Patents Examined by Larry D. Worrell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5685013
    Abstract: A protective device for mitigating the risks and hazards of fractures and injuries to the wrist and forearm that is intended to be utilized by individuals who participate in skating activities or other sports played on hard surfaces. The device has semi-rigid splint members which are fastened above and below the wearer's forearm and extend from the palm area of the hand longitudinally along the forearm toward the elbow. The palm area of the device includes an arched portion of the splint member which defines a space for containing a shock absorber which cushions the impact of a fall, thereby alleviating the extent of injury to the wrist and forearm areas. The palm area also includes a spring for transmitting the force of a fall along the extremity of the forearm splint members and the palmar portion of the protective device. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, splint members which lie along the palmar of the forearm slide relative to each other for additional impact and injury mitigation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Inventor: Michael R. Hausman
  • Patent number: 5685014
    Abstract: A knitted individual protective gear such as, a glove, muff or mitt for example, to guard an upper limb against mechanical risks, particularly cutting and/or abrasion, is characterized in that,the yarn (2) of high physical resistance with which the individual protective gear is knitted is a fiber core (3) surrounded by an outer fiber covering (4);fibers of the core (3) have a selected color;fibers of the covering (4) have a color chosen to be distinct from that of the core (3);cuts and/or abrasion alter the covering (4) on a permanent basis, allowing the core (3) to be seen, so that the larger the alteration, the closer the shade of the altered parts will be to the color of the core (3), in order for the gear to have an indicator of the protection performance in the gear's current state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Comasec
    Inventor: Christian Dapsalmon
  • Patent number: 5682770
    Abstract: A jacquard mechanism mounted in a circular knitting machine for knitting a jacquard fabric, including a fixed selector cam for guiding a knitting needle in a fixed track, a needle selector controlled to raise the knitting needle into a tucking track for a jacquard knitting operation, a movable selector cam moved in a sliding slot in the fixed selector cam to open/close the tucking track, and a driving mechanism controlled to move the movable selector cam in the sliding slot of the fixed selector cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Inventor: Ping-Shin Wang
  • Patent number: 5682606
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a curved, self-supporting mask which may be worn to protect the wearer from unwanted exposure to the sun and wind. The mask includes a shield fabricated of material which blocks the penetration of ultraviolet radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Inventor: Lisa Pospisil
  • Patent number: 5682613
    Abstract: Waterproof, breathable gloves and a method of making the gloves are disclosed herein. The gloves are preferably used in cold weather applications such as fishing or hunting. The glove includes a laminate of a porous elastomeric material, a fabric layer, and a waterproof breathable film. A nonporous textured gripping surface provide feel and grip so that the gloves need not be removed when doing activities such as hunting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Gates-Mills, Inc.
    Inventor: Chuck Dinatale
  • Patent number: 5680684
    Abstract: A method for intermingling yarn, and an air intermingling machine 1 used therein, is provided that yields yarn with the comfortable feel of hand-spun yarn, on an industrial scale. In the air intermingling machine 1, intermingling is imparted to the yarn by signals having a 1/f fluctuation, wherein the degree of intermingling of the yarn vanes with a 1/f fluctuation provides a natural, comfortable feel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignees: Toshimitsu Musha, Nisshinbo Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Musha, Yuichi Yanai, Kazuyoshi Muraoka, Yuki Niwa
  • Patent number: 5675878
    Abstract: Apparatus to continuously draw, texture and warp polyester yam in which the texturing apparatus includes texturing balls mounted on a common mount for a plurality of texturing positions which individually can be rotated into and out of position without individual adjustment of each ball after rotation back into operative position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Assignee: Milliken Research Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Saul Brown, Ralph Allen Cantrell
  • Patent number: 5673466
    Abstract: A stuffer box crimping unit provided with a crimping chamber and two feed rolls associated with the chamber and located upstream thereof, has pressure disks associated on both sides in side walls of the crimping chamber at the level of the nip between the two feed rolls. These two disks are not only made from a material provided for wear, but also from a separate carrier disk made of appropriate material. The carrier disk is a wear element shaped like a lid and made of the nonferrous metal intended for wear in the direction facing the pressure roll nip. This wear element is readily replaced and there is no need any longer for regrinding the wear surfaces of pressure disks so that the disks can be reused.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Fleissner GmbH & Co., Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Gerold Fleissner
  • Patent number: 5671482
    Abstract: Described is a stocking having a comfort foot area. The comfort area encompasses the toe, sole and heel areas of the foot. A pad is sized to cover and be secured to the comfort area or integrally woven into the comfort area to act as a liner to protect and comfort the foot of the wearer of the stocking. The pad is made out of a thicker, absorbent fiber material to absorb wetness and allow the foot to breathe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Inventor: Lee A. Alvera
  • Patent number: 5671477
    Abstract: A ball catching apparatus includes a first outer shell on the back side of a user's hand as inserted into the apparatus, a second outer shell on the ball catching side, and an inner shell disposed inwardly of the second outer shell. The apparatus further includes a protector unit attached to at least either the inner shell or the first outer shell for protecting the user's palm. The protector unit is attached in such a manner as to project from a finger inserting opening of the apparatus through which the user's thumb and fingers are inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Trion Corporation
    Inventor: Akio Aoki
  • Patent number: 5671615
    Abstract: A fixation panty brief (7, 29) comprises a tubular body portion (10) and a crotch portion (11). The panty brief comprises a waistband portion (16) for encircling the body of the user and at the same time a snug fit to the user known from ordinary circular knitted panty briefs. The body portion (10) and the crotch portion (11) of the fixation panty brief are produced in one singular piece by circular knitting and at the same time a looser knitting has been used in one or several areas for providing containment and fixation pockets (21, 30) for containing a diaper or hip protection bowls which are held in place in that the delimiting edge areas have an elastic and firm knitting which forms a close fit to the user's body. The edge areas will consequently be in firm contact with the user's body while the pockets (21, 30) are able to contain a diaper or a hip protection bowl. A panty brief may also comprise a loose net-like structure for providing an inspection window (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Inventors: Finn Kj.ae butted.rgaard, Johannes Nyvang Kristensen
  • Patent number: 5671518
    Abstract: In order to be able to consolidate mineral fibers without binder, such as in particular glass wool into a needle-felt by needle-punching, an agent as a needling aid which comprises a thixotropizing additive having a relatively low flow viscosity during needling and thus allows to effectively support the needling process, is added to the mineral fibers. At rest, this thixotropizing additive however has an extremely high viscosity, whereby the needle-punched felt obtains good strength. In particular, for needling rock wool, suppler textile fibers are moreover added which contribute to improved mutual interlocking of the fibers, in particular in the case of mineral fibers such as basalt fibers, which can only with difficulty be interlocked by needling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Isover Saint-Gobain
    Inventors: Hans Kummermehr, Lothar Bihy, Reinhard Stoyke
  • Patent number: 5669249
    Abstract: The magnetic selection ring has a ferromagnetic body defining a flange provided with recesses. Slots filled with diamagnetic material are provided in the recesses to form heads each accommodating the core of a respective release electromagnet. The selection ring is usable with selectors of the type provided with a shaped elastic portion, a lower heel, which is outwardly flexible for being affected by a lifting cam or inwardly retainable to avoid interference with the cam, and an upper heel, actuated by a lowering cam formed on the lower surface of a complementary ring for retaining the elastic portions of the selectors. The selectors have a lowermost tapering tab, which can be moved by a retraction cam into contact with the magnetic ring. When the tab is retained by the permanent magnets, the heel assumes the configuration for not interfering with the cam. The electromagnets are activatable for selectively releasing the selectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1997
    Assignee: Matec S.r.l.
    Inventor: Jan Ando'
  • Patent number: 5664305
    Abstract: A succession of fibrous sheet segments (10) are supplied from a rotary magazine (12) to a rotating bowl (14). Segments are added to the bowl with their adjacent radial edges abutting each other and are passed beneath a reciprocating needle board (20), whereby filaments from the segments in upper layers are displaced into segments in lower layers to bind the segments together and form a self-supporting preform. Two needle heads (22) are able to move up and down and rotate in order to pick up a segment from the store and deposit that segment on the bowl. A few barbed needles (22A) pick up the segment and more grooved needles (22B) push through fibre to tack the segments down. A conical roller (28) bears against the top of the segments after they leave the needle board to bear against the preform to compress the fibres and also to provide a monitor of the distance between the needle board or the mounting block and the top layer of the preform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Aerospace Preforms Limited
    Inventors: Peter Geoffrey Lawton, Norman Smith
  • Patent number: 5662147
    Abstract: A fabric panel has a large number of parallel rows of loops horizontally in small spacing woven in to it. The loops in the rows are also lined up vertically. By that they form a kind of grid allowing a nearly unlimited choice of stringing options. Changes and adjustments can be done easily without relocating tapes or moving and adding rings. Ring clips to catch two loops in the vertical line for a permanent fold, gathering rings to gather several loops for a packet of folds or, if desired, cord guide rings can be attached to the loops, without diminishing the decorative front side by sewing, tacking or using tapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Inventor: Gerd Haiber
  • Patent number: 5659897
    Abstract: A ball catching apparatus has a a thumb inserting portion and first and second cover members provided on a non-ball-catching side of the apparatus for forming the thumb inserting portion. The first cover member includes an extension portion extending along a direction of inserting the thumb. The second cover member is provided at least around the extension portion. The thumb inserting portion is formed by connecting the first and second cover members to each other at the extension portion, with the first cover member covering at least a portion of the second cover member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Assignee: Zett Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazunori Satoh, Fumiaki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5657512
    Abstract: A circular comb for a textile combing machine has a comb member formed around a part of the peripheral surface of an essentially cylindrical support member wherein a channel is formed between the comb member and the support member. For the purpose of reducing the dynamic pressure in front of the comb member generated when rotating the circular comb, the channel is provided with a cross-sectional form wherein the radial and/or axial width increases along the rotational direction of the comb.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignees: Graf & Cie AG, Kratzen-und Maschinenfabrik And Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG
    Inventor: Ralph Graf
  • Patent number: 5657491
    Abstract: A cap includes a cap band defining a cap base, and a crown is attached to the cap band. The crown has a front portion and a back portion. First and second spaced-apart tabs are attached respectively to the cap band at the front portion of the crown. The tabs include respective fastener members. A removable adjustment strap is located between the first and second tabs, and includes complementary fastener members at opposite ends thereof for being mated with the fastener members of the first and second tabs. The front portion of the crown defines an open area thereof adjacent to the first and second tabs and adjustment strap for permitting ready attachment and removal of the adjustment strap by the wearer. A bill is attached to the back portion of the crown opposite the adjustment strap, and resides adjacent to a back of the wearer's neck during cap wear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Inventor: Stephen A. Young
  • Patent number: 5653098
    Abstract: For the direct spinning of drafting frame sliver, a one-sided ring spinning machine is provided, in the case of which the spinning stations are arranged on one side of the machine and the depositing sites for the cans containing the sliver to be spun are arranged on the other side of the machine. For the withdrawing of the slivers, a drivable deflecting guide is provided closely above the cans which is situated at least approximately in the same horizontal plane as the drivable feeding rollers of the pertaining drafting units. Preferably, the deflecting guide is formed by a transport belt which transports the slivers from the cans to the drafting units. Preferably, the transport belt has a linear course and is driven by the drivable feeding roller of the pertaining drafting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Inventors: Fritz Stahlecker, Hans Stahlecker
  • Patent number: 5653010
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for texturing thermoplastic threads. In starting the operation of the texturing device, one or several non-textured yarns can be drawn in more easily and more reliably via a drawing-in yarn guide which guides the at least one yarn for the purpose of drawing same into the feed channels of the texturizing nozzle and into the plug channels of the plug feed roller essentially parallel to these channels and at a predetermined distance from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG
    Inventors: Peter Grossenbacher, Jorg Maier