Patents Examined by David A. Fenstermacher
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Patent number: 7073630Abstract: A fluid injection apparatus for a bearing includes a bearing support surface for supporting the bearing so that a seal space is defined between the support surface and the bearing, a fluid injection passage comprised of an oil tank, a first conduit connecting the oil tank to the seal space, and an injection valve provided in the conduit, a decompression passage comprised of an oil recovery tank, a second conduit connecting the oil recovery tank to the seal space, a vacuum pump connected to the seal space through the oil recovery tank, and a decompression valve provided in the second conduit, and a sequence control unit for evacuating the bearing by closing the injection valve, opening the decompression valve, and turning on the vacuum pump, and then filling the bearing with lubricating oil by turning off the vacuum pump, closing the decompression valve, and opening the injection valve.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2003Date of Patent: July 11, 2006Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Mitsuharu Iwamoto, Tetsuya Nagata
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Patent number: 7073406Abstract: A cable or another longilinear transmission component is set into the center of an axial cavity of a screw belonging to a screw and nut movement conversion unit. By means of this arrangement, bending moments exerted on the screw between the point of attachment of the component and the nut have only a small value, which guarantees the screw against bending and sticking and the whole mechanism against excessive friction.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2001Date of Patent: July 11, 2006Assignee: Commissariat a L'EnergieInventor: Philippe Garrec
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Patent number: 7069806Abstract: The present invention provides a transmission including a main gear box and an auxiliary gear box secured to the main box. The auxiliary gear box includes an auxiliary shaft supporting an auxiliary gear with a clutch collar support on the auxiliary shaft adjacent to the auxiliary gear. The clutch collar is selectively actuatable between engaged and disengaged auxiliary gear positions. A piston housing is connected to the auxiliary gear box and supports solenoids fluidly connected to a piston on a shift shaft. The auxiliary box includes a bore therein supporting the shift shaft. The shift shaft is moveable axially between first and second positions in response to actuation of the solenoids corresponding to the engage and disengaged auxiliary gear positions. The shift shaft supports a shift fork that coacts with the shift collar.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2003Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: ZF Meritor, LLCInventor: Thomas Balamucki
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Patent number: 7069807Abstract: A vehicle transmission detent assembly is provided that includes a housing having a bore. A movable shift rail is supported by the housing and includes a recess at least partially aligned with the bore. A detent is at least partially arranged within the bore and engages the recess. A biasing member generates a force on the detent and urges the detent into engagement with the recess. An adjustment member threadingly received within a portion of the housing coacts with the biasing member. Upon manipulation of the adjustment member, the biasing member may be moved between a plurality of compressive states in which each of the states generates a different force on the detent. In this manner, the biasing spring may be compressed or uncompressed to provide a desired shift feel.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2003Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: ZF Meritor, LLC.Inventors: Matthew Girlando, Landon Ball, Patrick L. Scheib
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Patent number: 7069803Abstract: An adjustment drive includes a drive motor, and a drive train in driving relationship with the drive motor for reducing a motor speed of the drive motor. The drive train includes a plurality of gear wheels operated by the drive motor and intermeshing with one another to form a chain to define at least one gear stage, whereby at least the plurality of gear wheels is supported by a carrier that defines thereby a separate drive unit.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2003Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: RK Rose + Krieger GmbH & Co. KG Verbindungs- und PositioniersystemeInventors: Kurt Schunke, Bernd Buchholz, Dieter Palm, Gerhard Bruns
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Patent number: 7066045Abstract: An assembly comprises a spindle and a moving nut disposed on the spindle. The spindle and the moving nut are made of plastics. At least one of the two components spindle and moving nut being resilient such that the moving nut is prevented from getting stuck on the spindle. There is further proposed an actuator including such assembly.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2003Date of Patent: June 27, 2006Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KGInventor: Reinhard Krause
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Patent number: 7062987Abstract: A ball screw in a continuously variable speed transmission has an axially immovable pulley half (2) and axially movable pulley half (3) both mounted on a rotary shaft (4). The axially movable pulley half (3) is moved by a ball screw (20) so as to infinitely vary the belt wrapping radius and thus the transmission speed. A nut (22), forming one part of the ball screw (20), is immovably secured in both axial and rotational directions. A screw shaft (21), forming the other part of the ball screw (20), is movable in both axial and rotational directions. The screw shaft 21 is connected to the axially movable pulley half (3). The axially movable pulley half (3) is axially moved by rotating the screw shaft (21).Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2002Date of Patent: June 20, 2006Assignee: NTN CorporationInventors: Isamu Yoshida, Keisuke Kazuno
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Patent number: 7062985Abstract: In a linear guide unit that has an elongated guide housing which limits a guide hollow space with a longitudinal opening, a wagon arrangement which is displaceably guided in the guide hollow space on guide rails, a connection part for connecting the wagon arrangement to an object to be guided, a cover element arranged between movement tracks of the connection part and covering the longitudinal opening, in accordance with the present invention forwardly of and/or rearwardly of the wagon arrangement, at least one support unit is arranged displaceably in direction of the longitudinal axis for supporting the cover element relative to the guide housing; also additionally or alternatively the support unit can support the cover element relative to the wagon arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2003Date of Patent: June 20, 2006Assignee: Rexroth Star GmbHInventor: Siegfried Bauer
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Patent number: 7051611Abstract: A method for producing a shaft and a device containing such a shaft (22), in particular an armature shaft (22) of an electric motor drive (10), which shaft is held by at least one shaft bearing (43), includes forming a bearing surface (40) for guidance in a shaft bearing (42) onto the shaft (22) at at least one point by positive displacement of material.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2001Date of Patent: May 30, 2006Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventor: Lothar Fauth
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Patent number: 7051612Abstract: A steering column assembly for a vehicle includes upper and lower column assemblies and a central collapsible steering column drive shaft mounted in upper and lower bearings and a central bearing comprising a cylindrical plastics tube that surrounds the central steering column drive shaft and is slidably mounted in the upper column assembly and rotatably supports the central collapsible steering column drive shaft at its lower end.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2001Date of Patent: May 30, 2006Assignee: NSK Steering Systemes Europe LimitedInventors: Stephen Paul Green, Richard James Peel, Matthew Craig Williams
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Patent number: 7051840Abstract: In a power unit comprising an engine (13) and an HST (24) which are formed into an integral body, a lubricating oil for use in the engine and an operating oil of the HST (24) are commonized. After being cooled, the common oil is fed from the side of the engine (13) to the HST (24). Such arrangement suppresses the drop in viscosity of the common oil and prevents the drop in efficiency and the occurrence of seizing on the side of the HST (24).Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2002Date of Patent: May 30, 2006Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss-Daikin Ltd.Inventor: Nobuyuki Tani
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Patent number: 7047833Abstract: In a feed unit of a rod-type actuating element that is arranged in a housing (2) and guided for axial displacement relative to the housing (2), the feed unit further being a drive motor (4) that effects the displacement of the actuating element through a driving device that is rotatably retained in bearings in the housing (2), said driving device being a threaded spindle (1) and a spindle nut (3) surrounding the threaded spindle, wherein the drive motor (4) with its stator (5) and rotor (6) is arranged in the housing (2), and the spindle nut (3) is coaxially arranged in and fixed to a hollow shaft (7) that is surrounded by and fixed to the rotor (6).Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2001Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: Ina-Schaeffler KGInventor: Frank Durschmied
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Patent number: 7044012Abstract: Actuating device comprising a longitudinal shaft (2), an intermediate tailstock spindle (3), an outside sleeve (4), internal thread means (5) making it possible to connect the longitudinal shaft and the intermediate tailstock spindle to generate an axial movement of one with respect to the other, external thread means (6) making it possible to couple the intermediate tailstock spindle and the outside sleeve and suitable for generating an axial movement of one with respect to the other, the said internal coupling means comprising internal roller elements (7) engaged on the one hand with the external and internal threads of the intermediate tailstock spindle and/or the said external coupling means comprising external roller elements (25) engaged on the one hand with the external thread of the intermediate tailstock spindle and the internal thread of the outside sleeve and comprising coupling means making it possible to couple the shaft and the intermediate tailstock spindle or the intermediate tailstock spindleType: GrantFiled: April 22, 2003Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: TransrolInventors: Jerome Dubus, Christian Boch, Peter K. Hayward
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Patent number: 7040453Abstract: A lubricant retention assembly is employed with an electric motor to prevent the loss of lubricant from a self contained lubricant reservoir of the motor. The lubricant retention assembly includes a thrust collar mounted on the motor shaft and a bearing cap surrounding the thrust collar, where the thrust collar has an annular flange that throws lubricant leaking along the shaft radially outwardly toward the bearing cap. The bearing cap has an angled interior surface that deflects the lubricant thrown from the annular flange of the thrust collar back into the motor interior and toward the lubricant reservoir. A thrust washer is also provided on the shaft adjacent the thrust collar and prevents lubricant leakage along the shaft between the interface of the shaft and the thrust collar. The thrust washer and thrust collar have complementary configurations that maintain the thrust washer in position on the shaft adjacent the thrust collar.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2005Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.Inventor: Gary W. Borcherding
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Patent number: 7040454Abstract: The interior of a crankcase is divided into a front crank chamber and a rear transmission chamber by a partition wall of a given height. A lower part of the transmission case is used as an oil reservoir chamber for reserving lubricating oil. Opposite ends of the crankcase are covered with covers to form a generator chamber and a clutch chamber. The crank chamber is connected to the generator chamber by a drain passage to drain oil collected in the crank chamber into the generator chamber. A scavenging pump placed in the clutch chamber sucks the oil collected in the generator chamber through an oil passage extending across the crankcase under the crank chamber and discharges the oil into an air space in the clutch chamber.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2003Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yuichi Kawamoto, Kiyohito Takano
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Patent number: 7040190Abstract: A shift fork assembly having a shaft and a laminated fork welded to the shaft. The laminated fork includes a stamped range yoke and a backing plate that are brazed together. The range yoke includes a central lug segment that is retained in a mounting slot formed in the shaft to provide the requisite strength.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2002Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: A.M.S.E.A. Inc.Inventors: R. Scott Dinger, Robert J. Bartell, William D. Blades
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Patent number: 7036393Abstract: A gear 1 made of a resin includes webs 5 (5a and 5b) formed so that the rigidity of the web is increased by a first circumferential rib 8, a second circumferential rib 10, first diametrical ribs 11 and second diametrical ribs 12, and the circumferential sectional shape of the outermost web 5c is a corrugated shape, whereby the rigidity of the outermost web 5c is increased. As a result, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the outermost web 5c without increasing of the thickness of the outermost web 5c; to form a toothed portion 6 with a high accuracy; to reduce the deformation (for example, the amount of displacement of the toothed portion 6 and a shaft-supporting portion 4 in a rotating direction) due to an external force; and to enhance the rotation-transmitting accuracy. In this gear 1, a vibration and a noise due to the vibration can be reduced by increasing the rigidity of the web.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2001Date of Patent: May 2, 2006Assignee: Enplas CorporationInventor: Kazuyuki Sakamaki
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Patent number: 7036634Abstract: A vehicle transmission lubrication communication system including a pump, a torque converter, an oil cooler, a shifting control assembly, a sump, a main shaft, a counter shaft, and a secondary shaft. The pump withdraws lubricating oil from the sump and pumps the lubricating oil throughout the lubrication system. The pump directs a first flow to the torque converter, a second flow to the shifting control assembly, and a third flow to the main shaft. Oil from the torque converter flows through the oil cooler and, downstream the oil cooler, separates into a first portion of cooled oil that is directed to the secondary and counter shafts and a second portion of the cooled oil that is directed to the sump. Increased flow through the torque converter and oil cooler, as well as directing cooled oil to the secondary and counter shafts, reduces the oil temperature during normal and lockup modes of operation.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2003Date of Patent: May 2, 2006Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Jeff Wheeler
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Patent number: 7036392Abstract: A transmission system including a first gear comprising a first side having an engaging semi-annular section and a non-engaging semi-annular section; and a plurality of engaging gears for engaging with the engaging semi-annular section, wherein the engaging gears are configured such that at least one of the engaging gears is engaged to the engaging semi-annular section of the first gear at a particular angular orientation of the first gear, and at least one of the engaging gears is not engaged to the engaging semi-annular section at the particular angular orientation of the first gear.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2003Date of Patent: May 2, 2006Assignee: Sherif EldallyInventor: Sherif Eldally
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Patent number: 7032472Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a counterbalance for a linkage assembly. The apparatus and method includes a frame, at least one linkage movably connected to the frame, the at least one linkage defining the linkage assembly, at least one actuator for moving the linkage assembly, and an energy storing device connected to the frame and engaged by the linkage assembly, wherein the energy storing device stores energy from the linkage assembly during engagement and provides the stored energy to counterbalance the weight of the linkage assembly.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2002Date of Patent: April 25, 2006Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventor: Daniel L. Mikrut