Patents Examined by Madison L Poos
  • Flexible panel to offset pressure differential
    Patent number: 10195781
    Abstract: Provided is a container that includes a top having an opening configured to receive a product. The container also includes a bottom adjoining a sidewall that extends to the top of the container and a flexible panel disposed on the bottom and having a plurality of surfaces that each extend radially around a longitudinal axis of the container. One of the plurality of surfaces comprises a downward ramp that extends away from the top of the container when moving radially inward along the downward ramp and another of the surfaces comprises an upward ramp that extends toward the top of the container when moving radially inward along the upward ramp. The surfaces may include dimples protruding inward from the outer surface of the container that have an interlocking pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: RING CONTAINER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Doug Dygert, Dan Gamber, Doug Woodring
  • Waterproof storage unit
    Patent number: 10190310
    Abstract: A storage unit which is substantially water proof is provided. The storage unit may comprise a shell having lower edges which mate into a groove formed in a top surface of a base to provide a substantially waterproof barrier therebetween. The junction between the lower edge of the side walls and the first groove may be sealed with a water proof sealant. A front side wall of the shell may have an aperture therethrough to allow users to move items into and out of the storage unit. A door may be attached to the storage unit to prevent water from entering into the storage unit through the aperture. Moreover, a lower edge of the door body may be inserted into a second groove formed in the top surface of the base to prevent water from entering into the storage unit from under the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Duffield Marine, Inc.
    Inventor: Marshall Duffield
  • Lid
    Patent number: 10167117
    Abstract: A lid is provided for covering or sealing a cup by engaging a rim flange of the cup. The lid includes a top portion and an annular side plate which extends downwardly from periphery of the top portion. The plate is formed with a hole. An engagement plate is disposed on the side plate. A bottom edge of the engagement plate is connected to the plate. A top edge of the engagement plate stretches upwardly along the hole, so that the engagement plate is located in the hole. The plates are flexible. As such, the engagement plate can be pressed and bent inwardly when the lid covers a cup. The engagement plate would then engage with the rim flange of the cup so as to enhance engagement of the lid and the cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: RICH CUP BIO-CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ching-Wen Chang
  • Collapsible container with straw
    Patent number: 10165849
    Abstract: A collapsible, reusable drinking container is provided having a first opening suitable for pouring and filling, a second opening for accessing the interior of the container for cleaning, and a flexible straw for drinking the contents while the container is held in an upright position. The first opening is reversibly sealed with a cap, the second opening with an interlocking ridge and groove fastener, and the straw is reversibly sealed using a plug, a cap, a push-pull cap, a reversibly discontinuous portion of the straw, or an element for reversibly kinking the straw. The straw is attached to the container wall, to the cap for sealing the first opening, or to the fastening strip for sealing the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Inventor: Arianna Chen
  • Beverage lid that attaches to food container
    Patent number: 10159367
    Abstract: A container lid is disclosed that accepts a snap-on container. The lid includes a continuous outer coupling trough for attachment to the open top of a beverage container where the trough circumscribes a footprint of the container lid. A straw-hole planar surface is disposed within the footprint, the straw-hole planar surface is adjacent to the outer coupling trough and a hole for drinking a liquid in the container extends through the straw-hole planar surface. A riser wall extends away from the straw-hole planar surface and defines a first planar surface above the straw-hole planar surface. A sip hole extends through the first planar surface. A food container coupling wall connects to the first planar surface and extends from the first planar surface to a position lower than the first planar surface and a food container coupling bottom connected to the food container coupling wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: SNACKTOPS, INC
    Inventor: Ronald Mark Buck
  • Panel for a container, a container provided with such container and a method for making same
    Patent number: 10150588
    Abstract: A panel for a container includes an outer edge to be connected to the container and a tab connected to the panel. The tab has a rear tab part for gripping by a user and a front tab part for engagement with the panel and forming an opening in the panel. The panel is provided with deformation means which structurally deform upon a transition of the panel into a convex shape and which locked in the deformed state urge the panel to a substantially flat or concave shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ardagh MP Group Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Fabrice Leboucher
  • Open end container with resealable lid assembly
    Patent number: 10124935
    Abstract: An open ended container and lid combination provides a tamper indicator with a lid and container combination which can be pushed on by a manufacture and then the tamper indicator removed to allow the lid to be unscrewed relative to the container, while also still being able to be screwed back to a closed, and possibly sealed configuration. Two possible seals may be used comprising a seal against an interior surface of an upwardly extending wall of the container and an extension/groove combination of the lid and container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Inventor: Glenn H. Morris, Jr.
  • Lid assembly for drinking cup with integral hinge mount for cap
    Patent number: 10124937
    Abstract: A lid assembly for connecting with an associated drinking cup includes a cover and a cap. The cover is configured to attach with the associated drinking cup for covering an open top of the associated drinking cup. The cover is formed of a soft, flexible material and includes an integrally molded spout and an integrally molded cap mount. The cap is configured to connect with the cap mount for pivotal movement with respect to the cover about a pivot axis. With the cap connected to the cap mount, the cap is moveable between an open position where the spout is accessible to be received inside a person's mouth and a closed position where the cap covers the spout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Helen of Troy Limited
    Inventor: Joshua P. Wiesman
  • Closure with lid and removable membrane
    Patent number: 10124936
    Abstract: A closure (20, 2GA, 2GB) is provided for a system with an opening. The closure (20, 20A, 20B) has a body (24, 24A, 24B) with an outer end (32, 32B) and a through passage (30, 3GB) for communicating with the system opening. The body (24, 24A, 24B) has a membrane (60, 60B) mitially occluding the through passage (30, 30B). The closure (20, 20A, 20B) has a lid (26, 26A. 26B) to accommodate movement relative to the body (24. 24A, 24B) between a closed position restricting access to the through passage (30, 30B) and an open position permitting greater access to the through passage (30, 30B). The body (24, 24A, 24B) thither has a separation member (70, 7GB) that can be engaged by a user to separate at least a part of the membrane (60, 60B) from the body (24, 24 A. 24B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: AptarGroup, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcelo Santarelli, John F. Wagner, John M. Wisniewski, Christopher A. Danks
  • Pressure container with differential vacuum panels
    Patent number: 10099834
    Abstract: An improved blow molded plastic container having generally rounded sidewalls that are adapted for hot-fill applications has two adjacent sides and two pairs of controlled deflection panels, each pair reacting to vacuum pressure at differing rates of movement, whereby one pair inverts under vacuum pressure and the other pair remains available for increased squeezability or extreme vacuum extraction. The opposing sidewalls are symmetric relative to vacuum panel and rib shape and placement. The ribs and controlled deflection panels cooperate to retain container shape upon filling and cooling and also improves bumper denting resistance, decreases vacuum pressure within the container, and increases light weight capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: DAVID MELROSE DESIGN LTD
    Inventor: David Murray Melrose
  • Bin
    Patent number: 9988210
    Abstract: A bin for receiving or storing one or more items. The bin includes a wall having an upper end and a lower end, and a bottom extending along the lower end of the wall. The wall and the bottom cooperate to define a chamber for receiving or storing one or more items. The bin also includes mouth at the upper end of the wall that is in communication with the chamber. The bin further includes a rim extending around a periphery of the mouth. The bin also includes content information on at least a portion of an exterior surface of the rim that is configured to identify the one or more items the bin is intended to receive or store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Inventor: Thomas K. Buck
  • Tube head for protecting an insert forming a barrier
    Patent number: 9975691
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a plastic tube head for a product having a liquid to pasty consistency, comprising: a neck, a shoulder, an insert forming a barrier which is arranged on the inner surface of the shoulder, said insert comprising at least one metal layer and having an outer edge, the outer edge of the insert and a portion of the face of the insert which is oriented towards the internal volume of the tube and is adjacent to said outer edge being covered by an outer support, characterized in that said outer support has a thickness H and covers a length L of the face of the insert face which is oriented towards the internal volume of the tube, said thickness H and said length L being such that H?L.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: ALBEA SERVICES
    Inventors: Thierry Maurice, Eric Kerman, Etienne Hermant
  • Capillary beverage cup
    Patent number: 9962024
    Abstract: A capillary beverage cup comprises a continuous interior corner extending from a lip interface into an inner cavity of the capillary beverage cup, the continuous interior corner comprising an acute included angle which tapers continuously as the interior corner approaches the lip interface. The capillary beverage cup provides a continuous capillary force on the liquid contained by the cup, allowing for complete withdrawal of fluid from the cup in low or near zero gravity environments, while enabling the cup to have an open top, allowing for aromatics to be experienced by a user while drinking with reduced concerns of spilling or release free-floating spheres of liquid in the low-gravity environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: IRPI LLC
    Inventors: Mark M. Weislogel, Donald R. Pettit, Andrew P. Wollman, Ryan M. Jenson
  • Pressurized can
    Patent number: 9957096
    Abstract: The invention relates to a pressurized can, such as an aerosol can, having a bottom comprising a panel connected via a countersink and a foot to the can body wall, which bottom has a panel with a substantially non-concave form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Ardagh MP Group Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Philippe Gérard Stanislas Niec
  • Venting apparatus for liquid containers, in particular for liquid containers for an aqueous urea solution
    Patent number: 9950614
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a venting apparatus (10) for liquid containers, in particular for an aqueous urea solution, and comprises a housing (11) that is connectable to the liquid container (40) and that has a first opening (12) to the liquid container (40) and a second opening (13) to the surrounding environment of the liquid container. The venting apparatus further comprises an air-permeable and liquid-impermeable membrane, which is arranged between the first opening (12) and the second opening (13) in the housing (11). In addition, the venting apparatus comprises a slosh baffle, which at least partly covers the first opening (12). The venting apparatus (10) according to the invention is characterized in that the housing (11) and the slosh baffle (20) are formed in one piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: KAUTEX TEXTRON GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Christian Kopiec, Stefan Lenz
  • System and method for automatically packaging item(s) and associated packages
    Patent number: 9932145
    Abstract: A system and a method for automatically packaging item(s) are disclosed, as well as associated packages. The method includes generally four steps. First, an outer tray containing one or more item(s) is received. Second, an inner tray is placed in the outer tray over the one or more item(s), and the inner tray includes a plurality of preformed columnar compartments. Third, the inner tray and the outer tray are sealed to form at least a partial vacuum between an exterior surface of the inner tray and an interior surface of the outer tray. The item(s) are firmly secured in the at least partial vacuum such that the item(s) will not shift within the package during shipment. Fourth, a cover is placed over the inner tray to close the plurality of preformed columnar compartments to thereby form a plurality of air compartments, which collectively protect the item(s) from external impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kijin Jeon, Masahiro Uchida
  • Container system and apparatus
    Patent number: 9926104
    Abstract: A container having a center portion and two side portions each situated at an angle to the center portion and extending in opposite directions such that the a left half of the container is substantially identical to a right half of the container but rotated 180 degrees to form a “Z” shaped profile of the container. This “Z” shaped profile allows containers to be stacked upon each other to provide space savings in storage and shipping of the container and the container when filled with liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Stackcan LLC
    Inventor: Alvaro Mauricio Olarte
  • Internal vent handle cover arrangement; and methods
    Patent number: 9914573
    Abstract: Aspects and techniques of the present disclosure relate to an internal cover/vent handle arrangement, in association with a container, such as a 5 gallon bucket with a slanted sidewall for evacuating air volume above stored material. The disclosure relates to a squeeze-actuated vent valve arrangement arranged and configured to be easily operated even while deeply recessed in the bucket. The disclosure also relates to a deflectable outer seal arrangement configured to seal against a slanted sidewall of a bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Planetary Designs
    Inventors: Scott T. Billadeau, David J. Yakos, Joel R. Switzer
  • Tooth protector for beverage bottle and beverage bottle enclosure
    Patent number: 9914557
    Abstract: Tooth protector devices are disclosed for attachment to the top of a bottle to provide protection against injury, including chipping of teeth that can occur during drinking from a glass bottle. One embodiment comprises a concentric sleeve with top lip for insertion over the end of a bottle. Sleeve inner portion is adapted for engaging the bottle outer surface to hold the sleeve in place. The outer and top portions of the sleeve protect the consumer from the top edge of the bottle. When installed, a tooth protector according to the present invention cushions the teeth and mouth from any blunt force or impact that can occur when a bottle is hit or knocked. Also disclosed is a beverage cap with cushioned outer and upper surfaces that remain in place on the beverage bottle after opening the bottle to protect the consumer, and another bottle enclosure without such cushioned surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Inventor: Krag David Hopps
  • Preform, container and method for forming a container
    Patent number: 9895826
    Abstract: Preform (1) or preform assembly for blow molding a container (23), wherein the preform of preform assembly has a neck portion (4), a lid element (16) being provided at the neck portion, an opening extending into the neck portion, providing access to an internal space of the preform or preform assembly. Method for blow molding a container. Container blown from a preform or preform assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: HEINEKEN SUPPLY CHAIN B.V.
    Inventor: Bernardus Cornelis Johannes Landman