Patents by Inventor Donald H. Blackburn

Donald H. Blackburn 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: 5515876
    Abstract: A torsion bar assembly for a dishwasher door having a stainless steel torsion bar enclosed in an elongated stainless steel tube such that the bar rotates within the tube as the door is moved between an open and a closed position. One end of the bar and tube are fixedly disposed in a rectangular boss which is fixedly attached to the dishwasher door; and a second end of the tube and bar are releasably disposed in a cylindrical boss which is welded to a door hinge. The bosses are attached on opposite sides of the interior door panel, so that the torsion bar extends substantially the width of the door. The torsion bar is protected from water by the corrosion-resistant tube, and by a pair of quad-rings which are disposed in recesses in the cylindrical boss. The quad-rings prevent water from seeping through the boss and reaching the torsion bar. When the ends of the torsion bar are disposed in the bosses, the bar is spaced within the tube to permit the bar to rotate independently of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: Premark FEG Corporation
    Inventors: Charles E. Warner, Ronald D. Schaefer, Donald H. Blackburn, Darryl W. Bernard, Charles L. Logan
  • Patent number: 4660252
    Abstract: A knife roll assembly for a meat tenderizer includes a plurality of disc-shaped knife blades, each having a peripheral cutting edge and a central shaft-receiving opening. Each of the blades defines a cluster of holes extending through the blade between the opening and the blade periphery. The blades are supported in groups by several molded members that also maintain a predetermined spacing between adjacent blades. The molded material extends radially between adjacent pairs of blades from the central opening and beyond the holes, terminating short of the cutting edges. The molded material further passes through each hole of the blades of a group to define one of a plurality of unitary blade modules, each module including the blade support member and the group of blades interconnected by the member. The modules are placed on a shaft by passing the shaft through the central openings of the blades with the modules disposed with their end surfaces in mutual contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1987
    Assignee: Hobart Corporation
    Inventors: Donald H. Blackburn, Fritz F. Treiber