Patents by Inventor William H. Frederick

William H. Frederick 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: 7092772
    Abstract: An improved home automation system that permits the user of the system to remotely control the operation of various devices including garage doors and powered entry gates. The system is packaged in a manner that “walks” the user through the initialization process to thereby reduce or eliminate errors associated with the initialization and set-up of the system. Furthermore, the configuration permits the user to initialize the system without the use of tools, such as screwdrivers. The system is configured with improved functionality that permits the user to readily control individual devices and/or selected groups of devices with a powerful hand-held universal remote transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Murray, Cory Sorice, James R. Raskin, Carolyn M. Martin, William H. Frederick
  • Publication number: 20040138768
    Abstract: An improved home automation system that permits the user of the system to remotely control the operation of various devices including garage doors and powered entry gates. The system is packaged in a manner that “walks” the user through the initialization process to thereby reduce or eliminate errors associated with the initialization and set-up of the system. Furthermore, the configuration permits the user to initialize the system without the use of tools, such as screwdrivers. The system is configured with improved functionality that permits the user to readily control individual devices and/or selected groups of devices with a powerful hand-held universal remote transmitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: Christopher Murray, Cory Sorice, James R. Raskin, Carolyn M. Martin, William H. Frederick
  • Patent number: 6006401
    Abstract: An upright vacuum cleaner is provided which has a handle pivotally mounted to a foot. The foot has a releasable mechanism pivotally mounted thereto. The releasable mechanism and the handle are provided with abutting protrusions and recesses which can abut one another to retain the handle in an upright storage position, in an angularly disposed position for normal use and a generally horizontal position. The releasable mechanism preferably comprises a foot pedal which has an integral arm spring extending angularly therefrom and biased against the foot so that the protrusion and/or recess on the foot pedal is urged within a corresponding recess and/or protrusion on the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Jailor, Steven K. Meek, Jeffrey A. Hall, Scott R. Graham, William H. Frederick
  • Patent number: 5991970
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner comprises a housing, a motor mounted in the housing, and a switch coupled the motor for actuating the motor to an operative and an inoperative condition. The switch includes an actuator button for moving the switch between an opened and a closed position. A foot pedal is pivotally mounted to the housing and has a bottom surface in an abutting relationship with respect to the actuator button. The foot pedal can include an axle having a pair of flat surfaces which pivotally mount to a slotted circular retainer in the housing. The bottom surface of the foot pedal can include a depending flange which is in abutting relationship with the actuator button. Further, a spring can be disposed between the bottom surface of the foot pedal and the housing to bias the foot pedal away from the switch wherein the spring at least partially surrounds a portion of the foot pedal and at least partially surrounds the actuator button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Jailor, Steven K. Meek, Jeffrey A. Hall, Scott R. Graham, William H. Frederick
  • Patent number: 5906024
    Abstract: The invention disclosed herein relates to an improved vacuum cleaner comprising a foot, a handle pivotally mounted to the foot, and a vacuum motor mounted to one of the handle and the foot. The foot has a suction inlet fluidly connected to the vacuum motor and an agitator brush rotatably mounted to the foot. The improvement relates to a wheel assembly comprising a housing, an axle mounted to the housing and at least one wheel rotatably mounted to the axle. The housing has an integrally-molded flange extending therefrom. The wheel assembly rollably supports the vacuum cleaner on a floor surface. A channel is formed in the foot and is adapted to pivotably mount the housing flange for movement between a first and a second position. In the first position, the wheel assembly supports the suction inlet at a first distance relative to the floor surface. In the second position, the wheel assembly supports the suction inlet at a second distance therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Bissell Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Jailor, Scott R. Graham, William H. Frederick, Jeffrey A. Hall, Steven K. Meek, Eric R. Metzger
  • Patent number: 5544385
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner filter bag mounting assembly comprises a bag mounting member having a fixed plate which is secured to a housing of a vacuum cleaner and a hinge plate which is pivotally mounted to the fixed plate through a living hinge. A channel is formed on the outside surface of the hinge plate for a receipt of the vacuum bag collar and an air deflector extends outwardly from the fixed plate for insertion into the filter bag. The bag mounting member is preferably integrally molded from a single injection-molding operation. An outlet tube is integrally molded to the fixed plate and has bag-retaining projections on an outer surface and a deflector at the end to deflect particles downwardly into the filter bag. The filter bag is retained in the operating condition by the bag-retaining projections on the outlet tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Bissell Inc.
    Inventors: John Jailor, William H. Frederick, Steven R. Umbach, Scott R. Graham, Kenneth L. Roberts, Eric R. Metzger
  • Patent number: D497459
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Damon J. Nawrozki, William H. Frederick
  • Patent number: D497692
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Damon J. Nawrozki, William H. Frederick