Patents by Inventor Timothy Walter Shoaf

Timothy Walter Shoaf 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: 8944279
    Abstract: A container for storing personal care articles comprising a lid structure attached to the container is disclosed. The lid structure has a top lid portion connected to a base lid portion. The base lid portion includes a rigid port surrounding a unitary dispensing partition extending in an x and z direction to the rigid port, the unitary dispensing partition having a dispensing slit formed therethrough. The unitary dispensing partition forms an arc extending a first depth into the interior of the container in a z-direction. The depth of the dispensing partition allows for the personal care article to be stored in a pop-up dispensing position with a larger portion of the personal care article extending from the dispensing slit. This allows for easier retrieval of the product by a consumer and less dispensing failures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Walter Shoaf, Andrew Dale Brinkdopke, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz
  • Publication number: 20120160864
    Abstract: A container for storing personal care articles comprising a lid structure attached to the container is disclosed. The lid structure has a top lid portion connected to a base lid portion. The base lid portion includes a rigid port surrounding a unitary dispensing partition extending in an x and z direction to the rigid port, the unitary dispensing partition having a dispensing slit formed therethrough. The unitary dispensing partition forms an arc extending a first depth into the interior of the container in a z-direction. The depth of the dispensing partition allows for the personal care article to be stored in a pop-up dispensing position with a larger portion of the personal care article extending from the dispensing slit. This allows for easier retrieval of the product by a consumer and less dispensing failures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventors: Timothy Walter Shoaf, Andrew Dale Brinkdopke, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz
  • Patent number: 7028840
    Abstract: The invention relates to a package and method for storing and dispensing wet wipes in a pop-up format. A group of wet wipes are positioned in a container base between the container base and a pop-up style dispensing partition, each wipe in the group of wet wipes having a first visibility index. The container top has a second visibility index and the pop-up style dispensing partition has a third visibility index and the first visibility index is different than the third visibility index such that when the container top is closed the wipe from the group of wet wipes is visibly indicated at the container top as being in-position or not-in-position for pop-up dispensing as soon as the container top is next opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Mei-Chiung Huang, Rodney Carlton Christianson, Paige Annette Dellerman, Timothy Walter Shoaf
  • Patent number: 6766919
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible orifice for pop-up style dispensing with a wet wipes dispenser. The orifice includes a flexible, rubber-like sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. A continuous slit extends across the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet and enables a wet wipe to pass from the bottom surface to the top surface or from the top surface to the bottom surface. The continuous slit has at least one curved portion connected with at least one non-curved portion. Alternately, the continuous slit has at least one zigzag portion connected with a pair of end leg portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Timothy Walter Shoaf, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Gerald Keith Sosalla, Paige Annette Dellerman, Stephen Robert Kehn, James Ronald Bath, Rodney Carlton Christianson
  • Patent number: 6592004
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible orifice for pop-up style dispensing with a wet wipes dispenser. The orifice includes a flexible, rubber-like sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. A continuous slit extends across the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet and enables a wet wipe to pass from the bottom surface to the top surface or from the top surface to the bottom surface. The continuous slit has at least one curved portion connected with at least one non-curved portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Timothy Walter Shoaf, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Gerald Keith Sosalla, Paige Annette Dellerman, Stephen Robert Kehn, James Ronald Bath, Rodney Carlton Christianson
  • Patent number: 6585131
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible orifice for pop-up style dispensing with a wet wipes dispenser. The orifice includes a flexible, rubber-like sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. A continuous slit extends across the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet and enables a wet wipe to pass from the bottom surface to the top surface or from the top surface to the bottom surface. A first portion of the sheet has a first thickness and a second portion of the sheet located between the continuous slit and the first portion has a second thickness which is greater than or less than the first thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Timothy Walter Shoaf, Robert Samuel Shlaupitz, Gerald Keith Sosalla, Paige Annette Dellerman, Stephen Robert Kehn, James Ronald Bath, Rodney Carlton Christianson
  • Publication number: 20030111378
    Abstract: The invention relates to a package and method for storing and dispensing wet wipes in a pop-up format. A group of wet wipes are positioned in a container base between the container base and a pop-up style dispensing partition, each wipe in the group of wet wipes having a first visibility index. The container top has a second visibility index and the pop-up style dispensing partition has a third visibility index and the first visibility index is different than the third visibility index such that when the container top is closed the wipe from the group of wet wipes is visibly indicated at the container top as being in-position or not-in-position for pop-up dispensing as soon as the container top is next opened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Mei-Chiung Huang, Rodney Carlton Christianson, Paige Annette Dellerman, Timothy Walter Shoaf
  • Publication number: 20020179625
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible orifice for pop-up style dispensing with a wet wipes dispenser. The orifice includes a flexible, rubber-like sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. A continuous slit extends across the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet and enables a wet wipe to pass from the bottom surface to the top surface or from the top surface to the bottom surface. A first portion of the sheet has a first thickness and a second portion of the sheet located between the continuous slit and the first portion has a second thickness which is greater than or less than the first thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Timothy Walter Shoaf, Robert Samuel Shlaupitz, Gerald Keith Sosalla, Paige Annette Dellerman, Stephen Robert Kehn, James Ronald Bath, Rodney Carlton Christianson
  • Publication number: 20020179626
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible orifice for pop-up style dispensing with a wet wipes dispenser. The orifice includes a flexible, rubber-like sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. A continuous slit extends across the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet and enables a wet wipe to pass from the bottom surface to the top surface or from the top surface to the bottom surface. The continuous slit has at least one curved portion connected with at least one non-curved portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Timothy Walter Shoaf, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Gerald Keith Sosalla, Paige Annette Dellerman, Stephen Robert Kehn, James Ronald Bath, Rodney Carlton Christianson
  • Publication number: 20020179627
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible orifice for pop-up style dispensing with a wet wipes dispenser. The orifice includes a flexible, rubber-like sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. A continuous slit extends across the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet and enables a wet wipe to pass from the bottom surface to the top surface or from the top surface to the bottom surface. The continuous slit has at least one curved portion connected with at least one non-curved portion. Alternately, the continuous slit has at least one zigzag portion connected with a pair of end leg portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Applicant: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Yung Hsiang Huang, Timothy Walter Shoaf, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Gerald Keith Sosalla, Paige Annette Dellerman, Stephen Robert Kehn, James Ronald Bath, Rodney Carlton Christianson
  • Patent number: D465685
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Paige Annette Dellerman, Rodney Carlton Christianson, Timothy Walter Shoaf, James Ronald Bath, Daniel Keating Childs, Gary Frank Prokop, Monique Chatterjee