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Patently Speaking highlights the technological achievements of Fort Wayne-area residents.
•U.S. Patent No. 7,627,490
•Invented by: Donald L. Glick, Fort Wayne; Daryl G. Pannabecker, Leo-Cedarville; Tammy E. Shepherd, Fort Wayne; Michael J. Allison, Fort Wayne; and Hugh W. White, North Manchester
•Assigned to Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., Fort Wayne
Insurance coverage is necessary for any business. Religious organizations, including churches and ministries, are no different. Religious organizations, according to this patent, require specialized coverage for clergy orientation and placement and for religious school and camps.
Because of these specialized needs, an insurance agent preparing a rate quote goes through a cumbersome process. A lot of data needs to be gathered and analyzed to ensure the appropriate level of coverage is prepared at a fair rate.
Conventionally, agents collect all this data over several steps by asking certain questions. Answers often precipitate additional questions, which are then considered, and a new rate calculated.
This patent describes an automated system for quoting insurance rates that is tailored for religious institutions.
Using the Internet, an agent creates a policy by asking a series of predefined questions whose answers are transmitted over a network. From that, a computer system automatically calculates the policy and rate or poses additional questions so the rate can be calculated.
•U.S. Patent No. 7,624,663
•Invented by: Lyle D. Kaehr, Decatur, and James A. Kaehr, Lagro
•Assigned to Momentum Industries LLC, Fort Wayne
With so much stimulus money going to construction projects, work seems to be continuing later in the year than in past years. A drive down Lima Road past all the sewer work confirms this fact.
This patent helps make installing those sewer pipes a little bit easier.
Installing water or sewer lines obviously involves connecting one pipe to another. Typically, these pipes have a tapered male end on one side and a wider female end on the other. This allows the ends of the pipes to easily fit together. However, sometimes a pipe needs to be custom-fitted into a particular location. This means the pipe has to be cut, which can be a problem.
Conventionally, the male end of the pipe is cut and a rubber gasket fitted around it to connect to another pipe. According to this patent, cutting the pipe and making a new taper is often done using hand tools. This results in a slower process and less precise cuts. Errors could mean leaky connections, and having to fix them would slow down the project.
This patent changes that by providing a cutting tool that clamps securely to the pipe. Cutting the end and grinding the taper on the pipe is now much more precise, making a better fit between two pipes.
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.
