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Patently Speaking highlights the technological achievements of Fort Wayne-area residents.
•U.S. Patent No. 7,523,989
•Invented by: Wesley S. Anspach, Fort Wayne; Randolph Brown, Fort Wayne; Blaine L. Wieland, Spencerville; and Byron T. Shank, LaGrange
•Assigned to Home Reserve Inc., Fort Wayne
Isn’t it amazing how large pieces of furniture, from bookcases to tables, are delivered in a flat box that is often no more than 5 inches thick? Having recently moved, I have put together my share of ready-to-assemble bar stools and tables. In fact, I will live contently if I never have to use an Allen wrench or drive a half-inch nail through pressboard ever again.
Ready-to-assemble furniture, however, has generally been limited to non-upholstered solid furniture such as bookcases, benches and television stands. But why not upholstered furniture?
The reason is that cushions and fabric attached to a solid frame is a more complicated design. Attaching upholstered components to a structural support without fasteners showing is easier said than done.
This patent describes a new ready-to-assemble sectional sofa. The frame of the sofa has interlocking support panels. They have either tabs-in-slots or jigsaw puzzle-type fittings that hold the frame without fasteners.
Upholstered coverings and cushions then fit over the frame to complete the sofa.
With this design, individual components of the frame can be made of relatively small flat pieces that are easily packaged, transportable, and ready to assemble.
•U.S. Patent No. 7,526,403
•Invented by: Chris Hogan, Fort Wayne, and Kirt Christensen, Fort Wayne
•Assigned to Dahlgren LLC, Minneapolis, Minn.
Obviously, combat-type computer games are not at all the same as actual battlefield combat. However, the tools of their trades overlap.
In the past, computing a target for artillery fire had to be done manually using boards and various data tables. This approach did not take into account weather conditions or weapon characteristics, so there was always a margin of error.
Recently, computers have replaced boards and data tables. They assist in the calculations but are large (larger than a laptop), bulky and use expensive software. Lugging these computers around on the battlefield does not make for an optimum solution.
This patent describes a new system that uses commercial-off-the-shelf (“cots” in military supply lingo) laptops rather than the big bulky computers.
New software takes advantage of the laptop’s processing power and communication capability in making the necessary calculations. With the lightweight laptop, the battlefield computer system now has the ability to consider the many variables involved in accurate mortar aiming while being easier to carry around.
In addition, its networking capabilities are used to transmit necessary data to other parties and download necessary weather data.
The preceding are lay descriptions of patents obtained from the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s public records and are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing contained herein is a legal description of any claimed invention, identification of novelty, or offer of legal advice.
Because issued patents are based on applications often filed years earlier, the subject matter of some patents may have been available on the market for some time prior to the issuance of the patent.
Additional information on these patents is available at www.uspto.gov.
