Patents Examined by Lanna Mai
  • Patent number: 6659574
    Abstract: A guard for covering food located with a housing has first and second legs shaped to fit about the housing to resist transverse movement relative to the housing. The guard can be transparent and having openings at first and second positions. A flap is mounted to be movable relative to each opening. The flap covers its openings in a first position and is movable to a second position to allow a hand to extend through the opening to grasp food. The guard can have voids to receive flap lugs to allow the flap to pivot relative thereto. The flap may have a trapezoidal shape, and the sides of the cover may slant inwardly from their bottoms towards their tops. The flap may have a handle section and can be made of flexible material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Inventor: Michael Lee Huegerich
  • Patent number: 6659577
    Abstract: A slide assembly for slidably mounting a computer server unit to a rack. The slide assembly includes a stationary member and at least one slidable member slidably mounted thereto. A front bracket is mounted to a front end of the stationary member and a rear bracket is mounted to a rear end of the stationary member. Both the front and rear brackets include a plurality of dual-diameter mounting pins and a pair of spring elements having different lengths. The mounting pins are positioned within holes in the rack columns and one of the spring elements snaps behind the rack column to hold the slide assembly to the rack. If the holes in the rack columns have one diameter, then the mounting pins extend partially through the holes and contact a shoulder of the pin. In this orientation, the shorter spring element snaps behind the back column. For a larger diameter or square rack column hole, the mounting pins extend completely through the holes where the longer spring element snaps behind the rack column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Craig E. Lauchner
  • Patent number: 6659019
    Abstract: A foldable device for facilitating the stacking of adjacent pairs of pallets loaded with container arrays includes a pair of pivotally-interconnected sections. Each section includes a generally flat bottom surface adapted to rest on a respective top layer of exposed container tops, and a top surface that include surface features whose uppermost portions cooperate to define a first reference plane. Each section includes a plurality of complementary hinge components defining a pivot axis that lies in a second reference plane located between the section's bottom surface and first reference plane, and further includes detents by which to maintain the bottom surfaces of each section pair in a substantially coplanar relationship when the hinged sections are spread open. Preferably, the surface features of each section pair are complementary such that, the assembly is folded about the resulting shared pivot axis, the bottom surfaces become generally parallel-spaced to facilitate device storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
    Inventors: Robert V. Gruber, Trenton M. Overholt
  • Patent number: 6655763
    Abstract: A slide assembly including a first slide segment, a second slide segment, and a third slide segment. A bearing assembly is provided between the second slide segment and the third slide segment. A lock arm extends from the third slide segment and is engageable with an engagement surface of the second slide segment to limit movement of the third slide segment with respect to the second slide segment. A controller is associated with the second slide segment and comprises a locking portion and an actuator portion. The locking portion extends through an opening in a side wall of the second slide segment towards the bearing retainer. The locking portion is selectively engageable with the bearing retainer to limit movement of the bearing assembly. The actuator extends through an opening in a side wall of the second slide segment between the first slide segment and the lock arm to actuate the lock arm and thereby disengage it from the engagement surface when the slide assembly is retracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Jonathan Engineered Solutions
    Inventors: Ronald J. Judge, Adam M. Lyons, Ted D. Alba
  • Patent number: 6655398
    Abstract: An umbrella includes a number of strut assemblies each having a beam and a spring rod pivotally coupled between a strut and a rib. The spring rod includes a middle portion slidably coupled to the beam. A pole is slidably secured to the beam and coupled to the middle portion of the spring rod. For example, the pole includes an aperture for receiving the middle portion of the spring rod and for allowing the middle portion of the spring rod to be loosely coupled to the beam and for preventing the spring rod from being bent or damaged by the beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Inventor: Lu Tsai Huang
  • Patent number: 6652047
    Abstract: A device for storing pills and indicating quantity of the pills to be taken at times specifically indicated thereon that includes a housing and a dial rotatably mounted to the housing. The housing has a plurality of drawers for storing different pills. The dial includes an axle that is rotatably mounted along the top of the housing, a pair of end caps that are disposed over the pair of ends of the axle, respectively, quantity indica disposed in line along the axle and aligned with the drawers, respectively, and time indica that are disposed on the longitudinal side wall of each end cap and aligned with the quantity indica associated with that time so as the dial is rotated to the specific time indica, the quantity india in line therewith indicates quantity of the pills to be taken from the drawers aligned therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Inventor: Peter C. Maguire, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6654069
    Abstract: A frame assembly for electrical devices for covering an area where a device is to be located includes a substantially rectangular frame having frame openings, a substantially rectangular mounting plate having plate openings corresponding to the frame openings, and the frame being socketed with the mounting plate by latches provided on a lower edge of the frame and cooperating with holes provided on the mounting plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Simon, S.A.
    Inventor: Joaquin Aubert Capella
  • Patent number: 6651394
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for positioning mild steel reinforcing bars within a precast, moment resisting frame of a building. The apparatus includes a hand-receiving access component that can be installed within the concrete beams that make up the building frame so as to permit convenient access to the reinforcing bars that are slidably carried within bar receiving passageways formed within the concrete beams. Additionally, the apparatus includes a bladder-receiving component that can be installed within the concrete beams that make up the building frame in a manner to permit an expandable bladder to be conveniently positioned within the cable receiving passageways formed in the beam. When in position within a cable-receiving passageway, the expandable bladder spans the interface between the beam and the column and effectively prevents grout from entering the cable passageway during the grouting step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Inventor: Bill Hughes
  • Patent number: 6647672
    Abstract: Domed building structures are disclosed comprising a series of concentric rings or frustums, each comprising a plurality of panels (4, 5, 6, 8, 30, 32A, 32B, 32C) connected end to end around the ring. Some rings comprise only trapezoidal panels (4) whilst others comprise combinations of trapezoidal (6, 30) and triangular (8, 32A, 32B, 32C) panels. Some rings or frustums may incorporate bracing comprising ties (52, 54) disposed in the interior of the structure and connected with junctions between panels (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Inventor: Brian Valentine Knight
  • Patent number: 6647899
    Abstract: A splash guard for use on an embalming table or the like. The splash guard includes a shield member having an upper portion for extending above the upper surface of the tabletop, a table rest for resting on the upper surface of the tabletop, and a mechanism for mounting the shield member to the table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Inventor: Michael G. Lysien
  • Patent number: 6647664
    Abstract: A control panel, which might be enclosed within an openable housing, can be movably supported on a pivotable support structure. The support structure which incorporates one or more pivot points facilitates movement of the control panel from a normal operational position to a displaced maintenance/service position the control panel can be moved both arcuately and linearly on the support element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Metropolitan Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: John R. Kochan, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6640730
    Abstract: A table comprises a tabletop, joints, legs, a connecting device and auxiliary supporting devices, the tabletop is formed with pipes and rails, the rails are formed on two sides of each pipe, perpendicularly, and every two rails are connected by the joint, each joint is formed by a pair of blocks, with one block secured to the rail and the other block slidably attached to the rail, the legs are connected by the auxiliary supporting devices to support the tabletop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Inventor: Ming-Liang Tsai
  • Patent number: 6641239
    Abstract: A refrigerating unit includes a cooling chamber, a storage compartment removably guided within the chamber as far as a closing position, and a disengagement device. The chamber has a parallel-guide disposed on its sides. The guide has a mating toothed configuration, two rollers rigidly coupled, lying opposite each other, and each having an external toothed configuration with a pitch circle diameter to be rollingly coupled to the mating toothed configuration. The guide has an end section reached by the rollers near the closing position. One of the mating toothed configuration and the rollers is positionally fixed. The disengagement device disengages the mating toothed configuration from the external toothed configuration of the rollers and is at the end section and has a disengagement length compensating for oblique positioning of the compartment in and counter to a movement direction arising from an offset of the rollers along the mating toothed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hauseräte GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Kaiser
  • Patent number: 6641237
    Abstract: Cabinet modules are readily attached and removed from selected attachment parts on a vertical support to provide customized portable storage and instrument mounting. Drawers may be accommodated within a module. A lock on a single drawer can secure all other drawers and modules on one side of the vertical support. An uninterruptable power supply can e incorporated into an enclosed, ventilated module and located at an attachment point low on the vertical support to maintain a low center of gravity while supplying portable power to electronic instruments carried on the vertical support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Pryor Products
    Inventors: Jeffery W. Pryor, Paul E. Pryor, Kevin Donahue
  • Patent number: 6637842
    Abstract: A switchgear cabinet with at least one cabinet door, which can be locked by a lock element of the switchgear cabinet body wherein, in a locked position of the cabinet door, a locking engagement between the lock element and a counter-lock element can be released by a triggering device, which is in an operative connection with the lock element or the counter-lock element via an actuating unit. So that the cabinet door can be opened in a simple way from the inside of the switchgear cabinet, the actuating unit of this invention is designed as a Bowden cable, with one end connected to the triggering device via a connecting element and an other end connected with the lock element or the counter-lock element. The triggering device has a rotary body which is pivotably seated about an axis of rotation. The end of the Bowden cable is fastened eccentrically offset with respect to the axis of rotation on the rotary body, and a lever with a handle is connected to the rotary body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Oskar Elm, Jürgen Zachrai, Uwe Schauwecker
  • Patent number: 6637841
    Abstract: A compact disk storage device including a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, and opposed side walls. The front wall has a plurality of slotted compartments formed therein for receiving a plurality of slide trays, each slide wall having a forward end, a rearward end having pins extending outwardly therefrom, and a recessed upper surface for receiving a compact disk. Each of the compartments is defined by an open forward end, a bottom slide wall cut outwardly at a downward angle, and opposed side walls having brackets adjacent to the open forward end. The slide trays slide outwardly of the compartments until the pins abut the brackets whereupon the trays will angle downwardly against the forward edge of the bottom slide wall to allow removal of the compact disk from the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Inventor: Alain Dumornay
  • Patent number: 6637352
    Abstract: A table with a pivotable table top for changing between a working position and a stacking position. The table has a table top and a table frame, wherein the table frame has a horizontal beam, at least one support part for supporting the table top and one or more table legs fixedly coupled to the support part, wherein the table top is hinged to the table frame so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis, and wherein the support part is movable transversely with respect to the pivot axis between the working position and the stacking position or is coupled to the beam so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis. Between the table top and the support part coupling means are provided which effect common pivoting or turning of the table top and of the table leg coupled to the support part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Wilkhahn Wilkening + Hahne GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Jürgen Thode, Andreas Störiko, Heinrich Iglseder
  • Patent number: 6634727
    Abstract: A closet door assembly includes at least one closet door having a back panel, an outer side panel, an inner side panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel connected to the back panel forming an interior space. At least one shelf is positioned within the interior space of the closet door. A top frame is attached to a top of a closet doorway. Each closet door is pivotally connected to the top frame with an upper hinge assembly and pivotally connected to the floor surface of the doorway with a lower hinge assembly. The hinge assemblies are attached near the outer side panel of each door thereby permitting the inner side panel of each door to pivot between a closed position within the doorway and an open position away from the doorway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Inventor: Frank Torres
  • Patent number: 6634304
    Abstract: A collapsible table is provided. The collapsible table includes a feet unit having two horizontal rods, a plurality of feet each having an upper end pivotally connected to one end of the horizontal rod. Each foot is provided with a position limit ring and a slidable sleeve disposes thereabout. A guide rod is provided pivotally between a horizontal rod and each slidable sleeve. Each position limit ring has a projecting member, and each slidable sleeve has an engage member for engage the projecting member. The position limit rings stop the slidable sleeve upon spreading the feet unit. The slidable sleeve moves the guide rods to force the feet swing down or up during spreading or collapsing. The engagement of the engage members and the projecting members securely retains the feet unit in the spread position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Inventor: Rong-Hua Wang
  • Patent number: 6634726
    Abstract: A multi-drawer device includes a first drawer and a second drawer, each carried by a housing, and movable between a closed position disposed within a housing and an open position extending from the housing. A first slide assembly couples the first drawer to the housing and a second slide assembly couples the second drawer to the housing. A ramp and follower are each associated with the first drawer and the follower is adapted to contact and slide along the ramp. A first blocking device is associated with the second slide assembly and coupled to one of the ramp and the follower. The ramp, the follower and the first blocking device all cooperate such that as the first drawer moves from the closed position toward the open position, the follower contacts and slides along the ramp, for moving the first blocking device into a locked position that interferes with the second slide assembly to prevent the second drawer from moving to the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Snap-on Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George R. Slivon