Patents Examined by Patrick Lynch
  • Patent number: 7578561
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a child seat comprised of a seat structure and a child restraint system that allows a restraint to be easily removed from the seat structure and cleaned separately and away from the child seat. The restraint system includes a restraint and a restraint release mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Canna, Brian S. Kelly
  • Patent number: 7575008
    Abstract: A heated umbrella includes a concave canopy. Such a canopy is adapted between folded and unfolded positions respectively, and is formed from waterproof material. The canopy includes a circular and flexible covering and a plurality of linear spokes integrally attached to a lower surface of the covering along respective longitudinal lengths of the spokes. The device further includes a shaft directly connected to a center region of the canopy and a handle integrally attached to the shaft. The device further includes a mechanism for heating ambient air and a mechanism for directing the heated air through the shaft and the canopy respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Inventor: Kathleen P Casey
  • Patent number: 7571963
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fitting for a vehicle seat, in particular a motor vehicle seat, comprising a first fitting part; a second fitting part which can be rotated about an axis in relation to the first fitting part; an eccentric which is rotationally mounted about the axis and which can be driven; at least two locking devices, which are guided in a radial direction by the first fitting part, can be displaced in a radial direction in an outward manner by the eccentric and which co-operate in a radial manner towards the outside with the second fitting part in order to lock the fitting; and at least one spring arrangement (17) which impinges upon the eccentric. The spring arrangement (17) comprises two springs (27, 28) which are arranged in a central manner and are placed within each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: KEIPER GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Christoph Peters, Ulrich Lehmann
  • Patent number: 7559610
    Abstract: An odor air cleaning seat is provided with an opening for receiving body waste odor air expelled by a person sitting thereon. A odor air sensor is mounted in the opening for detecting the presence of odor air expelled by the person. An odor filter is mounted in a conducting compartment located below the seat. At least one air blower is provided in the conducting compartment for drawing the odor air to flow through the conducting compartment for cleaning and removing the offensive odor of the odor air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Inventor: Kim Hong Min
  • Patent number: 7556313
    Abstract: A headrest assembly for a seat includes a body portion having at least one padded surface positioned in substantial alignment with a seated occupant's head; and an active material in operative communication with the at least one padded surface of the body portion, the active material being operative to change at least one attribute in response to an activation signal, wherein a space between the occupant's head and the at least one padded surface decreases with the change in the at least one attribute of the active material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, James Y. Khoury, Paul W. Alexander, Michael G. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 7556318
    Abstract: A seat comprises a seat back including a back plate, a cushion member arranged on the side of a seating face of the back plate, a superficial skin member covering the cushion member from the side of the seating face. The back plate includes a back face portion, a ridged portion, and a flange portion. A fringe portion of the superficial skin member is overlapped to a back face of the flange portion to be joined to the flange portion. A staple cover covering the fringe portion of the superficial skin member and a portion of the superficial skin member arranged on an outer peripheral face of the seat back is provided. The superficial skin member is arranged nearer a seating face than an outer peripheral end of the staple cover and extends to the outside beyond the outer peripheral end of the staple cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Iwao Miyajima, Yoshio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7547070
    Abstract: An actuator configured to actuate a member. The actuator optionally including capabilities for storing and releasing kinetic energy. The actuator being suitable for use in any number of environments, including but not limited to facilitating seat folding operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: John F. Nathan, H. Winston Maue
  • Patent number: 7543887
    Abstract: A safety dental chair includes a chair having a back and seat portions, the back portion having front and rear surfaces and upper and lower ends. The safety dental chair includes an automatic external defibrillator and a CPR safety board removably coupled to the chair back portion adjacent its rear surface. A vitals monitor may also be coupled to the chair which includes a pulse oximetry finger clip, a blood pressure cuff, and at least one display. The vitals monitor includes programming for determining pulse oximetry using data received from the pulse oximetry finger clip, for determining blood pressure using data received from the blood pressure cuff, and for actuating the display to present the oximetry and blood pressure. The safety dental chair may include a headrest constructed of memory foam for supporting a patient's neck and the patient's airway open. The chair may be automated for adjusting its position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Inventor: Noele R. Tatlock
  • Patent number: 7537017
    Abstract: The invention is a shoulder support for a crutch having a pair of upper tubes that slide inside a pair of lower tubes. The shoulder support includes tube caps that are supported at a top of the upper tubes and a channel section positioned between the tube caps and attached to the tube caps by a bolt. A shoulder spring is bent into a bow-tie shape with two loops and a narrow portion. A crutch user positions his underarm atop the shoulder spring to support his weight, and the shoulder spring loops deflect outwardly when a user bears his weight on the crutch. The shoulder support includes a resilient shoulder pad that covers the shoulder spring to protect skin beneath arms of the user from scraping and chafing. Two rivets secure the narrow portion of the shoulder spring to the channel section at a top of the channel section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Inventor: William H. Baker
  • Patent number: 7530639
    Abstract: A chair includes a base and a seating structure rotatably coupled to the base and vertically moveable between at least a first position and a second position. A foot support is disposed a vertical distance from the seating structure. The foot support is rotatably coupled to the seating structure and non-rotatably coupled to the base. A control mechanism is operably coupled to the foot support for adjusting the vertical distance between the foot support and the seat. The control mechanism includes a control handle operably coupled to the seating structure. The control handle rotates with the seating structure when the seating structure is rotated and moves vertically with the seating structure when the seating structure is vertically moved between the first position and the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Herman Miller, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Groelsma, John F. Aldrich, Christopher C. Hill, Craig A. Ulman
  • Patent number: 7520568
    Abstract: A seat reclining apparatus includes a fine angle adjustment mechanism for finely adjusting an angle between a seat cushion and a seat back of a seat and including a planetary gear mechanism having a first gear provided to a seat cushion side of the seat for relative rotation with the seat cushion and a second gear fixed to a seat back side of the seat and an engaging/disengaging mechanism for controlling the relative rotation between the seat cushion and the seat back of the seat and including a base plate fixed to the seat cushion side and a stopper member provided to the base plate and engageable with or disengageable from the first gear. The relative rotation of the first gear with respect to the seat cushion is restricted when the stopper member engages with the first gear and the relative rotation of the first gear to the seat cushion is allowed when the stopper member disengages from the first gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoaki Hoshihara, Sadao Ito, Hideo Nihonmatsu
  • Patent number: 7506922
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reconfigurable child receiving device that includes a seat portion and arcuate leg members that support the seat portion above a supporting surface. The seat portion is further supported by arcuate cross members that extend between the leg members and are pivotally connected to the leg members. The arcuate cross member can each be individually pivoted upward above the leg members or downward below the leg members. The pivotal connection between the leg members and the cross members enables the reconfigurable child receiving device to be configured into four different modes of use. In a first mode, both arcuate cross members are pivoted upward above the leg members to allow the device to rock on the leg members in a first direction. In a second mode the second cross member is pivoted downward to prevent rocking in the first direction and to secure the seat portion in a relatively upright configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony G. Schulte, Michael D. Armbruster
  • Patent number: 7503337
    Abstract: A remotely adjustable grip tip assembly for a walking aid, such as a crutch, cane, or walking stick that has a hollow tubular structure. The assembly includes a rod extending vertically within the hollow tubular structure, slots formed into the hollow tubular structure near its top and bottom ends, an adjustment screw or pin fitting into each slot, a spring near the bottom end of the hollow tubular structure, and a moveable gripper foot at the bottom end of the hollow tubular structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Inventors: Timothy A. Morgan, Emery Jensen
  • Patent number: 7497225
    Abstract: A multi-functional umbrella includes a first rod and a collapsible canopy directly anchored thereto. A second rod is pivotally attached to the first rod, and a handle section is monolithically formed with the second rod and spaced from the first rod. A mechanism automatically penetrates the second rod beneath a ground surface. A mechanism broadcasts audio signals and is housed within the second rod and the handle section, and includes a radio and a speaker electrically coupled thereto. A mechanism discharges a predetermined quantity of fluid from the first rod. The automatic penetrating mechanism and the broadcasting mechanism and the fluid discharging mechanism are simultaneously and independently operable as desired by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Inventors: Roland C. Klein, Jr., Mike Conn
  • Patent number: 7494187
    Abstract: A hook member of a vehicle seat lock engages with a striker fixed to a vehicle body. An opening lever is pivotally secured to the first base plate to constitute the first subassembly. The hook member is pivotally secured to the second base plate to constitute the second subassembly. The first base plate is coupled to the second base plate. Between the first and second base plates, a sensing member is pivotally secured in parallel with the hook member to detect invasion of the striker in the hook member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignees: Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co., Ltd., Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisashi Inoue, Shigeo Kakuta, Naoya Seto, Masahito Minoura, Shinji Suzuki, Toshikazu Araki, Kazunori Tahashi
  • Patent number: 7490908
    Abstract: A vehicle seat assembly attachable to a vehicle having a striker member is provided having a seat frame configured for connection to the vehicle. A portion of the seat frame may be configured to move between a first seat position and a second seat position. A hook member may be mounted directly to the seat frame. The hook member may have a protrusion and may be configured for movement between a latched position and an unlatched position. The hook member may engage the striker member when the portion of the seat frame is in the first seat position and the hook member is in the latched position. The protrusion and the striker member may cooperate to restrain the seat frame in the first seat position when member engages the striker member. The hook member may be disengaged from the striker member when the hook member is in the unlatched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventor: Stanislaw Andrzej Wieclawski
  • Patent number: 7490902
    Abstract: A chair (1), in particular a swivel office chair, is provided with a bottom chair part (2) having a column (3), a seat support (4) held on the bottom chair part (2), a seat (6) connected pivotably to the support, and a backrest support (5) holding a backrest (7) and connected pivotably to the seat support (4). The movement of the seat (6) is coupled with the movement of the backrest support (5) by a synchronizing mechanism having at least one spring (10) and coupling elements. The synchronizing mechanism is arranged essentially within the column (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Girsberger Holding AG
    Inventor: Thierry Aubert
  • Patent number: 7478644
    Abstract: A folding frame assembly includes a folding frame including a plurality of pairs of struts connected end-to-end by a plurality of hub assemblies. Struts of each strut pair are pivotably connected at ends thereof to first and second ends of a hub assembly and are foldable relative to each other between a closed position in which the struts are substantially parallel to each other, the first ends of the hub assemblies are all substantially adjacent, and the second ends of the hub assemblies are all substantially adjacent, and an open position in which the struts define non-zero angles with each other, ends of the struts of each strut pair are separated from each other by the hub assemblies, and first and second ends of the hub assemblies are non-adjacent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: World Shelters, Inc.
    Inventor: Theodore R. Zeigler