Patents by Inventor Christopher W. Elkins

Christopher W. Elkins 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: 4416628
    Abstract: An oral hygiene appliance is of the kind which includes a supply of liquid, a pump and a hand-held tip for directing the liquid where desired. A housing defines a cavity which has a surrounding wall closed by opposing end walls, the pump being seated within the cavity. A reservoir is closed at one end and has a shape in conformity with the housing to telescope thereover in covering relationship. Defined in one end of the reservoir is a valve seat which cooperates with a valve that closes during removal of the reservoir from the housing. On that end of the reservoir also is a coupling element which cooperates with a coupling member disposed in the surrounding wall of the housing. When that coupling relationship is established, the reservoir is seated on top of a side surface of the housing which, in turn, is lying on a table or the like. An outlet in the housing communicates with the hand-held tip and the pump is connected between that outlet and the coupling member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Cammack, Christopher W. Elkins, Clarence J. Hickman, Keith M. Mullins
  • Patent number: 4337040
    Abstract: An oral hygiene appliance is of the kind which includes a supply of liquid, a pump and a hand-held tip for directing the liquid where desired. A housing defines a cavity which has a surrounding wall closed by opposing end walls, the pump being seated within the cavity. A reservoir is closed at one end and has a shape in conformity with the housing to telescope thereover in covering relationship. Defined in one end of the reservoir is a valve seat which cooperates with a valve that closes during removal of the reservoir from the housing. On that end of the reservoir also is a coupling element which cooperates with a coupling member disposed in the surrounding wall of the housing. When that coupling relationship is established, the reservoir is seated on top of a side surface of the housing which, in turn, is lying on a table or the like. An outlet in the housing communicates with the hand-held tip and the pump is connected between that outlet and the coupling member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1982
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Cammack, Christopher W. Elkins, Clarence J. Hickman, Keith M. Mullins
  • Patent number: 4303201
    Abstract: A showering system includes a source of hot water and a showerhead fed from that source. To produce steam, there is a conduit that delivers water from the source to a showerhead and in which is defined an outlet. Disposed within the conduit is a selectively controlled diverter of the water arriving from the source, so as to direct it away from the showerhead and through the outlet in the form of a mist. The preferred showerhead is of a turbine-valve kind in which the turbine is driven by nozzles. Apertures in a flow director plate, governed by a control plate, feed nozzles predetermined to vary the force of water delivered from outlet orifices in correspondence with the number of the nozzles open to communicate with the inlet through the apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1981
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher W. Elkins, David W. Smith, John Trenary
  • Patent number: 4302186
    Abstract: An oral hygiene appliance is of the kind which includes a supply of liquid, a pump and a hand-held tip for directing the liquid where desired. A housing defines a cavity which has a surrounding wall closed by opposing end walls, the pump being seated within the cavity. A reservoir is closed at one end and has a shape in conformity with the housing to telescope thereover in covering relationship. Defined in one end of the reservoir is a valve seat which cooperates with a valve that closes during removal of the reservoir from the housing. On that end of the reservoir also is a coupling element which cooperates with a coupling member disposed in the surrounding wall of the housing. When that coupling relationship is established, the reservoir is seated on top of a side surface of the housing which, in turn, is lying on a table or the like. An outlet in the housing communicates with the hand-held tip and the pump is connected between that outlet and the coupling member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1981
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Cammack, Christopher W. Elkins, Clarence J. Hickman
  • Patent number: 4275908
    Abstract: For mounting a showerhead or the like to a pipe, a pivot ball is formed entirely of plastic material. It has a base internally threaded to attach to the pipe and a hollow shell coupled to the base so as to constitute the spherical portion of a ball joint. That spherical portion is composed of first and second mating approximately semi-hemispherical segments. The first segment is formed integrally with the base and the second segment is coupled to that base in establishment of the spherical ball. An internal tube extends from the second segment essentially through the entire assembly. In a second version, the internal tube is shorter but also serves to secure the two segments together. This version has a base which is externally threaded. Still another version has a different form of mating between the segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1981
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher W. Elkins, David W. Smith
  • Patent number: 4229634
    Abstract: A hygienic device has a pump for propelling liquid in a flow of pulses, a motor for driving the pump, a switch for supplying power to the motor and means for delivering the propelled liquid to a point of use. A control enables adjustment of the pressure of the delivered liquid. The switch is formed as part of the motor winding assembly and therewith is effectively encapsulated. The pump includes a piston in one end of which is a recess defining a resilient spherical seat and which cooperates with a spherical bearing formed on one end of a piston rod. The control has a valved bypass arrangement wherein various stops and abutments cooperate to permit accurate determination of high and low pressure adjustment during assembly. A rotor within the motor has a cylindrical bore with longitudinal lugs that interfit with ribs on a bearing member that is pressed into the bore. Other features, such as a tilt-out nozzle storage shelf, are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1978
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1980
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence J. Hickman, Donald W. Ruehmann, Christopher W. Elkins
  • Patent number: 4108167
    Abstract: A hygienic device has a pump for propelling liquid in a flow of pulses, a motor for driving the pump, a switch for supplying power to the motor and means for delivering the propelled liquid to a point of use. A control enables adjustment of the pressure of the delivered liquid. The switch is formed as part of the motor winding assembly and therewith is effectively encapsulated. The pump includes a piston in one end of which is a recess defining a resilient spherical seat and which cooperates with a spherical bearing formed on one end of a piston rod. The control has a valved bypass arrangement wherein various stops and abutments cooperate to permit accurate determination of high and low pressure adjustment during assembly. A rotor within the motor has a cylindrical bore with longitudinal lugs that interfit with ribs on a bearing member that is pressed into the bore. Other features, such as a tilt-out nozzle storage shelf, are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1977
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1978
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence J. Hickman, Donald W. Ruehmann, Christopher W. Elkins
  • Patent number: 4019502
    Abstract: A hydrotherapy device takes the form of a generally tub-shaped lower housing having an upper rim. A generally tub-shaped upper housing of resilient material is nested within the lower housing and has a periphery matable with the rim of the lower housing. The bottom wall of the upper housing is spaced from the bottom wall of the lower housing when the housings are nested together. The rim is secured to the periphery as the only support of the upper housing. A vibratory apparatus is secured to a wall of the upper housing and disposed between the respective walls of those housings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1977
    Assignee: Teledyne Water Pik
    Inventor: Christopher W. Elkins
  • Patent number: 3958756
    Abstract: A spray nozzle is of a kind including a housing that has a fluid inlet and first and second groups of spray discharge outlets. First and second flow paths are defined in the housing from the inlet to the first and second groups of outlets. Pulsation means in the first flow path cyclically interrupts the flow of fluid from the inlet to the first group of outlets so as to cause a pulsating spray to be discharged therefrom. The second flow path bypasses the pulsation means to cause a continuous non-pulsating spray to be discharged from the second group of outlets. Included are control means for adjustably dividing flow from the inlet between the first and second flow paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1976
    Assignee: Teledyne Water Pik
    Inventors: John Trenary, David Smith, Donald W. Ruehmann, Christopher W. Elkins, Elmer Erwin, Roy Treadwell