Patents by Inventor James D. Whiten

James D. Whiten 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: 5586687
    Abstract: A bottle dispenser has a gate mechanism to maintain the foremost one of the track-supported bottles substantially vertical. The dispenser includes an elongate track which defines a longitudinally extending pathway, a support assembly for the track, and a stopper provided at the front end of the track. The track supports a row of flanged bottles such that the bottles are suspended by their neck flanges for movement along the pathway and removable from the pathway through the front end of the track. The support assembly supports the track such that the track is inclined toward its front end whereby the suspended bottles are allowed to gravity feed toward the front end when the leading bottle in the row is removed from the track. The stopper engages with the leading bottle to prevent its accidental removal through the front end. The gate mechanism blocks the pathway at a position between the front and rear ends of the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: The Mead Corporation
    Inventors: William S. Spamer, J. Marshall Suttles, Dennis E. Parham, James D. Whiten