Patents Examined by James M. Gardner
  • Patent number: 5080441
    Abstract: An airline safety seat is provided having a lap bolster for use adjacent a minor, such as a child. A retractor system consisting of two tension straps are connected to a male buckle adapter so that they may be pulled at the same rate as they pass over the head of a user and then buckled between the legs of the user. The tension straps are designed so that they may be fully extended without tension pull to engage a snapping pull so that they may retract and encompass a user thereof. These tension straps are connected to inertial rollers or reels mounted inside the lap bolster. The rollers or reels are suitably mounted. A buckle system is retracted into the lap bolster by the two inertial rollers or wheels. A male adapter system is pulled over the user's head and down the back to be buckled between the legs of the user to meet a female attachment. The female attachment extends approximately one inch out of the lap bolster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Inventors: Jennifer L. Stevenson, Claudia C. Orjuela
  • Patent number: 5080440
    Abstract: A vehicle seat is provided with a seat belt winding retractor, in which the seat belt retractor is secured through a fixed bracket to the side section rear end side of a seat cushion. A wire guide is attached to the fixed bracket to guide a seat belt in a flattened state to the entrance of the seat belt winding retractor. The guide allows for the winding and unwinding of the belt by preventing bending and twisting of the seat belt, especially when a front seat back is folded forward to allow entry to the rear seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Company Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji Tagawa
  • Patent number: 5077922
    Abstract: An endless loop transport system including objects suspended from an endless loop which is installed on a series of idler pulleys and a motor driven pulley which propels the loop and the suspended objects. The idler pulleys each includes a bracket which extends in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis about which the idler pulley rotates. The pulleys are free to tilt to compensate for changes in the loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Inventor: Elmo E. Miller
  • Patent number: 5076646
    Abstract: A one-piece molded seating shell for use in the construction of a chair. The shell is molded from composite polymeric materials, and comprises a seating portion and a back support portion interconnected therewith by a single, central, narrow intermediate integrally formed joint. At least the joint is provided with reinforcing fibers extending therein and permits the back support portion to flex rearwardly of its normal plane and in torsion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Inventor: Denis Matte
  • Patent number: 5072534
    Abstract: A sign for alternately exhibiting two different displays. The sign comprises a display face, a pair of belts which carry the display material and two rollers which are mounted to a carriage for travel back and forth across the sign face. The belts are secured at one end to opposite sides of the sign face and at the other end wind around respective rollers. In operation the belts wind onto or off their respective rollers as the carriage travels back and forth on a rail across the sign to sequentially exhibit for view or conceal the display material on each belt. The drive mechanism for the carriage comprises an endless cable or belt running between pulleys at each end of the rail and attaching to a slide mechanism on the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1991
    Inventor: John Kodet
  • Patent number: 5069503
    Abstract: A chair which is usable as an ordinary seat, as a stadium seat, or as a beach seat comprises a generally quadralateral seat element having rigid side membes. A back support is pivotally secured to a rear end of the seat element to permit the back element to be moved from a collapsed position overlying the top of the seat to a support position extending upwardly in an inclined direction relative to the seat. A pair of arm elements are pivotally secured to the side frames of the seat and are pivotally movable between a position overlying the top of the seat and an upstanding position wherein the arm rests are disposed vertically above each side of the seat. Leg frames are provided having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration with the bight portion of the U-shape pivotally secured respectively to the side frames of the seat. The leg frames are pivotally movable from a position underlying the bottom portion of the seat to a position depending generally vertically downwardly from the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Inventor: Juan J. Martinez
  • Patent number: 5069496
    Abstract: A chair wherein the leg contains a gas spring which can be actuated to raise or lower a carrier for the seat and back rest. The seat is rigid wtih the carrier but the back rest is pivotally connected with the seat by hinge which contains a torque bar tending to pivot the back rest forwardly. Such pivoting of the back rest is normally prevented by a damper which operates between the carrier and a support at the lower end of the back rest and can be blocked to maintain the back rest in a selected angular position. The damper can be unblocked by a first mechanism at one side of and beneath the seat, and the gas spring can be activated by a mechanism beneath the other side of the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Inventors: Gunther Kunh, Ullrich Kuhn
  • Patent number: 5067773
    Abstract: A foam seat cushion and rigid pan assembly permitting high production assembly techniques. The cushion cover includes a flap which is tucked under a retainer. The retainer includes a plurality of lances which pierce the cover flap and enter holes formed in the pan to preliminarily position the tensioned cover flap prior to the installation of permanent fasteners connecting the retainer to the pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignee: Michigan Seat Company
    Inventor: Chi H. Koa
  • Patent number: 5067770
    Abstract: A sun shield for a childs car seat is provided and consists of a single flat piece of pre-cut firm bendable material having a roof segment, a pair of side visor segments, a pair of support flap segments and a back segment, with a cut out gap area between each support flap segment and the back segment. A plurality of machine-made fold lines, each located between all the segments and adhesive for securing the support flap segments to the rear surface of the back segment when the bendable material is folded up along all the fold lines to form said sun shield. The back segment can be adjustably placed between the backrest of the car seat and a seat back of a rear seat of an automobile with the roof segment extending over the head of the child to protect the head from rays of the sun entering through the windows of the automobile and not obstruct the rear view mirror for the driver of the automobile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Inventor: Edwin Hassell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5061011
    Abstract: A chaise lounge including a chair having a back, a seat generally perpendicular to the back, and front and rear leg assemblies at opposite ends of the seat, each of said front and rear leg assemblies having two upstanding spaced apart portions. A lounge member including a rectangular frame member having two parallel spaced-apart and longitudinally extending elongated members and a stabilizing rod connected between each one of the parallel spaced-apart and longitudinally extending elongated members and the associated one of the front leg portions for stabilizing the chair and the lounge member when connected each of said stabilizing rods being pivotally connected at one end to the associated one of said parallel spaced-apart and longitudinally extending members and connected at an opposite end to the associated one of said front leg portions with a hook portion that extends behind and around the associated leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: NuZip Dee Manufacturing Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert H. Miller
  • Patent number: 5058951
    Abstract: A relinable swing which is suspended from cables or chains, or similar flexible rope or linked bars. The swing suspenion connects on both sides of the seat portion, and a sliding connection to the back. The sliding connection means are a pair of Z-bar shaped brackets which are fastened to the back of the swing seat at the sides. When both sides of the suspension is in the upper position on the respective Z-bar brackets, the swing seat is in the reclining position. When they are in the lower position, which is closer to the back of the seat, the swing is in the upright position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1991
    Inventor: Lawrence A. Thiel
  • Patent number: 5054845
    Abstract: In a passenger seat for people movers such as trains, buses, ships and airplanes wherein a backrest with a circumferential frame extends upwardly from the seat's seating structure and has a back support mounted thereon, the back support has an opening formed therein just above the seating structure at about knee level for a passenger seated behind and a band structure adapted to yield to a predetermined limit when subjected to a knee impact by a passenger thrown forward onto the backrest ahead extends between the side members of the frame so as to permit forward movement of the knees into the opening in the backrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Assignee: Ignaz Vogel GmbH & Co. KG Fahrzeugsitze
    Inventor: Ignaz Vogel
  • Patent number: 5054219
    Abstract: A motor driven multi-faced revolving sign for mounting on existing sign pedestals. Whereby a removable quarter section is provided so that the sign may be clamp mounted around an existing sign pedestal without removing the existing sign. An adaptor is also provided to facilitate the mounting and operation of the sign regardless of size or configuration of most existing pedestals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Inventors: Wilber S. Hoyt, James G. Close
  • Patent number: 5052750
    Abstract: An auxiliary chair for use in restraining young children in vehicles. The chair is capable of either frontward or backward orientation and in each case the portion thereof that engages the seat belt of the vehicle remains in the same relative position. The engagement portion is on an engagement arm that is movable between a frontward and a rearward position, and in each position locks both the chair body and the chair base thereto for security. The chair is tiltable to several orientations and is locked into several tilt positions via a shaft through the body that rides in a slot within locking plates in the base. The locking plate locks the position due to springs forcing the plates upward. The lock is easily released by handles on the sides of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Combi Corporation
    Inventors: Takehiko Takahashi, Takashi Watanabe, Tomihiro Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5052751
    Abstract: A walk-in device for use in a seat slide device is disclosed. The seat slide device includes a stationary rail, a movable rail slidably engaged with the stationary rail, and a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the movable rail relative to the stationary rail when a first member is turned in first and second directions respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hatsuo Hayakawa, Mikio Honma
  • Patent number: 5048892
    Abstract: An elongate longitudinally aligned cushion member mounted about a selective frame portion of an associated lawn chair to effect desired cushioning relative to the lawn chair structure. The organization is defined by a tubular member, including a coaxially aligned board directed therethrough. A modification of the invention includes an elongate member defined by a serpentine exterior configuration defining parallel ribs, with the member including a pneumatic chamber therewithin and further including an overlying fluid chamber and an underlying chamber formed of a resilient pad-like member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Inventor: Mart O. Ledbetter
  • Patent number: 5044102
    Abstract: A sign which includes a sign cabinet having a rigid frame on which a flexible vinyl sign face is stretched. The sign face has hems on its top and bottom edges. Rigid rods are inserted in the hems, and tension springs are extended through notches in the hems and hooked to the rods. The other ends of the springs are hooked on lips projecting from extrusions which extend along the top and bottom of the face frame. The springs hold the sign face taut on the sign cabinet frame. A special hinged end section is pivoted on the frame to permit the sign face to be placed under the proper lateral tension as a result of the lever action resulting from swinging the hinged section inwardly and then bolting it in place on the sign cabinet frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: Graphic Structures, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Dennis Finch, Jack W. Snyder
  • Patent number: 5042181
    Abstract: An identification tag used in combination with a cable tie is disclosed. The cable tie having a locking head with a channel therethrough and a strap having a tail for passage through the head channel, supports the identification tag. The tag includes a marking surface for supporting identifying indicia and means for securing the tag to the cable tie. An opening in the tag is disposed in alignment with the locking head channel to permit passage of the cable tie tail through the opening as well as through the locking head channel to further secure the tag to the cable tie.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Thomas & Betts Corporation
    Inventor: William A. Fortsch
  • Patent number: 5042184
    Abstract: A label holder for use on a slotted angle member is in the form of a substantially rectangular plastic sheet having half-moon shaped depressible tabs at its opposite side edges. In use the tabs are pushed through respective slots of the angle member and the arcuate edges promote squeezing and compression of the tabs in the slots. The tabs are twisted behind the slots to secure the holder against the angle member. The tabs are defined as cuts at the opposite sides of the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Inventor: Jacob Fast
  • Patent number: 5040319
    Abstract: A toy band assembly including a stage assembly, a plurality of movable toy figures, such as toy frog figures, a plurality of toy musical instruments, a sound pick-up unit, a stage lights assembly, power supply, a power supply switch, an integrated circuit, a front transmission mechanism, a front reciprocating mechanism, a rear transmission mechanism, and a rear reciprocating mechanism. When the power supply switch is switched on, light bulbs in a stage lights assembly start to flash and the sound pick-up unit picks up sound signals from the surroundings and directs electric signals to the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit electrically connects the power supply means to a front and a rear motor when sufficient electrical signal is received. The front and rear motors rotate and translate their rotations to the front and rear transmission mechanisms and to the front and rear reciprocating mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1991
    Assignee: Metro Toy Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuang C. Wang, Arthur Y. P. Wang