Patents Examined by John R. C. Hingham
  • Patent number: 6321412
    Abstract: A door stop for hollow walls having two drywall surfaces. The door stop comprises a cylindrical housing having an outwardly turned flange serving as a trim plate engaging the drywall surface exposed to the door knob of a swinging door. The flange is located at the exposed end of the housing. A piston occupies and is entrapped within a chamber formed in the housing. The piston is exposed to the door knob and presents surface roughly flush with the outer surface of the wall. The piston receives impacts when the door is swung so that the door knob strikes the wall. A spring inside the housing decelerates the piston responsive to the door being swung until contact with the wall ensues, and subsequently returns the piston to its original position. The chamber of the housing communicates to the exterior by a small orifice, so that piston movement is pneumatically dampened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Inventor: Michael J. Duco
  • Patent number: 6261024
    Abstract: A rocker device for an openable motor vehicle roof, with support element (14), rocker element (12) and spring (30) has the rocker element (12) connected to pivot relative to the support element (14) via an axle (10). The spring (30) is located between the rocker element and support element such that it applies a pre-stressing force to the rocker element (12) with respect to the direction of pivoting motion. Furthermore, the spring is a helical spring arranged and formed such that it provides pre-stressing force between the rocker element and support element in an axial direction. The axle is stationary with respect to one element and is guided in the other element through a corresponding axial opening (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Färber