Patents Examined by Richard Lowry
  • Patent number: 8579351
    Abstract: A vehicle seat device capable of providing a space in which a large sized load can be disposed. A seat device is provided with a left rear seat and a right rear seat arranged next to each other in the vehicle width direction, and also with a left front movement device for moving the left rear seat to a left foot space located in front of the left rear seat. The left rear seat having been moved to the left foot space is moved through a lateral slide rail up to a right foot space located in front of the right rear seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Takakura, Kazutomo Isonaga, Toshihiko Tsuda
  • Patent number: 8573699
    Abstract: A rear seat of a vehicle which allows controlled reclining of the seat as well as folding the seatback to a stowed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Ornela Zekavica
  • Patent number: 8567862
    Abstract: A child safety seat assembly includes a base and a child seat. The base comprises a shell body, and a support platform provided at an upper side of the shell body on which the child seat can be installed. The shell body includes a first portion having a bottom adapted to provide stable resting support, and a second portion extending upward from the first portion, wherein the shell body includes a storage cavity accessible from an outer side of the second portion. The storage cavity can be sized to receive free end portions of a restrain strap used for holding the base in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Wonderland Nurserygood Company Limited
    Inventors: Bruce L. Williams, Gregory S. Sellers, Curtis M. Hartenstine
  • Patent number: 8556344
    Abstract: A child safety seat assembly includes a child seat and a base. In one embodiment, the base can include a first portion having a bottom adapted to provide stable resting support, and a second portion extending upward from the first portion. The child seat can be installed on the base, wherein the child seat has a seat portion and a seatback, and is movable relative to adjust a distance between the seat portion and a region of the second portion in front of the seat portion. In other embodiments, a base suitable for use with a child seat is also described. The base can comprise a shell body, and an adjustable platform movably assembled on an upper guide surface of the shell body, wherein the adjustable platform is adapted to attach with the child seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Wonderland Nurserygoods Company Limited
    Inventors: Bruce L. Williams, Gregory S. Sellers, Curtis M. Hartenstine, Nathanael Saint
  • Patent number: 8550548
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a stowable covering that fits about a child seat to cover an infant or child placed therein. The covering may include a sheet of flexible fabric having a top surface, a bottom surface, an outer periphery defining an opening through which a portion of the child seat may be received, a coupling mechanism at the outer periphery, and a pocket. The coupling mechanism may be configured to secure the sheet about the child seat by constricting about a portion of the child seat and the pocket may be coupled to the sheet to permit the sheet to be folded and stowed within the pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: The Boppy Company, LLC
    Inventors: Haley Gibbons, Cathy McNeil
  • Patent number: 8517472
    Abstract: An ergonomic, rotatable foot-rest chair ring for an adjustable-height chair is provided. The chair ring comprises a rotation hub configured to be rotatably mounted on the seat post of an adjustable height chair and angularly displaced spokes extending radially from the rotation hub to a modified foot-supporting ring. The modified ring has a perimeter defined by a convex-ring-shaped section that extends more than half way around the hub and a recessed, concave arc section that completes the perimeter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Ergo Genesis, LLC
    Inventor: Gerald Lynn Proctor
  • Patent number: 8516627
    Abstract: A bathtub seat that includes a platform upon which a bather sits formed from a plurality of watersealed planks. The planks are chosen of an appropriate length which length corresponds to the width of the bathtub. The platform planks are attached to feet, which feet rest on the top of the bathtub. The back edge of the platform includes a guide rail with a guide slot. The guide slot is utilized to position suction cups which suction cups are employed to adhere the platform to the back wall above the bathtub. Attached to the back of the suction cups are studs and nuts, which are used to attach the suction cups to the guide rails. The suction cups are positioned along the guide rails by loosening the stud from the nut, moving the suction cup along the guide slot and thereupon re-tightening. Once the suction cups are positioned appropriately for the particular application, the bathtub seat is positioned over the bathtub with the feet on the top of the tub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Inventor: William Corcoran
  • Patent number: 8506012
    Abstract: A center-foldable seat back has a seat back upper part that can be tilted forward relative to a seat back lower part. A trim cover is provided, sewn along the entire periphery at the mutual contact position of an upper and lower cover, the pulled-in state is modulated by cloth pieces, thereby preventing wrinkles. The seat back is provided with the trim cover in which one cloth piece one side edge of which is sewn to the ends of the lower and upper cover is provided at least in the central portion on the inside of the trim cover, the cloth piece is extended inward, the other side edge thereof is sewn to a fastener, the central portion on the back side is extended inward and sewn to the fastener, and the central portion on the inside of the trim cover is sewn to open and close by one fastener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Tanaka, Katsuhiko Shinozaki, Fumitaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8500195
    Abstract: An adjustable supporting bracket for a motorcycle backrest that may be disposed between a mounting bracket affixed to a motorcycle seat and a mounting bracket affixed to a backrest pad. The adjustable supporting bracket comprises an outer member and an inner member slidingly received within the outer member. The inner member has a hand retractable spring plunger whose tip is disposed to engage longitudinally arrayed recesses in the outer member in order to lockably fix the extension of the inner member. One of the outer member and the inner member is also provided with a tilt wheel disposed within a transverse slot in a lower portion of the member. The tilt wheel is threaded to receive a set screw that extends through the lower portion of the member to bear against the seat mounting bracket. The tilt wheel may be manually rotated to extend and retract the set screw, thereby allowing the user to determine the extent of backward travel of the backrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Inventor: Norman Curlalion Smith, II
  • Patent number: 8496292
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention is directed to an ergonomic bench that includes a horizontal base; a vertical support structure; a seat support assembly that is height-adjustable; a chest support assembly that is height-adjustable and pitch-adjustable; a knee support assembly that is height-adjustable; and a heel rest assembly. In one aspect, the ergonomic bench includes wheels and a handle. In one aspect, the ergonomic bench includes a tool tray assembly. In one aspect, the ergonomic bench includes a horizontal base that is sectional. In one aspect, the ergonomic bench includes bumper guards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Inventor: Greg Strassberg
  • Patent number: 8496296
    Abstract: A connecting structure comprises a tubular connection joint and a tubular pipe-shaped cardboard tube for integral engagement with the tubular connection joint. The tubular connection joint is generally curved-shaped and has an insertion portion and a lock projection disposed along a curved inner surface of the insertion portion. The pipe-shaped cardboard tube has an oblique front end portion configured to be inserted into the tubular connection joint so that the oblique front end portion engages between the lock projection and the curved inner surface of the insertion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Sankei Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuda Fusao, Matsumoto Masaki
  • Patent number: 8480177
    Abstract: An arm-rest device is constituted by including the following: an armrest body to be installed to a seat rotatably upward/downward; a ratchet mechanism including stationary-side first ratchet teeth, and movable-side second ratchet teeth rotating integrally with the armrest body; coiled springs for urging those in such a direction that they press one another; releasing cam units for releasing the ratchet mechanism from the meshing; elastic claws and a flanged portion for retaining that release; cut-offs for returning the ratchet mechanism to the meshing. And, the armrest body is made of resin, thereby integrally molding the second ratchet teeth at the time of its molding. It thus becomes an armrest device that is lightweight as a whole, whose assembly can also be done with less man-hour requirements, whose feeling of use is also satisfactory, and which is inexpensive and small in size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: Tokai Chemical Industries, Ltd., Rebirth Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Kobayashi, Takeshi Mizutani
  • Patent number: 8449029
    Abstract: An armrest is movable between a stowed position disposed within a recess of a seat back and deployed position extending from the recess. A bracket fixedly secured to the seat back includes a slot having an angled portion connected with a vertical portion, which is connected with an arcuate portion. First and second pins extend laterally from a proximal end of the armrest and are pivotally and slidably coupled to the slot. The first pin travels along the angled portion and the second pin travels along the vertical portion in response to pivotal movement of the armrest, thereby lifting the armrest to prevent interference between the proximal end of the armrest and the seat back. The first pin remains at the transition between the angled portion and the vertical portion and the second pin travels along the arcuate portion in response to further pivotal movement of the armrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Magna Seating Inc.
    Inventor: David M. Runde
  • Patent number: 8403415
    Abstract: An adjustable passenger seat having a seat recline mechanism and including a seat base having first and second non-intersecting seat path guide slots for guiding the travel of a translation guide assembly interconnected to a linear translating seat pan drive rail through the seat pan such that translational movement of the drive rail with respect to the seat base causes movement of the seat pan and the seat back between upright and flat seating positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: BE Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventor: Bobby Wayne Lawson
  • Patent number: 8366191
    Abstract: A vehicle rear seat assembly having a center child safety restraint system comprises a pair of outboard seats and a center console positioned between the outboard seats and stationary with respect to the outboard seats. The console includes a storage compartment disposed at a forward portion of the console and having an opening which allows an associated object to be selectively placed within the storage compartment. A pair of spaced apart recesses is disposed at a rear portion of the console. A first child safety restraint attachment is located within the storage compartment. A pair of second child safety restraint attachments is provided, each second attachment being located in one of the recesses. The first attachment and the pair of second attachments allow a child safety restraint to be selectively secured to the center console.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Grey B. Parker
  • Patent number: 8303040
    Abstract: A pillow support structure of a chair contains a fixing unit including a body and a back cover, wherein the body includes a longitudinal groove having a laterally through slot and a limiting piece with a tilted guide recess and a defining end; the longitudinal groove includes a resilient swinging rib with a tooth portion and an abutting tab; a vertical moving unit including a moving member and a sliding panel having a stop element, a plurality of peripheral teeth, and includes a side rim biased against the abutting tab; an inserting member including a biasing end and a pressing segment, such that the stop element of the sliding panel of the moving member is capable of preventing from contacting with the defining end of the body so that the sliding panel of the moving member disengages from the body smoothly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Inventors: Yu-Shan Lai, Yen-Chuan Lai