Patents by Inventor Thomas J. Irwin

Thomas J. Irwin 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: 5591635
    Abstract: A reaction vessel for biologically decomposing a material comprises a frame, an airtight housing rotatably mounted on the frame defining an enclosure therein, and a device for controlling environmental conditions within the enclosure so that biological decomposition of the material can occur at a controlled rate. Air is circulated through the enclosure in a closed loop so that air leaving the enclosure will be recirculated back into the enclosure. A computer controls the oxygen level of the air inside the enclosure, the humidity of the air inside the enclosure, the temperature of the air inside the enclosure, and the carbon dioxide level of the air inside the enclosure. The housing is disposed at an incline relative to the frame so that the material introduced into the enclosure proximal to the higher portion of the housing tends to flow toward the lower portion of the housing. A separating wall is disposed within the enclosure, forming therein a first chamber and a second chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: DBS Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard N. Young, Thomas J. Irwin, II
  • Patent number: 4781380
    Abstract: A multi-component puzzle comprised of ring-forming components which are rotatable about selected orthogonally related axes to move individual components into various relationships. The components are co-acting and constrained to move about each other without the need for a central framework. The absence of a central framework permits a variety of puzzle forms, including intersecting rings, lattices, cubes and combinations of these forms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Inventor: Thomas J. Irwin
  • Patent number: 4412681
    Abstract: A two dimensional logical toy comprises a frame structure having a slide passage in which a slide plate is slidably mounted and on an apertured surface of which a plurality of parallel grooves are formed together with a single transverse groove, a lift including an elongated pedestal slidably and rotatably mounted within the aperture in said slide plate and provided with a platform on one end in which two sets of parrallel grooves are formed, one set of grooves being normally disposed in alignment with the parallel grooves formed in the slide plate and the other set of grooves being transverse thereto, said lift being movable in said aperture in a direction axially of said pedestal and being rotatable so as to cause the second set of grooves in the lift platform to become aligned with the parallel grooves formed in the slide plate, and a plurality of unitary elements slidably mounted in the grooves formed in the guide plate and in the platform so as to form a wide variety of geometric patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1983
    Inventor: Thomas J. Irwin