Patents Examined by Lisa Bannapradist
  • Patent number: 6564426
    Abstract: A retractable handle device includes a pair of conduits, a pair of tubes slidably engaged in the conduits, a housing secured on top of the tubes, and a hand grip rotatably secured to the housing with a shaft. One or more spring biased latches are disposed in the tubes, a bar is slidably received in the housing and coupled to the spring biased latches with links for selectively actuating the spring biased latches to lock the conduits and the tubes. A pin is slidably received in the shaft. A knob is slidably received in the hand grip for selectively actuating the pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Inventor: Gin Chiao Wang
  • Patent number: 6557831
    Abstract: A fence mounting bracket for use with a fence, railing, or the like having upright posts, lateral rails extending between the posts, and upright picket boards extending between the rails. The bracket comprises a body having a peripheral wall defining a T-shaped opening including a rail opening portion for receiving an end of one of the rails and two picket opening portions for receiving an edge of one of the picket boards. The peripheral wall has opposing side walls that are slanted and/or inwardly flanged to receive the rails when they are positioned either horizontally or at an angle to horizontal. The picket opening portions extend through the side walls to permit the picket boards to seat flush against the upright posts so that little or nor gap remains therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Erwin Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald D. Erwin
  • Patent number: 6546881
    Abstract: An expandable cash box system for storing bills including a chassis housing attachable to a bill validator and having an open end adapted to receive bills from the validator and a sliding enclosure housing disposed in telescopic relation to the chassis housing. A spring-loaded compressor plate is provided within the two housings and a control system between the two telescoping housing determines the expansion as bills are received by the cash box. The control system may include interengaging resilient members and a set of grooves receiving the resilient members and a guidance system facilitates the alignment of the two housings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Coin Acceptors, Inc.
    Inventor: Joel Wiesner
  • Patent number: 6546596
    Abstract: An extension pole for tools provides nearly universal attachment of a wide variety of different tool heads or components, for painting, cleaning, and other tasks which may require a long reach to access otherwise inaccessible areas. The present extension essentially comprises a tubular base or handle component and a tubular extension component. The extension tube telescopes within the base tube and may be locked at the desired extended length by a pull release pin which extends through a selected one of several holes in a keyway in the extension tube. The distal end of the handle tube includes a folded down tab which engages the extension tube keyway, to preclude axial rotation of the extension tube within the base tube. The distal end of the extension tube includes a threaded attachment, preferably having an Acme threaded configuration to provide nearly universal attachment of a wide variety of devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Inventors: Rick V. Grote, Cynthia L. Grote
  • Patent number: 6546594
    Abstract: A covering device for use with a door handle and interconnecting shaft extending from a hingedly secured door. The device includes an elasticized body having a substantially three dimensional shape with an inner face, an outer face, and an open inserting end defined around a narrowed neck of the body. The body further including a flexible and plasticized material which may be covered by a soft fabric outer layer. A resilient retaining portion, such as an elasticized ring is disposed around the neck in association with the open inserting end and for securing the body in place over the door handle and shaft. Frictional engagement is provided between the inner face of the elasticized body and the door handle surface in use and is preferably provided as an adhesive tacking surface which may be incorporated into an inner ply of covering device or spray applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Inventor: Steven Wills
  • Patent number: 6539579
    Abstract: A hinge giving a neat look to a mounting area of a door is not exposed to an outer surface of the door. The hinge has a hinge spindle unit, buried flush with top and bottom lines on a fixed end of the door and disposed so as to allow protrusion and retraction of a spindle, and a hinge body unit, buried at a position facing the hinge spindle unit of the open frame and in which is inserted the protruding spindle, supporting the door to allow it to open and close.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Osaka Kanagu Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Saburo Minami
  • Patent number: 6539756
    Abstract: A steering wheel lock utilizes a motor-driven spindle which drives a locking nut to control a detent disk which has pin-like projections engaged in camming tracks which guide the detent disk linearly and angularly. The detent disk in turn controls a locking pin which can engage the steering wheel shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Markus Bartels, Stefan Armbruster
  • Patent number: 6536773
    Abstract: A brush shroud assembly for reducing the tip clearance between a rotating blade and an engine casing is disclosed. The assembly includes a plurality of bristle packs supported within a housing such that the bristle distribution at the inner diameter of the bristle packs is substantially continuous. The continuous surface is created by mounting the bristles packs within a housing such that the packs are flared, i.e. width at the outer diameter of the bristle pack is smaller than that at the inner diameter. Various embodiments are disclosed for mounting the flared bristle packs to form a substantially continuous inner diameter. The bristle strips may be mounted in one or more annular rings, may be secured within one or more channels in the housing, the bristle packs may be formed into a tufted ring, or any of these may be utilized in combination with a backplate supporting an abradable seal, i.e. a hybrid design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Components & Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Amitava Datta
  • Patent number: 6530573
    Abstract: A system for providing a seal between a housing and a shaft is formed of at least two ring members connected to each other by relative diametrical expansion with reduced or eliminated axial resilient deformation. The ring members may be held together by an annular protrusion located within a recess. To eliminate play between the protrusion and the recess, the device may be assembled by heating the recess and inserting the protrusion into the recess while the recess is expanded. The improved system can be accurately assembled, with the ring members located very close to each other. The system has improved oil retention and water exclusion properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: J. M. Clipper Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Merkin, George Fedorovich, Kenneth J. Sharrer
  • Patent number: 6519812
    Abstract: A hinge structure for use in an electronic device such as a digital camera for connecting two elements and making the two elements turn against each other. A gear unit is provided, which has two gears engaging with each other and turning in opposite directions. The two gears connect respectively with the two elements. When one element is turned in one direction, through the transmission of the gear unit, another element will be driven to turn in the opposite direction, to thereby change the angle between the two elements and enhance picture taking flexibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Inventec Multimedia & Telecom Corporation
    Inventors: Yu-Chen Ko, Heem-Hoe Chee
  • Patent number: 6516494
    Abstract: A hinge is provided which includes a frame-side base member 41 adapted to be attached to an open frame 10 and a door-side base member 42 adapted to be attached to a door 20. The frame-side base member 41 is connected to a first plate 31 and the door-side base member 42 is connected to a second plate 32 which is hinge connected to the first plate 31, for holding the door 20 so as to be capable of rotating. The second plate 32 is separable from the door-side base member 42. The door-side base member 42 is shaped to be symmetrical about the vertical center line of the door edge, and is imbedded in the edge of the door 20 without any protrusions from the door 20. Further, the door-side base member 42 is provided with a slit 44 which penetrates the member 42 in the width direction of the door 20 and into which the second plate 32 can be inserted from both the front and back sides of the door 20. There is also provided a lock apparatus to lock the second plate 32 inserted into the slit 44.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Juken Sangyo
    Inventors: Yusho Nakamoto, Katsunori Sako, Kiminori Kubo
  • Patent number: 6516639
    Abstract: A storage case comprises a top portion and bottom portion adapted to abut each other in a closed position. A locking strip is mounted on an edge of the closed storage case. The top portion and bottom portion receive the locking strip. The storage case comprises formations receivable by said locking member such that said locking member and said storage case is in a locked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Carling Point Limited
    Inventors: Mark Geoffrey Newland Margetts, Neil Adrian Eaton, Andrew William Fisher, Simon Day, Mark Daniel Bagnall
  • Patent number: 6517085
    Abstract: A cylinder head gasket for an internal combustion engine is formed of one metal plate having a base portion extending substantially throughout an entire area to be sealed, a hole formed in the base portion corresponding to the hole of the engine, and a bead surrounding the hole. A resin coating is deposited on at least a part of the bead of the metal plate. Thus, the bead is reinforced and sealing ability is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Ishikawa Gasket Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsunekazu Udagawa, Susumu Inamura, Shinichi Sato