Patents by Inventor M. Ballard

M. Ballard 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: 7143760
    Abstract: A method for cutting a chamfer on an edge of a concrete slab, comprising the steps of: providing a generally circular, rotatable concrete saw blade that is coupled to a right-angle grinder motor with a blade-mounting hub having no blade attachment hardware projecting below a lower major surface of the blade; making an initial planar cut at a desired angle beginning a distance from the edge, thereby creating an initial cantilevered ledge above the initial cut; if the initial cantilevered ledge is not severed from the slab by a cutting action of the blade before the hub is proximate an edge of the initial cantilevered ledge, then fracturing and removing the initial cantilevered ledge from the slab; and making at least one subsequent planar cut continuous with the initial cut and any necessary fracturings and removals of subsequent cantilevered ledges until the chamfer is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Precision Concrete Cutting, Inc.
    Inventor: M. Ballard Gardner
  • Patent number: 7000606
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a chamfer on an upper edge of a concrete slab includes a hub designed for installation on the threaded output spindle of an angle grinder, and a specially-modified diamond-grit-edged rotary blade which mounts on the hub. For a preferred embodiment of the hub, an attachment collar is unitary and concentric with both a blade mounting flange having countersunk attachment screw holes and a blade centering shoulder on the flange. The attachment collar has at least one pair of flattened parallel sides for receiving a wrench used to tighten the hub on the output spindle. The blade, which is equipped with both countersunk attachment holes and a central positioning aperture sized to fit closely over the blade centering shoulder, is attachable with countersinking screws to the mounting flange so that the head of each screw is flush with the surface of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Precision Concrete Cutting, Inc.
    Inventor: M. Ballard Gardner
  • Patent number: 6938861
    Abstract: A baby bottle holder includes a clamp unit that is used to support the unit on a stroller or the like, a support section that is flexible, and a bottle-engaging unit that has a liquid filled peripheral section and a flexible central section. A cross hair shaped slot unit is defined through the flexible central section and accommodates a baby bottle therein. Toys, mirrors and/or teething elements are supported on the bottle-engaging unit. The liquid in the peripheral section can be a glow-in-the-dark type liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Inventors: Lori M. Ballard, Jason L. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20050016776
    Abstract: The apparatus and method is provided that employs a “radiopaque” object to count and account for surgical sponges in an operating room. A radiopaque object is embedded in surgical sponges so that a scanning device can detect and count a large number of the sponges within a container. The container is designed to minimize contact with the sponges by humans. In addition, a surgical team can insure that no surgical sponge is left in a patient without performing the messy and time-consuming job of individually counting sponges as they are entered and disposed of from the surgical site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventor: M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 6827074
    Abstract: Apparatus for cutting a chamfer on an upper edge of a concrete slab includes a hub designed for installation on the threaded output spindle of an angle grinder, and a specially-modified diamond-grit-edged rotary blade which mounts on the hub. For a preferred embodiment of the hub, an attachment collar is unitary and concentric with both a blade mounting flange having countersunk blade-attachment screw holes and a blade centering shoulder on the flange. The attachment collar has at least one pair of flattened parallel sides for receiving a wrench used to tighten the hub on the output spindle. The blade which is equipped with both countersunk attachment holes and a central positioning aperture sized to fit closely over the blade centering shoulder, is attachable with countersinking screws to the mounting flange so that the head of each screw is flush with the surface of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Datigen.com, Inc.
    Inventor: M. Ballard Gardner
  • Patent number: 6712747
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for creasing planar material includes a pair of confronting drums between which the material is passed with at least one of the drums having at least one electrical filament thereon adapted to engage the planar material as it is passed between the drums for melting the planar material to a predetermined depth. The filaments are preferably quick heating and also dissipate heat quickly so that they can be activated and deactivated in short intervals so that the drums upon which the heat filaments are mounted do not heat up between the filaments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Hunter Douglas Inc.
    Inventor: Eugene M. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20030217743
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a chamfer on an upper edge of a concrete slab includes a hub designed for installation on the threaded output spindle of an angle grinder, and a specially-modified diamond-grit-edged rotary blade which mounts on the hub. For a preferred embodiment of the hub, an attachment collar is unitary and concentric with both a blade mounting flange and a blade centering shoulder on the flange. The attachment collar has at least one pair of flattened parallel sides for receiving a wrench used to tighten the hub on the output spindle. The side of the blade mounting flange opposite the collar is equipped with multiple countersunk threaded holes, by means of which the blade may be attached with countersinking screws. The rotary blade is equipped with a central positioning aperture sized to fit closely over the blade centering shoulder. The blade is equipped with countersunk holes which align with those on the blade mounting flange.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Publication date: November 27, 2003
    Inventor: M. Ballard Gardner
  • Publication number: 20030089392
    Abstract: A photovoltaic cell to convert low energy photons is described, consisting of a p-i-n diode with a strain-balanced multi-quantum-well system incorporated in the intrinsic region. The bandgap of the quantum wells is lower than that of the lattice-matched material, while the barriers have a much higher bandgap. Hence the absorption can be extended to longer wavelengths, while maintaining a low dark current as a result of the higher barriers. This leads to greatly improved conversion efficiencies, particularly for low energy photons from low temperature sources. This can be achieved by strain-balancing the quantum wells and barriers, where each individual layer is below the critical thickness and the strain is compensated by quantum wells and barriers being strained in opposite directions minimizing the stress. The absorption can be further extended to longer wavelengths by introducing a strain-relaxed layer (virtual substrate) between the substrate and the active cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2001
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Carsten Rohr, Keith W.J. Barnham, Nicholas Ekins-Daukes, James P. Connolly, Ian M. Ballard, Massimo Mazzer
  • Patent number: 6183031
    Abstract: A trailer includes a foldable gate mounted for pivotal movement about a gate axis from a transport position wherein the gate is elevated for transporting to an unload position wherein the gate is lowered to permit removal of objects carried on the trailer. An elongated flexible member has its first end connected to the gate and its second end connected to a spring which is anchored to the trailer. The spring resists the force of gravity as the gate moves from its upper travel position to its lower unload position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Inventors: Kory M. Ballard, Bob J. Ballard
  • Patent number: 5690239
    Abstract: The multi-purpose columnar support of this invention is an aesthetically pleasing structural support primarily adapted for use in creating displays for merchandise in stores and exhibits. A tubular column extruded from heavy gauge metal or other structural material and cut to any desired length is the principal element of the columnar support. The diameter of the column is three inches in the illustrated embodiment, but may be of any desired diameter. The extruded column has a core and four holding areas that diverge outwardly from the core to the cylinder wall and support connectors selected from a group of connectors that are each configured to engage and support one or more items of conventional hardware, such as brackets, slotted strips, slatwalls, decorative panels and wire slat grid panels, that are used in the display of merchandise, The unused holding areas are closed by trim caps to provide the appearance of a substantially solid column with an unbroken surface except for the active holding areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Inventor: Donald M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 5299509
    Abstract: Improved connectors of the type used for attaching shelves and bins to slot boards are generally shaped like the known W-clips and Z-clips but have ribbed channels to receive one edge portion of a shelf or bin. The edge portions of the shelves and bins are shaped to fit within the channels and grooved to fit around the ribs on the connectors when a connector is attached to a shelf or bin by seating the corresponding edge portion of the shelf or bin in the channel of the connector and seating the rib on the connector in the groove in the shelf or bin to mechanically interlock the connector with its shelf or bin. A combination connector is also provided which can be used either as a W-clip or a Z-clip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 5, 1994
    Inventor: Donald M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 5085155
    Abstract: A three dimensional shelf assembly is provided with three planar components and two tubular components. The planar and tubular shelf components can be manufactured and shipped before being assembled into three dimensional shelves, thereby avoiding the expense of shipping three dimensonal shelves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1992
    Inventor: Donald M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 4850545
    Abstract: An apparatus for winding rolls of thin, wide film. High quality rolls free from circumferential ridges are wound by pressing a segmented bowed roll against a winding roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1989
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Raymond M. Ballard, Albert W. Forrest, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4553266
    Abstract: An R.F. circuit with at least one R.F. transmission line including a strip conductor (15) and a ground plane (13) on an insulating substrate (3) and having two diodes (24, 25) respectively D.C.-connected to two portions (38,39) of the ground plane (13). The two portions are mutually D.C.-isolated by a slot (37) to enable the diodes (24, 25) to be biased. The substrate (3) is mounted in a housing (1, 2) of conductive material, and the two portions (38, 39) of the ground plane (13) are mutually R.F.-coupled via the conductive material. One of the portions (39) is electrically-connected to an adjacent housing member (2) and the other portion (38) is separated therefrom by a thin insulating layer. The slot (37) inhibits coupling of R.F. energy out of the circuit into the slot (37), suitably being very narrow, e.g. 20 .mu.m, so as to form a further transmission line with a very low characteristic impedance and also to have a high attenuation along its length for operation at mm-wavelengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1985
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Robert N. Bates, Philip M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 4542535
    Abstract: An R.F. balanced mixer comprises on an insulating substrate (3) with opposed major surfaces a balanced first transmission line having a pair of conductors (18, 19) on a first major surface and an unbalanced second transmission line having a strip conductor (15) on one major surface and a ground conductor (13) on the side of the substrate (3) remote from the strip conductor (15). Two diodes (24, 25) are electrically connected between the pair of conductors (18, 19) of the first line and the strip conductor (15) of the second line to form an arrangement operable as a 180.degree. hybrid junction, the first line coupling an R.F. signal to the diodes (24, 25) and the second line coupling an L.O. signal to and an I.F. signal from the diodes (24, 25). To reduce the impedance of the I.F.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Robert N. Bates, Philip M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 4242817
    Abstract: A holder for pictures and the like formed by folding an integral sheet of transparent material to define a support portion, a face portion and a brace portion. The face and brace portions are joined to the support portion at spaced first and second fold lines and the three portions extend one relative to another in predetermined relationships for including acute angles therebetween. The brace portion has an end portion which terminates adjacent the face portion at a location intermediate the length of the face portion and the portions cooperate for retaining a picture and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1981
    Inventor: Donald M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 4205976
    Abstract: A glass sheet is thermally toughened by heating the sheet to a temperature near to its softening point and then lowering the sheet into a gas-fluidized bed of particulate material. A void region is established beneath the lower edge of the sheet as it is initially immersed in the fluidized bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1980
    Assignee: Pilkington Brothers Limited
    Inventors: Peter Ward, Geoffrey M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 4193559
    Abstract: A web winding assembly of rolls is disclosed. The assembly includes a winding roll and a layon roll. The layon roll is of constant circumference with a flexible surface and is characterized by having an incompressible core, a volumetrically compressible resilient cushion element on the core, and a flexible, inextensible, outer covering on the cushion element. The winding assembly is used in film web handling operations to make windup packages of film web having improved surface hardness character and reduced tendency to telescope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1978
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1980
    Assignee: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventor: Raymond M. Ballard