Patents Examined by Timothy Kelly
  • Patent number: 8104522
    Abstract: A fluid exchange machine for removing used transmission fluid from a vehicle's cooling system and replacing the used fluid with fresh fluid includes a fresh fluid tank, a used fluid tank, a pump for forcing fresh fluid from the fresh fluid tank to a vehicle's cooling system, a processor for controlling a fluid exchange operation, and a display coupled to said processor for graphically representing a status of the fluid exchange operation. The display can be an LCD display or other display capable of graphical representation of the conditions and status of the fluid exchange operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Norco Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew Michael Flournoy
  • Patent number: 8096328
    Abstract: A tire inflation apparatus for inflating a tire mounted on a rim comprises an inflation head mounted to a moveable inflation shaft of a head position cylinder and an assist cylinder mounted to a frame member, with the frame member and assist cylinder positioned above the inflation location. The assist cylinder includes a moveable assist shaft operatively connected to the inflation shaft by a moveable cross member whereby the head position cylinder and assist cylinder cooperatively operate to selectively position the inflation head. The inflation head is positioned in a retracted position by vertical upward extension of the assist shaft and positioned in a tire engaging position by vertical downward retraction of the assist shaft. A fluid passage in the inflation shaft may deliver pressurized gas into a tire inflation cavity of the inflation head for inflating a tire when the inflation head is sealed against the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Burke E. Porter Machinery Co.
    Inventor: Mark S. Hoenke
  • Patent number: 8091592
    Abstract: A substrate container has a container main body to contain a substrate and a check valve which has a cylindrical housing and a valve disc installed in the housing and controls gas flowing from and to the interior and the exterior of the container main body, and is formed by inserting the housing into a through-hole of the container main body. When an end of the valve located inside the container main body is defined as a front end, a check valve has a fixing ring that is mounted on the rear end side in the manner of being rotatable relative to the housing and fixes the housing to the container main body from rearward, and the housing has a first housing installed on the front end side and a second housing inserted into the first housing at the front end and attached to the first housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Sato
  • Patent number: 8069506
    Abstract: Disclosed is a clip suitable to removably assemble a bathtub or shower stall base to a shower enclosure surround wall. The clip includes a toe, a leg connected to the toe, a web connected to the leg, and a flexible tang also connected to the web. The web is designed to mount the clip on the bathtub or stall base, while the toe catches under a ledge of the bathtub or stall base. The tang will then project at an angle inwardly. The tang permits the surround wall to pass vertically downward past it to assemble the enclosure. It resists upward movement until a specified force is applied, at which point the clip deforms or breaks to permit disassembly. The clip also has a portion of the web which facilitates keeping the clip on the bathtub or stall base even after the clip has been deformed or partially broken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventor: Steven M. Hammond
  • Patent number: 8042579
    Abstract: A quantitation setup mechanism (58) is composed of a piston (62) which is incorporated into a quantitation tank (61) to define therein a metering chamber (63), a quantitation setup portion (65) for presetting a quantity of paint replenishment, and a sensor (66) adapted to detect a displacement of the piston (62) preset by the quantitation setup portion (65). In this instance, paint is replenished into a paint chamber (19) of a cartridge (16) by means of a paint feed mechanism (32). In the course of the paint replenishment, an equivalent amount of an extruding liquid is displaced and discharged from an extruding liquid chamber (20). The displaced extruding liquid is introduced into the metering chamber (63) of the quantitation setup mechanism (58), detecting a quantity of displacement of the extruding liquid by replenished paint by the sensor (66) through the piston (62) to exactly quantitate the paint replenishment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: ABB K.K.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Matsumoto