Patents Examined by Melissa L Lalli
  • Patent number: 8020321
    Abstract: A snowshoe having a pivot axle for pitch rotation of the footbed platform relative to the snowshoe frame is supported from the frame in a manner that provides for significant lateral flexing, i.e. pivoting on the roll axis, to accommodate use of snowshoes on side hill terrain. Instead of a relatively rigid support from the snowshoe frame, the footbed platform is supported by left and right tension bands that are connected to the snowshoe frame and to left and right ends of the transverse pivot rod that provides pitch rotation. Preferably the connection to each end of the pivot rod is with a rotatable spindle over which the tension band engages, such rollers being connected at right angles to the two ends of the pivot rod. A rotation limiter can be included to limit free rotation of the binding in the pitch direction to a selected arc. The footbed support system can be employed on any type of snowshoe, whether a tubular frame, non-tubular frame or molded composite snowshoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: K-2 Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Vinton Matthews, Francis E. Mahoney
  • Patent number: 8020319
    Abstract: An interchangeable shoe strap system that permits the user to customize the fit and aesthetics of her footwear. The shoe includes a sole member 22 with an upper surface 24 to support a wearer's foot and a lower surface 26 to contact a support surface. An elastic binding 28 is affixed to a sole member 22 with a series of knots 36 and mounting studs 30, thusly creating loops in the elastic binding 28. An equal number of loops, of a substantially equal size, are aligned transversely along the side edges of the forward region of the shoe sole member 22. The shoe is completed when the wearer laces a strap 34 through the elastic bindings 28.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Inventor: Anne Elizabeth Mohaupt
  • Patent number: 8016104
    Abstract: A two-compartment container in which the first compartment has an upper layer and a lower layer and contains a first component that is to be added to the second compartment. Above the first compartment is a dome that is bowed upward and is flexible. Depressing the dome by pushing downward on it causes the lower layer of the first compartment to be ruptured without cutting or rupturing the upper layer, releasing the first component into the second compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Biogaia AB
    Inventor: Per Hjalmarsson
  • Patent number: 8012144
    Abstract: An elongate medical device including a hub assembly located at the proximal end. The hub assembly includes an interference fit member disposed about a portion of the hub assembly, whereby the interference fit member is configured to form an interference fit with the inner surface of a tubular packaging tube when the elongate medical device is placed in the packaging tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
    Inventor: John Moberg
  • Patent number: 8001642
    Abstract: A shaping apparatus for an article of footwear is provided to maintain the shape of an upper. An insertable apparatus includes a toe shaping member. A medial shaping member may engage a medial side of the upper. A lateral shaping member may engage a lateral side of the upper. The medial shaping member and lateral shaping member are resiliently disposed on the toe shaping member. A rear biasing member may be attached to the medial shaping member and the lateral shaping member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Mauro Bordin, Sergio Cavaliere, Timm Flintoff, Matteo Tessaro
  • Patent number: 7984572
    Abstract: A snowshoe (1) whose webbing includes a flexible wall (4) maintained in tension inside a framework (2) by portions of the flexible mounting wall which define flexible mounting projections. Supplemental protection parts (8) are disposed surrounding the mounting projections to protect them from wear and impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: TSL Sport Equipment
    Inventor: Philippe Gallay
  • Patent number: 7980008
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is footwear for three-beat rhythm walking. The footwear includes an outsole (S) having a first landing part (100) for landing a heel, a second landing part (200) for landing a center of a foot, and a third landing part (300) for landing a toe. The first landing part (100) includes a landing guide groove (110) which is curved inwards from a junction (C) of the first landing part and the second landing part (200) in such a way as to extend widthwise and forms a first beat of the heel landing on a ground. A rolling landing surface (120) is connected to the landing guide groove (110) to form a continuous curve, thus guiding rolling and landing of the heel. An air cushion (130) is provided in the first landing part, and absorbs shocks of the heel, which rolls and lands using the rolling landing surface (120).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Inventor: Sam-Gun Song
  • Patent number: 7975406
    Abstract: A shoe for driving a car according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a heel part 5 on a foot sole 4 and an inclined face 5B increasing gradually toward a rear side in a side view. This inclined face 5B comprises a first face part 5a which is formed outside in a width direction and is capable of coming in contact with a car floor when depressing an accelerator pedal and a second face part 5b unlike the face condition of the above-mentioned first face part, which is formed inside in a width direction and is capable of coming in contact with a car floor when depressing a brake pedal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: I.B.M.I., Japan
    Inventor: Fujinori Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7954116
    Abstract: A combination compact disk player and jewelry box is disclosed having a housing, a compact disk (CD) player internally mounted in the housing with built-in compact disk storage. Mechanism for playing the CDs is provided and at least one slide out drawer is provided for holding jewelry and other trinkets therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Po Yi Ng, Chris Heatherly, Mikal Barry Greaves, Jonathan Guerra
  • Patent number: 7926205
    Abstract: The invention concerns a sole arrangement and a shoe comprising such a sole arrangement. The sole arrangement is characterized in that it comprises an upper sole member and a lower sole member wherein the lower sole member is positioned closer to the ground during normal use of the sole arrangement, said lower sole member being movably attached to the upper sole member allowing the lower sole member to move in a vertical direction relative to the upper sole member, a plurality of vertically extending spikes arranged inside the sole arrangement such that the spikes are moveable relative to the lower sole member, said lower sole member having a plurality of holes adapted to receive the spikes as to allow the spikes to protrude from the lower sole member in a downward direction, and a locking sole member located between the upper and lower sole members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Grip Force Technologies AB
    Inventor: Mikael â„«mark
  • Patent number: 7926656
    Abstract: A product display package has a closure made from an elongated ribbon of fabric which wraps around the outside of the package. An elastic band attaches to opposite ends of the ribbon for tightening the fabric strip around the package. The ribbon of fabric is made from a material that corresponds to that of the enclosed article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Inventor: Donna K. Hinds
  • Patent number: 7900776
    Abstract: A container for holding a wafer includes an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an opposing open front defined by a door frame. A door is sealingly engagable in the door frame to close the open front. The container further includes wafer restraint means in the enclosure including fixed wafer restraint means and operable wafer restraint means. The operable wafer restraint means is selectively positionable by engaging and disengaging the door from the door frame, and is positioned so to enable insertion or removal of a wafer from the container when the door is disengaged from the door frame and positioned so as to cooperate with the fixed wafer restraint means to restrain the wafer in the container when the door is engaged in the door frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventors: John Burns, Matthew A. Fuller, Jeffery J. King, Martin L. Forbes, Mark V. Smith
  • Patent number: 7891493
    Abstract: A method for carrying a plurality of food containers that includes an insulated housing having a closed bottom, a closed top located substantially vertically above the bottom, and at least one side wall having a first opening proximate the top of the housing and a second opening proximate the bottom of the housing, the first opening being sized to receive at least one meal container therethrough, the second opening being sized to allow removal of at least one meal container from within the housing as received within the housing from the first opening and to preclude simultaneous removal of all of the meal containers from within the housing, thereby limiting heat transfer from within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Oliver Packaging and Equipment Company
    Inventors: Paul T. Dege, Jim C. Nensewitz, Edward W. Burmeister, Brian E. Ainsworth
  • Patent number: 7882957
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a storing tray and a storing device whereby an object such as an electronic component to be stored can be picked up in a preferred manner and a plurality of stored objects can be flipped and transferred at once. Another object is to form the storing tray as a soft tray. The storing tray includes a storing part on its main surface, the storing part including a storing base for placing therein an object such as an electronic component, a plurality of convex portions formed along the outer periphery of the storing base to protrude upward more than the storing base, and concave portions formed along the outer periphery of the storing base between the plurality of convex portions to be recessed downward more than the storing base. The storing tray has an uneven back surface opposite in shape to the main surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takao Ochi
  • Patent number: 7875015
    Abstract: A pharmaceutical container with an improved peelable seal is provided, wherein the container may be made of a flexible polymeric film and comprises at least one peelable seal comprising at least two substantially straight sections which are connected by a rupture zone (5), The rupture zone of the peelable seal may be curved over its whole length between the straight sections. The container may be used for storing pharmaceutical substances, solutions for dialysis, solutions for infusion and/or agents for nutrition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Olof Pahlberg, Johan Engholm, Manus O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 7862841
    Abstract: A multiple serving container shaped to incorporate an opening dimensionally sized to fit within the opening of the typical plastic liquid containers used for bottling water, fruit juice and soda. The serving container fitting inside an opening into the liquid container allows transfer of contents without spillage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Inventor: Michael D Boyd
  • Patent number: 7857131
    Abstract: A packaging system and method which provides at least one tray or nest, having a number of wells and ribs to position and secure a patch-like, self-contained substance infusion device having one or more patient needles which can be placed in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir assembly within the device and upon which a disk, or Belleville spring assembly, applies an essentially even and constant pressure to the contents. The device further provides for the release of one or more spring-loaded patient needles into a patient's skin surface to establish a fluid communication path between the patient needles and the pressurized fluid reservoir contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Becton, Dickinson and Company
    Inventor: Lionel Vedrine
  • Patent number: 7854324
    Abstract: A shipping carrier having a frame with an elongated tube and an elongated retainer attached to the tube. Dunnage made of a compressible material is attached to the retainer and that dunnage has a plurality of space for recesses, each of which has spaced-apart sides and are dimensioned to receive an edge of a component. A guard is attached to the dunnage so that the guard overlies at least a portion of one side of the dunnage recess. Additionally, a subcomponent may be attached to the dunnage with a screw anchor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: C & D Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Farley, Craig Hefner
  • Patent number: 7841106
    Abstract: An article of footwear including a sole and an upper, a lateral quarter and a medial quarter. A device for tightening the upper includes a first lateral lace strand and at least two points for connecting the first lateral strand to the lateral quarter, as well as a first medial lace strand and at least two points for connecting the first medial strand to the medial quarter. Each lateral or medial strand includes a lateral intermediate portion or a medial intermediate portion, respectively, which extends between two connecting points of the same lateral or medial quarter, without being guided by a connecting point of the other lateral or medial quarter, a connector connecting the lateral and medial intermediate portions of the lateral and medial strands, respectively, the connector enabling the sliding of at least one of the lateral and medial strands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Salomon S.A.S.
    Inventor: Yves Farys
  • Patent number: 7832117
    Abstract: A full length composite plate to be used as part of an outsole assembly in an article of footwear is disclosed. The full length composite plate comprises a composite material that has a certain percent elongation. The full length composite plate can include a heel cup for heel stability and improved traction. The full length composite plate also can include two angled portions along an arch region that provide arch support, as well as two flattened edges along the arch region to minimize or eliminate buckling. The forefoot region can be relatively flatter than the arch and heel regions, and notches are preferably included along a portion of the forefoot to increase flexibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Perry Auger, Ruzica Krstic, Spencer Stone, Edward F. Wachtel