Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Hunt

Thomas A. Hunt 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).

  • Publication number: 20030192838
    Abstract: According to the disclosed embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a storage device for supporting elements such as media packages, books and others, in an upright side-by-side configuration. The device includes a body having an inclined element support surface having a sufficient incline to cause at least one of the elements to be biased to fall under the force of gravity toward one direction and align itself against a vertical surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Applicant: Spectrum Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Hunt
  • Publication number: 20030192837
    Abstract: A storage tray and method for storing and accessing at least one item are disclosed. The disclosed embodiments are adapted to support an item in at least two positions, a stored position and an ejected position. In the stored position, an item may be aligned with adjacent items to allow a user to view a perimeter edge of each item. A latch support secures the item in the stored position, and permits the unlatching of the item to permit it to rotate under force of gravity to a stable ejected position. In the ejected position, a portion of the desired item protrudes from the alignment, allowing a user to easily grasp and remove the desired item without disturbing adjacent items.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Applicant: Spectrum Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Hunt
  • Patent number: 6564370
    Abstract: A directory schema for directory applications or platforms that store common attributes in a distributed directory. According to the schema, a given attribute is stored in a directory together with a signature that identifies given information, e.g., the purpose and version of the attribute. Thus, when an attribute is migrated to a new value, e.g., upon the release of a new application version, the directory schema need not be extended. Rather, the attribute may be maintained in the schema is the same location as was used with an earlier application version.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Gary Thomas Hunt
  • Patent number: 6332546
    Abstract: An apparatus for supporting multimedia packages employs a corrugated support having at least one crowned surface for supporting the multimedia packages from below in a closely spaced side-by-side configuration. A pair of front and rear retainers confine the series of packages therebetween. The crowned surface includes a series of curved projections for defining a series of equally spaced apart notches disposed at intersections between adjacent ones of the projections to receive corner portions of the packages for supporting them in an inclined position and for enabling each of the supported packages to be repositioned to another one of said notches so that the packages can be flipped between forwardly and rearwardly inclined positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: 5740924
    Abstract: The organizer rack component includes a pair of parallel, spaced apart elongated rails for engaging an item of furniture, and a series of parallel, spaced apart cross members or ribs connected integrally at their opposite ends to the rails for defining a series of elongated access openings or apertures to receive boxlike articles therein. The ribs are spaced apart by a given distance sufficiently larger than the corresponding dimension of the article to enable the ribs to receive and retain the article therebetween. Pegs or ears extending outwardly from the rails are received in spaced apart openings in the furniture item to enable the organizer rack component to be held securely thereto in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Spectrum Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: 5685423
    Abstract: A multi-media storage tray for storing mixed media items such as compact discs, audio tapes Sega cartridges and Nintendo cartridges and video tapes. Dividers are located on a two-level (top and lower) divider support. The dividers and the divider supports are arranged so that the tray can be essentially filled with any combination of the above mixed media. A set of first dividers located on the top level and spaced about 1 inch apart accommodates approximately 1-inch wide video tape cases. A set of second dividers on the lower level and spaced about 1.4 inches apart accommodates two approximately 0.7-inch wide cases for audio tapes or Sega cartridges or Nintendo cartridges in between each two successive second dividers. A set of third dividers two of which are spaced between each two successive second dividers provides three 0.41-inch wide spaces between each two successive second dividers to accommodate the width of compact disc cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Spectrum Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: 5674367
    Abstract: A target assembly for use in a sputtering system used for forming a thin film on a substrate is disclosed. The target assembly includes a mounting element having an interior wall which defines an aperture. The target assembly further includes a target for providing material for forming the film on the substrate. In particular, the target is affixed within the mounting element by an interference fit between the aperture and the target. Furthermore, the mounting ring includes a groove for holding an O-ring which serves to maintain a vacuum in the sputtering system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Materials Research Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas Hunt, Paul S. Gilman
  • Patent number: 5598921
    Abstract: A one-piece molded plastic computer workplace organizer can be screwed to a baseplane such as a pull-out keyboard shelf of a computer desk. A mouse pad is located to the front of the organizer unit which provides a passageway for retaining the mouse cord in place so as to overcome the common problem of the mouse unit working its way to the rear and falling off the shelf edge, especially when the shelf is being pulled out. Storage for several 31/2" diskettes is provided with asymmetrical bistable support positioning: a nearly upright rearwardly-inclined working position and a low profile forwardly-inclined storage position. With the organizer mounted on the pull-out keyboard shelf, upright diskettes will be automatically flipped forward to the low profile position by the shelf edge for storage under the desk counter top when the shelf is pushed back into the storage position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Spectrum Concepts
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: 5558235
    Abstract: An audio/video media package storage structure is formed using side rails, partition rails and spacer tubes. The side rail inner surface contains: a bottom flange; a row of interleaved long and short posts; a shelf beneath the posts and above the bottom flange, the shelf having notches centered between adjacent long posts. The rail can support packages of up to three different sizes at one time. Thin packages are supported between adjacent long and short posts and rest on the shelf. Thick packages are supported between adjacent long posts and rest on the bottom flange. Medium-sized packages fit within the notch on the shelf and rest on the bottom flange. The shelf and the bottom flange have protuberances centered between adjacent long and short posts and adjacent posts, respectively, to allow the packages to shift from a forwardly to a rearwardly-oriented display position. Each end of the side rail has a tunnel adjoining the bottom flange for inserting a spacer tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Spectrum Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: 4009145
    Abstract: Unsaturated polyester resin based filling compounds contain as accelerator a tertiary amine derived from meta-carboxy aniline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1977
    Assignee: BP Chemicals International Limited
    Inventor: Thomas Hunt
  • Patent number: D435989
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: D440809
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: D381546
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: D387928
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Assignee: Spectrum Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt
  • Patent number: D414808
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Inventor: Thomas A. Hunt