Patents Examined by Huyen Le
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Patent number: 9592702Abstract: There is provided a friction body which is adapted to rub a thermochromic image or handwriting formed on a paper surface by use of thermochromic ink to thermally discolor the thermochromic image or handwriting by frictional heat resultant from rubbing, a thermal conductivity of a friction portion of the friction body is set to be within 0.05 W/(m·K) to 50 W/(m·K).Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2008Date of Patent: March 14, 2017Assignees: THE PILOT INK CO., LTD., KABUSHIKI KAISHA PILOT CORPORATIONInventors: Takashi Wase, Michiyuki Yasuda, Yoshiaki Okawara
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Patent number: 9585524Abstract: A wall-entry bathtub includes a basin, a shell defining an entryway to allow access into the basin, and an entry wall movable between a lowered position and a raised position, wherein the entry wall is substantially clear of the entryway in the lowered position and at least partially blocks the entryway in the raised position. The bathtub also includes first and second entry wall position sensors configured to sense the position of the entry wall and a controller in electronic communication with the first and second entry wall position sensors, wherein the controller is configured to control components of the bathtub based at least in part on the position of the entry wall.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2014Date of Patent: March 7, 2017Assignee: KOHLER CO.Inventors: Scott R. Knapp, Santosh R. Narasimhan, Jeffrey F. Tempas, Kenneth A. Lefeber, David P. Ourada, Fred Ogreenc
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Patent number: 9585529Abstract: A toilet training device may include an ornamental support device and an attachment device. The ornamental support device may be adapted to rest upon a floor with a centerline of the ornamental support device aligned with a centerline of a toilet. The ornamental support device may include a footrest adapted to extend away from both sides of a centerline of the ornamental support device. The attachment device may be secured to the ornamental support device and adapted to removably secure to a toilet bowl basin rim.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2016Date of Patent: March 7, 2017Inventors: Frederick Mulford, Elna Mulford
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Patent number: 9579001Abstract: A mobile split-seat assembly having a support frame including a base, a first vertical support extending upwardly from the base and a second vertical support extending upwardly from the base. A first pivoting arm assembly includes a first seat portion and is supported by the first vertical support so that the first seat portion is pivotable in a horizontal plane relative to the support frame. A second pivoting arm assembly includes a second seat portion and is supported by the second vertical support so that the second seat portion is pivotable in a horizontal plane relative to the support frame.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2013Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: MaHa Medical EquipmentInventor: Munir Ahmed
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Patent number: 9580895Abstract: A draining and flushing mechanism comprises a tank body, a first piston, a fixation rod to assemble the first piston, a main energy-storage spring and a drainage valve; the first piston is assembled inside the tank body and divided the tank body into a top tank and a bottom tank; the bottom tank is a water storage room spaced by the first piston and the tank body at the lower portion of the tank body; the main energy-storage spring is attached to the first piston to push the first piston to the bottom tank; an inlet pipe is connected to the bottom tank; wherein the bottom surface of the bottom tank is disposed with an assembly hole, the drainage valve is connected to the assembly hole and assembled to the outer side of the bottom tank, the drainage valve is disposed with at least a drainage hole.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2013Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: XIAMEN AXENT CORPORATION LIMITEDInventor: Feiyu Li
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Patent number: 9572747Abstract: The coupling includes drive and driven hubs. The drive hub is mounted to a rotating element and has a surface presenting away therefrom. In the absence of externalities, a magnetic field is produced wherein, if depicted graphically, concentrations of field lines extend from two or more North pole domains defined in the surface to two or more South pole domains defined in the surface, the domains being spaced apart and encircling the rotation axis in alternating relation. The driven hub is disposed in spaced, frontwardly adjacent relation to the drive hub, is fixed to the rotatable element and is at least substantially constrained against movement but for rotation with the rotatable element. The driven hub includes: a rotor body of a non-magnetic, electrically-conductive material having relatively low magnetic permeability; and a flux ring of material having a relatively high magnetically permeability arranged in spaced relation to the body.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2014Date of Patent: February 21, 2017Assignee: Gulfstream Inc.Inventors: Minh Sang Tran, Chris Alexander
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Patent number: 9562349Abstract: A removable trap for lavatory sinks is provided to enable new technologies to be incorporated into just the water trap portion of the sink trap to maximize the performance of the trap in infection control, while at the same time preserving the trap performance features demanded by major building codes. While a traditional P-trap requires the removal of the entire trap for cleaning or replacement, the removable trap presented in this application allows for easy removal of just the U-bend portion of the trap. The U-bend containing the water is the most vulnerable to attack to cleaning chemicals as well as the most effective locus of innovation in materials and methods employed to reduce infectious bacteria forming biofilms within the lavatory trap.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2015Date of Patent: February 7, 2017Inventor: Christopher Adam McLeod
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Patent number: 9551140Abstract: A dryer component for a bidet includes a drying member (40), a blower component (50) and a pipe component (70). The pipe component (70) includes a first separable part (72) and a second separable part (82) so as to provide fluid connection between the blower component (50) and the drying member (40). There is no hose used in the pipe component (70) and the fitting surface between the first part (72) and the second part (82) is tilted, which allows comparatively great fitting tolerances of members of the dryer.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2012Date of Patent: January 24, 2017Assignee: SHANGHAI KOHLER ELECTRONICS, LTD.Inventors: Qifeng Kuang, Erich D. Slothower
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Patent number: 9546477Abstract: Toilet basket (1) for receiving solid or gelled preparations having at least one container (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) for receiving at least one preparation (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d), the container (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) positionable below the toilet rim so that flushing water can flow over it when the toilet is flushed, and at least one inlet opening (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) and one outlet opening (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d) shaped in the container wall (7) for the flushing water; a holder (2) for mounting the toilet basket (1) on the bowl rim; a flushing water distributing element (8) arranged and configured on the toilet basket (1) so that the flushing water distributing element (8) is impinged upon by flushing water upon flushing, and an equalized delivery of flushing water into the inlet opening (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) of the container (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) is produced.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2012Date of Patent: January 17, 2017Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaAInventors: Ralph Butter-Jentsch, Hans-Georg Muehlhausen
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Patent number: 9532687Abstract: A filtration system for a toilet including a fan assembly having an air flow channel in fluid communication with a toilet bowl, a housing interposing the toilet bowl and the fan assembly to receive a filter unit therein such that the filter unit is in fluid communication with the air flow channel. A controller can selectively activate the fan assembly in response to various signals.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2012Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Inventor: Jimmie L. Sollami
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Patent number: 9526385Abstract: A ridable toilet training device teaches young children to use a toilet. The device includes a frame having a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of lateral walls. Each of the front and rear walls and the pair of lateral walls is attached to and extends between the top and bottom walls. An interior of the frame defines a receptacle. A plurality of wheels is rotatably coupled to the bottom wall. The plurality of wheels includes a front wheel assembly positioned near the front wall and a rear wheel assembly positioned near the rear wall. A hole is positioned in the top wall and extends around the receptacle. A bowl is positionable in the receptacle. The bowl has a lower wall and a perimeter wall coupled to and extending upwardly from the lower wall wherein the bowl receives waste products therein.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2014Date of Patent: December 27, 2016Inventor: Lorna-Mae Davis
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Patent number: 9518383Abstract: A drain stopper assembly for a bathtub having a drain aperture, and a method for using the assembly. A guide rod may be slid within a guide slide, allowing a gasket to be sealed or unsealed against the drain aperture. Magnets or, alternatively, a spring-loaded mechanism, may be used to facilitate sealing/unsealing of the gasket. A filter may be mounted within the drain aperture, and be removably or permanently attached to the assembly.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2014Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Inventor: John Lesmeister
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Patent number: 9516976Abstract: A sanitary facility including a washstand of ceramic or porcelain and a piece of support furniture, which carries the washstand and has two side walls and a front wall, on the upper end surfaces of which the edges of the washstand rests. The front and side end surfaces of the washstand are processed in such a way that they are flush with the outside surfaces of the side walls and of the front wall. Veneer, covering the outside surfaces, is applied to the end surfaces of the washstand by an adhesive bond and extends up to the right-angled upper corner of the washstand.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2014Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Assignee: DURAVIT AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Thomas Stammel, Erich Fuhrer, Ulrich Weber
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Patent number: 9518400Abstract: A device and method is provided for removing water that has accumulated on a swimming pool cover in the form of a directed stream or spray from a swimming pool cover pump having an integral water ejection spout. The water ejection spout has tubing extending from the pump housing, and a nozzle coupled to the tubing for expelling the pumped water. The water ejection spout is configured to discharge the pumped water in a directed stream or spray upwardly, outwardly and away from the swimming pool cover pump and thus the swimming pool cover. In one form, the swimming pool cover pump with integral water ejection spout includes another water outlet configured to receive a garden hose. Piping and a valve allows user selection of the desired water outlet—namely, either the water ejection spout or the garden hose water outlet.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2014Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Inventor: Joseph T. Acklin
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Patent number: 9518384Abstract: A flush toilet includes: a bowl portion having a waste-receiving surface, a rim and a recess; a rim spout portion configured to spout flush water to form a swirl flow which swirlingly flows along the inner peripheral surface; a drainage conduit having an inlet connecting with the recess to discharge waste therethrough, wherein the waste-receiving surface of the bowl portion is composed of a left waste-receiving sub-surface and a right waste-receiving sub-surface defined, respectively, on both sided of a center line with respect to a lateral direction of the bowl portion, the left waste-receiving sub-surface and the right waste-receiving sub-surface are formed, respectively, in different shapes in a front region of the bowl portion so as to allow flush water spouted from the rim spout portion to form a major stream which flows from a front end of the bowl portion into the recess.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2015Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Shu Kashirajima, Tomohiro Hirakawa, Masaki Kitamura, Yuki Shinohara, Yuki Shimokawa
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Patent number: 9512965Abstract: A device and method is provided for removing water that has accumulated on a swimming pool cover in the form of a directed stream or spray from a typical pool cover pump through a water ejection spout. The water ejection spout has a connector adapted to couple to an outflow connector of the pool cover pump, tubing extending from the connector, and a nozzle coupled to the tubing for expelling the pumped water. The water ejection spout is configured to discharge the pumped water in a directed stream or spray upwardly and outwardly from the pool cover pump. The tubing and nozzle may be configured to additionally discharge the pumped water in a directed stream or spray away from the pool pump, or another in a directed stream or spray over the pool pump. One form is configured to inhibit rotation and/or tipping of the pump/spout assembly.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2013Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Inventor: Joseph T. Acklin
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Patent number: 9506261Abstract: A device for covering a pool, for example a swimming pool, has an upper component composed of a closed cell polymeric foam and a lower component composed of an open cell polymeric foam. The device can have, or can acquire in use, a convex upper surface which reduces the danger that it will be blown off the pool by wind.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2014Date of Patent: November 29, 2016Inventor: John F. Krumme
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Patent number: 9498089Abstract: Disclosed is a sustainable shower apparatus (1) comprising: (i) a pressurizable container (2) to hold water (3) and a gas; (ii) a pressurizer (4) for pressurizing said container; (iii) a shower head (7); (iv) a first tubing for carrying pressurized water from the container to the shower head; (v) a second tubing (8) for carrying pressurized gas from the container to the shower head; where flow of said gas or water is individually controllable by use of respective valves (6, 9) and where each tubing terminates into a respective nozzle (10, 11) in said shower head which comprises a nozzle for spraying said gas and adjacent thereto, at least one nozzle for spraying the water, wherein tip of each nozzle for spraying water is oriented at an acute angle with the tip of nozzle for spraying gas.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2013Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: Conopco, Inc.Inventors: Venkatesh Shankar, Shailendra Pratap, Rajeesh Kumar Ramachandran, Nimish Harshadrai Shah
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Patent number: 9498405Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for tempering the temperature of a liquid in a fluid conducting system. More particularly, some embodiments of the invention relates to tempering the temperature of water supplied to a fixture from a water heater in a fluid conducting system. The system can include a heater for heating the fluid and a diffuser for slowing the rate at which water provided to a decontamination fixture is heated.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2013Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: Magarl, LLCInventors: Robert Eveleigh, Gary Cook
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Patent number: 9499966Abstract: This invention pertains to an internally exhausted toilet bowl which employs basic principles of fluid flow to provide reliable, more efficient, and more effective removal of noxious toilet odors while reducing energy consumption when compared to current art. This is accomplished during all conditions of normal operation. In case of toilet overflow or condensate buildup, the impact on the vent exhaust path from these upset conditions can be resolved easily, and normal operation can be restored without damage to any components. Additionally, this invention includes maintenance features that would provide means for back flushing the annulus vent line and orifices if clogging ever were to occur.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2014Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Inventor: Wayne Darnell