Patents by Inventor C. Thomas

C. Thomas has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5749628
    Abstract: A vertically adjustable chair arm with a rotatable armrest includes an armrest support member extending upwardly from a chair seat and an armrest housing telescoped onto the support member. An armrest pad member is pivotally connected to a top end of the housing. A manually operated ratchet mechanism is engaged between the housing and the support member to releasably retain the housing in a selected vertical position on the support member. A spring ball detent mechanism is engaged between the armrest pad member and the housing and releasably retains the pad member in a selected pivotal position relative to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Fixtures Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Bobbie L. Synder, C. Thomas Bradley, Paul W. Horner
  • Patent number: 5745937
    Abstract: A surface foot section is provided for a bed which includes a base frame and an articulating deck coupled to the base frame. The articulating deck includes a generally planar foot deck section and is movable from a bed configuration to a chair configuration. A foot section control module is provided to deflate the surface foot section when the articulating deck is in the chair configuration and to inflate the surface foot section when the articulating deck is in the bed configuration. The surface foot section includes a first air bladder configured to collapse in a first direction generally parallel to the foot deck section when the first air bladder is deflated, and a second air bladder located adjacent the first air bladder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Hill-Rom, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew W. Weismiller, David J. Ulrich, Jay T. Butterbrodt, Kenneth L. Kramer, Jason C. Brooke, Eric R. Meyer, Gregory W. Branson, James M. C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5733432
    Abstract: An electrically conductive substrate (20) is etched by providing an etchant solution having finely divided, electrically conductive particles (40) mixed therein. The electrically conductive particles (40) are made of a material that is cathodic to the substrate (20) and does not dissolve into the etchant solution, with a preferred such material being graphite. The substrate (20) is placed into the etchant solution having the particles (40) therein so that the particles (40) contact the substrate (20), and etched for a period of time sufficient to remove a desired amount of the substrate material. The substrate (20) may be provided with an apertured mask (24) prior to being placed into the etchant solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics
    Inventors: Ronald L. Williams, James C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5729557
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for using multiple code rates for forward error correction in a cellular digital data radio communication system. Each base station broadcasts a quantity called the power product (PP), which is equal to the base station transmit power, P.sub.BT, multiplied by the power level received at the base station, P.sub.BR. For a mobile unit to determine its appropriate transmit power, P.sub.MT, requires measuring the power received, P.sub.MR, at the mobile unit and performing the following calculation: P.sub.MT ==PP/P.sub.MR. When channel path loss is large, it is possible that the power control calculation will return a value greater than the maximum transmit power capability of the mobile unit. In such a case, the mobile unit selects a lower code rate. Base station receiver sensitivity improves as the code rate decreases, so the result is similar to increasing the transmitter power. In the preferred embodiment, the invention uses 3 different code rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Pacific Communication Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven H. Gardner, James E. Petranovich, C. Thomas Hardin
  • Patent number: 5719138
    Abstract: The metal ion complexing properties exhibited by dicitrate are disclosed as chelating agents for reducing the amounts of metal ions in a substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: University of Florida
    Inventors: William C. Thomas, Jr., Christopher D. Batich, Daniel L. Purich
  • Patent number: 5715548
    Abstract: A bed including a frame, an articulating deck on the frame having head, seat, and foot deck sections, and a mattress on the deck. The deck foot section and mattress foot portion have a first length when the foot section is in the up position and a second length shorter than said first length when the foot section is in the down position. A first driver varies the length of the deck foot section, and a second driver moves the foot section relative to said seat section between the generally horizontal up position and the generally vertically downwardly extending down position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1998
    Assignee: Hill-Rom, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew W. Weismiller, Joseph A. Kummer, Peter M. Wukusick, Gregory W. Branson, Kenneth L. Kramer, Stephen R. Schulte, Philip D. Palermo, James M. C. Thomas, Daniel F. Dlugos, Jr., Jay T. Butterbrodt, David J. Ulrich, David A. Albersmeyer, Jason C. Brooke, Eric R. Meyer, John D. Miller, John W. Ruehl
  • Patent number: 5694742
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing strapless bales of highly compressible textile fibers is disclosed, wherein a compressed block of the fibers is ejected and expanded into a flexible bag. The apparatus includes a supply chamber for supplying loose fibers to a tramping chamber which is stationary. A ram assembly repeatedly tramps the fibers to form a compacted fiber mass which is then formed into a compressed fiber block within a stationary compression chamber disposed in fiber transfer relation to the stationary tramping chamber. The compressed fiber block is ejected transverse to the compression chamber through an ejection sleeve about which an oversized flexible bag is fitted. Due to the fact that the bag is of a greater size than the cross section of the ejection sleeve and due to the stretch and flexibility of the bag, the compressible fibers in the compressed fiber block undergo an expansion process wherein the flexible bag is filled with the compressible fibers to form a strapless bale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Inventors: Kenneth W. Elliott, C. Thomas Curles, Alex Hollingsworth, David P. Zachary, Thomas C. Sisk, Michel D. Vaniman
  • Patent number: 5686486
    Abstract: The present invention relates to compounds of formula I which are 4-hydroxy-benzopyran-2-ones and 4-hydroxy-cycloalkyl?b!pyran-2-ones useful for inhibiting a retrovirus in a mammalian cell infected with said retrovirus. ##STR1## Wherein R.sub.10 and R.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Pharmacia & Upjohn Company
    Inventors: Paul Kosta Tomich, Michael John Bohanon, Steven Ronald Turner, Joseph Walter Strohbach, Suvit Thaisrivongs, Richard C. Thomas, Karen Rene Romines, Chih-Ping Yang, Paul Adrian Aristoff, Harvey Irving Skulnick, Paul D. Johnson, Ronald B. Gammill, Qingwei Zhang, Gordon L. Bundy, David John Anderson, Lee S. Banitt
  • Patent number: 5672101
    Abstract: An improved solar operated ventilator cover is disclosed for covering an aperture disposed in a horizontal surface. The cover has sidewalls with a cover opening and a top surface with an internal wall extending between the sidewalls and the top wall. An orifice is defined in the internal wall for enabling the flow of air within the cover. An electric motor has a motor shaft with a fan blade positioned proximate the orifice. A photovoltaic cell is connected to the electric motor for rotating the fan blade proximate the orifice to establish the flow of air through the cover opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Inventor: Allen C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5641324
    Abstract: A bileaflet heart valve incorporates a pivot arrangement that minimizes resistance to downstream blood flow in the open position yet has prompt response and therefore minimal regurgitation upon flow reversal. A valve body having an axially curved entrance that smoothly joins a generally cylindrical body of extended axial length provides excellent fluid flow characteristics when combined with leaflets that can assume orientations perfectly aligned with the downstream flow of blood. Identical flat leaflets can assume a parallel orientation in the fully open position during downstream blood flow or can assume other low energy positions. Flat ears, which extend laterally from opposite surfaces of the leaflets, interengage with cavities of unique design having upstream and downstream lobes separated by an intermediate throat portion defined by inward and outward fulcrums.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: Medical Carbon Research Institute, LLC
    Inventors: Jack C. Bokros, John L. Ely, Michael R. Emken, Axel D. Haubold, T. Scott Peters, Jonathan C. Stupka, C. Thomas Waits
  • Patent number: 5638228
    Abstract: A cartridge for a data storage disk drive has a retroreflective marker. Light from a source is reflected from the marker almost exactly on its incident path. This property makes possible unique identification of the cartridge with minimal senstivity to light reflected from other surfaces. The marker enables a disk drive enable circuit so that the drive cannot be used with improper cartridges which might damage it. Also, a retroreflective marker is used for write protection of the cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Iomega Corporation
    Inventor: Fred C. Thomas, III
  • Patent number: 5630238
    Abstract: A bed includes a base frame, a deck coupled to the base frame, an electrical communication network, an air handling unit mounted on the base frame, a plurality of air therapy devices located on the bed, and a plurality of control modules. Each control module includes a connector for coupling a corresponding air therapy device to the air handling unit and to the electrical communication network. Each control module also includes a controller for operating the corresponding air therapy device with the air handling unit based on command signals received from the electrical communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: Hill-Rom, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew W. Weismiller, David J. Ulrich, Jay T. Butterbrodt, Kenneth L. Kramer, Jason C. Brooke, Eric R. Meyer, Gregory W. Branson, James M. C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5618751
    Abstract: A trench capacitor with a buried plate is formed with a single etching process by the expedient of filling the trench so formed and lined with diffusion source material with resist by baking and reflowing the resist which also serves to adjust exposure sensitivity of the resist such that exposure and development of the resist removes the resist to a repeatable and uniform depth. Remaining resist allows etching of the diffusion source layer to a very accurate dimension. Thus only a readily formed oxide or TECS layer is needed to confine impurities during diffusion to form the buried plate. An isolation collar can be formed after recess of the fill to avoid formation of step corners and erosion of the isolation collar by repeated fill and etch back processes while permitting maximum capacitance to be achieved for a given trench "footprint".
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin M. Golden, Pai-Hung Pan, Kevin J. Stewart, Alan C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5607964
    Abstract: Treating patients prophylactically and therapeutically with dicitrate cyclic diester (dicitrate) can prevent or reduce the effects of calcification-related disease, including some types of kidney stones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: University of Florida
    Inventors: William C. Thomas, Jr., Christopher D. Batich, Daniel L. Purich
  • Patent number: 5605692
    Abstract: An isolated polypeptide comprising a substantially antigenic part of at least one hepatitis A virus epitope, the polypeptide being free from infectious material. The polypeptide is the expression product of a DNA molecule which has been incorporated into a virus, preferably vaccinia virus, using recombinant DNA technology. This expression product, of the recombinant virus containing the DNA molecule coding for it, may be incorporated into a vaccine for immunising against hepatitis A virus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
    Inventors: Howard C. Thomas, Peter Karayiannis
  • Patent number: 5604103
    Abstract: Dicitrate cyclic diester (dicitrate) is a novel compound which is found in patients who do not exhibit symptoms or predisposition to idiopathic renal calculous disease. Kits are provided for the detection of dicitrate cyclic diester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1997
    Assignee: University of Florida
    Inventors: William C. Thomas, Jr., Christopher D. Batich, Daniel L. Purich
  • Patent number: 5601804
    Abstract: Dicitrate cyclic diester (dicitrate) is a novel compound which is found in patients who do not exhibit symptoms or predisposition to idiopathic renal calculous disease. Dicitrate can be isolated and detected by novel chromatographic methods. Further, treating patients prophylactically and therapeutically with dicitrate cyclic diester can prevent or reduce the effects of calcification-related disease, including some types of kidney stones, or other disease or condition associated with the presence of metal ions. The metal ion complexing properties exhibited by dicitrate are also applicable to the use of the subject compounds as chelating agents and methods of binding, and thereby reducing, the amounts of metal ions in a substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: The University of Florida
    Inventors: William C. Thomas, Jr., Christopher D. Batich, Daniel L. Purich
  • Patent number: 5599930
    Abstract: Substituted indoles of formula (I) ##STR1## are useful anti-AIDS pharmaceuticals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: The Upjohn Company
    Inventors: Donna L. Romero, Richard C. Thomas
  • Patent number: D389470
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Iomega Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Schick, Fred C. Thomas, III, Allen T. Bracken, Jay Muse
  • Patent number: D391632
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Inventor: Allen C. Thomas