Patents Examined by Joseph M. Moy
  • Patent number: 6179152
    Abstract: An organizer for maintaining items such as mail in a convenient, readily accessible generally stacked condition. The organizer has a receptacle tray with a retainer which is angularly disposed within the tray and longitudinally slidable therein along a track. A foot on the retainer is held in frictional engagement with the track or bottom of the organizer by the contents held between the retainer and an end of the tray. The user may easily disengage the retainer and move it in either direction by manually applying a counter force to the upper edge of the retainer. In the preferred embodiment, the tray is a standard postal tray of light weight material. In an alternate embodiment, an optional return spring may be provided to urge the retainer into engagement with the retained contents of the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Inventor: Paul Douglas Sarnowski
  • Patent number: 6179144
    Abstract: A weatherproof enclosure 10 with a side hinged cover 36 having a screwless cover latching means 52, which is not defeated by the pressure of expanding internal gases, is disclosed. The enclosure 10 includes a rain channel 76 located immediately adjacent a front edge of the box top 28. The rain channel 76 is generally J-shaped in cross-section and extends across the front of the box 14 and slightly beyond the two side walls 18 and 22 of the box 14 such that any liquid being received within the rain channel 76 will be directed over the side walls 18 and 22 of the box 14. The rain channel 76 cooperates with a downwardly extending flange 40 along the front edge of the box top 28 and an inwardly extending flange 60 along the top of the side hinged cover 36 to prevent the ingress of liquid at the top of the cover 36. Inwardly facing flanges 68 and 72 along the sides of the hinged cover 36 overlap the side walls 18 and 22 of the box 14 to prevent the ingress of liquid along each side of the cover 36.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Square D Company
    Inventors: Hamid S. Abroy, William K. Chambers, Norman M. Newsome, Gary H. Dodier
  • Patent number: 6179157
    Abstract: A container for a hydraulic medium made of a plastic material has a container cup (1), which can be closed by a cover (2). The positions of the container cup (1) and the cover (2) in respect to each other are matched along a joint (7), and are fixed in place by a fitting insert (8). Faces (10, 11), which adjoin each other, are respectively arranged on the container cup (1) and the cover (2). A welding plate (12), which is also made of a plastic material, extends over the adjoining surfaces of the container cup (1) and the cover (2), and is matched to the adjoining faces (10, 11). The container cup (1) and the cover (2) are sealingly connected with each other via the welding plate (12) by an inertia welding process so as to prevent particles of the plastic material, which are generated in the form of lateral welding waste in the course of the inertia welding process, to reach the interior of the container for the hydraulic medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Johann Merz
  • Patent number: 6176387
    Abstract: A beverage cooler for holding beverage containers and fluid therein. The beverage cooler includes a container with a base and a perimeter side wall upwardly extending around the base of the container. The perimeter side wall terminates at an upper edge defining an upper opening into the container. The container has a dividing wall therein which has an interior face. The perimeter side wall and the interior face of the dividing wall define a reservoir with a open top which is designed for holding a fluid therein. The container has a spigot in fluid communication with the reservoir and outwardly extending from the perimeter side wall of the container. The dividing wall has a top face having a pair of bores therein. Each of the bores of the dividing wall has a holding sleeve inserted therein adapted for holding a stack of beverage containers therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Inventor: Anthony Boler
  • Patent number: 6176383
    Abstract: A biological specimen cassette adapted to be installed with similarly constructed cassettes as a package in a cassette dispenser from which cassettes are thereafter dispensed individually comprises a channel formed in at least one of its walls to receive a connecting element, such as band, string or wire, which, when engaged to all cassettes, form a collective stacked arrangement of cassettes which is insertable into the cassette dispenser. Once received in the dispenser, the connecting element is then retrieved so that individual cassettes may be individually dispensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: 3088081 Canada Inc.
    Inventors: Andr{acute over (e)} Lafond, Yanick Bertin
  • Patent number: 6173858
    Abstract: Two-piece cups formed, e.g., from a thermoformable plastics material, include a bottom wall disc which is bonded to an inwardly turned annular bottom flange of the side wall by an upwardly and inwardly sloped transition wall. The transition wall allows the bottom wall disc to be bonded to the sidewall flange in such a manner that the annular bottom edge is substantially unaffected by the heat and pressures during the bonding process. The bottom wall disc may be in the form of multiple concentrically disposed, annular bottom wall segments which are connected to one another by respective ones of a plurality of transition walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Sweetheart Cup Company
    Inventors: David W. Norwood, Larry Maccherone
  • Patent number: 6173856
    Abstract: A liquid containment device for capturing and retaining any liquid falling into the device, such as from a leak, spill or run-off of another liquid container, where the device is designed to fit between the parallel rails of a railroad track with a railroad car positioned above, comprising a generally rectilinear pan or tray and a removable cover which directs rain water into a drain opening which corresponds to an apertured drain column rising from the bottom of the pan, such that with the cover in place rain water is directed into the drain column and passed underneath the pan rather than into the pan itself. Multiple pans may be connected in line through connector fittings in their end walls, or drain conduits may be connected to the fittings for removal of the liquid from the pan. Apertured grating members and absorbent mats may be placed within the pans. The pans may be used in conjunction with lateral pans positioned on the outside of the rails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: UltraTech International, Inc.
    Inventors: Laurence M. Bierce, J. Tad Heyman, Mark D. Shaw
  • Patent number: 6170688
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention relates to a crate subassembly including four side units, and each side unit has a top cord, a bottom cord, and vertical cords extending between and secured to the top and bottom cords. The top cord and bottom cord of each side unit extend substantially parallel to each other, and each side unit further includes a diagonal cord extending from and connected to the top and bottom cords. Connector plates are located to connect the respective adjacent vertical cords of each side unit, as well as to secure each side unit cord. When it is desired to form a crate, and by simply separating opposing side units, the subassembly is opened. When opening, the connector plates on the inner surface of the subassembly flex, or bend, and the connector plates have sufficient rigidity so that once opened, the subassembly does not close on itself during handling. With the subassembly in the open condition, the subassembly is readily secured to a pallet using, for example, screws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: MiTek Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Marc Olden
  • Patent number: 6170686
    Abstract: The container has a pallet-like base platform (1), provided with short vertical tubes (5) at its vertices, into which two side panels (7-7′) can be inserted, which are definitively secured to the base platform with the aid of pressure-activated joining clips (16-17), while the back wall (20) and front wall (21) are subsequently secured to said side panels (7-7′) with the aid of clamping pins (24), formed by a roughly rectangular rod, open at one of its vertices, one of whose end sections can be fitted into aligned holes (18-19) on the panels, while the rest of the rod acts as a clamp which appropriately connects the vertical posts to be joined. Thus, the container is easily assembled and disassembled without threaded fasteners, by means of the aforementioned clips (16) and clamping pins (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Sagarte, S. A.
    Inventor: Sebastian Flores Flores
  • Patent number: 6168038
    Abstract: The invention concerns a stackable container consisting of a base box (1) and a lid (18) capable of being transported open in freight traffic and also filled and emptied once it has been stacked, and also of being closed and re-opened. For this purpose, the lid (18) consists of a cover plate (21) and a front wall (19) placed at right angles, said cover plate (21) is inserted, from the base box (1) open front face, into a peripheral groove (31) of the top edge, the base plate (4), has on its front ridge a supporting rim (10) provided with a ribbing (34) oriented upwards, just before reaching its closing position, the lid (18) being located inside the groove (31) widened in the side walls (2) rises slightly and when it drops after reaching its closing position, a projecting part (33) arranged on the inner front wall (19) lower edge (29) is engaged in the supporting rim (10) ribbing (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Inventor: Johannes Fischer
  • Patent number: 6168040
    Abstract: A double-wall insulated container has an internal wall and an external wall enclosing an intermediate space which is under partial vacuum. A foam glass granulate fills the intermediate space and supports the walls. The walls may be metal or plastic and sealed with a vapor barrier as necessary to make the space leak-proof. The container may be styled as a Dewar flask for food or beverages, or larger to make it suitable for a household appliance such as a refrigerator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Isovac GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Heinz Sautner, Jobst Kerspe
  • Patent number: 6168041
    Abstract: Tubular containers can be produced by injection stretch blow molding processes. Such processes comprise the biaxial stretching of the preform as the preform is being converted into the tubular container. The preform will be stretched longitudinally by means of a stretch rod and laterally by means of the pressure of the blowing gas. The tubular containers produced by these processes will have burst strengths three to five times that of other tubular containers and can be produced in a thin wall collapsible form. Further, the tubular container will have a tensile strength in the machine direction along a tensile strength in the cross direction greater than other tubes, including laminate tubes, coextruded blow molded tubes and injection stretch tubes. In addition, the tubular containers can be single chamber containers or multichamber containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Berger, Patrick A. Connan, Robert L. Readdy
  • Patent number: 6168039
    Abstract: A container for dispensing a product is provided. The container is a generally parallelepiped container including two lateral, opposite side panels and two longitudinal, opposite side panels. Each side panel is interconnected with adjacent side panels, and each side panel has a lower and an upper edge. The container further includes a bottom panel extending from and interconnects the lower edges of each of the lateral and longitudinal side panels. A top panel extends from and interconnects the upper edges of each of the lateral and longitudinal side panels. A dispensing neck extends generally upwardly from the top panel proximate to a corner formed by an intersection of the top panel with two adjacent side panels. A cover member is removably disposed over an open end of the dispensing neck. The bottom panel has a recessed area which is generally aligned with the dispensing neck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: First Preference Products Corp.
    Inventor: William E. Schwaikert
  • Patent number: 6168016
    Abstract: A utility bag for storing equipment for a baseball/softball team. The bag is constructed to be strapped to and transported on a golf cart. The bag includes a bag having a collar at an open end and a cap enclosing a lower end . The collar at the upper end has a recessed shoulder enabling the collar to engage the lip of a bucket of balls so that balls are retained in the bucket when a lid is positioned down onto the collar. A frame inside the utility bag retains the utility bag in an open configuration. A bat bag for storing bats is detachably attached to the outside surface of the bag. The inside of the bag is dimensioned for storing a collection of helmets and catchers gear as well as one or more pouches for storing catcher's shinguards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Inventor: Ronald G. Lawson
  • Patent number: 6164481
    Abstract: A spin spray shield connected with a bucket to thereby assist the bucket to retain centrifugal paint spray when a roller is cleaned with a spinning tool, without detracting from the funtionality of the bucket for other purposes. The spin spray shield generally includes an annular shield member for being selectively located selectively substantially entirely above the mouth of a bucket to thereby serve as a shield for retaining spin generated paint spray within the confines of the interior of the bucket, and further includes a guide member located adjacent the side of the bucket for guiding selective movement of the shield member with respect to the mouth of the bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Inventor: Timothy E. Geeham
  • Patent number: 6161739
    Abstract: A backpack including a sack and a frame, the frame extending at least to the bottom surface of the sack such that the backpack can stand upright. The sack encloses a compartment which can be divided into subcompartments by shelves which are movable and removable for accommodating items of various size and shape. The frame holds the sack upright for effective use of the shelves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Inventor: Michael Bentzen
  • Patent number: 6161720
    Abstract: The invention is a drinking vessel that keeps coffee or other hot beverages hot, yet readily drinkable. The basic design of the invention is an inner beverage vessel and an outer beverage chamber with an insulator chamber of air between them. There is a small hole in the bottom of the inner beverage vessel which allows the contents to flow into the outer beverage chamber. When the drinker tips the cup to drink, beverage flows from the inner beverage vessel to the outer beverage surrounding the cup and pours out of a mouthpiece. The amount of liquid that fills the outer beverage chamber quickly cools enough to drink, but still remains warm. The insulator chamber keeps the beverage in the inner beverage vessel hot for a longer period of time. The lid for the cup is sealed to keep the contents warm but has a small pinhole to eliminate the build-up of a vacuum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Inventor: Benedict P. Castle
  • Patent number: 6161719
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a tank including placing the tan lid on a support surface such that a surface of the lid faces downwardly, affixing first and second sides and first and second ends along and adjacent to a perimeter of the lid on an opposite surface of the lid, affixing a floor onto an edge of the first and second sides and the first and second ends opposite the lid, inverting the lid and the sides and the ends and the floor such that a surface of the floor faces downwardly, and affixing a cover over a hole formed in the floor. The hole in the floor is formed of a size suitable for allowing a human body to extend therethrough. All interior seams between the lid, the sides and the ends are welded internally. Similarly, all interior seams between the floor, the sides and the ends are welded internally. The cover has a surface which is welded solely externally to the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Inventor: Charles D. Madison
  • Patent number: 6155444
    Abstract: A collpasible platic container having a rectangular base panel, two short side panels and two long side panels respectively disposed at the four sides of the base panel, hinge strips respectively formed between the base panel and the side panels, the long side panels each having a coupling tongue coupled to a respective coupling groove at one short side panel, and a plurality of studs respectively fastened to respectively plug holes on a respective hinged coupling flange at the second short side panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Green Wheel Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kun-Hei Liu
  • Patent number: 6149028
    Abstract: This structure is an integrated cup-handle and shaft structure, whose principal components are a cup-stand and handle. The said cup-stand has a circular base. From the said base, extending up, is a semi circular safety-wrap and on its outer wall, at its central point, protrudes a handle. Additionally, from the safety-wrap's central point and from its top, extends a stem. The said stem's top is folded down at an angle, then lips up forming a clip, which all holds the cup when it is placed in the cup-stand. This clip securely holds the cup's mouth so the handle may be grasped and the cup lifted up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Inventor: Li-Ya Yu