Patents Examined by Charles K. Friedman
  • Patent number: 5115760
    Abstract: A developer material coating apparatus includes a support member feeding unit for feeding the support member to a developer material coating region while carrying the support member thereon, a developer material coating unit for triboelectrically charging the developer material and electrostatically supplying the charged developer material toward the support member feeding unit to coat the developer material on the surface of the support member in the developer material coating region, and a developer material removing unit for sucking and removing the developer material attached to said support member feeding means, except for the developer material attached to the surface of the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masataka Maeda
  • Patent number: 5116321
    Abstract: A fluidizing and suction withdrawal unit (14) which can be lowered into a container (20) holding a powder (22), in order to fluidize the powder and withdraw the fluidized powder (92) by suction. The fluidizing and suction withdrawal unit (14) is provided with a level sensor (88) which generates a signal, in contingence on the immersion depth (80, 82) to which the fluidizing and suction withdrawal unit (14) is immersed in a powder layer (92) fluidized by it. This assures a consistent feed capacity which also in the case of direct connection of a spray device (76) results in the coating of articles at good coating qualities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Gema Volstatic AG
    Inventor: Silvano Gelain
  • Patent number: 5115761
    Abstract: An apparatus for light curing of an adhesive resin coating on a continuous string-like linear product is shown. It consists of an elongated chamber having a light reflective inner side wall and removable end caps. The product coated with the adhesive resin is passed through the chamber through transverse slots formed in the end caps. The ultraviolet curing light is injected into the chamber by a light guide inserted through the peripheral side wall. Nitrogen gas may be also passed through the chamber to enhance the curing process of the resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: EFOS Inc.
    Inventor: Randy Hood
  • Patent number: 5115759
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for coating a developer on the surface of a substrate of an image printing medium, the apparatus including a developer carrier holding thereon a layer of the developer in a charged state generated by frictional contact therewith, an electrode roller adapted to transport the substrate to and from a transfer region, and an alternating electric field produced between the developer carrier and the electrode roller, urging the developer on the carrier to take flight toward the substrate to form a coated layer of the developer on the surface thereof. With this developer coating apparatus, the developer which is imparted with vibration in the alternating electric field is efficiently coated on the substrate surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeru Kagayama
  • Patent number: 5113785
    Abstract: A transport device (1) for boards (2) or board-shaped workpieces, especially those having a sensitive surface, preferably for circuit boards which are coated with plastics material, for example UV-hardenable plastics material, with lacquer or the like and then dried, is constructed as a circulating coating system. The device (1) has holders (3) for taking hold of the boards (2) at the edges (2a) thereof when they are being handled, and advancing means, advantageously in the form of chains, for transporting those holders (3). The holder (3) has two parallel bars (10) on each of which there are provided two rows (11, 12) of prongs (13) arranged in the form of a rake, the prongs (13) of the one row (11) of a bar (10) forming an acute angle with those of the second row (12) of that bar (10) and the two rows (11, 12) accordingly being arranged with respect to each other in a "V" shape when viewed in cross-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Assignee: Ciba-Geigy Corporation
    Inventor: Peter Martin
  • Patent number: 5113701
    Abstract: A transport device for boards having a sensitive surface, especially for wet-coated circuit boards, comprises, within a common housing, a lacquering station and, arranged above the latter, a drying region. For transporting the boards (2) through the drying region holders (3) are provided which comprise at least two bars (30) each having rows (31,32) of prongs extending from a bar (30) in a "V" shape and arranged in the form of a rake. The free ends of the prongs of the one bar point towards the free ends of the prongs of the other bar. The bottom ends of the holders (3) are open. For supporting the bottom ends (2b) of a board (2) that is being transported in a holder (3), the transport device is equipped with a supporting device (12) that is movable synchronously with the holders (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Assignee: Ciba-Geigy Corporation
    Inventor: Peter Martin
  • Patent number: 5112444
    Abstract: A method of treating a pulp suspension in a screening plant of a pulp mill wherein reject impurities are separated from defibered pulp by screening and/or cleaning, the cleaned pulp is thickened to a consistency of from about 10 to about 20%, the impurities are further treated in the screening plant by screening and defibering the accept fiber material for further screening and thickening and further reject impurities are removed from the screening plant after various screening stages, the method including effecting one or both of the pulp screening and cleaning stages in a closed, pressurized space in the screening plant and preventing the access of air to the pulp treated by effecting the thickening stages in a pressurized state and at the initial pressure of one or both of the preceding screening and cleaning stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1992
    Assignee: A. Ahlstrom Corporation
    Inventors: Kaj Henricson, Olavi Pikka
  • Patent number: 5108703
    Abstract: An automated multi-purpose analytical chemistry processing center and laboratory work station having a movable table for supporting microtiter plates and other fluid receptacles, a movable arm, and a modular mobile pod affixed for reciprocal movement along the arm. The work station combines into a single programmable system the capabilities for automation of a wide range of bioanalytical procedures including, not only sample pipetting, serial dilution, reagent additions, mixing, reaction timing and similar known manual procedures, but also programmable spectrophotometric measurements and other physical parameters, further processing based on these measurements and automatic data recording. The work station is adapted to transfer, dispense, and aspirate liquid from one location to another automatically in accordance with user programmed instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Assignee: Beckman Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Dale R. Pfost, Torleif O. Bjornson, Robert M. Coppock, Carl Kowalski, Samuel A. Marquiss, Donald S. Murray, R. Fred Pfost, Brian Sanford, Katherine L. Puckett
  • Patent number: 5105759
    Abstract: A plurality of injector elements are mounted on a frame and within a nozzle above a subjacent support for depositing a layer of pulverulent product on the support. In order to change the predetermined spacing of the injectors, they are selectively connected to a shuttle which is moved by a digitally controlled stepping motor to a predetermined position, after which they are separated from the shuttle. A solenoid mounted on each of the injectors can be activated to frictionally hold the injector at its predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1992
    Assignee: Saint Gobain Vitrage International
    Inventors: Vincent Sauvinet, Michel Pichon, Pascal Gerardin
  • Patent number: 5104621
    Abstract: An automated multi-purpose analytical chemistry processing center and laboratory work station having a movable table for supporting microtiter plates and other fluid receptacles, a movable arm, and a modular mobile pod affixed for reciprocal movement along the arm. The workstation combines into a single programmable system the capabilities for automation of a wide range of bioanalytical procedures including, not only sample pipetting, serial dilution, reagent additions, mixing, reaction timing and similar known manual procedures, but also programmable spectrophotometric measurements and other physical parameters, further processing based on these measurements and automatic data recording. The work station is adapted to transfer, dispense, and aspirate liquid from one location to another automatically in accordance with user programmed instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Assignee: Beckman Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Dale R. Pfost, Torleif O. Bjornson, Robert M. Coppock, Carl Kowalski, Samuel A. Marquiss, Donald S. Murray, R. Fred Pfost, Brian Sanford, Katherine L. Puckett
  • Patent number: 5097791
    Abstract: The apparatus has as many invalidating units (E) arranged next to one another as there are longitudinal rows of security prints on the print carriers (P). Each invalidating unit (E) has a stand (1), a trough (3) vertically displaceable in the latter and intended for receiving ink (4), a centrifugal wheel (7) rotating continuously above the trough (3), and a shutter (11) which interacts with an orifice (10) of a cowl (9) covering the centrifugal wheel (7). By means of a controlled actuating member (6), the trough (3) is adjustable between a raised working position, in which the centrifugal wheel (7) dips into the ink and the shutter (11) exposes the orifice (10), and a lowered position of rest, in which the centrifugal wheel (7) does not dip into the ink and the orifice (10) is covered by the shutter (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: De la Rue Giori S.A.
    Inventors: Claus D. Barrois, Philipp A. Dieterich
  • Patent number: 5096540
    Abstract: Combined acidification and evaporative concentration of sulfite based chemical and sulfite based semichemical spent liquors expel massive amounts of gaseous sulfur dioxide and water vapor from the spent liquor.The concentration of the expelled sulfur dioxide is sufficiently high so that the sulfur dioxide and water vapor can be recycled directly, without further separation, to produce fresh sulfite pulping liquor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1992
    Inventors: Nancy J. Sell, Jack C. Norman
  • Patent number: 5092264
    Abstract: Drawn optical fiber is provided with at least one layer of a coating material. The coating material typically is a UV curable material and provides the optical fiber with mechanical and environmental protection. It has been found that the temperature at which the optical fiber is cured has a pronounced effect on the modulus of the cured coating material. In order to provide a coated optical fiber of which the coating material has a desired modulus, the temperature of the coating material during cure is controlled by controlling the amount of energy of infrared wavelength which impinges on the coating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: AT&T Bell Laboratories
    Inventors: Bob J. Overton, Carl R. Taylor
  • Patent number: 5092307
    Abstract: A roof machine for the electrostatic paint coating of the front end, roof, and rear surfaces of an automobile chassis, transported on a conveyor belt includes a roof beam equipped with atomizers, the roof beam extending over the conveyor belt. Opposite ends of the roof beam are positioned in two vertical columns, one column containing the drive elements for the roof beam and the atomizers, and the other column containing the paint supply for the atomizers. The roof beam is positioned in the vertical columns that the roof beam can be moved up and down and can be rotated around its longitudinal axis as well, and the atomizers can be moved jointly back and forth and tilted and individually adjusted with respect to their lateral spacing relative to one another. The housing jacket of the roof beam is cylindrical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: Behr Industrieanlagen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans Behr, Werner Hohnhaus
  • Patent number: 5090360
    Abstract: There is disclosed an atomized thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film by spouting an atomized source solution toward a heated substrate. A pair of inner wall surfaces defined at the upper portion of a film forming nozzle and disposed opposite to each other with respect to the longitudinal direction of a film forming chamber are restricted so as to gradually narrow in the interval therebetween toward a spouting opening in a smooth curve. Hence, it is possible to prevent a mist of the source solution atomized by the atomizer from being locally stagnant in the film forming nozzle and prevent a precipitate of the atomized source solution from growing. Consequently, the flow of the mist of the source solution is not hindered by the precipitation of the atomized source solution so that the thin film is formed over the surface of the substrate at a high uniformity for a long period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyasu Shiba, Mizuho Imai, Mikio Sekiguchi, Hideyo Iida
  • Patent number: 5086727
    Abstract: A thin film forming apparatus which forms a thin film over a surface of a subtrate by spraying a mist of a source solution produced by atomization over the surface of the substrate heated to a given temperature. The film forming apparatus is provided with a pair of guide members for supporting and guiding the substrate at opposite sides of the same. The distance between the opposite inner surfaces of the guide members can be changed according to the width of the substrate to be supported and guided by the pair of guide members. The distance between the respective lower portions of the opposite inner surfaces of the pair of guide members is greater than the distance between the upper portions of the opposite inner surfaces of the same, so that the distribution of the flow rate per unit flow passage area of the mist of the source solution is uniform with respect to the width of the substrate and enables a thin film of a uniform thickness to be formed over the entire surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Assignee: Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mikio Sekiguchi, Mizuho Imai, Nobuyasu Shiba, Hideyo Iida
  • Patent number: 5085374
    Abstract: A spray painting apparatus having an arm attached with a spray nozzle and a support unit for pivotably supporting the arm via a pivot shaft. An arc-shaped guide is provided to either the arm or the support unit, with the guide being coaxial with and larger in diameter than the pivot shaft while a drive unit is provided to the other of the arm and the support unit so as to move either the support unit or the arm relative to and along a periphery of the arc-shaped guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1992
    Assignee: Taikisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaharu Okuda, Kouichiro Asami, Heishiro Nagasaki
  • Patent number: 5081952
    Abstract: A paint fixture, for supporting a workpiece during the electrostatic application of a spray paint, has an electrically conductive metallic body. The body has a first surface portion that is covered by the workpiece during the electrostatic paint spray application process, and a second surface portion that is covered by a heat resitant, electrically nonconductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1992
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: John A. Grassi, Samuel B. Stevens
  • Patent number: 5078084
    Abstract: A powder coating system particularly adapted for coating large objects such as automotive and other vehicle bodies comprises a spray booth having a manual/robotic spraying area for the application of powder to the inner door flanges and other hard to reach areas of the vehicle body using manually or rotatably operated powder dispensers, and an automatic spraying area wherein the remainder of the vehicle body is coated using automatically manipulated powder dispensers. A powder collection and recovery system is associated with the spray booth which includes removable cartridge filters arranged in V-shaped filter banks within powder collection chambers beneath the floor of the booth, a system for the transfer of powder collected in the powder collection chambers to hoppers located exteriorly of the booth and an air exhaust system for equalizing the negative pressure within clean air chambers which receive clean air after filtering by the cartridge filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. Shutic, Robert J. Holland, Phillip R. Barnett, Thomas E. Hollstein
  • Patent number: 5074241
    Abstract: A developer material coating apparatus comprising a developer material coating unit for triboelectrically charging the developer material and electrostatically supplying the charged developer material to the support member in the developer material coating region, the developer material coating unit including a carry roller rotatable around a rotational axis thereof for carrying thereon and feeding the charged developer material to the developer material coating region, and a support member feeding unit for feeding the support member to the developer material coating region while carrying the support member thereon, the support member feeding unit having a coating plane in the developer material coating region on which the support member is disposed so as to be electrostatically coated with the developer material and a guide unit for feeding the support member along the coating plane in a predetermined feeding direction, and wherein the carry roller is disposed at a predetermined interval away from the coatin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1991
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiyasu Honma