Patents Examined by Richard Lowry
  • Patent number: 8827369
    Abstract: According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a bearing structure including: a resin bush having a flange formed to be brought into contact with a plate face around a bearing hole from one side, a locking edge formed to be locked with the plate face around the bearing hole from the other side, and a circular through-hole formed to bear the support shaft inserted therethrough, wherein, upon receiving a load applied to the support shaft, the entire resin bush is flexibly displaced so that an inner circumferential surface of the through-hole is aligned with a hole edge of the bearing hole and the support shaft is born by the hole edge of the bearing hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Izawa, Makoto Takeuchi, Takahiro Kobori
  • Patent number: 8777306
    Abstract: A foldable chair, operable between a seating configuration and a rolling transport configuration, the foldable chair comprising a plurality of legs with a roller secured to the distal end of each leg and the proximal end of each leg secured to a column base. Extending from the column base is a column with a first and second end, the column first end secured to the column base and the second end of the column secured to a first platform or seat cushion. A second platform extends downwardly from the first platform for attaching a carrying case. Also included is a backrest rotatably secured to the first platform such that when the backrest is perpendicular to the first platform two roller elements are fully shrouded. When the backrest is rotated 90 degrees and disposed substantially parallel to the seat cushion the roller elements are exposed for rolling contact with the ground surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Inventor: Brenda D. Rahm
  • Patent number: 8757727
    Abstract: A table and seat assembly for limiting movement of ankle shackles by a client occupying the seat. The assembly includes a table supported by a first pedestal and the seat supported by a second pedestal, where the first and second pedestals are connected. A drive rod included in a locking mechanism extends from a linear sleeve bearing in the second pedestal and moves from an unlocked position in which the drive rod is not inside a receiver socket to a locking position in which the drive rod is inside the receiver socket. An individual positioned behind the seated client operates a foot pedal to move the drive rod between the unlocked and locking positions. When in the locking position, the drive rod prevents a chain or other connecting means of the ankle shackles from moving upwards between the guide socket and the receiver socket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
    Inventor: Lucien J. Leclaire
  • Patent number: 8733835
    Abstract: A vehicle seat has a cover that comprises, in sections, a first layer and a second layer, wherein the first and second layers have different elasticities. The layers may be connected, such as by sewing. The layers may have strips arranged transversely to an expansion direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Emanuel Ulfig
  • Patent number: 8714653
    Abstract: A supporting structure of a headrest bracket is disclosed comprising attaching portions (flat areas in the frontal view) provided on an upper frame of a vehicle seat, with attaching wall portions formed on both ends of each flat attaching portion, whereby one side of the headrest bracket is put onto the attaching portion, so that welding points made between the free ends of the attaching wall and on the sides of the headrest bracket are provided, and the free ends are welded, and the welding point made between the upper and/or lower ends of the attaching portion and on the sides of the headrest bracket is horizontally welded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Niron Technica Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuo Yamada
  • Patent number: 8708414
    Abstract: A travel headrest comprises a right side and a left side. The right side of the headrest includes a right side occipital support portion and a right side mandible portion which extends outwardly from the right side occipital support portion. When a person leans against the right side occipital portion the right side mandible support portion exerts a force against the person's mandible and thereby provides support to the mandible. The left side of the headrest includes a left side occipital support portion and a left side mandible portion which extends outwardly from the left side occipital support portion. When a person leans against the left side occipital portion the left side mandible support portion exerts a force against the person's mandible and thereby provides support to the mandible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Inventor: Stanley Hurwitz
  • Patent number: 8696066
    Abstract: An engaging structure has a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion provided on at least one portion from among a first attaching portion and a second attaching portion, and an engagable portion provided on another portion that is different from the one portion. The first attaching portion is overlapped with the second attaching portion such that the first engaging portion abuts against a first edge of the other portion and the second engaging portion abuts against a second edge of the other portion that is different from the first edge. A support member is engaged with a frame member by one of the first engaging portion or the second engaging portion being hooked onto the engagable portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Mizobata
  • Patent number: 8690251
    Abstract: A seatback-motion controller in accordance with the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle seat in a vehicle. The vehicle seat includes a seat base and a seat back mounted for pivotable movement relative to the seat base between an upright use position and a forward-leaning easy-entry position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Miller, Michael Miller
  • Patent number: 8684452
    Abstract: A high-seat folding chair includes two pairs of front legs and rear legs pivotally connected with each other so as to be operable to unfold or fold the folding chair. When unfolded, each of the front legs and the rear legs form an angle relative to a horizontal plane. A footrest is mounted between the two front legs. Two opposite portions of the footrest bend symmetrically in a horizontal direction to form horizontal portions, respectively. The two horizontal portions further bend upward to form inclined extensions, and a portion of each inclined extensions forms a flat portion. An angle defined between the inclined extension and the horizontal portion is equal to an angle defined between the front leg and the horizontal plane. The inclined extensions of the footrest are respectively affixed with the two front legs, such that the footrest is mounted in horizontal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Inventors: Mei Chuen Lin, Tzu Mei Wang
  • Patent number: 8678489
    Abstract: A hunting chair with several user-selectable configurations for hunting on hillsides includes a seat and back rest. A pair of support arms falls generally on the same plane as the seat and have a user-selectable length in a forward and a rearward direction. A cross brace may connect the support arms. Elongated extension members may define the user-selectable length. The elongated extension members or a pair of spikes may selectably define a pair of downwardly-extending legs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Inventor: David Skinner
  • Patent number: 8662593
    Abstract: A fixing device is provided for a headrest that fixes the headrest at a predetermined position in an unadjustable manner, even after a guide lock is attached or even after a seatback is formed. At least one groove portion is formed by cutting out in a headrest pillar, without inclination in the radial direction. The fixing device has a knob portion, a resin spring portion formed continuously to the knob portion, and an engagement plate arranged in the knob portion, the resin spring portion is formed to extend on one side of the knob portion therefrom, and is provided with a space portion for expanding to surround the headrest pillar. The engagement plate is installed in the knob portion, and is formed in such a manner that part of the engagement plate is exposed in the space portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Hiroshi Izawa, Makoto Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 8657371
    Abstract: A car seat includes a seat back and a back belt. The seat back is foldable from an erect position into a substantially horizontal folded position. The back belt is disposed in a position in which the back belt, when extending along the seat back, is able to restrain an item or a baby being placed on a back surface of the seat back in the folded position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tadahiro Matori
  • Patent number: 8651579
    Abstract: Panel assemblies designed and configured to be installed into cushioned and other occupant-supporting furniture to increase the support provided to one or more occupants of the furniture. Each panel assembly is composed of interconnecting components, such as panels and slats. The components are interconnected in any one or more of a variety of manners, including side-to-side, overlapped, and stacked, and combinations thereof. Each panel assembly can be made from one or more kits of components that can be provided along with instructions, such as assembly instructions and installation instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: HIP Innovations LLC
    Inventors: James Pettingill, Timothy George
  • Patent number: 8646836
    Abstract: A vehicle seat is provided. The vehicle seat includes a seat main body, and a duct that is provided in the seat main body. The duct includes an inlet port through which air is supplied, a first communication pipe which is branched from the inlet port and communicates with a first outlet port, and a second communication pipe which is branched from the inlet port and communicates with a second outlet port. The duct is provided with a heating device which is configured to supply or absorb heat to or from air flowing through at least one of the first communication pipe and the second communication pipe so as to generate a temperature difference between air discharged from the first outlet port and air discharged from the second outlet port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Oota, Atsuki Sasaki, Takeshi Nishiura, Yasuhiko Niimi, Jun Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 8628142
    Abstract: A chair includes a base, a seat supported on the base, and a support member having an upper portion and at least one lower portion that is lower than the upper portion. The at least one lower portion of the support member is attached to at least one of the base and the seat. The upper portion of the at least one support member is attached to the at least one lower portion. A portion of the upper portion defines an offset positioned inwardly toward the seat relative to other sections of the upper portion. A tablet is moveably attached to the upper portion such that it is moveable from a first position to a second position. The offset is positioned so it supports the tablet when the tablet is in the second position and transfers a substantial amount of load supported by the offset to the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Knoll, Inc.
    Inventor: Hendrik R. van Hekken
  • Patent number: 8622478
    Abstract: A child safety seat has a seat back with an upper end, a back side, and a front facing side. A harness system has a pair of safety straps each with a back portion on the back side and a shoulder strap portion on the front facing side. A router is on the back side and has a fixed upper guide, a fixed lower guide spaced below the upper guide, and a slider vertically movable therebetween. The back portions are routed from the respective shoulder strap portions through the slider, up to the upper guide, down to the lower guide, and back up to the slider. The slider is vertically adjustable between a raised position and a lowered position and determines the height of the shoulder strap portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Graco Children's Products Inc.
    Inventor: Scott R. Spence
  • Patent number: 8613483
    Abstract: A pad structure for a chair back contains a pad, an adjusting member disposed on a back side of the pad, and a rail plate connected with the adjusting member. The pad is capable of being adjusted frontward and backward. The adjusting member includes a positioning panel to axially connect with a toothed edge of each of two toothed arms. Another end of one toothed arm is secured on a face of the rail plate by using a first connector, and another end of another toothed arm is coupled with a slideable deck by a second connector to form a multi-section engaging design. Thereby, the two toothed arms slide along the slideable plate to change a relative angle between the two toothed arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Chern Shing Top Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Hsueh-Sheng Hsiao
  • Patent number: 8596718
    Abstract: A child restraint includes an adjustable base for installation on a vehicle seat and a detachable infant carrier associated with the adjustable base. The base is configured to be adjusted to tilt the infant carrier relative to the vehicle seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Cosco Management, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul D. Gaudreau, Jr., Raul G. Pereira, Gaetano D. Desimone
  • Patent number: 8585151
    Abstract: An improved bean bag chair is disclosed that not only provides conforming support for a person's body in a variety of positions, but also provides a closable storage compartment for storing a large number of miscellaneous articles of varying size, shape and hardness, all without compromising the chair's effectiveness in providing conforming support. The chair includes an upper flexible bag defining an upper compartment that carries an adaptable filler material, and it further includes a lower flexible bag defining a lower compartment for receiving and storing the miscellaneous articles. A closure, e.g., a zipper, secures the upper and lower flexible bags together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Inventors: Amber I. Goldman, Andrea Soto-Camacho, Karen G. Stash
  • Patent number: 8579373
    Abstract: A seat base length adjustment device including a seat nose plate assembled on a carriage movable with respect to the seating frame, means for slidably guiding the carriage, and means for maintaining the carriage in position with respect to said frame. The sliding guide means comprises a guide rail located in a middle portion of the carriage, the carriage supports a toothed wheel, rotatably assembled on the carriage along an axis perpendicular to the seating frame and to the sliding direction, and meshing with a rack arranged close to the guide rail, and the means for maintaining the carriage in position comprises a lock acting on the rotation of the toothed wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Faurecia Sieges d'Automobile
    Inventors: Bernard Pradier, Jérôme Planson