Patents by Inventor Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.

Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr. 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: 9177454
    Abstract: A hard cover product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a laydown area, and having an inner liner. The laydown area can be defined in the spine, and the inner liner or an inner body attached to the cover boards conceals the printed security device from casual observation of its presence. The laydown area can be defined on a surface of a sheet laminated to another sheet to define one of cover boards. The laminated sheets sandwich the printed security device without a surface indication of the presence of the ink-circuit printed security device therein. In another aspect, the thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a surface of the cover board is concealingly covered by the inner or the outer liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: SmartGuard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 8797164
    Abstract: A hard cover product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a laydown area, and having an inner liner. The laydown area can be defined in the spine, and the inner liner or an inner body attached to the cover boards conceals the printed security device from casual observation of its presence. The laydown area can be defined on a surface of a sheet laminated to another sheet to define one of cover boards. The laminated sheets sandwich the printed security device without a surface indication of the presence of the ink-circuit printed security device therein. In another aspect, the thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a surface of the cover board is concealingly covered by the inner or the outer liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: SmartGuard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Publication number: 20140176331
    Abstract: A hard cover product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a laydown area, and having an inner liner. The laydown area can be defined in the spine, and the inner liner or an inner body attached to the cover boards conceals the printed security device from casual observation of its presence. The laydown area can be defined on a surface of a sheet laminated to another sheet to define one of cover boards. The laminated sheets sandwich the printed security device without a surface indication of the presence of the ink-circuit printed security device therein. In another aspect, the thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a surface of the cover board is concealingly covered by the inner or the outer liner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, SR.
  • Publication number: 20120318873
    Abstract: A book product having a sheet defining spaced-apart front and back covers and a spine portion therebetween having a laydown area that receives a signal responsive tag, and a book block of pages with an adhesive layer on a spine side that cooperatively attaches the pages together and attaches the book block to the spine portion concealing the signal responsive tag within a first thickness of the adhesive in the laydown area and the adhesive having a second thickness of adhesive in the non-laydown area of the spine, with the concealed signal responsive tag being responsive to a signal for inventory or security purposes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: SMARTGUARD, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, SR.
  • Patent number: 8334774
    Abstract: A book product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a security device positioned on a laydown area on one of the cover boards, an inner liner attached in overlying relation to the one of the cover boards, with the inner liner, the security device, the one of the cover boards, and the outer liner laminated to sandwich the security device concealingly there between, and an interior body cooperatively supported within the book product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Publication number: 20120146321
    Abstract: A hard cover product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a laydown area, and having an inner liner. The laydown area can be defined in the spine, and the inner liner or an inner body attached to the cover boards conceals the printed security device from casual observation of its presence. The laydown area can be defined on a surface of a sheet laminated to another sheet to define one of cover boards. The laminated sheets sandwich the printed security device without a surface indication of the presence of the ink-circuit printed security device therein. In another aspect, the thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a surface of the cover board is concealingly covered by the inner or the outer liner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2012
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: SMARTGUARD, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, SR.
  • Patent number: 8072330
    Abstract: A hard cover product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a laydown area, and having an inner liner. The laydown area can be defined in the spine, and the inner liner or an inner body attached to the cover boards conceals the printed security device from casual observation of its presence. The laydown area can be defined on a surface of a sheet laminated to another sheet to define one of cover boards. The laminated sheets sandwich the printed security device without a surface indication of the presence of the ink-circuit printed security device therein. In another aspect, the thin-film ink-circuit security device printed on a surface of the cover board is concealingly covered by the inner or the outer liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7605703
    Abstract: An intermediate cover board for assembly of bard cover products, in which a primary sheet having a first thickness and opposing planar surfaces defines an opening in a selected portion of the sheet. The opening receives a security device. A pair of opposing secondary sheets each having a second thickness less than the first thickness laminate to the opposing planar surfaces of the primary sheet, so that the security device is enclosed between the laminated secondary sheets that do not display surface indications of the presence of the security device. A method of making the intermediate laminated cover board and a hard cover product made with the intermediate laminated cover board are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7602300
    Abstract: A hard cover product having an outer liner attached to a pair of sheet members disposed in spaced-apart relation to define a gap. One of the hard sheet members defines a receiving zone that receives a security tag. An inner liner attaches overlying the pair of hard sheet members and concealing the security tag within the receiving zone. The gap between the pair of sheet members defines a spine for the hard cover product, whereby the opposing hard sheets defining a front cover and back cover that move together foldably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7557717
    Abstract: A hard cover product with a pair of cover boards attached to an outer liner in spaced-relation to define a spine, with a thin-film security device positioned on a laydown area of one of the cover boards, and on inner liner. In one aspect, the one cover board is a laminate of a pair of opposing sheets for sandwiching the thin-film security device without a surface indication of the presence of the thin-film security device therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7411499
    Abstract: A hard cover product having an outer liner attached to a pair of sheet members disposed in spaced-apart relation to define a gap. One of the hard sheet members defines a receiving zone that receives a security tag. An inner liner attaches overlying the pair of hard sheet members and concealing the security tag within the receiving zone. The gap between the pair of sheet members defines a spine for the hard cover product, whereby the opposing hard sheets defining a front cover and back cover that move together foldably. Methods of making a hard cover product and of making an intermediate board for use in a hard cover product are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7233246
    Abstract: A hard cover product having an outer liner attached to a pair of sheet members disposed in spaced-apart relation to define a gap. One of the hard sheet members defines a receiving zone that receives a security tag. An inner liner attaches overlying the pair of hard sheet members and concealing the security tag within the receiving zone. The gap between the pair of sheet members defines a spine for the hard cover product, whereby the opposing hard sheets defining a front cover and back cover that move together foldably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7183918
    Abstract: An intermediate cover board for assembly of hard cover products, in which a primary sheet having a first thickness and opposing planar surfaces defines an opening in a selected portion of the sheet. The opening receives a security device. A pair of opposing secondary sheets each having a second thickness less than the first thickness laminate to the opposing planar surfaces of the primary sheet, so that the security device is enclosed between the laminated secondary sheets that do not display surface indications of the presence of the security device. A method of making the intermediate laminated cover board and a hard cover product made with the intermediate laminated cover board are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Smartguard, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Hunt Nichols, Sr.