Patents Examined by Joseph Falk
  • Patent number: 5222792
    Abstract: An opening/closing device of a door for a refrigerator or the like will open/close the door member at a desired side, namely, at the right side or at the left side, without requiring a movable operating handle. The device is simple in construction, has a high adiabatic efficiency, and can be easily incorporated in the door member. Therefore, no special mechanism is necessary in the door member and no structural change is required inside the door member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kai, Hiroshi Kamikubo
  • Patent number: 5203619
    Abstract: A vertical retractable storage system includes a frame, a storage unit, and a vertical lift mechanism retractably supporting the storage unit relative to the frame. The vertical lift mechanism includes a lift structure that operates on a horizontal plane to provide both vertical and horizontal stability to the storage unit during movement between a storage position and an access position. In one aspect of the present invention, the frame is fixed to a roof or super-structure above a suspended ceiling such that in a retracted position the storage unit is disposed above the ceiling, and a base or bottom portion of the storage unit conforms with the ceiling and thereby hides the unit. In another aspect of the present invention, the vertical lift mechanism retractably supports the storage unit such that in the retracted position an access portion of the unit remains extended below the ceiling to permit access to at least a portion of the unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1993
    Assignee: InterMetro Industries Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Welsch, Thomas E. Meacham
  • Patent number: 5201134
    Abstract: An advertisement card display assembly particularly suitable for walls of plastic shopping carts. The assembly includes a rectangular backing plate held or formed in a cart wall opening. An upright wall is formed on and about the entire perimeter of the plate. Inwardly disposed tabs are formed on top of the wall on three of the four sides define slots. Display cards can be inserted from the fourth side into the slots and into a display position against the backing plate. The tabs retain the card in the display position. Keeper ribs on the backing plate at the fourth side prevent the card from slipping out of the display position but do not prevent the removal therefrom by being lifted slightly and slid back out the slots. The entire assembly is injection molded as one piece with the basket wall. Mold inserts form the slots and tabs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1993
    Assignee: Rehrig International, Inc.
    Inventors: Houston Rehrig, Steven C. Decker, Alan R. Kern, Lonnie G. Dickerson
  • Patent number: 5186527
    Abstract: Device providing easy extraction of video cassettes and the like from closely fitting storage or protective jackets therefor provided for use in combination with such a closely fitting protective jacket for a video cassette for aid in easy removal of the video cassette from the protective jacket. A video cassette can be removed from its protective jacket without removal of that jacket from a storage device in which a plurality of video cassettes are stored in such a manner that the protective jackets are in side-by-side contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Inventor: Michael A. Lockhardt
  • Patent number: 5186529
    Abstract: A rotating storage device adapted to receive audio cassettes, compact discs and the containers associated therewith. The storage device comprises a support assembly and a storage drum, the drum including a plurality of slots or chambers for receiving the cassettes. The drum is releasably held by the support assembly for movement between a vehicle and a home for theft prevention. In addition, a drum in a support assembly in a home may be interchanged with a drum held in a vehicle or from vehicle to vehicle. The slots are oriented such that the cassettes are in a horizontal position to provide the cassettes in a natural reading position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Inventor: Tony A. Smith
  • Patent number: 5183321
    Abstract: A hand brake mechanism for a central processing unit cabinet comprising a base and a handle, wherein the base is fixed on the bottom of the cabinet and located between two wheels provided on the cabinet. A pair of engaging rods, each engaging rod having a guide pin at one end, are provided on both sides of the base. The handle is combined with the base, and is slidable thereon. There are a pair of guide plates provided on the handle at a location corresponding respectively to each of the engaging rods. The guide pin of the engaging rod comes into contact with the edge of the guide plate. When pushing or pulling the handle, the guide pin slides along the guide plate, and the engaging rod moves axially, to engage or disengage the wheels of the CPU cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1993
    Inventors: Christian C. Landry, Jause Kuo, Ching-Shi Chen, William Wu
  • Patent number: 5178444
    Abstract: There is disclosed herein a form of cabinet for providing secure storage of a golf bag or bag and clubs therein at a golf course or other facility. A single cabinet or series of cabinets may be provided, with each including a frame assembly, a top, floor and hinged door assembly. The top and door prevent the bags and clubs from being removed from the top and front, respectively, of the cabinet, and suitable cover devices for the back and sides, such as open grids, are provided for preventing removal from the back and sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Assignee: Summit Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. May, Ben C. Panlilio, James H. Sharpe, Robert J. Sharpe
  • Patent number: 5174640
    Abstract: A partitioning member having therein a space is provided at the opening of a thermal insulation box having an outer and inner boxes forming a space in between said outer and inner boxes. The two spaces communicate with each other and filled integrally with a thermal insulation material by injecting into the space between said outer and inner box an expandable thermal insulation material, which diffuses into the space inside said partitioning member, to thereby provide in a simple and economical way a thermal insulation box having a small number of components but as uniform thermal insulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Kuwahara, Kakuji Kume, Eiichi Masuko, Atsushi Saitou, Katsuhiro Fukuda, Takashi Araki, Yuuji Hosoda
  • Patent number: 5174056
    Abstract: A display system comprising a transparent display face, a frame detail surrounding the display face, a concealed hinge for internally hinging the display case to the frame detail, a concealed magnetic catch for securing the display face to the frame detail in a closed position, and a plurality of spaced apart compression springs mounted within the frame detail for pressing a sheet to be displayed flush against the display face at a plurality of pressure points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: King Products Limited
    Inventor: William H. King
  • Patent number: 5174639
    Abstract: An electronic piano cabinet is disclosed in which the interior of the cabinet is divided into a series of enclosures for housing portions of sound recording equipment and sound reproducing equipment. Also, the cabinetry includes portions which include fiber optic display devices and means for accommodating said fiber optic equipment for the production of visual effects. Also included are means for communicating with the interior of the equipment through supporting members of the cabinetry to provide for the transmission of the fiber optic means to locations remote from the cabinetry as well as means for wiring remote sound reproducing equipment such as loud speakers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Inventor: Myndilee Wong
  • Patent number: 5172967
    Abstract: A file storage apparatus (10) has a string or stack of drawer elements (14) vertically disposed along a side. A mechanical blocking shaft (28) is disposed on one side of the drawer (14) to allow only one drawer to be opened while blocking the remaining drawers preventing opening. A locking bar (62) is disposed on a second side of the drawers (14) for locking all of the drawers closed in response to an electrical access circuit (72) and for unlocking all of the storage units (14). An actuator member (72) interacts between the access circuit (72) and the locking bar (62) for moving the locking bar (62) between an unlocked and locked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Meridian Incorporated
    Inventor: Gregory Pipe
  • Patent number: 5172968
    Abstract: A security casing (1) for protecting a bandit type gaming machine (2) from cash theft, comprises a sheet steel carcase made up of two side panels (3) reflecting the profile of conventional side panels of a bandit type gaming machine, a base panel (4), a back panel (5) and a top panel (6), all being rectangular and approximating in dimensions to the base, back, and top dimensions of a bandit type gaming machine, so that the casing (1) as a whole is a reasonably close fit about an industry-standard bandit-type gaming machine, the panels (3, 4, 5 and 6) being secured together to define an open fronted casing, a lower door (21) releasably attached to, and extending upwardly from, the base panel (4) and extending laterally to the side panels (3) to which it is also releasably attached, a metal-lath shutter (12) located within the casing (1), at a front zone of the casing, and being movable between a retracted position in which the casing is open to provide access to the gaming machine and a deployed position, in w
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Shutters of Substance Limited
    Inventor: Nigel Robinson
  • Patent number: 5172970
    Abstract: An electric locker apparatus with a plurality of locker boxes each having an electric lock device including a latch member normally maintained by a stopper member in a lock position in engagement with the door of the box, and biased toward an unlock position wherein the door can be opened, and an actuator responsive to electric command signal, with an output member movable into an operative position for allowing the latch member to be released from the stopper member and moved into the unlock position. The apparatus further includes an emergency unlocking device for forcibly moving the output member of the actuator into the operative position without requiring input of the command signal. The unlocking device has an emergent key cylinder into which an emergent key can be inserted from outside. The angular motion of the key is converted into a linear motion of the output member of the actuator toward the operative position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Cleanup Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinori Momose, Hideto Watabe, Masahisa Kujiraoka, Keizo Watanabe, Masanori Takagi, Hiroshi Sato
  • Patent number: 5170721
    Abstract: A pallet for transporting and storing cylindrical articles whose major axes lie parallel to the support surface, comprising a deck with two integral side-walls and two end walls of trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, each of said end-walls having a surface sloping upwardly and outwardly of the axis of the article to provide for its support. At least one, or optionally both, of said end-walls are releasably detachable from the upper surface of the deck and attachable to the side of the deck so that the end-wall member serves as a ramp along whose sloping surface the cylindrical article may be rolled as it is loaded onto or unloaded from the pallet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: Office Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: William L. Troth, Alvin G. Bisch
  • Patent number: 5171077
    Abstract: A rotatable food serving housing including a rotating base assembly, a base including an umbrella accommodation sleeve and cold ice pack supports, at least two opposing food serving trays, and a cover including opposing hinged flaps for mating with the base, the umbrella accommodation sleeve and the cold ice pack supports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Jondahl, Brian L. Reed
  • Patent number: 5171078
    Abstract: A door arrangement for a cabinet or the like having an access opening communicating with an internal compartment includes an inner door mounted on the cabinet for movement about a first hinge axis to facilitate access to the cabinet compartment. The inner door has an opening therethrough and carries a second door for hinged movement about a second hinge axis laterally offset from the first hinge axis to facilitate access to the cabinet compartment by hinged movement about the second hinge axis, access to the cabinet compartment thus being obtainable by selective right-hand or left-hand opening of the door arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
    Inventors: G. Robert Oslin, Edward Droho
  • Patent number: 5171062
    Abstract: A front seat for a motor vehicle is disclosed, characterized in that its sitting portion has a front part (16) and a rear part (15) mounted for sliding horizontally one on the other in the longitudinal direction of the seat and an adjustment mechanism actuatable by a single control member (29) and adapted for modifying both the longitudinal position of the front part, the longitudinal position of the rear part and the level of this rear part, so that any backward movement of the front part corresponds to lengthening of the sitting portion (17) and lowering of its rear part, and conversely. Furthermore, any lengthening of the sitting portion preferably results in raising the top portion (4) of the seat-back and conversely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: Bertand Faure Automobile
    Inventor: Bernard Courtois
  • Patent number: 5169217
    Abstract: Controlled environment chamber apparatus for maintaining biological material under controlled conditions of temperature and/or humidity comprises a cabinet defining a chamber, a door for controlling access to the chamber, and a clean air source for providing a flow of clean air past the chamber opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: International Portland Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Orchard, Frank W. Enderlin
  • Patent number: 5169219
    Abstract: A support to facilitate the installation of wall hung cabinets and the like includes a support member for supporting cabinets in a raised position such that the cabinets are positioned approximately where they are to be installed, and at least one rail support bracket connected to the support member and adapted to hold a rail with a plurality of individual cabinets thereon so that the cabinets can be aligned, interconnected, and attached to a support surface. The method includes providing a support member for cabinets, positioning the cabinets on the support member in a near final position, interconnecting the cabinets, and anchoring the cabinets to a support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Inventor: Richard A. Obbink
  • Patent number: RE34171
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a medication dispensing system comprising a medication cart having one or more medication cassettes. The panels forming the cassette interlock in an unique manner and are rigidly secured together by an U-shaped frame. Novel lock means insure that medication trays contained in the cassette may be locked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1993
    Inventors: Jerome M. Romick, Duane Beardsley