Patents Examined by Philips C. Kannan
  • Patent number: 5752346
    Abstract: A motor-vehicle door has generally upright inside and outside panels, a window frame above the panels, a track extending vertically between the panels into the frame, and a window glass vertically displaceable in the track between the panels. A latch assembly has a holder, an outside door handle in the holder, a door latch on an edge of the door between the panels, a connecting housing between the panels and having a U-section lower part fixed to the door latch and an upper part fixed to and carrying the holder for the outside handle with the handle on the outside door panel, and a link rod extending between the outside door handle and the door latch and laterally enclosed by the U-section lower part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1998
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Dietmar Kritzler, Michael Strathmann
  • Patent number: 5713549
    Abstract: A support device includes a base having two upward extending walls for rotatably supporting a lower end of a beam. The beam includes a number of teeth formed in the lower end for engaging with a worm which is rotatably supported on the base and includes the other end for supporting a monitor. The beam is rotated about the walls by the worm so as to move the monitor upward and downward. A bracket is pivotally coupled to the upper end of the beam for supporting the monitor. The base is rotatably supported on a clamping device for clamping onto a desk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Inventor: En-Ru Shieh
  • Patent number: 5653058
    Abstract: A railway gate arm assembly including a gate arm which is mounted to permit pivoting about a longitudinal axis when an external force is applied to the gate arm thereby causing the latter to swivel out of a vertical plane, and at least two torsion springs, one mounted on each side of the gate arm and having depending spring legs which engage against corresponding sides of the gate arm and bias the gate arm to a vertical position so if the gate arm is caused to swivel out of a vertical plane by an external force, it will be returned to the vertical plane by the depending spring legs when the external force is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Western-Cullen Hayes, Inc.
    Inventor: Jerry J. Zaimins
  • Patent number: 5651216
    Abstract: A door closing mechanism for a two-panel door having a leading panel and a trailing panel disposed adjacent to one another and being hingedly connected to a door frame. The door closing mechanism controls the closing sequence of a leading panel and a trailing panel, such that a trailing panel is locked in an open position prior to the closing of a leading panel. A locking mechanism, for locking and unlocking the trailing panel, includes a pivoting member which interacts, inter alia, with a sliding block and release member, for pivotally locking and unlocking a locking device. This locking mechanism pivots the pivoting lever into a locking position for preventing the closure of a trailing panel in advance of a leading panel upon a leading panel moving from a closed position to an open position. This locking mechanism can also pivot the pivoting lever into an unlocking position for permitting positioning of a trailing panel into a closed position upon a leading panel being in a closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Dorma GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Horst Tillmann
  • Patent number: 5651217
    Abstract: A vehicle door glass run including a header section, and first and second end sections that extend into the door well of the vehicle door below the vehicle belt line. Each section of the glass run includes a flexible metal insert that has been stamped and rolled into a configuration such that a cross-section of the insert includes two adjacent U-shaped portions and a tab portion. An outer layer is extruded around the shape of the insert. The outer layer defines a glass run channel that accepts a vehicle window and a sealing configuration. Plastic support members are molded to the sections that extend into the door well. A bracket attached to or integral with the glass run allows the glass run to be connected to a trim panel within the door well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: The Standard Products Company
    Inventor: Gerard Mesnel
  • Patent number: 5644869
    Abstract: A power drive moves a movable closure between an open position and a closed position with respect to a portal defining a passage through a barrier. The power drive can include an elongated drive member connected to the movable closure and a ball nut drive assembly for selectively moving the drive member longitudinally to position the movable closure between the open position and the closed position with respect to the passage through the barrier. The barrier can define at least a portion of a stationary structure or a vehicle, where the passage allows access within the structure or the vehicle. The movable closure can include a sliding door, hatch, window, roof panel or the like. The elongated drive member can be a compound drive member having at least one gear or tooth-like member extending helically around in uniformly spaced turns about a core of the drive member to form a rigid or resilient screw-like portion capable of being driven by operable engagement with the recirculating ball nut drive assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: ITT Automotive Electrical Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Harry C. Buchanan, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5642588
    Abstract: A sealing apparatus for use with a door which swings over a threshold between an open position and a closed position and has a door lower end spaced above said threshold and defining a gap between the door lower end and the threshold when the door is in the closed position, and has a door face and a door frame includes a mechanism mounting member; a gate member for closing the gap; a leaf spring having a leaf spring first end and a leaf spring second end, the leaf spring first end being secured to the gate member with a securing structure, and the leaf spring second end being secured to the mounting member with an anchoring structure, where a segment of the leaf spring angles upwardly and laterally to form a spring cam surface; a structure for guiding the gate member to move up and down relative to the door; a cam engaging member positioned above and substantially parallel with the gate member, the cam engaging member having a protruding end extending laterally from the door toward the door frame to abut the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1997
    Assignee: Perfect Seal L.C.
    Inventor: David A. Sowers
  • Patent number: 5640807
    Abstract: A powered vehicle door closing system for producing an auto-closing action to automatically move a latch member from a half-latched position to a fully-latched position comprises a reversible motor mechanically linked through a linkage to the latch member, for powering a final, low-displacement/high-force movement of a vehicle door, and a controller for controlling the motor. The controller includes a full-latch confirmation section for confirming that the latch member is maintained at its fully-latched position, and a motor-drive limiting section for limiting re-activation of the motor so as to avoid ineffective auto-closing action of the system when the full-latch confirmation section decides that the latch member has already been shifted to and maintained at the fully-latched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Shigematsu, Osamu Kawanobe, Jun Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 5638641
    Abstract: An extruded aluminum sill member is supported by and attached to a wood base member which also supports a longitudinally extending inner wood trim member. The sill, base and trim members define a longitudinally extending cavity which receives a vertically adjustable rail member. The rail member has longitudinally spaced captive screws which are threaded into inverted T-nuts confined within laterally extending slots formed within the wood base member, and the trim member covers the slots. The sill member also extends under a jamb or mullion and a fixed side panel, and a snap-in extruded plastic cap covers the cavity under the panel and has an upwardly projecting and inwardly curved flange with a flexible lip for engaging the outer surface of the panel to form a water-tight seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Imperial Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Sol G. Joffe, Michael L. Bergen, Joseph Morgan, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5636477
    Abstract: A mat monitor for an automatic swing door system is mountable in-line with an approach mat and a safety mat and the controller for the automatic door system. The monitor emits a visible light to indicate that a mat is properly operating without requiring that the door cycle through an opening/closing sequence. In one embodiment, a green light is illuminated to indicate that the approach mat is properly functioning and a red light is illuminated to indicate that a safety mat is properly functioning. The mat monitor is preferably mounted at the underside of the header adjacent to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: The Stanley Works
    Inventors: Jon J. Hulse, Stephen L. Gemmell
  • Patent number: 5632121
    Abstract: An adjusting device for a door window pane of a motor vehicle, preferably made frameless and cooperating with a window lifter, includes at least one upright guide rail running inside a door body for the window lifter, with the guide rail being pivotable around an upper pivot point in the direction transverse to the vehicle and being lockable by the adjusting device engaging in the lower area of the guide rail in a position such that the door window pane abuts an adjoining sealing means in the car body with pretensioning in the marginal area. To permit rapid, simple adjustment of the door window pane without removing the door trim, provision is made such that the guide rail is adjustable by its lower end in the transverse direction with respect to the door window pane in a displacement guide and is lockable by fastening elements that are accessible from the underside of the door body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
    Inventors: Horst Handte, Guenter Schaedlich, Helmut Eck, Andre Scholz
  • Patent number: 5632117
    Abstract: A sash balance brake assembly for a sash window system is disclosed. The sash window system includes a window frame having a pair of generally parallel tracks. Each of the tracks has an outer wall, front and back intermediate walls and front and back inner walls collectively defining a channel. A sash window is transversely disposed between the tracks and is adapted for slidable movement along the tracks. A pair of sash balance assemblies provide a generally upward bias on transverse sides of the sash window. The sash balance brake assembly comprises a rotor rotatable about a rotor axis, a bolt having a generally planar engaging surface, a slider body for placement in a respective one of the channels and for coupling to a respective one of the sash balance assemblies. The slider body includes an aperture for rotatably supporting the rotor adjacent the bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Inventors: James G. Prete, Steven E. Schultz, Allen D. Polowinczak
  • Patent number: 5632460
    Abstract: An improved lamp holder of the knock-down type. The lamp holder includes a circular band for contacting and encircling a lamp below the largest place on the lamp base, a plurality of legs, and a corresponding plurality of fasteners for respectively removably fastening the upper ends of each of the legs to the circular band for supporting the band in spaced relationship above a table top or the like. Each of the fasteners includes a bracket having an offset portion and a top portion establishing a downwardly opening socket which closely receives the upper end of a corresponding leg to precisely align a threaded hole in the upper end of the leg with an aperture in the circular band whereby a screw may be quickly and easily applied through the aperture and threaded into the threaded hole to secure the leg to the band for use by the customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Partner Investments, Inc.
    Inventor: Jerry D. Strickland
  • Patent number: 5632120
    Abstract: A powered vehicle door closing system for producing an auto-closing action to automatically move a latch member from a half-latched position to a fully-latched position, comprises a reversible motor mechanically linked through a linkage to the latch member for powering a final, low-displacement/high-force movement of a vehicle door, a half-latch detection switch such as a limit switch, and a controller for controlling the motor. The controller comprises a full-latch detection section for detecting the fully-latched position of the latch member and a stand-by position detection section for detecting the stand-by position of the linkage. To detect the fully-latched position and the stand-by position, the full-latch detection section and the stand-by position detection section respectively utilize changes in load imparted to the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Shigematsu, Osamu Kawanobe, Jun Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 5628149
    Abstract: A gate for a fence or the like preferably formed of hollow plastic elements interconnected by bolts or other fastener devices at or adjacent their ends. A tensioning device is located inside a hollow diagonal cross-brace to correct misalignment between the vertical and horizontal elements of the gate. A removable panel on the cross-brace provides access to a turnbuckle, the ends of which are oppositely threaded to elongated steel straps or the like which are anchored, respectively, at the ends of the cross-brace to the vertical members. One end of the cross-brace is fixedly secured to one of the vertical members, the other end is slidingly received over a bolt or the like fixedly secured to the other vertical member. Rotation of the turnbuckle shortens or lengthens the tensioning device to "square" the gate with respect to the adjacent supports through which the gate swings. Small gaps are provided at the connection points to preclude binding as the gate elements are adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: The Tensar Corporation
    Inventor: John Kraczek
  • Patent number: 5628150
    Abstract: A glass run channel for a translationally movable vehicle window. The glass run channel has an elastomeric extrusion having a U-shaped cross section portion defined by two legs joined by a base web. A reinforcement includes a metal core in one of said legs and the base and a thermoplastic polymer structural member for structurally supporting the other leg. In a preferred embodiment, additional structural support for the other leg is provided by a thermoplastic polymeric angle bracket joined to the web and other leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: The Standard Products Company
    Inventor: Gerard Mesnel
  • Patent number: 5623784
    Abstract: A window operator mechanism 10 includes a worm gear 22 which is generally parallel to the window when closed. A drive gear 24 is generally transverse and is at 45.degree. angle to the horizon. The operator 10 includes a housing 11 which is designed for drop-in assembly and includes 3 open gear receiving receptacles 15, 16 and 17.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Andersen Corporation
    Inventors: William R. Kuersten, Duane T. Fier, Richard L. Bildahl, Kenneth D. Paulson
  • Patent number: 5623783
    Abstract: A vented glass door includes a rectangular frame having a glass window fitted in the center thereof. At least one air passageway is provided commencing at the rear surface of the frame members, and passing through the frame members themselves and outwardly through an outlet opening at the edges of the frame members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Emco Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Terry Kenkel
  • Patent number: 5622005
    Abstract: An automotive door glass assembly which in a preferred embodiment includes an extendable door glass extendable from a door cavity and having a first bore and an edge surface; a shoe supporting the door glass having an alignment surface and a generally oblong longitudinal slot intersecting the first bore; a U-shaped cradle positioned adjacent the glass around the edge of the glass having a bore generally aligned with the first bore, the cradle also having a ledge and a surface in contact with the shoe alignment surface; a cam plate fitted within the first bore and the bore of the cradle, the cam plate having a head retained by the ledge of the cradle; a fastener eccentrically mounted in the cam plate and engaged therewith for permanently affixing the position of the glass with respect to the shoe; and a sleeve surrounding the threaded fastener and torsionally associated with the cam plate at a first end and at a second end having a torque receiving head to allow for adjustment of the glass with respect to the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1997
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: James E. Ochenski, David M. Mooney
  • Patent number: 5622397
    Abstract: A door security device which includes a support bar having first and second ends, at least one blocking means disposed between the ends of the support bar, attaching means mounted to the support bar for removably securing the support bar in position adjacent a structure, and an actuator connected to the attaching means and operable to actuate the attaching means to secure the support bar adjacent the structure. The use of one blocking means allows the device to be used to secure two doors which close against a common mullion. The use of two blocking means allows the device to be used to secure two doors which close against each other. The door security device can also be used to secure windows and single doors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1997
    Assignee: Richard J. Bagan, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Rice, Richard J. Bagan