Patents by Inventor Thomas P. Bates

Thomas P. Bates 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: 7178458
    Abstract: A method of economically dye transfer printing small batches of webbing with custom designs includes printing N longitudinally adjacent identical design strips of approximate length L/N with a desired custom design. The design is printed on continuous roll paper with dye transfer ink using a dye transfer printer controlled by a personal computer. The adjacent design strips are simultaneously cut apart using a slitting cutter with parallel disc blades. The slitting cutter is preferably a modified leather slitting cutter with variable speed control and additional alignment guides for precise cutting. The separated design strips of approximate length L/N are assembled into a continuous transfer strip of approximate length L and rolled onto a core. The transfer strip is fed through an aligner with blank webbing and into a heat transfer web rolling machine where heat and pressure are applied to transfer print the design from the transfer strip to the webbing and produce final printed webbing of length L.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Inventor: Thomas P Bates
  • Patent number: 6185772
    Abstract: A belt with a fastener wherein one ring of the fastener is adapted for use as a bottle opener. In a preferred embodiment, the fastener comprises a first ring and a second ring, the first ring having a nub and being attached to a front surface of the strip of material, wherein the first ring is adapted to open bottles by grasping a portion of a bottle cap with the ring and applying upward pressure under the bottle cap with the nub. To fasten the belt, the second end of the strip is adapted to be threaded through the second and first rings and re-threaded through the second ring. In a another preferred embodiment, the fastener may further include a third ring such that the second end of the strip is adapted to be threaded through the third, second and first rings and re-threaded through the second and third ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Inventor: Thomas P. Bates
  • Patent number: 6067661
    Abstract: A belt comprising an elongated strip of material having a first end and a second end; a pouch at said first end of said strip; an attachment means at said second end of said strip for adjustably connecting said first and second ends of said strip; and a loop for holding said first end of said strip and adapted to allow said pouch to pass through said loop when engaging said attachment means. Preferably, the loop or a portion of the loop comprises an elastic material. Preferably, the attachment means comprises a buckle arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Inventor: Thomas P. Bates
  • Patent number: D396661
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Inventor: Thomas P. Bates