The Clorox Company

Other

Thomas Gerret Dewees

Ronald E Heiskell

Jerry A Volponi

Raymond W Harold

Kenneth T Felipe

Orice Darlington

Lee Griffey

Clement K Choy

James D Mitchell

Frank M Knafelc

Daniel T Carty

Robert J Iliff

James R Latham

Jon L Ellgen

Thomas M Lipton

Eugene A Mizusawa

Tracey L Casella

Dorothy L Flores

Donald J Paone

Jan Gerritsen

R Gregory Taylor

Andrew P Zwemer

Carl L Bishop

An adjustable table is easily moved from coffee table height to dining table. The weight of the table top is supported by a pneumatic cylinder, preferably exerting a force slightly greater than the weight of the table top. The cylinder connects to a much larger air tank, so that essentially constant lifting force is exerted. For stability of the table top a guide mechanism firmly retains the table against rotation, side movement or tilting. A unique locking mechanism retains the table at a selected height and is easily released with a finger lever.

Pneumatic adjustable-height table

A device is added to or built into a subject large vehicle, such as a large motorhome. The device provides for the driver's use either one or two retracting steps to facilitate the driver's entrance into or exit from the subject vehicle. Since these steps retract for travel, they are able to extend far enough beyond the side of the subject vehicle to allow the driver's weight to be directly above each step in stair step fashion rather than vertical ladder fashion. The device makes motorhome driver's side doors safer and more usable for less athletic people and the elderly.

Driver's side large vehicle step

A system of vehicle tracking assists the driver of the subject vehicle (especially if it is a wide vehicle such as a motorhome or large truck) to determine the exact position of the subject vehicle and the width and location of the safe clearance path of the vehicle as it moves forward. This system incorporates hardware, setup instruction and means to train the driver to change and improve the accuracy of his or her perception of the path the vehicle will travel and warn the driver of what may lie within that path. This system takes into account that the driver generally has two eyes and enables the driver to keep them both focused on the road ahead of the vehicle while enabling him or her to continuously identify the limits of the safe clearance path of the vehicle.

Vehicle tracking driver assistance system

A straight line capping machine is provided that wherein the cap tightening discs and the container grasping mechanism are synchronized to a predetermined relationship so as to prevent cocked caps, loose caps and/or scuffed caps. In particular, the mechanisms are synchronized to ensure that the tangential velocity of the rear cap tightening disc minus the tangential velocity of the front cap tightening disc is about twice the predetermined velocity of the container passing through the capping machine.

In-line capping machine

Safety apparatus for in-line capping machine

A conically threaded closure system is described which provides a compressive radial force to axial force ratio in the range of 4.3-6.2:1, resulting in an optimum stress distribution throughout the thread structures, optimum thread engagement with minimal rotational effort and primary and secondary sealing means. The system comprises a container having a first conical thread structure and a cap having a second conical thread structure disposed on the inside surface of the cap skirt adapted to cooperate with the first conical thread structure. The first and second conical thread structures each have a conical angle in the range of approximately 20.degree. to 30.degree., preferably approximately 24.degree. to 28.degree..

Conically threaded closure system

A dry cleaning system particularly suited for employing supercritical CO.sub.2 as the cleaning fluid consisting of a sealable cleaning vessel containing a rotatable drum adapted for holding soiled substrate, a cleaning fluid storage vessel, and a gas vaporizer vessel for recycling used cleaning fluid is provided. The drum is magnetically coupled to a motor so that it an be rotated during the cleaning process. The system is adapted for automation which permits increased energy efficiency as the heating and cooling effect associated with CO.sub.2 gas condensation and expansion can be channeled to heat and cool various parts of the system.

Liquid/supercritical carbon dioxide dry cleaning system

A wash additive combination is provided which is loaded into a washing machine at the start of a wash cycle, and which releases a wash additive, such as a fabric softener, into the rinse solution. The combination comprises a wash additive packet of a foam substrate material having a first and a second stable conformation of differing surface area, and a wash additive deposited thereon. A dispenser is provided for mounting atop a washing machine agitator, and into which the packet may be releasably placed, after arranging the packet in its lesser surface area conformation. The packet is retained by the dispenser during initial phases of the wash cycle, and ejected during the spin phase, whereupon it regains its greater surface area conformation for rapid and complete dispersion of active. Embodiments are provided for dual, sequential release of active in the rinse and the dryer.

Rinse release laundry additive and dispenser

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Thomas Gerret Dewees