Patents Examined by Thomas J. Holko
  • Patent number: 4592102
    Abstract: A rectangular mattress support frame has side rails formed of rail sections which are pivotally interconnected for movement between a folded seating position and an unfolded sleeping position. In the sleeping position, side rail portions projecting forwardly of the furniture frame are supported on a forward support leg and a center support leg. When a first rail section at the forward end of the side rail is pivoted upwardly, a linkage moves the forward support leg toward the first rail section, and this linkage also produces upward pivotal movement of a second rail section relative to a third rail section. The center leg is moved to a partially raised position in response to pivotal movement between the second and third rail sections, and it is moved to a fully raised position when a fourth rail section at the rear end of the side rail moves from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Inventor: Ned W. Mizelle
  • Patent number: 4592688
    Abstract: A hanger assembly for securing insulation or refractory linings to walls includes a circular stud which includes a flattened locking section of relatively short axial extent forming laterally projecting lugs, a somewhat less flattened anti-rotation section of substantial axial extent inwardly adjacent the locking section, and an unflattened or rotation section of short axial extent inwardly adjacent the anti-rotation section, whereby a quarter-turn retaining washer may be positioned over the stud to the rotation section, rotated a quarter turn and then moved outwardly along the anti-rotation section to engage and lock against the underside of the locking section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Assignee: Erico Products, Inc.
    Inventor: James W. Kramer
  • Patent number: 4589151
    Abstract: A slatted bed system comprising an articulating frame, a power unit, concave slats, a sculptured mattress and free standing support means. The articulating frame is in four sections to facilitate the independent raising of the head end and the portion under an individual's knee by two independently operable linear actuators. The slats are filament wound fiberglass epoxy of a downwardly concave shape and are sized in thickness and width to provide a predetermined spring rate. The number of slats, slat spacing and spring rate of each slat may be tailored for the body weight distribution of the individual for whom the bed is designed, as may the cross-sectional dimensions of the slats. The mattress is molded from high resiliency foam and is sculptured at the frame pivot points. While the mattress spans the slats, the feel, comfort and body support are provided by the slat system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Inventor: Robert S. Behrens
  • Patent number: 4586205
    Abstract: A sofa-sleeper includes a stationary sofa frame having a front, back and opposed sides, and a sofa bed mechanism including pivotally interconnected head, body, intermediate and foot frame sections which are extendable to form a bed and foldable within the sofa frame to form a seat. The sofa bed mechanism is removably mounted upon the stationary sofa frame by dove-tail shaped brackets mounted on opposed sides of the sofa frame, and a pair of tapered mounting plates pivotally connected on opposite sides of the sofa bed mechanism to the head and body frame sections. The tapered mounting plates of the sofa bed mechanism are adapted to slide into the dove-tail shaped brackets of the sofa frame, and are releasably locked therein by a tab formed on each mounting plate which snap fits within a mating slot formed in each bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1986
    Assignee: Leggett & Platt, Incorporated
    Inventor: John E. Stevens
  • Patent number: 4586861
    Abstract: An internal thread configuration for use in nuts and threaded holes has a wedge ramp root section that is convexly curved so that a portion thereof is substantially parallel to the axis of the threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1986
    Assignee: Microdot Inc.
    Inventor: Arthur J. McKewan
  • Patent number: 4586206
    Abstract: A convertible sofa-bed arrangement includes a main mounting frame in the form of a sofa and a mattress supporting frame extensible and retractable relative to the main mounting frame on track members mounted on inner portions of the main mounting frame side arms. The mattress supporting frame has opposite side frame members with front portions thereof rigid and rear portions thereof comprising pivotally interconnected link sections for curving upwardly and retracting into an elongate cavity within the sofa backrest. The mattress supporting frame is driven inwardly and outwardly of the main mounting frame by a cable and motor arrangement utilizing a plurality of gripping arms, pulleys and a winding sheave driven by the motor to draw the mattress supporting frame inwardly to a sofa position and outwardly to a bed position. A switch is connected to the motor for stopping, starting and reversing actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1986
    Inventor: Morris Singer
  • Patent number: 4585383
    Abstract: A blind rivet includes a body having a shank, a head and a bore therethrough and includes a drawing mandrel having a shank receivable in the bore in the body and having a head at one end of the shank, the maximum diameter of the head being substantially equal to the outside diameter of the body shank. The body shank has, at a location spaced from the free end of the shank, a section of reduced wall thickness defined by a step increase in the diameter of the bore. A plurality of spaced planar bevel surfaces are preferably provided on the head of the drawing mandrel and are inclined inwardly toward the top thereof. In one embodiment, the portion of the bore on the side of the step remote from the free end of the body shank preferably widens conically toward the head of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1986
    Inventor: Ludwig Kraemer
  • Patent number: 4585382
    Abstract: An easily removable blind rivet of the type having an open rivet body with a flange on one end and a mandrel positioned within the opening in the rivet body, the mandrel having an enlarged head at one end adapted to upset the rivet body when the mandrel is pulled. The rivet is assembled with a separate strip of material surrounding the rivet body below the flange, the strip of material is adapted to be pulled so that the rivet flange can be removed from the rivet body enabling the rivet body to be passed through the opening in a workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1986
    Assignee: USM Corporation
    Inventor: William D. Bryce, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4581871
    Abstract: A fastener and a nosepiece for use in attaching lath to a support. The fastener includes a screw and a spacing element, in which the spacing element is adapted to threadingly penetrate the lath and abut the support. The lath is retained between the spacing element and the head of the screw and is thereby held away from the support in order to allow plaster to properly extrude through openings in the lath. The nosepiece is attachable to a driving tool and has rigid prongs which reach through openings in the lath. Travel of a bit on the driving tool is limited so that automatic disengagement occurs to prevent over-driving of the screw. The prongs ensure that the lath is held a predetermined distance from the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1986
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Blucher, Elbert E. Williams, Jr., Francis C. Peterson, Richard J. Ernst
  • Patent number: 4580322
    Abstract: A fastener has a receptacle (1) and a stud (10), the receptacle (1) having a pair of clip-like legs (6) the ends of which engage in grooves (16) in the shank of the stud (10). Each of the legs (6) has a plurality of formations (8) on its inner surface, the formations being shaped so as to engage the wedge-shaped lead-in portion (14) of the stud as it is inserted into the receptacle so as to rotate the stud into a position in which the legs (6) of the receptacle must engage in opposed grooves (16) on the shank of the stud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1986
    Assignee: Dzuz Fastener Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew C. Wright, Ronald F. Simpson
  • Patent number: 4579477
    Abstract: A tapered pin-key for securing a part and a shaft where the part has a cylindrical bore for receiving the shaft and a keyway tangentially intersecting the bore, and the shaft has a tangential groove shallower than the depth of the intersection of the keyway and the bore. The pin-key comprises two cylindrical surfaces converging at a small angle. The radius of the two cylindrical surfaces, the keyway, and the groove in the shaft, are all equal. The pin-key is placed in the keyway with one face engaging the surface of the keyway and the second face engaging the surface of the groove in the shaft, thereby securing the part and the shaft against relative rotational or axial movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hartman
  • Patent number: 4579490
    Abstract: An expansion dowel assembly includes an anchor bolt and an expansion element made up of at least two expansion element parts offset from one another in the axial and circumferential direction when mounted on the anchor bolt. A web interconnects the adjacent expansion element parts. Recesses are formed in the circumferential surface of the anchor bolt for receiving the expansion element parts. Another recess connects the recesses for the expansion elements parts and is arranged to receive the web interconnecting these parts. The expansion element parts encircle the anchor bolt by more than half of its circumference so that holders are not needed for securing the expansion element on the anchor bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Armin Herb
  • Patent number: 4579494
    Abstract: An elongated flexible locking pin having one rounded and one flat end with the pin being made in two semi-cylindrical halves of different diameter and bonded together by a rubber substance which also covers the flat end of the pin and a small portion of the length of the pin adjacent to the flat end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Inventor: Robert S. Bierwith
  • Patent number: 4575294
    Abstract: An anchoring bolt (1), which can produce a conical undercut by rotation in a cylindrical hole and serves simultaneously as a securing element has a connection portion (2), a shaft (4) and an insertion portion (5). The insertion portion (5) has an axially extending slot (6) forming two spreadable branches (8,9), into which slot a movable spreading wedge (18) can be driven in with its tapered end. The branches (8, 9) are each provided with drillings (14, 15) receiving hard metal pins (16, 17) of which the front edges, in the rotation direction, are more protuberant than the rear edges so as to form a clearance angle .alpha..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1986
    Assignee: Upat GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Kurt Mermi, Danilo Sternisa, Albert Frischmann
  • Patent number: 4572708
    Abstract: An expansible wall plug consisting of a slotted metal sleeve which engages a portion of its length into the article to be fastened, and an expansible portion which may be expanded by driving in a fastening screw. The expansible wall plug may be expanded using a fastening screw having a wood screw thread, because the expansible body consists of a plastic material and is provided with a tapered cavity and is slotted over a portion of its length. At least a portion of the length of the expansible body is inserted into the expansible portion of the metal sleeve, and is locked in a position in which the slot plane of the expansible body is aligned with the slot plane of the metal sleeve by way of projections on the periphery of the expansible body engaging recesses on the periphery of the metal sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1986
    Inventor: Artur Fischer
  • Patent number: 4570891
    Abstract: An anchoring device for securing a member to a wall, particularly where there is access to only one surface of the wall. The anchoring device employs a toggle plate having a threaded opening therein, with the toggle plate dimensioned to fit into a hole through the wall to which it is desired to secure the member. An elongate engaging element coupleable to the member to be secured to the wall and dimensioned of a size to extend through the wall opening into the toggle plate opening is provided. At least a portion of the engaging element is flexible so that at least a part of the engaging element may be bent into a plane parallel to and in sufficiently close proximity to the toggle plate to permit the toggle plate and engaging element to be simultaneously inserted through the wall opening, with the toggle plate thereafter assuming a position perpendicular to the engaging element and subject to being drawn up on the engaging element against the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Inventor: Stanley Kaplan
  • Patent number: 4571135
    Abstract: The present invention relates to encaged nuts manufactured either singly or in the form of a strip or band of such nuts.Said encaged nuts include essentially a nut (1) floatingly retained by a circlip (10) between the legs (9) of a support (2) of U-shaped cross-section whose base (3) is sandwiched between a lower strip (5) and an upper strip (4) which may be adhesively attached to any part or member of composite material.The encaged nuts according to the invention, whether used singly or in the form of a strip, allow assembling elements of a composite material such as for example panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignees: Simmonds S.A., Societe Nationale Industriele et Aerospatiale
    Inventors: Joel Martin, Maxime Boire
  • Patent number: 4571133
    Abstract: A loading washer assembly includes an annular first washer provided with spaced apart ears on its outer peripheral edge with each of the ears having a return bent portion at its free end, an annular second washer provided with spaced apart notches on its outer peripheral edge for slidably receiving the ears whereby to prevent relative rotation of said washers, the return bent portions of the ears limiting the axial extent of separation of these washers. Each of the washers on their opposed surfaces have circumferentially spaced apart, radial extending raised ribs with the ribs on the first washer rotatively offset from the ribs on the second washer. A normally flat spring ring is interposed between the first washer and the second washer in position so as to be engaged by the opposed sets of ribs whereby the spring ring will be deformed into a wave-like spring upon axial displacement of the first washer toward the second washer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Dale W. Lindow
  • Patent number: 4566832
    Abstract: An expansion dowel is formed of an axially elongated sleeve with expansion tongues connected to it so that they can be pivoted radially outwardly projecting from the outside surface of the sleeve. Each of the tongues has a radially directed projection in the unexpanded position with the projection having a dimension transverse to the axial direction of the sleeve greater than the sleeve thickness. To provide an anchoring effect, the tongues can be displaced radially outwardly from the sleeve by an expanding member movable through the borehole formed by the sleeve. In the radially outwardly pivoted position the tongues interlock. Webs connected to the tongues provide an articulated connection between the tongue and the sleeve. The pivot axis formed by the webs extend normal to the axis of the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1986
    Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Helmut Mirsberger, Franz Popp
  • Patent number: 4560312
    Abstract: A self-heading stud and screw rivet fastener with an elongated shank having a socket at one end, a threaded portion adjacent the socket end, an enlarged head secured to or formed on its other end, and a central reduced diameter portion. A tubular sleeve and a washer providing a radial flange at one end of the sleeve are positioned around the reduced diameter portion of the shank. Preferably, the washer and sleeve are a one-piece annulus. The diameter of the sleeve through bore is less than either the enlarged head or the threaded portion of the shank so that the annulus is centrally entrapped on the shank. By inserting the fastener into a hole in a workpiece, using the socket to hold the shank from rotation, and tightening a nut engaging the threaded portion of the shank, the enlarged head is drawn toward and into the annulus to deform it and secure the fastener to the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1985
    Inventor: James H. Grady