Patents Examined by Robert M. Fetsuga
  • Patent number: 7363662
    Abstract: Many times when a home sewage line becomes clogged it results in overflow of the matter in the toilet bowl onto the floor. It is a difficult matter at the time to easily and immediately stop overflowing from occurring. STOPRZ solves this problem. If the affluent in the bowl keeps rising to an uncomfortable level one only has to raise the finial atop the toilet tank lid. Since the finial is connected to the lift-bar of the shut-off valve controlling the water flow into the toilet bowl by the brass rod, raising the finial shuts the inflow of water. Spinning the wing nut down to the top of the toilet tank lid shuts off the water supply for as long as is necessary. Correcting the complete problem can then be done at one's leisure. STORZ consists of three items—a lift-rod shaft (a ? by 6 inch rod threaded at one end and the other end curved into a semi-circle as the curved end of a fish-hook), a wing nut and a finial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Inventor: Ray Francis Broyles
  • Patent number: 7356856
    Abstract: A toilet overflow prevention device including an overflow valve assembly, a control valve and a water level sensor. The overflow valve assembly is configured to selectively permit a flow of water through the valve assembly from the tank to the bowl of an associated toilet. The water level sensor is configured to provide a control signal in response to detecting an above-normal water level within the bowl of the toilet. The control valve is configured to actuate the overflow valve assembly in response to a control signal from the water level sensor. Preferably, the overflow valve assembly is separate from the primary flush valve of the toilet and is located between the primary flush valve and the bowl of the toilet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Limit, Inc.
    Inventors: Otto R. Butsch, Kevin G. Bowcutt, Gregory Blake, Daniel L. Corbin, Dennis A. Repp
  • Patent number: 7343633
    Abstract: A transmission mechanism comprises a rotating shaft, a main column, a rotating column, a stick, a spring and a fixed column. The main column has a first axle hole receiving the rotating shaft. End of the main column has an O-shaped trench having a stop within. The rotating column fixed with the rotating shaft has a through hole between its first end and second end. The stick is plugged into the through hole. The fixed column fixed with the toilet has a third axle hole receiving the rotating shaft. The fixed column has a C-shaped trench having a deep first terminal and a shallow second terminal. The spring is disposed to enclose the stick and is for elastically protruding the stick out the first end or the second end to insert the C-shaped trench or the O-shaped trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Dong Yi Plastic Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ching-Chieh Lo
  • Patent number: 7340782
    Abstract: The toilet assembly includes a toilet seat lid, a toilet seat, a toilet tank, a toilet bowl and a hinge assembly. The toilet seat lid is situated on top of the toilet seat. The toilet seat lid has a front peripheral lid portion and an end portion extended off of the front peripheral lid portion. The toilet seat has a front peripheral seat portion and an end portion extended normal to the front peripheral seat portion. The hinge assembly is affixed to the lid end portion, the seat end portion, and additionally to the front surface of the toilet tank. The seat end portion rises perpendicular to the front peripheral seat portion so that when the toilet seat lid is raised, the hinge assembly is covered, protecting it from exposure to urine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Inventor: Javier Ortiz
  • Patent number: 7340783
    Abstract: An air plunger is described. The air plunger comprises an upper barrel and a lower barrel slidably received by the upper barrel. An air seal is fixed to the lower barrel and slidably engages with the upper barrel. A nozzle is attached to the lower barrel opposite to the upper barrel. A stop mechanism prohibits the upper barrel from disassociating with the lower barrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Inventors: J. Kirk Leaphart, Jr., C. Mark Leaphart, Carlos R. Schoolcraft, Michael L. Ernst
  • Patent number: 7337476
    Abstract: The invention comprises a toilet seat that forms a hollow inside chamber that runs within the toilet seat. The bottom surface of the toilet seat also forms a plurality of linear, elongated louvers to allow a sweeping motion of air across the underside surface of the toilet seat and into the hollow inside chamber. These openings are oriented to establish a horizontal movement of the air inside the perimeter of the toilet seat to minimize the escape of odors from the toilet bowl. The toilet seat also forms a rear opening that a fan that withdraws air from the hollow inside chamber. The exhaust air passes through an odor adsorbing chamber adsorbing odors. The air is then expelled into the room back and downward, away from the user. Alternatively, the exhaust is channeled ventilation piping in the structure to be exhausted to the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Inventor: Donald L. Green
  • Patent number: 7334274
    Abstract: A swirling bathing tub includes a bathing tub, a water ejecting device mounted on an inner side face of the bathing tub and having at least one water outlet defined in the casing and a water inlet for connection with a water source, a water pump mounted inside the casing and having a water inflow pipe in communication with the water inlet and a water outflow pipe corresponding to the at least one water outlet, a baffle rotatably mounted inside the casing and having at least one through hole corresponding to the at least one water outlet so that water flowing through the water outflow pipe of the pump is able to selectively flow to the bathing tub to create a soothing massaging effect to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Inventor: Cheng-Chung Wang
  • Patent number: 7331069
    Abstract: A water-saving flush toilet is disclosed. A discharge seal valve is arranged at a sewage discharge port, a discharge seal valve together with a valve cover are arranged at a valve seat. A water tap handle at the lower of the bowl is provided with a lever, a cord is connected between a handle of the valve cover and the lever via a joint of the bowl. The lever is also connected to another cord that is connected to a weight via said two joints. The upper of the bowl is arranged with a water channel and a sprinkler head, an open of said water channel connected to the water tap at the lower of the bowl via a connecting plastic tube, water pipes are arranged respectively at the upper and the lower of the bowl without any water tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Inventor: Hunghing Chu
  • Patent number: 7313834
    Abstract: A bathtub water tap includes a tap body, a fluid control device, a showerhead hose and a showerhead. The tap body has a hose passage and a water passage. The water passage has an outlet and an inlet for transporting water diverted by the fluid control device. The hose passage has a socket hole and a through hole. The showerhead hose is slidably mounted in the hose passage and has two opposite ends respectively connected to the showerhead and the fluid control device. The showerhead has an inside end held in the socket hole of the hose passage to position the showerhead with the tap body. Consequently, additional installations of the showerhead are not required. The showerhead will not occupy bathroom space, and the appearance of the entire water tap is tidy and clean.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Globe Union Industrial Corp.
    Inventors: Wang-Hong Tan, Gen-Wei Zhau
  • Patent number: 7308724
    Abstract: A household bathing water massage device comprised of a shower head connected below an existent cold and hot water faucet with a water volume controller installed in between, a three-way connector installed at the lower end, and a hose respectively connected to the controller and filter. The controller has an internally disposed pressurizing motor, frequency transformer, microcontroller board, and remote control unit, with the remote control unit equipped with a plurality of push-type keys. Furthermore, the end of the hose provides for the installation of water discharge nozzles. As such, user operation varies the intensity of the water output force as well as changes in water volume duration, utilizing the shower head accessories and differently shaped nozzles to produce streams of differing force directed against the body for water massage applications, thereby revitalizing cells, eliminating fatigue, and promoting metabolism to comfortably relax the body and spirit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Inventor: Chun-Ta Ho
  • Patent number: 7305724
    Abstract: A baby changing, cleansing and bathing station with a basin hinged at the rear to pivot away from the wall overtop an existing toilet, a shower wand with adapter for connection to an existing faucet or shower, a front leg assembly for automatically deploying upon pivoting down of the basin, and a fold-down drain for automatically deploying upon pivoting down of the basin to drain water from the basin into said toilet. The automatic legs and drain allow for easy one-hand deployment while carrying a baby. The baby changing, cleansing and bathing station is adaptable to a freestanding configuration with either a cabinet enclosure or rear leg assembly for freestanding support, or a wall-mounted configuration with or without a cabinet enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Baby Wize, LLC
    Inventors: Arkadiy I. Rozental, Mikhail Ruvinskiy, James E. Fay
  • Patent number: 7306115
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for dispensing fluid in preselected volumetric quantities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventor: Timothy C Beachy
  • Patent number: 7302713
    Abstract: A toilet and urinal flushing device comprising a reciprocating pedal attached to a toilet handle with the pedal being reciprocated by means of a spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Inventors: Harin G. Bhatt, Gargi H. Bhatt, Parashar H. Bhatt
  • Patent number: 7299510
    Abstract: A holder device may be attached to a water outlet tube which is extended from a wall, without drilling holes in the wall, and includes a housing having an inlet attached to the water outlet tube, and two or more outlet ports for attaching a shower head and a sprayer nozzle simultaneously. The housing includes an attaching device for attaching the sprayer nozzle to the housing. A controlling device may control the water to flow out through the outlet ports. The housing includes a casing having a chamber to receive a valve stem of the controlling device. The valve stem includes a passage for communicating the inlet with either or both of the outlet ports of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Inventor: Pi Kuang Tsai
  • Patent number: 7296309
    Abstract: A method of constructing shower enclosure support structures which decreases the probability of mold growth by utilizing interior and/or exterior corner directional flow flashings between the joints of the sheets of synthetic marble, tile or other porous or non-porous material which cover the interior of the shower enclosure support structure and the material comprising the vertical walls of the shower enclosure support structure, a shower pan floor sloped downwardly toward the shower drain, a shower floor supported above the shower pan floor by spacers or mortar piers creating a void for air circulation between the shower floor and the shower pan floor, spacing between the shower floor periphery and the vertical walls of the shower pan to provide additional air circulation between the shower floor and the shower pan floor, shower enclosure support structure horizontal framing members that are sloped toward the shower drain, shower enclosure support structure horizontal framing members that are covered by the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Inventor: Walter Wayne Nehring
  • Patent number: 7293300
    Abstract: A waterfall for a portable spa does not take up any seat space by being set into the top rim of the spa. Water from the spa circulation system flows into a closed end of a channel located in the top rim and along the channel to the open end located at the edge of the top rim on the inside wall to fall into the body of water in the spa. A light source at the point where the water enters the closed end of the channel, which may be adapted to change colors, directs light into the water flow, lighting the water that falls into the spa, in different colors, as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Richard Kunkel
  • Patent number: 7293298
    Abstract: A self-contained sanitary system for a vehicle includes a toilet with a flush tank for storing a source of flush water. The system further includes a spout in fluid communication with the flush tank. The spout has a first open end coupled to the flush tank and a second open end. The spout is coupled for rotation about a generally vertical axis between a stowed position and an access position. The second end is rotatable relative to the first end about a generally horizontal axis between a fill position and a drainage position. The system further includes a bench and a holding tank. The holding tank is removably associated with the toilet and includes a pair of wheels and a retractable handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Thetford Corporation
    Inventors: David B. Cameron, Frank Schagen, Carrie E. Hall, Michael B. Fritz
  • Patent number: 7290297
    Abstract: An adjustable lifting device for a spa cover has a frame for securing to the spa cover and at least one extendible mount for adjustably extending a distance between the frame of the lifting device and a mounting point on the housing of a spa. The extendible mount has an extendible member attached to the frame of the lifting device, and a mounting bracket adapted to be fixed at a mounting location on the housing of a spa. The extendible member is adjustably coupled to the mounting bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Inventor: John Cunerty
  • Patent number: 7287287
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a shower device which is combined with a tanning device, comprising: one or more walls; water supply means which are arranged on one of the 5 walls; and a tanning device which is arranged in a wall and comprises at least one UV lamp, characterized in that the at least one UV lamp is a high-pressure UV lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Sunshower B.V.
    Inventors: Pieter M Wegdam, Oscar J Meijer
  • Patent number: 7287286
    Abstract: The closestool disclosed herein has an upper lid hinged to one end of the closestool thereof, a power supply unit equipped on the closestool; a clean water injector equipped underneath the power supply unit comprising a first and second cleaning nozzles, and a control unit attached to the closestool to stretch nozzles for water injection. The kernel of the present invention lies in that one or more bactericidal lamps having a sterilization effect with its photocatalytic film is provided to radiate conterminated part of the user's body thereby serving a sterilization effect during cleansing with water injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Inventor: Hsueh-Hui Lee