Patents by Inventor Terry M. Kovara

Terry M. Kovara 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: 8550378
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pumping system and rotatable spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with an adjustable hanger. There is a portion of the housing for supporting a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. The bottle is vented through a piercing post. A single motor both drives the pump and rotates the spray head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Amber N. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, Michael W. Allen, Stephen D. Beverley, Paul M. Blankenship, Mark K. Romandy
  • Publication number: 20110024466
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pumping system and rotatable spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with an adjustable hanger. There is a portion of the housing for supporting a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. The bottle is vented through a piercing post. A single motor both drives the pump and rotates the spray head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Inventors: Amber N. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, Michael W. Allen, Stephen D. Beverley, Paul M. Blankenship, Mark K. Romandy
  • Patent number: 7837132
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pumping system and rotatable spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with an adjustable hanger. There is a portion of the housing for supporting a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. The bottle is vented through a piercing post. A single motor both drives the pump and rotates the spray head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Amber N. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, Michael W. Allen, Stephen D. Beverley, Paul M. Blankenship, Mark K. Romandy
  • Patent number: 7775458
    Abstract: The invention relates to an automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a bath and shower enclosure with a cleanser. The sprayer has a housing that can be mounted inside the shower enclosure and that defines a tray in which an inverted bottle of cleanser is stored. The bottom of the tray has a tube extending downwardly along a longitudinal axis through which the cleanser can pass. A motorized head disposed beneath the tube can be rotated about the axis for metering cleanser from the bottle and spraying cleanser outward. The sprayer includes timer circuitry that delays commencement of a spray for a set time and automatically stops spraying after a predetermined period. The sprayer also includes a system for signaling the beginning of a spray cycle including audio and visual alarms. The invention focuses on methods of using such equipment, as well as a container for supplying such equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Linstedt, Keith H. Gausmann, Cathal L. Fahy, Luke C. Stonis, Dale Aberegg, Michael C. Fryan, Padma Prabodh Varanasi, Steven A. Zach, Peter M. Neumann, Craig F. Shiesley, Terry M. Kovara
  • Patent number: 7635097
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pump and rotatable spray head. A motor drives the pump and rotates the spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with a hanger. The housing supports a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. Cleanser is delivered from the bottle through a cleanser conduit in the piercing post into a well of the housing. The bottle is vented from the well through an air vent path in the piercing post or from a well vent outlet through the air vent path in the piercing post. An outlet valve in the well permits outflow of cleanser from the well. Various bottle caps and bottle closures are also provided to improve venting and/or limit cleanser leakage from the bottle when the bottle is installed in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Amber N. D. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, David H. Leifheit, Michael W. Allen, Paul M. Blankenship, Lawrence M. Pillion
  • Patent number: 7416766
    Abstract: Bottles made of metallocene polypropylene (mPP) for storage and dispensing reservoirs for fragrance compositions, in particular fragrance oils, are described. The mPP bottles can be used in warmer units for slow release dispensing of the fragrance therein. The metallocene polypropylene bottles can be produced by extrusion or injection blow molding, injection molding, injection stretch blow molding (single or two stage), or other suitable molding process. The mPP bottles may optionally have at least one barrier coating layer and/or adhering layer. The mPP bottles may optionally be fluorinated. The mPP bottles have good clarity and possess the required physical properties needed when the bottles are filled on a production line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Trent, Francis J. Randall, Terry M. Kovara, James J. Runkel
  • Patent number: 7308990
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pump and rotatable spray head. A motor drives the pump and rotates the spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with a hanger. The housing supports a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. Cleanser is delivered from the bottle through a cleanser conduit in the piercing post into a well of the housing. The bottle is vented from the well through an air vent path in the piercing post or from a well vent outlet through the air vent path in the piercing post. An outlet valve in the well permits outflow of cleanser from the well. Various bottle caps and bottle closures are also provided to improve venting and/or limit cleanser leakage from the bottle when the bottle is installed in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Amber N. D. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, David H. Leifheit, Michael W. Allen, Paul M. Blankenship, Lawrence M. Pillion
  • Patent number: 7069602
    Abstract: Devices for dispensing cleaning chemicals from under the rim of a toilet bowl are suspended from either an open bottom toilet bowl rim or a toilet bowl rim with bottom wall holes, using a brush or brush-like suspender. Bristles of the brush flex together to permit the brush to extend into toilet bowl rim holes or an entrance of an open bottom rim. They then expand away from each other to retain the dispenser directly under the rim, in an essentially hidden manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon M. Conway, Stephen R. Schwallie, Terry M. Kovara
  • Patent number: 7021494
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pump and rotatable spray head. A motor drives the pump and rotates the spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with a hanger. The housing supports a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. Cleanser is delivered from the bottle through a cleanser conduit in the piercing post into a well of the housing. The bottle is vented from the well through an air vent path in the piercing post or from a well vent outlet through the air vent path in the piercing post. An outlet valve in the well permits outflow of cleanser from the well. Various bottle caps and bottle closures are also provided to improve venting and/or limit cleanser leakage from the bottle when the bottle is installed in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Amber N. D. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, David H. Leifheit, Michael W. Allen, Paul M. Blankenship, Lawrence M. Pillion
  • Patent number: 6971549
    Abstract: A bottle adapter is disclosed for use with a liquid refill kit for an automated cleansing sprayer of the type having a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well for supporting a bottle in an inverted orientation, wherein the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve. The refill kit includes the bottle for containing a liquid. The bottle has a piercable closure sealing an end of the bottle. The adapter has a central hole. The adapter is suitable for being situated between the closure and a bottom wall of the upwardly extending well in the sprayer for supporting the bottle. The adapter is configured such that if the bottle and adapter are installed in the well, movement of the closure relative to the well can result in movement of the adapter which in turn can result in movement of the outlet valve that controls the opening and closing of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: David H. Leifheit, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, Amber N. D. Mazooji
  • Patent number: 6820821
    Abstract: The invention is an automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a bath and shower enclosure with a cleanser. The sprayer has a housing that can be mounted inside the shower enclosure and that defines a tray in which an inverted bottle of cleanser is stored. The bottom of the tray has a tube extending downwardly along a longitudinal axis through which the cleanser can pass. A motorized head disposed beneath the tube can be rotated about the axis for metering cleanser from the bottle and spraying cleanser outward. The sprayer includes timer circuitry that delays commencement of a spray for a set time and automatically stops spraying after a predetermined period. The sprayer also includes a system for signaling the beginning of a spray cycle including audio and visual alarms. An automated method of cleaning the shower enclosure is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Linstedt, Keith H. Gausmann, Cathal L. Fahy, Luke C. Stonis, Dale Aberegg, Amber N. Dudley, Peter M. Neumann, Douglas Elsie, Daniel K. Childs, Clifford Krapfl, Howard R. Dittmer, Craig F. Shiesley, Terry M. Kovara, Michael C. Fryan, Padma P. Varanasi, Steven A. Zach, Martin Rathgeber
  • Publication number: 20040217197
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pump and rotatable spray head. A motor drives the pump and rotates the spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with a hanger. The housing supports a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. Cleanser is delivered from the bottle through a cleanser conduit in the piercing post into a well of the housing. The bottle is vented from the well through an air vent path in the piercing post or from a well vent outlet through the air vent path in the piercing post. An outlet valve in the well permits outflow of cleanser from the well. Various bottle caps and bottle closures are also provided to improve venting and/or limit cleanser leakage from the bottle when the bottle is installed in the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: November 4, 2004
    Inventors: Amber N.D. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, David H. Leifheit, Michael W. Allen, Paul M. Blankenship, Lawrence M. Pillion
  • Publication number: 20040206772
    Abstract: A bottle adapter is disclosed for use with a liquid refill kit for an automated cleansing sprayer of the type having a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well for supporting a bottle in an inverted orientation, wherein the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve. The refill kit includes the bottle for containing a liquid. The bottle has a piercable closure sealing an end of the bottle. The adapter has a central hole. The adapter is suitable for being situated between the closure and a bottom wall of the upwardly extending well in the sprayer for supporting the bottle. The adapter is configured such that if the bottle and adapter are installed in the well, movement of the closure relative to the well can result in movement of the adapter which in turn can result in movement of the outlet valve that controls the opening and closing of the valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: David H. Leifheit, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, Amber N.D. Mazooji
  • Publication number: 20040050959
    Abstract: An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pumping system and rotatable spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with an adjustable hanger. There is a portion of the housing for supporting a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. The bottle is vented through a piercing post. A single motor both drives the pump and rotates the spray head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Inventors: Amber N. Mazooji, Terry M. Kovara, Peter M. Neumann, Michael W. Allen, Stephen D. Beverley, Paul M. Blankenship, Mark K. Romandy
  • Publication number: 20020148908
    Abstract: The invention is an automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a bath and shower enclosure with a cleanser. The sprayer has a housing that can be mounted inside the shower enclosure and that defines a tray in which an inverted bottle of cleanser is stored. The bottom of the tray has a tube extending downwardly along a longitudinal axis through which the cleanser can pass. A motorized head disposed beneath the tube can be rotated about the axis for metering cleanser from the bottle and spraying cleanser outward. The sprayer includes timer circuitry that delays commencement of a spray for a set time and automatically stops spraying after a predetermined period. The sprayer also includes a system for signaling the beginning of a spray cycle including audio and visual alarms. An automated method of cleaning the shower enclosure is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2001
    Publication date: October 17, 2002
    Inventors: Brian K. Linstedt, Keith H. Gausmann, Cathal L. Fahy, Luke C. Stonis, Dale Aberegg, Amber N. Dudley, Peter M. Neumann, Douglas R. Elsie, Daniel K. Childs, Clifford Krapfl, Howard R. Dittmer, Craig F. Shiesley, Terry M. Kovara, Michael C. Fryan, Padma P. Varanasi, Steven A. Zach, Martin Rathgeber
  • Patent number: D509738
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Terry M. Kovara, Allen D. Miller, Peter M. Neumann, Michael W. Allen, Paul M. Blankenship