| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08087192B2 |
Flat panel display mount and methods of making the same
Flat panel display mounts configured to rotate about a vertical axis and at least substantially maintain rigidity about a horizontal axis comprise a mounting member configured to receive a flat panel display thereon, and an arm member attached to the mounting member. The arm member includes at least one hinge on at least one of a first and second coupling members. Methods of forming a flat panel display mount are disclosed. A modular sign including a housing, at least one sign panel, and a flat panel display mount is also disclosed. |
| US08087190B1 |
Clothing coordination system
A clothing coordination system comprising first placards labeled with a color and number; second placards labeled with a color; third placards labeled with a number; label apparatuses for attaching to a closet rod to group together pants, shirts, or sweaters of a color, the apparatuses each comprises an elongated base with a rail adapted to display a first placard or a second placard and at least one third placard, wherein the placards corresponds to the color of the pants, shirts or sweaters; and a plurality of clothing boxes for grouping shirts or sweaters of a certain color, the clothing boxes each have at least one rail for displaying a second placard and at least one third placard; wherein a coordinated outfit can be chosen by selecting a pair of pants and then selecting a shirt that has a third placard that matches the assigned number of the pants. |
| US08087188B2 |
Weight-activated tying shoe
A weight-activated tying shoe wherein user who, upon sliding his foot inside the shoe, will depress a movable inner sole. This activates a side mechanism composed of a winch with a cable system used to close the tongue of the shoe towards the user's foot, thus lacing the shoe. The user simply uses his weight to activate the mechanism. Using his other foot, the user can move a pedal to release the mechanism's tension. Most of the mechanical components are located on both sides of the shoe body. |
| US08087185B2 |
Clothes dryer door hinge
A clothes dryer has a reclined front panel and a door mounted thereto by a hinge assembly. The assembly has a support plate and a pivoting member. The support plate is mounted to the rear of the front panel and has upper and lower hinge locating seat portions respectively recessed from the reclined front panel by first and second predetermined distances. The pivoting member has first and second end portions pivotally connected together along a vertical axis. The first end portion is mounted to the door. The second end portion is mounted with the front panel via the support plate. The second end portion has upper and lower horizontally extending arms respectively connected to the upper and lower hinge locating seat portions. The arms have lengths chosen relative to the first and second predetermined distances so as to vertically locate the vertical axis adjacent the reclined front panel. |
| US08087183B2 |
Clothes dryer drum bearing assembly
A clothes dryer front bearing structure that fits within an open end of the dryer drum has wear resistant bearing glides attached to an upper arcuate wall portion without the use of an additional fastener. The upper arcuate wall portion has one or more pairs of spaced apart apertures that define between them a glide wall supporting portion. The bearing structure also has pairs of spaced apart curb walls for each pair of apertures that extend below the upper arcuate wall portion adjacent to the apertures. The bearing glide has an intermediate portion overlying the glide wall supporting portion for rotatably supporting the open end of the drum, and opposing end portions that each pass through a corresponding aperture for engagement with a corresponding curb wall to thereby limit longitudinal movement of the glide and restrain the opposing end portions of the glide in the apertures and within the curb walls. |
| US08087182B2 |
Method for operating a condenser tumble-dryer comprising condenser tumble dryer that is suitable for said method
A method for operating a condenser tumble dryer is provided and includes a drying chamber for containing objects to be dried, a process air circuit having a heating element, a fan for conducting heated process air over the objects, a heat pump circuit having an evaporator, a compressor, and a condenser, and sensors for determining the humidity in the objects to be dried. According to the method, the humidity is determined and the process air is heated by the condenser until the humidity ranges between about 0% and about 12%. In the event that the humidity drops below the predetermined value, the heating element is activated and operated for at least five minutes so that the air temperature in the drying chamber reaches at least 70° C. |
| US08087178B2 |
Artist relative measure device
This invention provides a series of evenly spaced marks disposed on an art implement handle which allow an artist to accurately compare the relative sizes of different portions of their subjects so that they may depict them to scale. |
| US08087177B2 |
Level
A combination level/try square includes an elongated body with an arm at one end thereof. The arm is rotatable between a non-use position against the body and a use position in which the body and the arm define a try square. The body incorporates three indicators, namely a plumb indicator, a level indicator and a slope indicator. In a second embodiment, a laser pointer is provided on one end of the body. |
| US08087174B2 |
Shape memory safety utensil
A spoon having: a handle portion; and a head portion connected to the handle portion, the head portion being at least partially fabricated from a shape memory material, the head having a first shape to hold a liquid when the temperature of the liquid is less then a predetermined threshold temperature and a second shape so as to not hold the liquid when the temperature of the liquid is greater than the predetermined threshold. The first shape is preferably a concave shape and the second shape is a substantially flat shape. Alternatively, the first shape is a concave shape and the second shape is a concave shape having at least one opening in the concave shape. A fork is also disclosed having times that change shape when the temperature of food held thereon is greater than a predetermined threshold. |
| US08087173B2 |
Modular tool system
A modular tool system includes a plate for carrying a tool, a top plate and a base plate. A pair of locking members is disposed at two opposite ends of the tool-carrying plate. Each lock member is rotatably mounted in the tool-carrying plate, and has an axis of rotation perpendicular the tool-carrying plate. Each locking member has a keyway for receiving and locking a corresponding key of the top plate, and a key for inserting and locking in a corresponding keyway of the base plate. Turning of the keys of the top plate relative to the keyways of the tool-carrying plate locks the top plate and the tool-carrying plate together, and further turning of the keys of the top plate turns the keys of the tool-carrying plate relative to the keyways of the base plate and locks the tool-carrying plate and the base plate together. |
| US08087171B2 |
Method of installing axially adjustable driveshaft assembly
A method of installing an axially adjustable driveshaft assembly in a drive train system is described. Two hollow driveshaft sections, where one has a valve through an aperture in it and each has an end fitting, engage each other to form an axially adjustable driveshaft assembly that has a sealed internal chamber within. When a pressurized air or vacuum source is connected to the valve, air fills the chamber or air is removed from the chamber, which correspondingly increases or decreases a drive train system length. This results in facilitating the installation of the driveshaft assembly between a transmission and an axle assembly in a drive train system. |
| US08087165B2 |
Lightweight audio system for automotive applications and method
A lightweight radio/CD player for vehicular application is virtually “fastenerless” and includes a case and frontal interface formed of polymer based material that is molded to provide details to accept audio devices such as playback mechanisms (if desired) and radio receivers, as well as the circuit boards required for electrical control and display. The case and frontal interface are of composite structure, including an insert molded electrically conductive wire mesh screen that has been pre-formed to contour with the molding operation. The wire mesh provides EMC, RFI, BCI and ESD shielding and grounding of the circuit boards via exposed wire mesh pads and adjacent ground clips. The PCB architecture is bifurcated into a first board carrying common circuit components in a surface mount configuration suitable for high volume production, and a second board carrying application specific circuit components in a wave soldered stick mount configuration. The major components and subassemblies are self-fixturing during the final assembly process, eliminating the need for dedicated tools, fixtures and assembly equipment. The major components and subassemblies self-interconnect by integral guide and connection features effecting “slide lock” and “snap lock” self-interconnection. The radio architecture includes improved push buttons employing 4-bar living hinge linkage and front loaded decorative trim buttons. |
| US08087156B2 |
Methods of manufacturing fluid-dynamic-pressure bearing and spindle motor incorporating the bearing, and spindle motor and recording-disk drive incorporating the bearing
In spindle motors journaled on fluid-dynamic-pressure bearings, especially in such spindle motors employed in recording-disk drives in implementations that subject the drives to vibration and shock, sealing performance of a capillary seal formed between motor rotor-side and stator-side bearing surfaces, cohesiveness of oil-repellant on rotor-side/stator-side dry-area surfaces adjoining the capillary seal section, and motor inter-component adhesive strength are improved. The capillary-seal-constituting rotor-side/stator-side surface(s) are exposed to a plasma or to ultraviolet rays under predetermined conditions to improve the wettability of the surface(s) for the bearing fluid. The dry-area surface(s) are similarly irradiated so as to improve their wettability for the oil-repellant. Adhesively bonded component surfaces are likewise irradiated so as to improve their wettability for the adhesive, enhancing adhesive strength. Exposed surfaces may be constituted of a synthetic resin to enhance their wettability further, or may be made of metal, to yield a cleaning efficacy from the plasma/UV exposure. |
| US08087155B2 |
Method of forming an integrated circuit with MM-wave antennas using conventional IC packaging
A method of forming the integrated circuit. The method includes, in an integrated circuit package, forming each bond to or from an integrated circuit pad that is intended to be an antenna connection to be elongated compared to other bonds, and arranged in an approximately perpendicular direction to the plane of the integrated circuit; encapsulating the top of the integrated circuit package with a dielectric material at a height greater than a desired antenna length; and milling the dielectric encapsulation down to a pre-selected and calibrated height, such that the elongated bond wire to/from the integrated circuit pad that is intended to be an antenna connection is severed, such that the approximately vertical bond wire to/from the integrated circuit pad that is intended to be an antenna connection forms a quarter wave monopole. |
| US08087153B2 |
Manufacturing method of an electromechanical transducer
A handling member is prepared that provides a channel that can withstand subsequent back face processing as to a substrate having elements made up of a substrate and a membrane, and the handling member is fixed to the substrate so that at least a portion within the elements are supported by the handling member. This provides a manufacturing method wherein the physical strength of an element at the time of manufacturing an electromechanical transducing apparatus is strengthened, and the handling member is easily detached in a short time after processing of the element. |
| US08087144B2 |
Method and apparatus for protecting a substrate
A method and apparatus for capping and encapsulating a shaped wooden workpiece or substrate to protect against environmental elements and prevent splintering of the wooden substrate in the installed condition is disclosed. An inventive end cap having a melt ring integrally formed therewith is installed on a portion of the substrate, such as a terminus of the substrate. According to the invention, the wooden substrate is sheathed during a polymeric extrusion process with a substantially continuous, unbroken polyethylene or other polymeric layer extending from and continuous with the inventive end cap. During the extrusion process, the melt ring integrally formed along the annular walls of the end cap melt the encapsulant and form a substantially sealed configuration with the polymeric layer applied to the substrate. The melt ring is engineered to sealingly incorporate with the polymeric extrusion as the molten encapsulant is applied to the wooden substrate, to provide a substantially uniform sealed joint between the end cap and the polymeric layer while maintaining a substantially uniform cross-section along the length of the wooden substrate following completion of the encapsulation process. |
| US08087133B2 |
Transport carriage for needle boards
The transport carriage (1) for the accommodation of a needle board (2) comprises a console (21) that is preferably supported so as to be pivotable about a rotational axis (22). Clamping jaws (24, 25) are provided on the console (21), with the clamping jaws clamping the needle board (2)—preferably in a force-limited manner—between each other and thus holding said needle board in a frictionally engaged manner. |
| US08087132B2 |
Vessel for interring cremated remains and associated methods
A cremated remains containment vessel may include an outer shell including a base and sidewalls extending upwardly from the base. The sidewalls may be defined by a lower portion positioned adjacent the base and an upper portion positioned opposite the base. The outer shell may also include a plurality of interior walls extending upwardly from the base, interior the sidewalls, to define a plurality of compartments. The vessel may also include a top that is removeably connected to the upper portion of the sidewalls, and a pair of handles connected to the sidewalls of the outer shell to oppose one another. The vessel may further include a pair of grooves formed in a bottom portion of the base and aligned substantially parallel with one another. The vessel may still further include a liner carried by the outer shell adjacent an inner portion of the sidewalls and the base, and a data plate carried by a bottom portion of the top. The vessel may also include a frame member carried by an outer portion of the sidewalls. Contact between the top and the outer shell may form an airtight or watertight seal. |
| US08087131B1 |
Stretching assembly for cloth
A stretching assembly for cloth has a heating furnace, a pressing device and a shaping device. The heating furnace has two opposite sidewalls and a channel. The channel is formed through the opposite sidewalls of the heating furnace and has an inlet and an outlet. The pressing assembly is set to face the inlet of the heating furnace and has a first pressing wheel and a second pressing wheel. The first pressing wheel has multiple annular protruding segments formed on an external surface of the first pressing wheel. The second pressing wheel parallel the first pressing wheel to form a curved clearance between the pressing wheels and has multiple annular concave segments formed on an external surface of the second pressing wheel. The shaping device is set to face the outlet of the heating furnace, aligns with the pressing device and has two shaping wheels. |
| US08087128B2 |
Hinge assembly
A hinge assembly includes a base, a joint member, a pintle, and a coiling spring. The joint member is rotatably connected to the base. The pintle runs through the base and the joint member. The coiling spring has a first end and a second end. The first end is fixed relative to the base, and the second end is fixed relative to the joint member. |
| US08087126B2 |
Bed immobilization system integrated into chassis feet
A bed leg with a caster, equipped with a braking mechanism that allows the bed to be immobilized is provided. The bed leg comprises a housing, which houses a caster, an actuating mechanism installed in the housing, a pedal joined to a lever and a braking pad mounted on the lower part of the actuating mechanism. |
| US08087123B2 |
Floor cleaning appliance
The invention relates to a floor cleaning appliance comprising a housing, on the underside of which is arranged at least one drivable cleaning tool for removing dirt from a surface to be cleaned, and further comprising a suction unit for vacuuming-off the dirt and a dirt container for receiving the vacuumed-off dirt. In order to so develop such a floor cleaning appliance that it is easier to service, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that the housing comprise a dirt container receptacle in which the dirt container is releasably positionable, and, in addition, at least one functional device receptacle for at least one functional device, the at least one functional device or a cover of the at least one functional device being freely accessible after removal of the dirt container from the dirt container receptacle. |
| US08087120B1 |
Baby bottle cleaning brush with reversible splash guard
A baby bottle cleaning brush which includes a reversible cover between the brush and handle that covers the opening of a baby bottle, so when the action of the brush on the lip of the baby bottle opening would tend to spray water, the brush cover envelops the bottle opening and prevents the spray from spreading out and hitting the user or surroundings. |
| US08087117B2 |
Cleaning robot roller processing
A coverage robot includes a chassis, a drive system, and a cleaning assembly. The cleaning assembly includes a housing and at least one driven cleaning roller including an elongated core with end mounting features defining a central longitudinal axis of rotation, multiple floor cleaning bristles extending radially outward from the core, and at least one compliant flap extending radially outward from the core to sweep a floor surface. The flap is configured to prevent errant filaments from spooling tightly about the core to aid subsequent removal of the filaments. In another aspect, a coverage robot includes a chassis, a drive system, a controller, and a cleaning assembly. The cleaning assembly includes a housing and at least one driven cleaning roller. The coverage robot includes a roller cleaning tool carried by the chassis and configured to longitudinally traverse the roller to remove accumulated debris from the cleaning roller. |
| US08087114B2 |
Thin pocket mattress, and method and device for its manufacturing
A spring mattress includes a plurality of strings interconnected side by side, each string including a continuous casing material with a plurality of pockets, said pockets being defined by at least one longitudinal connecting line extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the string and a plurality of transverse connecting lines extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the string, and coil springs arranged in the pockets of the string. For at least one of the springs, casing material portions arranged at the ends of the spring are moved towards each other, through the spring, and connected to each other. The connecting lines are arranged at the side of the springs and, thus, between neighboring springs. The interconnected casing material portions are thus at the ends of the springs essentially free of other connections. |
| US08087112B2 |
Portable collapsible stretcher
A lightweight, collapsible and portable stretcher for effective use under extreme circumstances such as use in disaster and war affected terrains. The stretcher includes a wheel assembly having an alternative use as a container for the collapsible stretcher. The invention has particular advantages in military or disaster environments in that it allows one person, a carrier, to perform an evacuation of an injured person, whereas prior art stretchers require two or more persons to effectuate an evacuation of an injured person. Additionally, the carrier person can utilize the stretcher to transport or pull an injured person while reserving independent functions of his or her hands. Accordingly, the lightweight collapsible and portable stretcher can be operated hands-free by a single carrier person. |
| US08087109B2 |
Patient positioning device
A patient positioning device for restoring a patient to a desired position in a hospital bed. An example patient positioning device may include a flexible track positioned along each of the lateral edges of a sleep surface and extending substantially the entire length of the sleep surface, a sheet including beaded edges for slidably engaging the tracks such that the sheet spans between the first track and the second track on the sleep surface, and/or a drive mechanism located proximate a head end of the sleep surface and configured to pull the sheet towards the head end of the bed. |
| US08087107B2 |
Dual flush valve refill
A dual flush valve is provided for refilling fluid in a toilet bowl. The dual flush valve includes a refill mechanism configured to refill the toilet bowl with a substantially same volume of refill fluid for both a full flush and a half flush, a first valve connected to the refill mechanism, the first valve operates to control flow of fluid into a bowl, a fluid input is connected to a first port of the first valve, and a fluid output is connected to a second port of the first valve. The level of fluid in the bowl is refilled to a same level for both a full flush and a half flush. |
| US08087101B2 |
Impact shock absorbing material
Impact shock absorbing material to be incorporated into protective gear or clothing. The impact shock absorbing material is a laminated material, having a shear-thickening layer and a shock absorbing layer, that is a honeycomb material. The laminated material is incorporated into protective headgear, sports gear, clothing, and a host of other articles that are worn for protection against impact shock. The shear-thickening layer shunts the local impact forces over a greater area of the underlying shock absorbing layer, thereby reducing the force at the point of impact. The vertical walls of the honeycomb layer buckle under the incoming force, thereby diffusing the direction of force away from direct alignment with the body wearing the impact-shock-absorbing material. Protective gear made of the impact shock absorbing material significantly reduces forces imparted to the body as a result of a fall, blow, or other sudden impact. |
| US08087098B2 |
Multi-sectional waistband quick release undergarment
A multi-sectional waistband quick release undergarment is provided. The multi-sectional waistband quick release undergarment includes a multi-sectional waistband having a first waistband section and a second waistband section for securing the undergarment to a wearer's body. An undergarment body includes a front panel and a rear panel, which are joined to the first waistband section and the second waistband section, respectively. At least a portion of the first waistband section is releasably secured to at least a portion of the second waistband section, and at least a portion of the front panel is releasably secured to at least a portion of the rear panel. When a predetermined breakaway force is exerted on the second waistband section, the second waistband section releases from the first waistband section and the rear panel releases from the front panel; and thereby provides effective protection against wedgies. |
| US08087096B2 |
Slip resistant multi-layered articles
Multiple-layered articles are provided which do not suffer from interlayer slippage upon application of a normal force and which are flexible and particularly well suited for use as dexterous hand coverings. |