Patents Examined by Rob Swiatek
  • Mealworm feeder
    Patent number: 8944007
    Abstract: The present invention provides a feeding device for amphibians and reptiles that includes a food chamber in the form of a cup with a plurality of feeding holes formed in a bottom thereof. The preferred hole size is approximately 4 mm to accommodate the mealworm. The feeding device is made from transparent plastic allowing reptiles or amphibians sitting beneath the feeding device to see the mealworms contained therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary Wayne Bagnall
  • Detection arrangement and method
    Patent number: 8944004
    Abstract: A detecting arrangement is provided for a teat cleaning device including a teat cleaning cup in which teats of milking animals are contained during cleaning thereof. The detecting arrangement comprises a measuring device provided for automatically measuring a teat related parameter in or adjacent to the teat cleaning cup at completion of a teat cleaning process, and a processing device operatively connected to the measuring device and provided for automatically comparing the measured teat related parameter with a reference value and for automatically determining whether the teat of the milking animal has been contained in the teat cleaning cup unfolded during the teat cleaning process based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Delaval Holding AB
    Inventors: Hans Holmgren, Thomas Axelsson
  • Safety cabin
    Patent number: 8944374
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cabin system for an aircraft fuselage, having one or more lining components for interior lining, and optionally one or more cabin equipment components, wherein the lining component can be installed either separately or in combination with a further lining component and/or a cabin equipment component under tension in the aircraft fuselage such that a cabin that is under tension in the circumferential direction and attaches to the aircraft fuselage is defined. In this manner a passenger cabin configured as a closed safety cell is created in a fuselage, which is of particular advantage in an aircraft fuselage made of a fiber composite material because no splinters or the like can penetrate the self-supporting passenger cabin in case of damage to the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventor: Uwe Schneider
  • Force measurement
    Patent number: 8944008
    Abstract: A rodent enclosure dimensioned in length, width and height so as to allow a rodent to run freely along the length of the enclosure, but not turn around without standing on its hind legs. The enclosure has a floor with bars extending transversely to allow access for a force sensor's probe from below. A force measurement device for use with the rodent enclosure to measure the tactile response of a rodent comprising a measurement probe connected to a device body. The probe has a tip which can be engaged with a rodent's paw through the floor of the enclosure. The device body has a fixed body part and a rotatable body part arranged to allow relative rotation between them. A rotation sensor detects the relative rotation and outputs a measurement parameter having values that are calibrated against force values associated with forces applied to the probe's tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Topcat Metrology Limited
    Inventors: Michael John Dixon, Polly Margaret Taylor, Benjamin Dixon
  • Collapsible sound-deadening animal shelter
    Patent number: 8944010
    Abstract: The invention is a collapsible, sound-deadening shelter that can provide pets a place of refuge from noise. The shelter has a top panel formed from a sound-deadening material; at least two flaps coupled to the top panel; at least two side panels formed from a sound-deadening material, wherein each of the side panels is coupled to one of the two flaps; a rear panel formed from a sound-deadening material, wherein the rear panel is coupled by an additional flap to one of the top panel or the two side panels; and wherein the rear panel is removably coupled to the remaining of the top panel and the two side panels to which the rear panel is not already coupled by the additional flap. The shelter may be used as a stand-alone shelter, but it may also be placed over a pet container in order to make the container quieter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Inventor: Tom Willard
  • Aircraft fuselage element
    Patent number: 8939405
    Abstract: An aircraft fuselage element being a one-piece component, and including a closed wall defining an internal volume, an external surface of the wall forming the external skin of the fuselage. The wall has a cross section that includes on a side facing the internal volume a planar central part, a male connecting element at a first edge, and a female connecting element at its other edge, which connecting elements project, each connecting element configured to engage with the corresponding connecting element of another fuselage element placed side by side with the fuselage element to connect these fuselage elements longitudinally to each other, and one of the connecting elements includes a step forming a frame for the fuselage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations S.A.S.
    Inventor: Benjamin Mahieu
  • Air-ground detection system for semi-levered landing gear
    Patent number: 8939400
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for air-ground detection. A truck beam of a semi-levered landing gear is mounted on a pivot pin. The truck beam is configured to rotate about the pivot pin between a toes down position and a toes up position. A positioning mechanism is connected to a semi-levered linkage assembly that secures an angle of the truck beam in the toes up position. The semi-levered linkage assembly is secured in a steady state and configured to change from the steady state to a locked state in response to an initial ground contact. A sensor is connected to the semi-levered linkage assembly. The sensor is configured to detect a change from the steady state to the locked state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Mitchell Loren Ray Mellor
  • Wildlife exclusion systems and methods for railway tracks
    Patent number: 8939110
    Abstract: A wildlife exclusion system for railway tracks is provided which includes an exclusion arrangement positioned to span across the railway tracks at a location along a length of the railway tracks. The exclusion arrangement extends generally perpendicular to the railway tracks and has a series of conductive elements spaced apart from each other to form an exclusion are configured to provide an electric shock to wild animals when particular conductive elements within the exclusion area are bridged thereby. Methods of installing a wildlife exclusion system and methods of discouraging wild animals from traveling along railway tracks are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Inventor: Timothy Hazlehurst
  • Methods and systems for incorporating translating backplanes to facilitate wire separation
    Patent number: 8936217
    Abstract: A method for interconnecting electronic equipment within an aircraft includes installing a multi-dimensional backplane within the aircraft across a plurality of frame bays associated with the aircraft, the backplane including a plurality of connectors mounted thereon, contacts associated with the connectors interconnected by electrical conductors formed within the backplane, attaching shipside wiring to a first portion of the connectors on the backplane, and attaching electrical connectors of the electronic equipment to corresponding connectors on the backplane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mark Stephen Shander, Robert Thomas Johnson
  • Pet restraint harness system for vehicles
    Patent number: 8931437
    Abstract: A pet restraint harness system for use in a vehicle may be installed in a rear or front passenger seat. The restraint system includes a harness fastened about the pet and a restraint framework fastened about the seat and, in some configurations, to manufacturer latch points provided in the vehicle. The restraint framework includes a vertical strap positioned against the seatback and one or more horizontal supports, such as lateral straps, attached to the vertical strap to resist lateral movement, vertical movement, or both. Ends of the vertical and lateral straps may attach to each other about the seat. At least two restraining straps are attached to the vertical strap, the horizontal supports, or among the combination of both. The restraining straps are configured to attach to an animal's collar, to a harness, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Grandma Knows, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert Glenn Aaron, Mary L. Aaron
  • Sided performance coaxial vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV and pitch stability technique using oblique active tilting (OAT)
    Patent number: 8931729
    Abstract: A system for increasing the thrust and power capabilities of a side-by-side vertical takeoff and landing vehicle to optimize the coaxial rotor performance. The system includes a first coaxial rotor spaced from an aircraft body and a second coaxial rotor spaced from the aircraft body and opposite the first coaxial rotor. The first coaxial rotor has a first top propeller aligned with a first bottom propeller along a first rotational axis. The second coaxial rotor having a second top propeller aligned with a second bottom propeller along a second rotational axis. A gyroscopic moment to maintain pitch stability is controlled by modulating the first and second top propellers, which have a different angular speed or different torque from the first and second bottom propellers, and tilting the first and second coaxial rotors towards the central axis with a common tilt angle and a common tilt rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau
    Inventors: Hamzeh Mahmoud Abde Qader Alzu'bi, Imad Abd Allateef, Yahya Zweiri, Basim Alkhateeb, Yahya Taha Ayed Al-Majali
  • Selective animal feeder
    Patent number: 8931435
    Abstract: An animal feeder includes a feed bin configured to hold feed stock. The feed bin has a first feed port. The animal feeder also includes an outer housing positioned around at least a portion of the feed bin. The outer housing has a second feed port. The animal feeder further includes a magnet supported by one of the feed bin and the outer housing. The magnet magnetically couples the outer housing to the feed bin. The outer housing is movable relative to the feed bin between a first position, in which the outer housing is magnetically coupled to the feed bin such that the first feed port and the second feed port are at least partially aligned, and a second position, in which the outer housing is not magnetically coupled to the feed bin and the first feed port and the second feed port are out of alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Hepp, Thomas J. Green, Dennis P. Tronca, Roger V. Hajny
  • Wing for an aircraft
    Patent number: 8931733
    Abstract: An aerodynamic body that can be adjusted relative to a main wing of an aircraft by an adjusting device is provided. A gap between the aerodynamic body and another aerodynamic body or a component of the fuselage or the main wing is formed on one lateral end and said and the gap is variable due to the adjustability of the aerodynamic body. The body features a gap bridge-over device with a shell part that extends along the gap and overlaps the outer shell of the aerodynamic body in the wingspread direction on the front side thereof so that the shell part can be telescopically moved relative to this aerodynamic body in the wingspread direction. An airfoil for an aircraft with a main wing and a plurality of aerodynamic bodies that are arranged adjacent to one another transverse to the chord direction is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventor: Werner Dyckrup
  • Dynamic canine tracking method for hazardous and illicit substances
    Patent number: 8931327
    Abstract: Vapor wake detection is a highly advantageous method and system for detecting explosives and other illicit substances. With vapor wake detection, a canine and a handler are used; however, unlike other detection schemes, the canine leads the handler. After the handler positions the canine in a desired location, the canine detects scents in the air that come to the canine. When the canine detects a trained scent, the canine leads the handler to or follows behind the carrier of the item with the scent. Once the carrier is identified by the handler, the proper personnel are contacted. To implement vapor wake detection effectively, specific rigorous training is utilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Auburn University
    Inventors: John Pearce, L. Paul Waggoner, Jeanne S. Brock, Timothy Baird, David A. Baffa, Daniel McAfee, Robert E. Leonard, Jr.
  • Method of treating articles with carbon dioxide
    Patent number: 8931206
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to treating articles suspected of being infested with bed bugs using carbon dioxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Joelle Francine Olson, Kim R. Smith, John E. Thomas, Andrew M. Schultz
  • Shower system for aircraft
    Patent number: 8931737
    Abstract: A shower unit for an aircraft comprises: a shower head, and controls to manually control the water output. A shower enclosure defines a receiving cavity to receive the user. The shower enclosure supports the shower head and the controls for the user to shower in the receiving cavity. The shower enclosure comprises a first door on a first side of the shower enclosure, and a second door on a second side of the shower enclosure to define a passageway through the shower enclosure. The shower unit is adapted to be positioned in the aircraft such that the passageway communicates between two separate zones of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Bombardier Inc.
    Inventors: Stephane Savignac, Jean-Francois Boies, Bruce Malek
  • Component, in particular a shell component, which can be joined thermally and/or mechanically, for building a fuselage section of an aircraft
    Patent number: 8925864
    Abstract: A component for building a fuselage section of an aircraft includes a border area connectable to a corresponding further border area of a further component so as to form an electrically conductive joint, wherein the component includes a composite structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Cihangir Sayilgan, Robert Alexander Goehlich
  • Wing of an aircraft
    Patent number: 8925871
    Abstract: A wing of an aircraft provided with a main wing and an arrangement of leading edge lifting bodies, which as seen with reference to the incident flow direction are arranged on the leading edge, which are adjustably arranged on the main wing one behind another as seen in the spanwise direction of the main wing by means of respectively two positioning devices spaced apart from one another in the spanwise direction of the main wing. The wing has a connecting device, which is coupled to each of two adjacent leading edge lifting bodies, wherein the connecting device is configured such that in the event of a fracture of a positioning device of a positioning body external forces acting on the latter are transferred via the respective connecting device to the leading edge lifting bodies coupled up via the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Xavier Hue, Bernhard Schlipf
  • Systems and methods for the controlled electrified field barriers
    Patent number: 8925488
    Abstract: A system and method is described for a controlled electrified fish barrier that induces a potential field in a body of water with an electric field generator, a control system, and an object detection system, so that when the anode and cathode of the electric field generator are inserted in a body of water, and the object detection system detects an object, the object detection system electrically signals the control system; and in response the control system electrically adjusts the electric field generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Smith-Root, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffery Smith
  • Beekeeping apparatus, systems, and methods
    Patent number: 8926397
    Abstract: A beekeeping apparatus includes a bottom side having an arcuate groove defined therein, the arcuate groove being sized and dimensioned to correspond to the rim of a repository; and a top side including a recessed area defined therein, the recessed area being sized and dimensioned to correspond to a beekeeping frame, and a plurality of generally rectangular openings defined through the recessed area, the rectangular openings each being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain a portion of a beekeeping frame, and collectively being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain portions of different sizes of beekeeping frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Cedar Creek Apiary, LLC
    Inventor: Vallie Hayden McMahon, III