Patents Examined by Kyle Walraed-Sullivan
  • Patent number: 9663961
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a curtain wall panel installation system. The curtain wall panel installation system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of rails each forming an elongated panel bracket spanning an entire edge or substantially the entire edge of a concrete floor slab of a given floor of a building. Each elongated panel bracket is mountable to anchors (such as embedments) cast in the concrete floor slab of a given floor of the building at discrete positions along the concrete floor. The elongated panel brackets enable the curtain wall panels to be laterally transported along the building façade to their respective installation positions, which enables workers to use a centralized crane location to hoist the curtain wall panels in preparation for installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Larry Moeller, Stanislaw Piotrowski, Mark Kurth, Vince Bowman, Scott Rote
  • Patent number: 9663960
    Abstract: An anchor for use in lifting a concrete component, said anchor comprising a single length of wire bent to form a head engagable with a clutch of a lifting system, and a body portion for embedment with the concrete component, wherein the wire is bent such that opposed legs of the body portion extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of the head portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: PRE-FORM SYSTEMS DUO
    Inventor: Robert Sladojevic
  • Patent number: 9657494
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a tower construction (1) from reinforced concrete. A tower has at least one cavity (35) that extends in the longitudinal direction within the tower. Double-wall elements (2) are arranged along a periphery of the tower, each comprising an external plate (3) as well as an internal plate (4) in vertical or inclined position, forming vertical external joints (5) as well as vertical internal joints (6) between the external plates (3) and the internal plates (4). A reinforcement (9) is installed in the area of the vertical external joints (5) in-between the external plates (3) as well as the vertical internal joints (6) in-between the internal plates (4). The vertical external joints (5) and the vertical internal joints (6) in-between the double-wall elements (2) are closed and the double-wall elements (2) are filled with concrete (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT WIEN
    Inventors: Johann Kollegger, Maria Charlotte Schönweger
  • Patent number: 9650788
    Abstract: A gutter system in which a gutter cover in an installed position covers a gutter supported by a gutter hanger. The gutter cover has a front cover portion comprising a surface tension curve curving downward and rearward from a central cover portion for directing water in a downward and rearward direction, and a drain trough extending lengthwise of the gutter cover below the surface tension curve for collecting water directed by the surface tension curve. The gutter cover has a rear cover portion which contacts the gutter hanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: E-Z Products LLC
    Inventor: James E. Ealer, Sr.
  • Patent number: 9637898
    Abstract: An assembly for undermounting a sink to a support surface includes a central sink support supporting a front center portion of a sink. The central sink support includes an elongated block member having an upper surface, a lower surface and extending sidewalls. The central sink support also includes first and second screw holes shaped and dimensioned for the passage of screws that will be secured to a front wall of a sink cabinet and a threaded locking pin hole with a similarly threaded locking screw. The assembly also includes a mounting driver having a support bar shaped and dimensioned for positioning between an underside of the sink and a wall of a cabinet at an angular orientation relative to the wall. The support bar includes a first end and a second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: CINCLIPS LLC
    Inventor: Dow Blaine
  • Patent number: 9624677
    Abstract: Novel joint devices and systems are disclosed. In one aspect, a joint member for an exterior floor covering can include a body portion, at least one tongue portion extending from the body portion, and at least one opening extending through the body portion. The opening can be configured to pass a liquid directly from an upper surface of the exterior floor covering through the body portion of the joint member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: PERGO (EUROPE) AB
    Inventor: Thomas Scott Wright
  • Patent number: 9612039
    Abstract: An assembly for positioning photovoltaic panels on a structure includes a main frame connectable to the structure, and a subassembly connectable to the main frame to support a photovoltaic panel, in which the subassembly is rotatable with respect to the main frame to place the subassembly in a deployed position. The assembly may further include a stop-arm connectable to the main frame to support the subassembly when in the deployed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Mobile Grid, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Meppelink, Andrew Vrana, Joseph Romano
  • Patent number: 9593700
    Abstract: A compact, highly-reusable, self-locking includes a body component, a flexible beam finger component with a plurality of axially-oriented flexible beam fingers, a tab sleeve component including one or more downward extending tabs, an annular detent ring component including a plurality of detents in radial alignment with the plurality of flexible beam fingers, and a wave spring disposed between the tab sleeve component and the annular detent ring component for providing a biasing force to urge the tab sleeve component in a direction of a central, longitudinal axis of the self-locking plug. The flexible beam finger component moves relative to the annular detent ring component when the body component is rotated about the central, longitudinal axis, A, of the self-locking plug, thereby causing the plurality of flexible beam fingers to travel across the plurality of detents and cause elastic deformation of the flexible beam fingers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Inventor: Kurt Kevin Bynum
  • Patent number: 9528315
    Abstract: A prefabricated structure for a composite window apparatus using different frame materials. The sides of the corners of adjacent first window frames and adjacent first sash frame which made of synthetic resin are punched, the punched parts of the first window frames, the punched parts of the first sash frames and the parts of the angle pieces are bent inwardly. When the punched parts of the angle piece are bent into the corner piece, the window frame compression flanges of the first window frames are pressurized by the angle piece and the corner piece, and the sash frame compression flanges of the first sash frames are pressurized by the angle piece and the corner piece, so that the corners of the first window frames and the corners the first sash frames are connected to respective angle pieces and corner pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: IDA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Soon Seok Kim
  • Patent number: 9482399
    Abstract: A light tube kit for skylight with a light tunnel and a spring clip. The light tunnel may be configured from a sheet member rolled upon itself such that two opposite edges overlap, such overlapped edges secured with the spring clip engaged through slots proximate to the overlapped edges. The spring clip has first and second hooks that are engaged through such slots and a handle disposed between the hooks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: VKR HOLDING A/S
    Inventors: Charles Joseph Rimsky, Jeffrey Joseph Ronan, Alan John Ruhoff
  • Patent number: 9458634
    Abstract: A set of essentially identical panels (1, 1?), such as building panels, provided with a mechanical locking system including a displaceable tongue (30), which is arranged in a displacement groove at a first edge of a first panel (1). A second panel is provided with a tongue groove at a second edge. The displaceable tongue is configured to cooperate with the tongue groove (20) for locking together the first and the second edge. The displaceable tongue has a spring constant that varies along the length of the tongue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: VALINGE INNOVATION AB
    Inventor: Peter Derelov
  • Patent number: 9453364
    Abstract: The pane module is composed by a border element (2) molded around the pane element (1) encasing it on the edge and interior faces. The frame may be of a rectangular configuration, but it is to be understood that more complex configurations may be necessary for achieving a water proof connection to the structure in which the window is mounted or to a surrounding window frame. A fitting (42) is embedded in the border element (2) during its manufacture and is subsequently or simultaneously connected to the frame (3). When using a wooden or extruded frame the fitting may be driven into the finished frame member and when using a molded frame the fitting may be embedded therein during molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: VKR Holding A/S
    Inventors: Peter Sønderkær, Kristian Ørnsvig Nielsen, Lars Kristensen
  • Patent number: 9447586
    Abstract: A joint (1) having a first edge (2) and a second edge (3), the first edge (2) being provided with a distal edge (21) and a downwards protruding heel (22). The distal edge (21) is further provided with an upper joint edge (25) beneath which a groove (23) is arranged. The second edge (3) is provided with lower cheek (31) having a distal end (32) at which an upwards protruding lower cheek heel (33) is arranged. The second edge (3) is further provided with an upper joining edge (35) beneath which an undercut (34) is arranged. A moveable locking element (40) is arranged in the space created by the undercut (34). The moveable locking element (40) have a locking tongue (41), a locking tongue leg (42) and a maneuvering leg (43).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: PERGO (EUROPE) AB
    Inventor: Nils-Erik Engstrom
  • Patent number: 9441389
    Abstract: A method of constructing a cylindrical tank that has an inner tank made of metal and an outer tank made of concrete has a step of building a PC wall (3) by erecting lateral liners (4) sequentially from the bottommost layer to the topmost layer on an outer circumferential edge portion of a base plate, and pouring concrete (5) so as to follow the erecting of the lateral liners (4) with the lateral liners (4) being used as an inner side forming frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: IHI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shiomi, Satoru Nagumo, Norio Uchiyama, Noriyuki Katsuyama, Masaki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9444396
    Abstract: A solar photovoltaic power generation panel mount has a solar photovoltaic power generation panel attached to a mount frame having a plurality of vertical and horizontal bars connected in a grid-like manner. Concrete foundations project upwardly from a mount installation surface at predetermined intervals in a right-left direction under front and rear sides of the mount frame, and the mount frame is supported by the concrete foundations so as to be positionally adjustable in the up-down and right-left directions by mounting brackets fastened to a top of each of the concrete foundations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Sunrail Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norio Hirose, Fumio Katoh
  • Patent number: 9441658
    Abstract: Provided is a structure that may include a structural tube having at least one slot extending from an end thereof, an end plate attached to the end of the structural tube, and at least one cross member extending through the at least one slot, the at least one cross member including a first region outside of the structural tube and a second region inside the structural tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: CTB Midwest, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Jay Hemphill, Jake Bigelow, Jason Hoffman, Ross Robert Ingwersen, Christopher Alan Jacob, Ryan Oliver, Brandon Lee Schafer
  • Patent number: 9415563
    Abstract: Anti-skid roof underlayment and methods of making are provided. A first layer is applied to a second layer to at least partially melt the second layer. The first layer and the second layer are embossed and laminated to a substrate, where the first layer and the second layer form an embossed layer on the substrate. The embossed layer has an anti-skid surface thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Innovative Construction Materials (H.K.) Ltd.
    Inventor: Wang Xiang Li
  • Patent number: 9408379
    Abstract: A break-away apparatus for a boom arm has a main boom portion and a boom tip. The apparatus is positioned at a joint between the main boom portion and the boom tip. The apparatus allows the boom tip to assume a neutral position and to pivot to a forward position and to a rearward position with respect to the main boom portion. The apparatus includes a first plate disposed at the joint, a second plate disposed at the joint, a hinge assembly positioned between the first plate and the second plate, a cam element attached to the first plate, the cam element having an arcuate surface, and a roller attached to the second plate and positioned to roll against the arcuate surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: AGCO Corporation
    Inventor: John Kuphal
  • Patent number: 9410319
    Abstract: A wood fiber based panel with surfaces layer with lower parts which has less binders than the upper parts. Also, a method of manufacturing a building panel having a structured surface with a design that has color variation in register with the structure obtained by a varying pressure distribution applied on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: VALINGE INNOVATION AB
    Inventors: Goran Ziegler, Kent Lindgren
  • Patent number: 9404260
    Abstract: A roofing shingle is disclosed comprising a headlap portion with a non-straight longitudinal edge and a buttlap portion with a plurality of tabs with a non-straight longitudinal edge and spaced apart by openings, wherein the non-straight longitudinal edges do not shadow each other laterally across the shingle. A roofing system is disclosed wherein at least a portion of the headlap portion of such shingle from a subsequently installed course overlaps at least a portion of the headlap portion of a shingle from a previously installed course. The maximum headlap overlap dimension is beneath the subsequently installed shingle laterally proximate the openings in the buttlap portion of the subsequently installed shingle. A method for making the shingle is disclosed comprising cutting a sheet of roofing material longitudinally along non-straight lines wherein at least a portion of each formed shingle has a width of about twelve inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Building Materials Investment Corporation
    Inventor: Olan Leitch