Patents by Inventor Richard J. Vodra

Richard J. Vodra 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: 4545606
    Abstract: In combination with a door hinged at one edge within a door jamb with a latch assembly mounted upon a closing edge and a strike on the jamb in registry with the latch assembly which comprises a latch within a housing pivotally mounted upon the door upon a first axis and projecting from the housing and having a lock position receiving the strike and normally biased towards an unlocked position, the strike on closing the door rotating the latch to its locking position, there being a locking aperture upon the latch. A yoke, normally biased towards a locking position and rotatable to an unlocked position is pivotally mounted upon the housing upon a second axis and mounts a latch pin adapted for interlocking registry with the lock aperture when the latch is in locking position. A spring biased reciprocal latch bar has an actuator which is adapted on retraction to retract the yoke to an unlocked position, the latch being free to move to its unlocked position on opening of the door relative to the strike.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1985
    Inventor: Richard J. Vodra
  • Patent number: 4063705
    Abstract: A mold for vacuum forming plastic sheet and the like and a method of making the mold. A relatively thin mold shell provides a forming surface through which small apertures open to exhaust air to vacuum form a heat-softened plastic sheet. Small manifold conduits behind the forming surface connect the apertures to a source of vacuum. The mold area subtended by the manifold conduits is substantially less than the area of the entire forming surface, thereby substantially limiting the force exerted upon the forming surface by the pressure differential created during vacuum forming of a plastic sheet. The mold is preferably made by electroforming a metallic shell on a pattern, and is apertured in a desired pattern. Filaments are advantageously used to form the apertures during electroforming. A low melting point material is applied to the back of the shell in a manifold pattern to connect the apertures and a metallic layer is electroformed to the back of the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1976
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1977
    Inventor: Richard J. Vodra