Patents Examined by W. Todd Waffner
  • Patent number: 4993589
    Abstract: A dispensing apparatus for disposable, thin plastic articles is disclosed wherein said articles may be retrieved by the user one at a time in a relatively simple manner. The apparatus comprises a box-like, generally rectangular enclosure for housing a removably mounted packet containing a plurality of the disposable articles stacked in the packet in closely spaced, parallel relationship in a flat condition. The enclosure is provided with a front window or opening and a removable top cover or cap. The packet of articles is loaded into the enclosure through the top opening and are disposed to be removed, one at a time, through the front opening of the enclosure. The packet comprises a pair of faces yieldably connected to one another which have a planar configuration at least as great as the area of the articles disposed between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Inventor: David T. McLaughlin
  • Patent number: 4979644
    Abstract: An apparatus for rate controlled gravity drip delivery of a liquid from a replaceable storage container to a delivery site includes a first mount for removably suspending the container at a first elevation higher than the site. A second mount is located above the site, but at a second elevation below the first elevation by a predetermined amount. The second mount carries an intersurface comprising a venting tubing connector having an outlet into a delivery conduit extending to the site. A metering tube of predetermined flow resistance substantially higher than that of the delivery conduit extends from the container at one end and is releasably secured to the connector at its other end to define a two part flow path from the container to the site through the metering tube and delivery conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1990
    Assignee: Quest Medical Inc.
    Inventors: Jack E. Meyer, Thomas C. Thompson, Tamera L. Clark, Andrew P. Johnson, Don M. Killman
  • Patent number: 4979656
    Abstract: A container and dispenser for adhesives and sealants such as silicon rubber is disclosed. The device comprises a thin-walled tubular member formed of plastic or other material which is non-permeable to air or water vapor. The tubular member has a typical diameter in the range of 1/8 to 1/2 inch. The tubular member is open at each end thereof. The portion of the sealant adjacent each open cures from its exposure to the air, forming a seal or plug at each end of the tubular member. The sealant or adhesive is dispensed by cutting open the tubular member in the area intermediate the sealed ends, and squeezing the tubular member. Any unused portion will seal itself for later use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1990
    Inventor: Olin Looker
  • Patent number: 4979648
    Abstract: A push-pull dispensing closure for a container includes a child-resistant sleeve which is slidably retained between the closure dispensing cap and the closure base member. In its NORMAL position, the sleeve obstructs opening access to the cap. When the sleeve is pushed toward the base member to a READY position, the cap can be gripped for opening movement. The sleeve is molded with a resiliently deformable plastic into which a return force is introduced as the sleeve is pushed toward ists READY position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1990
    Assignee: Sunbeam Plastics Corporation
    Inventors: Gary V. Montgomery, Alexander Mark
  • Patent number: 4978032
    Abstract: An apparatus is described for dispensing the bottom cup from a selected stack of cups utilizing a rotatable carriage for supporting a plurality of stacks of cups arranged along the rotary path of the carriage. As the carriage rotates a stack is selected from which a cup is to be dispensed a sensor determines when the selected stack reaches a predetermined position along the rotary path of the stacks. There are separators for separating the bottom cup from the respective stack and a solenoid operated ramp for movement into the rotary path of the separating means to separate the bottom cup from the selected stack. The solenoid operated ramp is operated by a signal from the sensing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 18, 1990
    Assignee: General Foods Limited
    Inventors: Alec T. Newman, David Rhodes
  • Patent number: 4978322
    Abstract: A coin dispensing machine (10) of the type having a rotating pinwheel (22) is provided with a coin wiper (30) to substantially prevent coil jams. The wiper includes a resilient member (35) affixed to a stiffening member (40). The wiper is attached to the housing of the coil dispensing machine parallel to the surface of the pinwheel at a distance above the pinwheel surface about equal to a coin thickness, and along a chord of the pinwheel. As the pinwheel rotates, coins on the pinwheel surface are forced by the resilient member to lie flatly against the pinwheel surface or be rejected, thus minimizing jamming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 18, 1990
    Assignee: International Game Technology
    Inventor: Craig Paulsen
  • Patent number: 4976381
    Abstract: A container of draft beer is substantially filled with beer having a volume of dissolved carbon dioxide greater than 2.6 and not more than 3.1 times the volume of beer. The beer is packaged in a plastic container that is slightly permeable to carbon dioxide, but retains a satisfactory dissolved carbon dioxide content even after a normal shelf life. Beer is dispensed by gravity, without use of external pressure source, after release of head space pressure. Moreover, when the container contents are partially dispensed by the consumer and then maintained at appropriate low temperature for several days, the remaining beer still retains a satisfactory volume of dissolved carbon dioxide. A spigot on the container employs a barrell valve closure member that seals the pressurized container and is movable to a pressure relase position in which pressurized gas within the container is slowly released without forcibly projecting container contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1990
    Assignee: Scholle Corporation
    Inventors: William R. Scholle, Chester Savage, William A. Hardwick, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4974756
    Abstract: A container and cap assembly includes a double barrel dispensing container having two side-by-side outlets, and a cap with two side-by-side closure portions for simultaneously closing both outlets when the cap is connected to the container. The cap includes two protruding orienting sections for orienting the cap relative to the container as the cap is connected to the container. The orienting sections insure that each closure portion comes into contact with the same outlet each time the cap is coupled to the container so that small quantities, if any, of materials flowing through one outlet and deposited on one closure portion of the cap cannot cross-contaminate materials in the remaining barrel after the cap is removed and then re-connected to the container after a dispensing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1990
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Walter C. Pearson, Neil J. Schwartzbauer
  • Patent number: 4974757
    Abstract: A dispensing system for a container holding hardenable materials having a closure member, a platform area at the top of the container, an opening defined in the platform extending into the container to form a passage whereby when the closure member is in its open mode hardenable material passes through the passage from the interior of the container and is deposited on the top of the platform. When the closure member is in its closed mode, it is adapted to flatten the hardenable material on the platform, allowing the edges of flattened material to harden and to be manually removed for continued dispensing of hardenable material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1990
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 4972977
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a spray bottle in which the pressure resulting from the gripping force applied by the user is amplified and this increased pressure used in generating a spray such as an aerosol or fluid stream. In its preferred embodiment, the invention includes a high pressure chamber and a corresponding piston which is operative for driving fluid out of this chamber at high pressure through a spray nozzle and a low pressure chamber and a corresponding piston which is acted upon the hydraulic pressure within the bottle resulting from the gripping force. The low pressure chamber and piston are of larger size than the high pressure chamber and piston. The pistons are rigidly connected so that the force created by the pressure acting on the piston in the low pressure chamber is transmitted to the piston in the high pressure chamber where it is applied over a more limited area thereby generating greater hydraulic pressure for use in forming the spray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Owen R. Moss, Norman R. Gordon, Henry S. DeFord
  • Patent number: 4946079
    Abstract: A pouring spout for attachment to liquid containers having superimposed passages therein, one for air to enter the container and the other for fluid to exit therefrom. a thumb-actuated ball valve seated in fluid-tight relation within a spherically-shaped pocket intermediate the ends of the spout becomes operative to either open or close both passages simultaneously upon rotation of the valve a quarter of a turn through the use of the thumb of the hand holding the container. The intake end of the spout is formed to provide it with a flared skirt cooperating with it to define a funnel effective to direct fluid into the latter when used separate from a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Inventor: John T. Campbell
  • Patent number: 4936494
    Abstract: A shake-and-spoon cap for condiment containers and the like is formed of a one-piece injection-molded body. The cap provides a cylindrical skirt having inwardly projecting thread forms for mating with the male threads of a condiment container or the like. Two flaps are provided for selectively opening and closing a spoon opening and a plurality of shaker openings. The cap is structured so that the exposed end of the cap is a circular, planar surface when the flaps are closed. A sealing land inwardly spaced and concentric with the skirt is positioned to seal with the mouth of a container. The interior and exterior surfaces of the end wall are contoured so that substantially the entire cap has a uniform wall thickness. Peripherally spaced, radially extending ribs stiffen the cap between the land and the skirt to resist deflection and to ensure that the flap latching structure functions reliably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: Weatherchem Corporation
    Inventor: Craig C. Weidman
  • Patent number: 4932560
    Abstract: A bag pad and dispenser therefor especially arranged for use at the point of sale of, for instance, discount stores, fast food outlets, and the like, in which the bag pad is made up of a number of identical all plastic bags in stacked congruent relation each having front and rear panels, closed bottoms and sides, and tear off lines transversely across the front and rear panels of the respective bags adjacent to but spaced from the top of bags that are congruently located through the thickness of the bag pad and that define a header for the bag pad at which the bags of the pad are adhered together and are free for full separation below the tear off lines, with the dispenser for such bag pad defining a pocket into which the bag pad header is slipped and secured to the dispenser for hanging the bag pad therefrom, which dispenser also defines a securing flange that accommodates anchoring of the dispenser to dispose the bag pad for bagging at the point of sale, and in its bag dispensing relation, in which an area
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Assignee: T. C. Manufacturing Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Ralph M. Roen
  • Patent number: 4915265
    Abstract: A rotary feeder includes a housing which accommodates a rotor including a plurality of vanes supported on a shaft. The rotary feeder is sealed in axial direction by slide rings which are acted upon by a pressure fluid and in radial direction by displaceable sealing strips which are contained in the peripheral end face of the vanes. The required contact pressure in axial direction as well as in radial direction is provided by a pressure fluid source which acts upon the annular piston-type slide rings. Each slide ring is pressed against a slide disk which is part of a lateral disk member of the rotor and is rotatable in circumferential direction to the slide disk. Each slide disk is provided in circumferential direction with slant grooves which are engaged by retaining bolts of a sealing strip unit contained in the peripheral end face of each vane and providing the radial sealing of the rotor vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1990
    Assignee: Waeschle Maschinenfabrik GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Heep, Paul Vogel, Anton Mutscheller