Patents Examined by Lanna Mai
  • Patent number: 7918053
    Abstract: A basic container has at least one expansion element which can be moved out of the basic container. A lifting device permits lowering of the expansion element such that, after the expansion element has been moved out of the basic container, the floor wall of the expansion element and the basic container are situated at the same level. An expansion element can be lifted such that, after the lowering, the expansion element can be moved back into the basic container. The lifting device is active between the folded-open side wall and the expansion element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Hubert Bucher, Andreas Serden, Patrick Treutle
  • Patent number: 7694830
    Abstract: A manually operated bicycle storage and retrieval assembly for loading, storing and unloading bikes. The storage assembly is mountable within or to the top of existing bicycle storage racks. The storage assembly has a frame, a lower track, an upper track and a dampening system which interconnects the lower and upper trolley track. The upper track has front and rear bike wheel securement structures which secure a bike to the upper track. A cooperating tool assembly is provided to operate the bicycle storage assembly and to pivot the upper track with respect to the lower track to load and unload bikes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Inventor: Roger C. Larson
  • Patent number: 7631604
    Abstract: A telescopic and foldable table comprises a table frame having two supporting posts at two sides thereof; each post having a liftable inner tube; each post being installed to a transversal leg at a bottom end thereof; an upper end of the inner tube of the post having a pivotal unit which is pivotally installed to the table plane so that the table plane can pivotally move or transversally displace. By above mentioned components, the table is telescopic and foldable. Each post has a plurality of openings for determining the elevation of the post; each inner tube has a telescopic buckle and a control rod for controlling the telescopic movement of the buckle; and the control rod is controlled by a control unit protruding out of the inner tube. The pivotal unit is pivotally installed to a pivotal seat at a bottom surface of the table plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Inventor: Tsung-Chieh Huang
  • Patent number: 7621605
    Abstract: A cabinet having opposing side walls and an open, or openable, frontal area, provides a pair of arms pivotally engaged with each of the side walls. The arms are rotatable between a downwardly and rearwardly directed position and a forwardly directed position extensive of the frontal area for exposing a shelf or basket. Each of the pair of arms is engaged with slots in a guide plate fixed at one side of the shelf or basket, whereby the basket is driven linearly, by the arms, between a retracted position inside the cabinet to a frontal position, while the arms traverse the slots, and then the arms lift the basket in an arc to an extended and raised convenient height. Such movement is facilitated by a motor driven linear actuator or by pulleys rotated by drive cords or belts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Easy Lift LLC
    Inventors: Steve Bond, Andrew Tiffin
  • Patent number: 7617941
    Abstract: A product display rack having a plurality of interlocking modular units, each of which are capable of tessellation. Preferably, each unit comprises: four parallel wire members, the first and second of which define a base, and the third and fourth of which define a top; a first L-shaped flange and a second, parallel L-shaped flange, wherein said first and second L-shaped flanges are attached and parallel to said first and third wire members, respectively, and wherein further the first and second L-shaped flanges have their own respective receiving portions that face each other; a third L-shaped flange and a fourth, parallel L-shaped flange, wherein said third and fourth L-shaped flanges are attached and parallel to said third and fourth wire members, respectively, and wherein further the third and fourth L-shaped flanges each have their own respective receiving portions that face each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Sabritas, S. de R.L. de C.V.
    Inventors: Maria Alejandra Noble Colin, Juan Manuel Avila Barriga
  • Patent number: 7611213
    Abstract: Sliding track assembly is provided. A sliding track assembly includes a first rail, a second rail reciprocally moved with respect to the first rail, a third rail reciprocally moved with respect to the second rail, and a latch mechanism disposed on the second rail. The first rail has a retaining block, and the third rail has a protrusion. The latch mechanism includes a pair of swing arms engaged against the retaining block. When the latch mechanism is forced by the protrusion, the pair of swing arms is swung outwardly and disengaged from the retaining block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Atom International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sui-An Wu, Chih-Hao Yu
  • Patent number: 7600830
    Abstract: A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket arranged at the lower cooling chamber arranged at a lower portion of the body to be movable back and forth, and having a door at a front side thereof; a lifting frame arranged at a rear surface of the door to be movable up and down and on which the basket is placed; a driving arm roll-motioned at a lower surface of the lifting frame and hinge-connected to the door, for lifting the lifting frame; a driving unit for rotating the driving arm; and a locking unit installed at the lifting frame, for maintaining a lifted state of the basket by locking the driving arm when the lifting frame is lifted up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Seung-Hwan Oh, Kyung-Han Jeong, Sang-Oh Kim
  • Patent number: 7600829
    Abstract: A refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus comprises: a body having cooling chambers for storing food; a basket accommodated in the cooling chamber arranged at a lower portion of the body in a slidable manner; a lifting unit for lifting the basket when the basket is drawn out of the cooling chamber; and a damping unit installed at the lifting unit, for absorbing an impact generated when the basket lifted by the lifting unit is descended. When the basket is descended, a damping force is generated thereby to absorb an impact due to a drastic descent of the basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Seung-Hwan Oh, Kyung-Han Jeong, Sang-Oh Kim
  • Patent number: 7597203
    Abstract: A storage system generally comprising of one or more storage containers which form an array of storage containers for storing items and which include at least four edges. “Containers” within the context of this application is meant to encompass any four-edged container including boxes, bins, and/or totes. Each storage system is generally comprised of at least one storage unit which consists of at least one rail-type unit having a first and second end which attaches to a ceiling or wall, creating a hanging apparatus. Each rail-type unit consists of one or more parallel support rails; one or more inner adjacently parallel reinforcement rods that allow said rail-type unit to be attached to a ceiling or wall and one or more outer parallel reinforcement rods that provide stability and rigidity to said rail-type unit. Each parallel support rails are coupled to the inner and outer parallel reinforcement rods by a plurality of inverted u-shaped like brackets which provide stability and rigidity to the rail-type unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Inventor: Victor Jasniy
  • Patent number: 7506772
    Abstract: A wall-mount rack includes at least two vertical posts, at least two hangers, and at least one container. Each of the vertical posts is provided on two lateral sides with one longitudinal row of holes each. The hangers are hooked to two corresponding holes at the same level on two opposite inner lateral sides of the two vertical posts. The container is hung on the two hangers and thereby stably mounted on and between the two vertical posts. The container may be a box-type container to define a receiving space therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Protrend Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Henry Chen
  • Patent number: 7497344
    Abstract: A supporting bracket is designed to connect to a wall-mount rack by inserting hooks provided at a rear end of the bracket into holes provided on a front side of a vertical post of the wall-mount rack. The supporting bracket includes two parallelly spaced side wall portions, on top edges of which retaining slots are formed to enable the support of two shelves at two opposite lateral sides of the bracket. Two rails may be connected to two sides of the bracket for supporting a drawer-type container. A hanger may be connected to a lower side of the bracket to support a crossbar for holding suit hangers. The supporting bracket is therefore a multipurpose and highly efficient supporting member very practical for use on the wall-mount rack for supporting different types of holding members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Protrend Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Henry Chen
  • Patent number: 7461752
    Abstract: A foldable article support rack has a shelf-board and a plurality of bearing legs joined to the shelf-board at spaced locations to support the shelf-board steadily. The shelf-board includes two daughter boards that are connected in a manner to be foldable along a line. The foldable article support rack further includes telescopic link mechanisms connected to the daughter boards and the bearing legs. The telescopic link mechanisms are operable to selectively fold the daughter boards and the bearing legs into a plane for storage or stretch the daughter boards and the bearing legs for use. Therefore, manufacturers or merchants could assembly all components of the rack into finished product and fold it into a package for easy storage and transport and, in turn, consumers purchased the rack may immediately stretch it for use without troublesome assembling operation, while not in use, the consumers can fold it for sparing space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Inventor: Xuliang Li
  • Patent number: 7410229
    Abstract: A side-by-side refrigerator includes a cabinet defining fresh food and freezer compartments, with each compartment having upper and lower sections which vary in width and volume and corresponding fresh food and freezer doors that vary in width. The fresh food and freezer compartments are spaced by a mullion against which the doors seal. The mullion is bowed such that the longitudinal curvature of the mullion compensates for thermal bowing of the fresh food and freezer doors, thereby assuring a proper seal between the mullion and the fresh food and freezer doors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas A. Pohl, Eugene H. Schuchert
  • Patent number: 7410228
    Abstract: A vertical height adjustment mechanism for a dish rack includes a slide member fixedly mounted relative to a support member, a housing secured to the dish rack, and a latch member. The housing includes a central guide channel that slidably receives the slide member. The latch member includes a support leg, an actuating arm and an intermediate portion joining the support leg and actuating arm. The sliding element includes an end portion that receives and retains the support leg of the latch when the dish rack is in the raised position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Harry W. Dickson, Kory A. Gunnerson, Kristen K. Hedstrom, Mark E. Palm, Michael C. Simmons, Daniel R. Teteak, Chad M. Thomas, Wayne M. VanLandingham, Rodney M. Welch, Karl R. C. Wendt, Jeffrey N. Williams
  • Patent number: 7410230
    Abstract: A side-by-side refrigerator includes a cabinet defining fresh food and freezer compartments, each having upper and lower sections which vary in width and volume along with corresponding fresh food and freezer doors that vary in width. The fresh food and freezer compartments are spaced by an offset mullion assembly against which the doors seal. The offset mullion assembly includes a first longitudinal member, a second longitudinal member, a brace having first and second legs and a laterally extending portion and a cosmetic cover. The offset mullion assembly provides strength to the cabinet while providing an aesthetically pleasing and uniform sealing surface for the fresh food and freezer doors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Troy M. Anderson, Garnett S. Helming, Douglas A. Pohl, Eugene H. Schuchert, Forrest F. Wing
  • Patent number: 7387151
    Abstract: A cabinet door assembly having a wooden cabinet door with a peripheral frame and an open center is provided with features enabling a fabric panel to be mounted on the door in a manner such that panels may be readily removed and replaced with other panels. An upper member of the frame has a slot which receives a dowel pin carried in an upper loop of the panel fabric, and a lower frame member has a slot which receives the lower end of the panel and directs a lower dowel pin carried at the lower end into a capturing position. The panel is pulled tightly by tension applied to the dowel pins. Side frame members each have on an inner side a narrow slot receiving edges of the panel. The panel is secured in place by the lower dowel pin, which is being restrained by projections at end locations past side edges of the panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Inventor: Donald L. Payne
  • Patent number: 7377602
    Abstract: A bezel mounting assembly includes a bezel (10), a front panel (30) defining a pair of apertures (31), and a locking device (20) attached to the bezel for securing the bezel to the front panel. The bezel includes a pair of pillars (121) and a pair of blocks (11) having a pair of posts (14). The locking device includes a pair of symmetric side plates (22) defining through slots (25) for slidably receiving the posts, a pair of resilient arms (27) extending from the side plates, an operating member (23), and a pair of catches (26). The locking device is slidably attached on the blocks, with the posts engagingly received in the through slots. The resilient arms are secured to the pillars at free ends thereof. The operating member is moved vertically so as to drive the catches to engage in and disengage from the apertures of the front panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yun Lung Chen, Quan Guang Du
  • Patent number: 7360849
    Abstract: An improved and concealed wall mounted soap storage device having a housing with an opening on one side, and a center rotating door closure member with a vertical wall that serves as a door, and a projecting soap tray that can rotate into the housing. The closure member is pivotally connected to the housing. The opening has stops that are raised dimples on the housing which restrain, but do not prevent rotation. The vertical wall is held in the open or closed position by the stops. When the vertical wall is pressed the vertical wall engages the restraining stops with sufficient force that the vertical wall moves past the stops and swing through the opening. As the vertical wall moves past the stops there is a snap. The soap tray can rotate into or out of the housing, whatever the case may be.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Inventor: Richard Warren Atkinson
  • Patent number: 7350583
    Abstract: A running tool delivers a string through a wellhead in the same trip as a hanger with a seal and locking assembly. The string is secured downhole and the running tool is manipulated to release a lock to hold the hanger in a sealed position in the wellhead prior to a tensile force being applied. A ratchet assembly permits the string to stretch and the tensile force is then locked in. The running tool is rotated out of the string and the tree is installed on the wellhead for subsequent procedures or production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Cameron International Corporation
    Inventors: Dennis P. Nguyen, Delbert Vanderford
  • Patent number: 7343713
    Abstract: A height adjustable jack piling assembly has a piling with a top and a bottom. A hinge axis is disposed on the top and a bearing plate is disposed at the bottom. A height adjustment mechanism extends upwardly from the bearing plate and through the piling to raise the piling, and the corresponding hinge axis, by operating the height adjustment mechanism from the top. The method includes placing a jack piling assembly and second lower piling, each having a hinge axis, into the earth and operating the height adjustment mechanism of the jack piling assembly to align the hinge axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Morton Buildings
    Inventors: Wayne Knepp, Tim Wetterhus, Don Ferguson, Dave Fehr, Paul Remmele, John Gleason