense liquid on the other side of the body. The automatic control is provided through a vent tube (30) which extends through a port in the pouring tube (22) and is connected to the tubular rod (26) which is provided with at least one hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: No-Spill Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Marvin Messner
  • Patent number: 6311876
    Abstract: A grease atomizing nozzle comprises a jet tube with a concave ring shaped depression at a middle section thereof. Two tapered holes with large openings facing outwards are formed at the ring. A jet opening penetrates through a top side of the jet tube. A lower end of the opening is perpendicular to the tapered holes. A lower end of the jet tube is formed with a tapered surface which applies a pressure to a resilient spring tberebelow. A seat below the jet tube is a cylindrical body with a cavity formed therein. A plurality of concave trenches radially spaced are formed in the cavity. These trenches are perpendicular to an inner surface of the cavity; and a gas inlet being formed at an upper side of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Inventor: Hung-Yang Liu
  • Patent number: 6290106
    Abstract: A grease dispensing gun includes a handle having a trigger device and a fitting respectively connected thereto. A connection member is connected to a top end of the handle and a first end of a barrel is rotatably engaged with an inner periphery of the connection member. A container is connected to the nozzle member. The first end of the barrel has a flange extending radially inward therefrom and a board is securely engaged with the flange. A bolt extends through the connection member and is engaged with the board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Inventor: Wen I Kuo
  • Patent number: 6269984
    Abstract: Internal, liquid flow passages in a dispensing stopper which might accumulate residue from the liquid being dispensed are eliminated in a structure including a stopper base (24) adapted to be mounted on the mouth (12) of a bottle (10). A seal (64) is mounted on the base (24) and includes a fixed section (66) affixed to the base (24), a movable gasket section (38) movable toward and away from the stopper base (24) and away and toward a sealing surface (16) on a bottle (10) on which the base (24) is mounted, and an integral, thin web (76) of resilient material peripherally interconnecting and sealing the fixed section (66) and the movable gasket section (38). An actuator attachment section (52) is affixed to the movable gasket section (38) and a lever (36) is pivoted to the base (24) and to the actuator attachment section (52) at spaced locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: The Thermos Company
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Murakami