Patents Examined by Harry A. Grosso
  • Patent number: 8453872
    Abstract: An apparatus for facilitating manual movement of a trash container having an upwardly opening container component with a pair of handles, a set of wheels, and a lid, includes an elongated apparatus or “tool” for the user to attach to the handles. A mid section of the tool engages the handles, an upwardly extending upper section provides a lever arm for the user to grasp, and a downwardly extending lower section contacts the container component in opposition to pivotal movement of the object about the handle axis. Preferably, a lid-restraining section is included that restrains pivotal movement of the lid about its hinges when the trash container is tilted on the wheels and moved. One embodiment includes pivotable hooks that facilitate hook engagement of the trash container handles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Inventor: James Ivan Holmes
  • Patent number: 8453868
    Abstract: A gas cylinder (1) internally defining a gas storage space (2) able to be closed by a stop valve (3) comprises a rigid wall (4) made from composite material having a reinforcing layer (5) containing reinforcing fibres and an inner surface (6) and a flexible sealing wall (13) connected to the rigid wall (4) through a mouth (9) and suitable for adhering in pressing contact against the inner surface (6) of the rigid wall (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Faber Industrie S.p.A.
    Inventor: Gian Luigi Cola
  • Patent number: 8448801
    Abstract: A spin lock container comprising a container member having a bottom, an upper annular rim and a substantially continuous side wall extending from the bottom and terminating at the rim, the bottom and side wall defining a first member cavity, the rim including a first member skirt having a plurality of first threads, the plurality of first threads having substantially equidistant engagement points; and a closure member having a peripheral sealing portion and an inner sealing portion, the peripheral sealing portion including a sealing liner and a skirt having a plurality of second threads adapted and positioned to cooperate with the first threads, wherein sealable engagement of the container member and closure member is effectuated when the first and second threads are fully aligned and the inner sealing member is adapted to sealingly engage an inner container member, the inner container member fitting inside the outer container member when the peripheral sealing member is engaged with the outer container membe
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: The Glad Products Company
    Inventors: John E. Rusnak, Lawrence John Racana, Richard Miller, Edward B. Tucker
  • Patent number: 8448805
    Abstract: A container includes a base wall and a pair of opposed side walls extending upward from side edges of the base wall. A first end wall and a second end wall extend upward from end edges of the base wall. A lid is hingeably connected to each of the side walls. A first protrusion protrudes from an upper edge of the first end wall for hooking onto a bag in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
    Inventors: Jon P. Hassell, Cynthia R. Meissen
  • Patent number: 8448806
    Abstract: A crate according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a base, a pair of opposed side walls extending upward from the sides of the base and a pair of end walls extending upward from ends of the base. The end walls each include a pair of spaced apart end columns each having a side flange partially defining a bottle receiving pocket and a lower rib projecting upwardly from the base between the side flanges. A handle extends across the pair of spaced apart columns at each end wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
    Inventor: Jon P. Hassell
  • Patent number: 8443996
    Abstract: A hanging condiment container holder is provided including a clip portion for removably attaching the holder to an upper portion of a food package, a loop portion for receiving a condiment container, and an extension wall extending between the clip portion and the loop portion. The clip portion may be contoured to the shape of the upper edge or lip of a food package such as a cup. Various clip portions may be employed for removably attaching the hanging condiment container holder to a food package such as a cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: CPC Properties, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Ciarrocchi, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8439222
    Abstract: A container, such as a beverage or food can is provided, which includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a bottom portion extending between the first and second sidewalls. The material of the bottom portion is stretched relative to the first sidewall and the second sidewall to form a thinned preselected profile, such as a dome. The material of the container at or about the dome has a substantially uniform thickness. The container is formed from a blank of material, which has a base gauge prior to being formed. After being formed, the material of the container at or about the dome has a thickness less than the base gauge. Tooling and a method for selectively forming a blank of material into a container, are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Stolle Machinery Company, LLC
    Inventors: James A. McClung, Paul L. Ripple, David Groetsch
  • Patent number: 8439215
    Abstract: Foldable container including a base having a first base portion and an opposing second base portion. The base has a base surface free of hinge lines between the first base portion and the second base portion. A sidewall surrounds at least a portion of the base and extends generally upward from the base with a non-uniform height to define a compartment. A rim having a first rim portion and an opposing second rim portion is disposed proximate the top edge of the sidewall. At least one transition region is formed in the sidewall to allow the first base portion to pivot between an open position and a closed position. When in the open position, the container defines a plate. When in the closed position, the first base portion defines at least a portion of a cover relative to the second base portion. A packaged product is also provided, including a foldable container and a cover member removably attached to the rim of the foldable container in the open position to contain a product therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Pactiv LLC
    Inventors: Mark R. Gartz, Jeff Hautzinger, James N. Gomoll, Craig E. Cappel
  • Patent number: 8434632
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide stackable meal trays for use in transporting and heating meal casseroles in an induction oven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: MAG Aerospace Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Aziz Boubeddi, Paul Merrill
  • Patent number: 8430266
    Abstract: A package for containing a viscous substance in a transport configuration and for dispensing the viscous substance in a dispensing configuration is disclosed. The package includes first and second sheets disposed in opposing relation that are sealed together around a perimeter. The package has a compartment that defines a space for holding the viscous substance. The package further includes an integral tube having a first end in fluid communication with the compartment, and a second end that is closed in the transport configuration. The second end can be opened such that the viscous substance contained in the package can flow from the container, through the integral tube, and exit the package via the opening. The second end of the integral tube is positionable independent of the compartment for depositing the substance at multiple, spaced apart target locations without moving the compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Barton Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Lewis Barton
  • Patent number: 8424702
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pallet container for storage and transportation of liquids, comprising a liquid container (12), a cage (13) that encloses the container and a pallet (14) with said cage mounted thereto, the cage (13) comprising a plurality of vertical (19) and horizontal (18) tubular bars connected together by welded joints formed at respective intersections (20) between the bars. At least some of said bars (19) comprise indents (22), which are at a distance from said intersections (20) that is substantially equal to or longer than the width of the bars (19, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Daviplast-Servicos de Consultoria Sociedade Unipessoal Lda.
    Inventor: Virginio Cassina
  • Patent number: 8424707
    Abstract: A liquid storage tank assembly includes a baffle member and a tank assembly. The baffle member includes a generally helical or spiral shaped portion. The baffle member defines a spiral flow path between inlet and outlet openings of the tank assembly. When the baffle member is positioned within the tank and the tank assembly holds a volume of a first liquid, input of a supply of a second liquid at the inlet to the tank assembly forces the first liquid along the spiral flow path and out of the tank assembly exit without substantial mixing of the first and second liquids before substantially all of the first liquid has been dispensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Laurence W. Bassett, Nathan E. Marks
  • Patent number: 8424710
    Abstract: A crate includes a bottom, two end walls, and two side walls. At least one of the end and side walls comprises an inlet having a dimension allowing to introduce a predefined amount of cooling liquid into the interior of the crate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: IFCO Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Orgeldinger
  • Patent number: 8424701
    Abstract: The invention encompasses packaging and cooling methods and systems designed to improve cooling efficiencies, reduce damage to the contents of containers, and increase product packing density. A system of the present invention incorporates baskets loaded into trays and trays loaded in preferred configurations on a pallet. The trays are loaded with baskets arranged in the tray so that ventilation slots and/or channels of the baskets are aligned with tray ventilation openings. Nine (9) trays are loaded onto a standard pallet in a 3 by 3 configuration. Additionally, the trays are arranged so that the tray ventilation openings are in alignment with ventilation openings of other trays of the same layer. This 3 by 3 layer of trays comprises a so-called “nine-down” configuration. As will be discussed below, his configuration has some surprising cooling advantageous standard packaging configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sambrailo Packaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Sambrailo, Anthony M. Cadiente, Mark Sambrailo
  • Patent number: 8424698
    Abstract: The case includes a case main body, a cove mounted at the case main body, and lock members fixing the case main body and the cover by supporting one end of the lock member rotatably at the cover and hooking the other end of the lock member at a lock portion provided at the case main body. The lock members are arranged between one ends of the case main body and the cover and between the other ends of the case main body and the cover. A fat surface portion, on which an edge of the cover is overlapped, and a recess formed by cutting a part from the flat surface portion so as to make a gap between the edge and the case main body when the case main body and the cover are fixed by the lock members are provided at the case main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventor: Sunsoku I
  • Patent number: 8418867
    Abstract: Disclosed is a casing structure by which stiffness of a casing of a container refrigeration unit for cooling the interior of a container can be increased without affecting the arrangement, shape, and maintainability of devices accommodated in the casing. A container interior side of the external casing (12) which constitutes the casing (11) is provided with flanges (34) which extend vertically and which are located at both end portions of the external casing (12) along a dimension of the container width. Each of the flanges (34) has a rectangular cylindrical portion (34a) extending vertically along the external casing (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Ikemiya, Takayuki Uo, Keiji Tomioka, Shouzou Kameyama
  • Patent number: 8413841
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed and pertain to a lid for use with a container having a rim and an opening where volatile esters from an aromatic compound are dispersing into the environment and for enhancing the identification of the volatile esters. The lid is comprised of a generally planar laterally stabilized gas restrictive material for decreasing the dispersion rate of the volatile esters, resulting in increased concentration of the volatile esters within the container and enhancing the identification of the volatile esters emitted from the aromatic compound. The lid includes a surface for coupling to the rim in a manner that laterally stabilizes the lid so that it remains sufficiently fixed to the rim during agitation of the container. The surface also permits the lid to be removed from the rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventor: Randy Mark Cunningham
  • Patent number: 8408417
    Abstract: A tank, comprising a storage space enclosed by a substantially fluid-tight tank wall, wherein the tank wall comprises a curing material for causing transition from a first flexible state to a second substantially form-retaining stage, wherein the tank wall is provided with a preformed opening for substantially fluid-tight co-action with a preformed valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Roland Gerardus Hubertus Josephus Vercoelen
    Inventors: Henk Emiel Cornelia Crone, Floris Jan Robert Koumans
  • Patent number: 8397931
    Abstract: A cosmetic, medical/pharmaceutical, toy container consisting of a sealable element that may be connected to other package elements to form an assembly of cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical, toy packages. The container permits the combination and substitution of package elements within the assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the package elements may be oriented in either direction within the assembly, irrespective of the location or orientation of adjacent elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Inventor: Barbie Palmer
  • Patent number: 8397930
    Abstract: The present invention is an assembly for transporting, storing, and delivering a fuel such that a compromise to the containment of the fuel is readily recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: GHT Global Heating Technologies, GmbH
    Inventors: Giampaolo Vacca, Jeffrey Poston, Rongjau Lin