Patents Examined by John P. Darling
  • Patent number: 5915645
    Abstract: The housing of the apparatus comprises lateral walls (2b-2c) perpendicular to the rear wall (2a) and designed to have curved slots (2g) and at least one projecting shape (9) shaped in the form of a cam situated at the rear end of each curved slot. Opposite each wall (2b-2c) there is a small hinged shaped plate (11) capable of elastic deformation accommodating a retractable pin (12) arranged opposite the wall of the housing in order to fit into, protrude beyond or retract from said curved receptacle slot in combination with elastic deformation of the small plate of which the lower part is capable of cooperating as it moves with projection (9) formed on the opposite wall depending on the particular reel loading phase. The small plate is restored to its initial position at the end of operation. The diameter of pin (12) is much less than the diameter of the core. This loading device is suitable for any type of dispensing apparatus for paper wipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Inventor: Maurice Granger
  • Patent number: 5913490
    Abstract: A web winding apparatus and a method of operating the apparatus include a turret assembly, a core loading apparatus, and a core stripping apparatus. The turret assembly supports rotatably driven mandrels for engaging hollow cores upon which a paper web is wound. Each mandrel is driven in a closed mandrel path, which can be non-circular. The core loading apparatus conveys cores onto the mandrels during movement of the mandrels along the core loading segment of the closed mandrel path, and the core stripping apparatus removes each web wound core from its respective mandrel during movement of the mandrel along the core stripping segment of the closed mandrel path. The turret assembly can be rotated continuously, and the sheet count per wound log can be changed as the turret assembly is rotating. The apparatus can also include a mandrel having a deformable core engaging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignee: Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Kevin Benson McNeil, James Robert Johnson
  • Patent number: 5913486
    Abstract: A housing has a chamber and a piston is slidablyally mounted in the chamber. The piston has a piston shaft which extends outwardly of the housing and has a seat belt reel attached thereto. A pyrotechnic device is energizable to introduce pressurized gas into the chamber and thereby translate the piston within the chamber. Screw threads are provided between the housing and the piston shaft so that translation of the piston shaft upon energization of the pyrotechnic device will cause the screws to impart rotation to the piston shaft and the seat reel. Accordingly, the seat belt reel is simultaneously rotated to wind the belt and also projected outwardly with respect to the housing so that the belt is tensioned by both a rotary and a projecting action of the seat belt reel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignees: General Motors Corporation, Talley Defense Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James Frederick Pywell, James Orin Lair, Jr., Michael Anthony Brown, Kevin John Maikis
  • Patent number: 5911380
    Abstract: A magazine body constituting a paper magazine is provided with a paper mouth through which a recording paper is advanced. Behind the paper mouth, a separating plate having a thin thickness and formed from plastic is disposed. The separating plate contacts a periphery of a recording paper roll contained in the paper magazine. The recording paper roll is rotated in a paper advancing direction by a drive roller. Upon rotation of the recording paper roll, the separating plate contacting the periphery of the recording paper roll separates a top of the recording paper from the recording paper roll. After that, the separating plate leads the top of the recording paper to the paper mouth. The recording paper is advanced to the outside of the paper magazine through the paper mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichi Shiba
  • Patent number: 5911383
    Abstract: A tape winder including a supply spindle for supplying tape, a take-up spindle for taking up tape from the supply spindle, and opposing sidewalls with slots therein wherein the spindles are rotatably received. A drive mechanism located on the sidewalls engage the spindles when the spindles are fully inserted within the slots. The slots preferably include a narrow throat region near their openings so that the spindles may be snap-fit within the slots. The supply spindle is preferably driven with lesser torque than the take-up spindle so that the difference in relative torque between the spindles maintains tension in the tape and causes it to wind tightly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: Chris J. Jacobsen
    Inventors: Chris J. Jacobsen, Bruce Winkler
  • Patent number: 5908169
    Abstract: A device for processing at least two webs of material made of paper or plastic film is provided with at least two rolls of material, each of which can be rotated in an unwind unit and from each of which a predrawing unit, comprising predrawing rollers or rolls, takes off the web and pulls it into the device. To guarantee the proper infeeding of the web into the device, even if after a sudden operating stoppage the rolls of material coast longer than the predrawing units, there is between each unwind unit and each predrawing unit one brake each, which decelerates the web and which is activated when the predrawing units are abruptly stopped or they significantly delay the infeed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Windmoeller & Hoelscher
    Inventor: Friedhelm Brinkmeier
  • Patent number: 5906328
    Abstract: A pre-tensioner of a seat belt device capable of securely and rapidly transmitting torque between a driven shaft and a rotational ring when the pre-tensioner is activated. The driven shaft projecting from a reel for retracting a seat belt is inserted into a housing and the rotational ring is positioned to surround a gear of the driven shaft. The rotational ring is provided with five guide faces in the inner surface thereof and pins are inserted into pocket portions of the rotational ring. Each pin is held at the both ends by an annular portion of a body and a cover. Stepped portions are formed along peripheries of both ends of each guide face to form spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Takata Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Hamaue, Muneo Nishizawa, Hiroaki Kandori
  • Patent number: 5906323
    Abstract: A handle structure for a dual-bearing reel, which is rotatably mounted on the reel unit of a dual-bearing reel and is attached to the distal end of a handle shaft provided with a drag mechanism, includes a seat plate, a fixing component for fixing the seat plate, and a handle unit. The seat plate has a periphery and is non-rotatably stopped at the distal end of the handle shaft. The fixing component is provided to the distal end of the handle shaft and fixes the seat plate such that it cannot move in the axial direction with respect to the handle shaft. The handle unit is non-rotatably stopped at the seat plate. The handle unit has a surface adjacent the reel unit and includes a housing component for housing and covering the distal end of the handle shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Shimano, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinichi Morimoto, Kenichi Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 5904312
    Abstract: A reel slitter includes a slitting station for slitting a material web into partial webs and a winding station to wind the partial webs into partial web rolls. A transporter conveys at least one partial web from the slitting station. The transporter is disposed between the slitting station and the winding station. In order to provide for the winding of the partial webs across the entire width of the partial webs, the transporter has a width which is narrower than the material web. The transporter is also movable transversely to the running direction of the partial webs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Voith Sulzer Finishing GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Hinz, Herbert Muller
  • Patent number: 5901916
    Abstract: A tape cartridge and reel lock that allows the reel lock to be released away from the center of rotation of the tape reel while keeping the frictional interface between the moving and fixed parts at the center of rotation of the reel. The tape cartridge includes a housing, a tape reel rotatably disposed in the housing, a tape drive interface on the reel, a rotatably fixed locking member operatively coupled to the reel and a release mechanism engagable by the tape drive at the tape drive interface on the reel. The release mechanism is movable between a first position in which the release mechanism is not engaged by the tape drive and the locking member is locked and a second position in which the tape drive engages the release mechanism and the locking member is unlocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. McAllister, Thomas W. von Alten
  • Patent number: 5901915
    Abstract: A magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus includes a tape deck having winding mandrels (5) which are rotatably supported on bearing spindles (3), these winding mandrels being adapted to engage winding-mandrel holes in the magnetic-tape cassette (11), and each have at least one coupling fin (10a, 10b, 10c) arranged on its circumference. To facilitate lowering of the cassette (11) onto the winding mandrels (5) and to preclude any problems which could then arise, the winding mandrels (5) are mounted on the bearing spindles (3) so as to be axially movable in a range of axial movement and are each pre-loaded towards a preferred axial position by at least one spring (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Norbert Kunze, Stefan Koch, Horst Rumpf
  • Patent number: 5901921
    Abstract: A toilet tissue roll holder has a flanged, generally semi-cylindrical housing and a spindle fixed at one end to a member slideable along one side of the housing. To replace a roll of toilet tissue, the spindle is pulled forward with the slideable member leaving the free end of the spindle exposed for insertion of the tissue roll. The spindle with the new roll is then pushed back into the housing. A detent engages the free end of the spindle to secure the spindle within the housing during normal use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Inventor: Leon Perlsweig
  • Patent number: 5899407
    Abstract: A "U" shaped dispenser which is comprised of a base, two arms projecting from the base, and an axial rod for insertion through openings in the arms. Each arm has a side projection, or ear, that surrounds the opening and that is parallel to the base. The ears are inserted into the interior cavity of the rolled material. The rod is inserted through the interior cavity of the rolled material and locked into place by mating grooves on the rod with slots in the openings in the arms, thereby securing the rolled material into position. By pulling on the exposed end of the rolled material, a desired amount of material can be removed with one hand.Preferably, the arms are connected to the base as a single unit. The dispenser is made, preferably, of a sufficiently flexible material which allows for the arms to swing out when unfolded from the packaging material. Alternatively, the dispenser is made of a less flexible material and hinges are used to maintain flexibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Inventor: Joseph S. Hall, III
  • Patent number: 5899404
    Abstract: A web winding apparatus and a method of operating the apparatus include a turret assembly, a core loading apparatus, and a core stripping apparatus. The turret assembly supports rotatably driven mandrels for engaging hollow cores upon which a paper web is wound. Each mandrel is driven in a closed mandrel path, which can be non-circular. The core loading apparatus conveys cores onto the mandrels during movement of the mandrels along the core loading segment of the closed mandrel path, and the core stripping apparatus removes each web wound core from its respective mandrel during movement of the mandrel along the core stripping segment of the closed mandrel path. The turret assembly can be rotated continuously, and the sheet count per wound log can be changed as the turret assembly is rotating. The apparatus can also include a mandrel having a deformable core engaging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Procter & Gamble
    Inventors: Kevin Benson McNeil, James Robert Johnson
  • Patent number: 5899402
    Abstract: A torsion bar (50) and seat belt retractor (20). The torsion bar (50) has a circular cross section where the torsion bar is formed as a cold headed extruded part and wherein the grain structure of the metal is aligned along the axis (axial direction) of the bar generally in the center of the bar and the grain structure smoothly diverges from the axial direction near an end formation (52a,b). The seat belt retractor (20) includes: a frame (22) to rotationally support the torsion bar and spool (30). The torsion bar (30) is characterized by an elastic deformation zone and a sharp onset into a plastic deformation zone. The spool is operatively connected to rotate with the torsion bar. The retractor also includes a locking device, activated during a vehicle accident and operatively linked to the torsion bar for preventing one side of the torsion bar from rotating while permitting the other side and the spool to rotate once loaded by the occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard W. Koning
  • Patent number: 5897075
    Abstract: An apparatus for supporting wound flexible media includes first and second flanges, a core, and at least one single piece connector. The core is interposed between said first flange and said second flange. The first flange has at least one aperture and at least one protruding feature corresponding to said aperture. The at least one single piece connector includes a first interlocking end that extends through an aperture of the second flange and through the at least one aperture of the first flange, wherein said first interlocking end engages the protruding feature to inhibit a de-insertion alignment of the first interlocking end with the at least one aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Vandor Corporation
    Inventors: Jack E. Elder, Gary L. Cox
  • Patent number: 5897069
    Abstract: A method for producing fishing reel frames and a fishing reel frame employs a starting piece comprising: a longitudinal first side wall; a longitudinal second side wall having a spaced relationship with the first side wall such that the second side wall is spaced apart from the first side wall; and at least one longitudinal cross-structure holding the first and second side walls in the spaced relationship. The starting piece is preferably an extruded structure. The method comprises the step of machining the starting piece to produce a plurality of individual frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Zebco
    Inventors: David Brown, Rayford A. Cockerham
  • Patent number: 5895008
    Abstract: A device for rolling up a sheet of paper into a roll and then ejecting the formed roll from the device, which includes: a frame, a first sheet drive, a second sheet drive and a first guide, the first sheet drive, second sheet drive and first guide defining a roll-forming space with respective first, second and third contact points at the periphery of the roll to be formed in the space with the first sheet drive, second sheet drive and the first guide, the roll-forming space having a center with connecting lines between the contact points forming a triangle in which the center is situated, wherein the first and second contact points are fixed, relative to the frame, and the third contact point defined by the first guide is displaceable from the roll-forming space in order to follow the increase in diameter of the roll during its formation, and the first guide is further displaceable to a position which defines an opening for ejecting a roll formed in the roll-forming space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Oce-Technologies, B.V.
    Inventor: Robbie M. L. Sanders
  • Patent number: 5895002
    Abstract: A webbing retractor comprises a spool around which a webbing capable of being unwound therefrom is wound; a pretensioner for rotating said spool in a webbing winding direction when a deceleration of a predetermined value or more is applied during a sudden deceleration of a vehicle; an energy absorbing member put in a coupled state with said spool, rotated integrally with said spool and deformed by said spool to prevent an increase in tension of the webbing when rotational force in a webbing unwinding direction acts upon said spool after said spool has been rotated in said webbing winding direction by said pretensioner; and a cancelling portion applied with the rotational force in said webbing unwinding direction via said energy absorbing member when the energy absorbing member is deformed by the rotational force in said webbing unwinding direction, for cancelling the state in which rotation of said spool in the webbing unwinding direction is stopped by said pretensioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Sumikazu Sasaki, Seiji Hori, Yasuho Kitazawa
  • Patent number: 5893529
    Abstract: Device for unrolling one-sided self-adhesive material (12) located on a roll (1), comprising two holders (2), each of which has a cut-out (21) to accommodate the roll (1) and which are arranged in such a way that they form a slotted guide for the roll (1) located between them, a driven draw-off roll (5), which has elastic material (52) wound around it and is arranged in such a way that the material (12) is drawn off the roll (1) using the non-adhesive side over the draw-off roll (5), the roll (1) being held by the slotted guide in direct contact with the draw-off roll (5) over the entire width of the roll (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Beiersdorf AG
    Inventors: Hans-Jurgen Bradersen, Reiner Schulze, Gerd Hebbel, German Patino, Johannes Steinforth