Patents Examined by George F. Lowrance
  • Patent number: 4989741
    Abstract: A fluid handling system includes chemical handling tanks which are relatively stable and difficult to tip over, are farmer hoistable in that such can be lifted with flexible hoisting line securely received around the tanks, and are readily stackable for storage thereof. Each tank includes a generally hollow body portion and a supporting portion integral with the body portion. The supporting portion includes a base and a tip-over-preventing portion for preventing the tank from tipping over when the tank is tilted laterally about the base. The supporting portion also includes grooves extending therein which flexible hoisting lines can be securely received for allowing the tanks to be transported. The supporting portion is also designed to accommodate the fork of a forklift. The tanks are also stackable and are nested via ribs projecting from the top portion of tanks and grooves defined at the underside of the tanks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: Ciba-Geigy Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence C. Dull, Patrick T. Jackson
  • Patent number: 4986432
    Abstract: A baking-tin to cook and distribute cakes and food-stuffs in general comprises a laminar support (2) made of paper material provided with a plurality of through holes (3) each of them housing a small pleated-paper cup (4). The support (2) is provided with a number of fracture lines (5) defining a plurality of support portions (6) thereon each circumscribed to at least a small cup 4), as well as a series of shaped holes (7) which are cut each at the crossing of two fracture lines (5). On the outer edges of the baking-tin (1) where the edge itself intersects the fracture lines, provision is made for a plurality of engagement seats (8) enabling the baking-tin to be engaged by grasping elements carried by the automated transport means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1991
    Assignee: Novacart S.p.A.
    Inventor: Gianmario Anghileri
  • Patent number: 4982844
    Abstract: A bakery basket includes a bottom, opposed side walls and a back wall joined together to form an upwardly open basket body. The side walls include a plurality of vertical support towers which are formed of an outwardly directed projection which defines a hollow opening on the interior of the basket. A slidable bail is positioned within the side walls on a horizontal support ledge therein. Each slidable bail includes one or more support lugs, such as an upper support lug and a lower support lug, and open areas adjacent each hollow opening in the side walls. Slidable bails are moveable in a variety of positions, including positioning the open areas aligned with the hollow openings, positioning the lower support lugs aligned with the hollow openings and positioning the upper support lugs aligned with the hollow openings. In this manner, the baskets may be stacked at one or more height levels and may also be nested together, depending on the position of the slidable bails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Assignee: MP Acquisition Corp.
    Inventors: Michael K. Madan, Vinod Malhotra, William Loh
  • Patent number: 4960207
    Abstract: A unitary molded plastic bakery tray, with the end walls higher than the side walls to provide a 90 degree cross-nesting, and the end walls having interengaging feet and rails to provide for 180 degree oriented high stacking and like oriented low stacking. The bottom is either a flat planar surface with chamfered bottom edges or is raised so that the tray is provided with corner structure having chamfered bottom edges. Blind stacking structure is provided by an additional outer rail on each end wall and additional outer feet on each end wall for engaging the outer rail. Alternatively, blind stacking is provided by structure along each end wall having large feet and cooperating large recesses coplanar with inner small feet and cooperating inner recesses such that the large feet can span and smoothly slide over the small recesses during blind stacking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1990
    Assignees: Buckhorn, Inc., EKCO/GLACO, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles P. Tabler, Eric D. Stein
  • Patent number: 4838445
    Abstract: A container such as a tackle box including a plurality of spaced apart partitions defining a plurality of cavities, the faces of the partitions having a plurality of uniformly spaced, generally parallel ribs perpendicular to the container bottom, and divider members extending between the partitions and dividing the cavities, the opposite ends of the divider members having projecting flanges extending in generally opposite directions and having faces adapted to engage the surfaces of the partitions, and the faces having a plurality of uniformly spaced, generally parallel ribs adapted to engage and nest between ribs of the partitions the flanges are each resiliently flexible and each is resiliently biased into engagement with the partitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Assignee: Flambeau Corporation
    Inventor: Charles A. Lanius
  • Patent number: 4732291
    Abstract: An assembly is disclosed for storing baby bottle nipples, collars, cap rings and pacifiers to facilitate cleansing in an automatic dishwasher or the like. The assembly comprises a first storage area for holding baby bottle collars, cap rings and pacifiers and a second storage area for holding nipples. The first storage area is formed of a plurality of sections of wire frame material forming side walls, end walls, a bottom portion and a retractable upper lid. The nipple storage area is defined by a lower lid extending between the end walls beneath the bottom portion. The bottom portion is formed of wire segments spaced to receive and frictionally engage the nipples between adjacent segments. The nipples may be urged into engagement with the bottom portion by closing the lower lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1988
    Inventor: Thomas E. McConnell
  • Patent number: 4619366
    Abstract: A two-level stacking container is formed with a square bottom, a pair of first like sidewalls projecting upwardly from two opposed sides of the bottom and a pair of like second sidewalls projecting upwardly from the two remaining sides of the bottom. The first and second sidewalls are formed with a stacking web having top and bottom edges each having vertically spaced alternating upper and lower edge sections so arranged that when two containers are stacked first walls on first walls and second walls on second walls, the containers are in a high level stacked relationship; and when stacked first walls on second walls and second walls on first walls, the containers are in a low stacked relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Pinckney Molded Plastics, Inc.
    Inventor: Elsmer W. Kreeger
  • Patent number: 4553681
    Abstract: Fuel tank for a motor vehicle, the lower wall of which possesses, on its periphery, bosses 3 which permit the engagement of the curved head 4 of the suspension hooks 5 used for fixing the said tank, and, if appropriate, possesses vertical grooves 9 in its side wall 8, which trap the straight part 6 of the suspension hooks 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1985
    Assignee: Societe de Transformation des Matieres Plastiques
    Inventor: Jean Heaume
  • Patent number: 4548323
    Abstract: A mailing container is disclosed which is preferably made of corrugated paperboard. The container is formed from a folded paperboard blank which is pre-cut and scored. The container provides a compact strong receptacle for articles to be transported through the mail so as to supply additional protection for such articles not possible with the use of conventional mailing envelopes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1985
    Assignee: Champion International Corporation
    Inventor: Vernon C. Rekow
  • Patent number: 4529088
    Abstract: This invention discloses an improved container designed for shipping and storing fresh produce, particularly strawberries. The container includes a substantially rectangular basket-support tray in which a plurality of receptacles are formed to receive baskets therein. A peripheral frame member is fixedly secured to the basket-support tray and is positioned thereon to further define an interlocking arrangement between superposed containers so as to stabilize a group of containers when vertically stacked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1985
    Inventor: Paul Quong
  • Patent number: 4524867
    Abstract: Case for accommodating written material for presentation includes a clear box formed of transparent plastic having walls and an interior, and receptacles for written material being disposed in the interior of the box allowing the written material to be read through the walls of the box, the receptacles being adapted to the format of the written material for preventing sliding of the written material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1985
    Assignee: Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hans-Jorg Klein, Herbert Bohmer
  • Patent number: 4485919
    Abstract: A sterilizable support tray for medical instruments is disclosed comprising a block of sterilizable reticulated foam material having multiple parallel longitudinally-extending and laterally-extending slices which penetrate partially through the thickness of the foam block. In addition to a verticle component, at least one of the slices includes a horizontal component for defining a plane and creating a reduced cross-section partable web attaching multiple finger portions created by said slices to an unsliced base portion. The partable webs define a location and plane at which individual finger portions may be torn away from the base portion to define custom-shaped channels within which medical instruments may be positioned, stored, sterilized, and accounted for.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1984
    Inventor: Dan Sandel
  • Patent number: 4412628
    Abstract: A drum apparatus includes an injection-molded or extruded rim member formed into a ring shape and permanently attached to a blow-molded thermoplastic drum body around the top portion of the drum adjacent to the sidewall section of the drum body. The rim member includes an inwardly, radially projecting annular protuberance which is juxtaposed adjacent an annular groove in the drum just below the top of the drum. The rim member is attached to the drum while the rim member is at an elevated temperature by positioning the rim around the drum. As the temperature of the rim member decreases, the diameter of the rim member decreases causing the annular protuberance to seat into the drum's annular groove. The rim member also has a grasping beak which provides an outwardly extending support lip, a top edge providing a stacking ridge which is positioned vertically over the sidewall of the drum, and an annular seizing surface facing radially inwardly. A short chain hoist groove is formed in the bottom of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1983
    Assignee: Born Free Plastics, Inc.
    Inventor: Floyd A. Whitney