Patents by Inventor Gregory R. Brotz

Gregory R. Brotz 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: 5553715
    Abstract: A bicycle stand for supporting a bicycle above the ground having a casing embedded in the ground to which an articulative member is pivotally attached at its first end and a bicycle frame engagement member is disposed at the second end of the articulative member, the bicycle stand in its first mode being pivoted downward to rest within the casing and in its second mode of use being pivoted upwards from the casing with the bicycle frame engagement member engaged to a portion of the bicycle frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5545879
    Abstract: A device and method for the brewing of a cup of coffee from ground coffee by using a container disposed in a cup containing water, such container having a bottom with a sieve mesh therein which receives water from the cup therethrough with the sides of the container extending above the surface of the water. Coffee is placed in the container and floats on the water to be roasted while being heated in a microwave oven which heating also then brews the coffee beverage. When the coffee is brewed to taste, the container is then lifted out of the cup and any remaining undissolved ground coffee is strained out of the brewed coffee by the sieve mesh in the bottom of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5524896
    Abstract: A game using a chance selection device being a circular disk having an outer rim and an open circular central portion in which central portion are disposed cross hairs extending perpendicular to one another, the intersection of the cross hairs corresponding to the center of the circular disk, the disk in use being spun on an indicia selection surface having a plurality of indicia arrayed thereon, such disk slowing down, falling over and coming to rest on such surface with the intersection of the cross hairs indicating the randomly selected indicia located immediately below the intersection of the cross hairs. The indicia selection surface can be on a planar sheet, a planar board or a substantially circular concave game board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1996
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5507982
    Abstract: A method of creating large hollow spheres and other shapes and structures produced according to such method, such method including suspending in a zero gravity environment a molten material mixed with a blowing agent which is caused to foam, expanding into a mass wherein the exterior sphere wall is solidified and the interior is hollowed out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5502623
    Abstract: An illuminated clipboard having a transparent body with a light-emitting, light-diffusing upper surface and a curved bottom surface wherein the bottom surface curves upward at its sides to meet the top surface with a light source disposed within the transparent body of the clipboard to reflect light off the curved bottom which causes the light within the transparent body of the clipboard to be reflected off the bottom surface to the light-emitting, light-diffusing upper surface to illuminate what is positioned on the light-emitting, light-diffusing upper surface of the clipboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5497861
    Abstract: A motion dampener to dampen the movement of an attached object such dampener having a flexible container holding electro-viscous fluid with at least two electrodes therein such that when electric current passes between the electrodes within the electro-viscous fluid, the fluid becomes more viscous to limit the range of movement of the container and the attached object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1996
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5469800
    Abstract: A device and method for use when filling the internal fuel tank of a boat having an air outlet vent in fluid communication with the fuel tank with the air outlet vent exiting from a side of the boat's hull with the structure of the device disposed in proximity to the air outlet vent for the collection and proper disposal of any overflow fuel exiting the air outlet vent to prevent its discharge into the water surrounding the boat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5455706
    Abstract: A mirror-moving system having a mirror mounted on a support member able to be repulsed by a superconductor, the mirror being suspended above a superconductive material and a ferromagnetic material around the outer periphery of the support member with a plurality of field coils positioned around the periphery of the ferromagnetic material, each of the field coils being independently operable to attract the ferromagnetic material to cause quick, frictionless movement of the mirror, depending upon which of the field coils is activated, by attraction of the ferromagnetic material to the activated field coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5437820
    Abstract: A process for creating a three-dimensional shaped object by providing a container having a fluidized bed of fusable particles therein and a base plate disposed within the particle bed below an upper level of the particles. A heat beam is directed in a desired pattern onto the upper level of particles above the base plate to fuse certain of the particles together to form a formed shape with the base plate then being lowered. A new upper level of fusable particles from the particle bed covers the formed shape, selected of which particles are then heated by the heat beam in a desired pattern to fuse the thus-heated particles to one another and to fuse the particles to the previously fused formed shape of particles with the process continuing until the desired three-dimensional shaped product is formed and removed from the particle bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5425747
    Abstract: A suture made of bioabsorbable material is disclosed having a central body member with a plurality of lateral members extending perpendicularly therefrom and in the same general plane with the central body member, each lateral member having a plurality of barb members extending at an acute angle therefrom, allowing the lateral members to be inserted laterally into two sides of a cut in body tissue so that the two sides are joined at an incision junction at the central body member and are retained securely and non-withdrawably in the body tissue by the barb members on such lateral members. Also disclosed is a method for utilizing the suture of this invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5398278
    Abstract: A telephone interface system to interconnect the output of two or more musicians, one at an instant location and the other at a remote location, over communication lines such system converting the analog musical output to digital form for duplexing over the communication lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5395572
    Abstract: A process for making a structural member wherein bead members are mixed with a selected material and the mixture is compressed and molded into a shape. The compressed mixture is then heated and the bead members removed by melting. The remaining structure, having been thus formed with a plurality of cells therein where the bead members had been removed, can in some embodiments be further heated to a point sufficient to form a strong, lightweight useful structural member, retaining such plurality of cells therein and creating a substantially solid, structural foam member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5382233
    Abstract: A method for teaching artistic methods and techniques by providing images on a television screen and providing means for copying such images by painting and methods for transferring the painted image to a sheet of material for display purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5381310
    Abstract: A device and method are disclosed for illuminating an imprinted sheet or an individual page of a book so that it can be read and/or written on under poor light conditions by an individual. The device and method utilize a luminescent sheet disposed under the sheet or page to illuminate the sheet/page from below so that an individual can read the printing on the sheet as well as see his writing on the sheet/page during and after the writing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5328188
    Abstract: A game having a magnetically permeable game board areas, each of the areas having a magnet associated therewith and a plurality of magnetic game pieces to be propelled by a player by a repeller toward the game board in an effort to position the magnetic game piece over an area having the highest scoring value associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5322652
    Abstract: A method of creating large hollow spheres and other shapes and structures produced according to such method, such method including suspending in a zero gravity environment a molten material mixed with a blowing agent which is caused to foam, expanding into a mass wherein the exterior sphere wall is solidified and the interior is hollowed out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5306131
    Abstract: A mill roll for pelletizing material having first and second counter-rotating, cylindrical rollers, the second roller having a solid exterior at its central portion, a hollow core and a series of perforations at each end. The first roller has a solid exterior. The rollers can be heated. Material to be pelletized is placed in the central portion of the nip formed between the rollers and as the rollers rotate, the material is spread outward toward the perforations where the material passes through such perforations to be cut off by a knife disposed within the second roller's hollow core. Also disclosed is a method of pelletizing material utilizing such mill roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5301982
    Abstract: A sheet or page of a book being self-illuminating, each such sheet utilizing electroluminescent polymer film to be illuminated as indicia or, in an alternate embodiment, as background for indicia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1994
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5294766
    Abstract: A mill roll having a pair of thick-walled refractory rollers, some having chambers therein the rollers to be heated to incandescent temperatures is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz
  • Patent number: 5284606
    Abstract: Methods to create hollow spheres and spheres produced according to such methods, such methods including suspending in a chamber at zero gravity a gas-generating pellet in a resin material which gas-generating pellet is caused to produce gas expanding the resin into a spherical mass; methods of coating sphere-forming material on a spherical liquid mass, hardening the coating and removing the liquid mass leaving the thus formed hollow sphere and methods of blowing bubbles of resin to form spheres.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 8, 1994
    Inventor: Gregory R. Brotz