Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Honeywell G.m.b.h.

Micro Lungo, Inc.

Other

Home Products International-north America, Inc.

Mario M Orrico

Daniel J Danek

Rudy Avramovich

Rou Farhadieh

Stuart Koford

James P Orrico

Earl J Genz

Randall M Crippen

Gabriel Prero

Brian J Truesdale

William J Olson

James S Zielinski

Rolando Hernandez

Richard P Bolger

Leslie M Watts

Ronald L Martin

Michael S Pedersen

Harry N Etters

Charles J Shedore

Iran R Littman

Edward B Gut

Theron Michael Watters

Robert J Keller

John P Cichello

Stephan H Schramme

Nicholas J Mercadante

Anthony W Meadors

John N Long

Stuart Kofard

Brigg A Johnston

Robert Riddell

Various embodiments of the present disclosure include an ironing board with two expandable front legs configured to expand to a wider separation in an open position than in a collapsed position. The wider separation in the open position allows for greater stability without increasing the size of the board in the collapsed position. The ironing board of the present disclosure includes a front leg pivot system that permits each of the front legs to spread apart from each other and an adjustable pivot mechanism that allows the front legs to move apart from the rear legs. In one embodiment, a cam is mounted to the two rear legs to serve as a track for the front legs. In another embodiment, a tension member is mounted to the two front legs to control the spread of the two front legs.

Ironing board with expandable legs

A universal load switch includes convex fixed terminal contacts and convex movable contacts selectively connectable electrically to the terminal contacts. Snap blades forcibly move the movable contacts toward and away from each of the terminal contacts.

Universal load switch

A gear position sensor employs a sliding electrical connection between arcuate conductors and flexible wiper arms held on opposite surfaces that rotate relative to each other with the movement of a gear selector shaft. The traces may have multiple segments joined by resistors to provide flexible change in resistance value and resistance range for different applications.

Transmission gear position sensor using printed circuit element

An apparatus in an example comprises a seat, a torso support, and a connector. The seat comprises a rigid core. The torso support is coupled with the seat. The connector is coupled with the seat and/or the torso support. The connector is removably connectable with an accessory that serves to at least in part support a weight of a patient relative to a load-bearing surface. A location of the patient on the seat with a front of the patient faced toward the torso support and the connector coupled with the accessory allows control by a caregiver of an upper body of the patient for and during transfer of the patient by the caregiver from a start location to a target location.

Patient transfer

An accelerator module for an electric vehicle, including a rotor actuator designed to hold a magnet in one end and to provide a drive interface with the vehicle at the other end. The accelerator module employs a Hall Effect chip configured to produce a variable voltage output in proportion to the relative locations of the magnet and the Hall Effect chip, such that when the rotor actuator is caused to rotate, the magnet is rotated across the Hall Effect chip. The Hall Effect chip includes a Hall Effect sensor, which senses differences in magnetic fields. When the magnet is passed across the Hall Effect sensor, the magnetic field will change in proportion to the amount of rotation of the rotor actuator. The variable voltage produced by the Hall Effect chip may then be translated into variable acceleration for the vehicle.

Hall effect accelerator module

A switch assembly includes a base, a flat spring, a switch, and an actuating member. The base includes a central channel. The flat spring may be pivotally secured to a portion of the base. The switch is proximate the flat spring, and is configured to selectively open and close a circuit, such as an ignition circuit of a vehicle. The actuating member is positioned through the central channel and abuts the flat spring. The actuating member is configured to be engaged toward the flat spring in order to activate the switch, wherein movement of the actuating member in a first direction causes the flat spring to move in a second direction into the switch to activate the switch. The first direction may be perpendicular to the second direction.

Safety switch assembly

A removable filter/pod compartment is filled with coffee grounds, tea, or other espresso particulate brewing substance and mounted within a water reservoir. Water is placed in the water reservoir. A bottom cover is connected to upper cup assembly to hold the filter/pod compartment in place. A resilient gasket or valve is positioned between the filter/pod compartment and a filtrate passage. A filtrate splash cover may be attached to the upper edges of the filtrate reservoir. The assembled beverage maker is placed into a microwave oven. As water in the water reservoir begins to heat up, steam is generated, and hot water is displaced upwards through the filter/pod compartment and particulate brewing substance. The heated beverage is automatically emptied into the filtrate reservoir, which is designed to function as a drinking cup for individually-sized portions.

Microwavable beverage maker

A joystick module in which a toggle arm controls movement of a plurality of shutters, with each shutter arranged between a light receiver and a light emitter. Control of the light from the light receiver to the light emitter of each pair provides signal information for controlled operation of an activity.

Optical joystick module

A position sensor device that produces a variable output voltage when using a light emitting diode, such as an infrared light emitting diode (IR-LED), and a phototransistor further includes the use of a semi-transparent piece of material having a varying thickness that passes between the IR-LED and the phototransistor. The output voltage provided by the phototransistor varies depending on the amount of light collected by the phototransistor, which is controlled by the amount of light passing through the semi-transparent material. The amount of light passing through the transparent material depends on the thickness of the semi-transparent material. With the invention, the semi-transparent material may pass between the IR-LED and phototransistor in either a linear or rotary manner.

Position sensor with an optical member of varying thickness

A push-button switch includes a universal assembly comprising a single body design, a single plunger design, and a single base design to provide various switch options in an overall single package design. The push-button switch of the invention may be operated by either a mechanical switch assembly or a hall-effect system. The push-button switch may also provide a momentary switch connection, such as a single push system, or a maintained switch connection, such as a push-push system. Further, the push-button switch may include feedback mechanisms, such as LED components and the like that provide a visible feedback of the switch connection, and tactile feedback components that also indicate the switch connection.

Push-button switch

An accelerator module for an electric vehicle has a pivotal actuator upon which is mounted a wiping element for wiping engagement with variable and constant resistance elements formed upon a printed circuit board mounted within a housing. A normally-open switch mechanism is also mounted upon the printed circuit board, and in order to delay the closure of the normally-open switch mechanism from its OPEN state to its CLOSED state, the actuator is provided with a spring-biased overtravel plunger mechanism which engages a push-button element of the switch mechanism so as to retain the switch in its OPEN state until the actuator has been moved a predetermined distance corresponding to a predetermined amount of depression of the accelerator pedal of the electric vehicle.

Accelerator module for electric vehicle

According to the present invention, water is placed in a water reservoir constructed of plastic microwave-transparent, pressure-resistant material. A funnel positioned on the upper surface of filter compartment is supported on the upper edges of the water reservoir with the spout extending downwardly into the water reservoir. A lower filter is placed into the filter compartment, and coffee grounds or other espresso particulate substance is placed on upper surface of the lower filter. An upper filter is then positioned on the upper surface of filter compartment to restrain the coffee grounds or other particular substance during brewing. A filtrate reservoir is placed over the funnel, and twisted, thereby engaging threads to join the water reservoir and the filtrate reservoir. A filtrate splash cover is attached to the upper edges of the filtrate reservoir. The assembled espresso device is placed into a microwave oven. As water in the water reservoir begins to boil, steam is generated, and boiling water is displaced upwards through the funnel and grounds, forming espresso. The filtrate splash cover provides for both venting and fluid retention during brewing. A resilient gasket, in conjunction with a plurality of vent passages, provides an additional path for pressure relief. The espresso is automatically emptied into the filtrate reservoir, which is designed to function as a drinking cup for individually-sized portions.

Device for making coffee and espresso beverages in microwave oven

A method and apparatus for actuating an electrical switch and providing a variable electrical resistance usable to sense displacement of a movable member. The apparatus includes a housing for receiving the electrical switch, a variable resistance element, and an actuator with a body member and a transverse cylindrical sleeve. An electrically conductive wiper is coupled to the actuator and contacts the variable resistance element, which varies with pivotal movement of the actuator. The body member is pivotably supported by an aperture of the housing about an axis of the cylindrical sleeve, and a spring member biases the actuator toward an initial position, wherein the actuator is pivotable against the bias of the spring to actuate the electrical switch and to provide the variable resistance by positioning the electrically conductive wiper along the variable resistance element. A guide surface within the housing guides the actuator and the electrically conductive wiper in fixed relation relative to the variable resistance element when the body member is pivoted within the housing. The cylindrical sleeve protrudes through an aperture of the housing, and is coupled to the movable member by a collar with a set screw without having to calibrate the variable resistor or the switch actuation timing.

Electrical switch and variable resistance module for vehicle brake pedal

A removable filter compartment is filled with coffee grounds, tea, or other espresso particulate substance and mounted within a water reservoir. Water is placed in the water reservoir. A bottom cover is connected to the water reservoir to hold the filter compartment in place. Lower and upper filters are formed into the filter compartment. The lower filter may include a slotted flow distribution port extending into the interior of the filter compartment to improve the distribution of water flow. A cup-like filtrate reservoir is integrally molded to the water reservoir. A filtrate passage forms a fluid path between the filter compartment and the filtrate reservoir. A resilient gasket or valve is positioned between the filter compartment and filtrate passage. A filtrate splash cover may be attached to the upper edges of the filtrate reservoir. The assembled beverage maker is placed into a microwave oven. As water in the water reservoir begins to heat up, steam is generated, and hot water is displaced upwards through the filter compartment and particulate substance. The heated beverage is automatically emptied into the filtrate reservoir, which is designed to function as a drinking cup for individually-sized portions.

According to the present invention, water is placed in a water reservoir constructed of plastic microwave-transparent, pressure-resistant material. A funnel positioned on the upper surface of filter compartment is supported on the upper edges of the water reservoir with the spout extending downwardly into the water reservoir. A lower filter is placed into the filter compartment, and coffee grounds or other espresso particulate substance is placed on upper surface of the lower filter. An upper filter is then positioned on the upper surface of filter compartment to restrain the coffee grounds or other particular substance during brewing. A filtrate reservoir is placed over the funnel, and twisted, thereby engaging threads to join the water reservoir and the filtrate reservoir. A filtrate splash cover is attached to the upper edges of the filtrate reservoir. The assembled espresso device is placed into a microwave oven. As water in the water reservoir begins to boil, steam is generated, and boiling water is displaced upwards through the funnel and grounds, forming espresso. The filtrate splash cover provides for both venting and fluid retention during brewing. A resilient gasket, in conjunction with a plurality of vent passages, provides an additional means for pressure relief. The espresso is automatically emptied into the filtrate reservoir, which is designed to function as a drinking cup for individually-sized portions.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Mario M Orrico