Patents Examined by Lawrence D Hohenbrink, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11207826
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a platen, a dispenser apparatus positioned above the platen to dispense a layer of powder over the platen, and an energy source to selectively fuse the layer of powder. The dispenser apparatus includes a support structure, a dispenser secured to the support structure and including a reservoir to hold the powder and one or more openings configured to deliver powder from the reservoir in a linear region that extends along a first axis, a spreader extending along the first axis and secured to the support structure and positioned to spread powder already delivered on the platen by the dispenser, and a drive system to move the support structure along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis such that the dispenser and blade move together to sweep the linear region along the second axis to deposit and level the powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Hou T. Ng, Raanan Zehavi, Nag B. Patibandla
  • Patent number: 11207851
    Abstract: Provided is a puncture repair liquid holding container. An outflow channel in a cap mounted to an opening portion of a container body for discharging the puncture repair liquid inside the container interior to a container exterior includes a straight portion including an open end opening toward inside the container body and a closed end terminating inside the cap, and a branching portion including a communicating end communicating with an intermediate area of the straight portion and an open end opening toward the container exterior. A through-hole is at the closed end of the straight portion. A projection on a closing plug and slidably inserted to the straight portion is slidably inserted to the through-hole. States are switchable between open and closed states in which the outflow channel is opened and closed by the closing plug and the projection is positioned in the through-hole or projects from the through-hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Inventor: Takumi Sekiguchi
  • Patent number: 11203147
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods of forming selected portions of integral sheets of material are disclosed. Unformed portions of the sheets may remain undistorted during the forming process, allowing them to contain text, art work, or other desired information without material risk of the information being degraded or becoming unintelligible during the forming process. This result may be accomplished, moreover, with less trim than usually occurs in conventional forming processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Inventor: William C. Shanley, IV
  • Patent number: 11197976
    Abstract: The inventive method for making a medical device includes providing a micro plastic tube; molding a hub onto the tube; trimming the tube to a predetermined length; molding a tip onto the tube, and creating a tip that contains a micro orifice at a predetermined angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Advantech Plastics LLC
    Inventor: Gerald J. Kugler
  • Patent number: 11194249
    Abstract: A molding apparatus that molds a composition on a substrate with a mold includes a mold holding unit configured to hold the mold, a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate, a first elastic member configured to apply a first elastic force to the mold holding unit in a direction away from the substrate holding unit, and a control unit configured to cause the mold holding unit to move in the direction away from the substrate holding unit in a case where the control unit determines that an abnormality has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Kimura
  • Patent number: 11186040
    Abstract: A three dimensional printer includes a projector, an adaptive support apparatus, a resin support apparatus, and a plurality of vertical struts. The projector includes a projection lens module which includes an optical housing that contains a series of lenses for projecting an image from the projector onto a build plane. The projection lens module includes a laterally extending flange having an upwardly facing flange surface. The adaptive support apparatus includes a downward facing surface in facing relation with the upward facing flange surface. The resin support apparatus is configured to contain resin and includes a transparent sheet and a downward facing surface. The transparent sheet defines a lower bound for the resin proximate to a build plane. The plurality of vertical struts couple an upward-facing surface of the adaptive support apparatus to the downward-facing surface of the resin support apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: David Sabo
  • Patent number: 11173655
    Abstract: A 3D printer uses slides to illuminate the photocurable liquid. A slide carrier holds one or more slides that contain different patterns. To form each layer of a three-dimensional part, the corresponding pattern is projected onto the photocurable liquid, thus forming that layer. A controller switches the slides as needed, coordinating the slides with formation of the three-dimensional part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: LUXCREO (BEIJING) INC.
    Inventors: Fang Li, Zhifeng Yao
  • Patent number: 11161291
    Abstract: A molded circuit board (10) of a camera module (100), manufacturing equipment (200) and a manufacturing method for the molded circuit board. The manufacturing equipment (200) comprises a forming mold (210), which comprises a first mold (211) and a second mold (212) that can be opened or closed, where the first mold (211) and the second mold (212) form a forming cavity (213) when closed. Also, a light window forming block (214) and a base forming guide groove (215) located at the periphery of the light window forming block (214) are provided within the forming cavity (213).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: NINGBO SUNNY OPOTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mingzhu Wang, Bojie Zhao, Takehiko Tanaka, Zhen Huang
  • Patent number: 11161304
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a base for a printing material container. The base has a channel structure defining an opening of the base, an axis of the channel structure defining an axial direction. The base also has a material-guiding structure, formed around the opening, having a helical lower surface that extends from the channel structure in the axial direction. An upper surface of the material-guiding structure is formed by a lower surface of the base and the helical lower surface meets the lower surface of the base at a curved side wall that extends radially from the channel structure to an annular portion of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Kevin E Swier
  • Patent number: 11154934
    Abstract: Build material application device (5) for an apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing at least one three-dimensional object (2) by means of successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of build material (3) which can be consolidated by means of at least one energy beam (4), the build material application device (5) comprising: —at least one build material application element (8) configured to apply an amount of build material (3) in a build plane (E) of a respective apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing at least one three-dimensional object (2); —at least one spatter removal element (9) configured to remove spatters (10) present in a layer of build material (3) of a respective apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing a three-dimensional object (2), particularly to remove spatters (10) originating from a selective irradiation of the respective layer of build material (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Concept Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Strößner, Martin Pröbstle, Jochen Mahr, Peter Appel
  • Patent number: 11148367
    Abstract: According to one example, there is provided a method of distributing build material in a 3D printing system. The method comprises moving a build material support positioned below a hopper, the movement to cause build material stored in the hopper to be deposited on the build material support, and moving a recoater to spread build material from the build material support over a build platform to form a layer of build material thereon, and to return any excess build material back to the build material support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Randall Dean West, Matt G Driggers, Brent Ewald
  • Patent number: 11148366
    Abstract: The invention relates to a construction chamber (1) for an apparatus for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects, comprising a construction chamber base body (2) which limits a construction volume (4) forming a construction room (3), wherein the construction chamber base body (2) is formed segmented in several construction chamber base body segments (2a, 2b) that can be attached or are attached to each other forming the construction chamber base body (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Concept Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Herzog, Florian Bechmann, Frank Schödel
  • Patent number: 11148203
    Abstract: Plant for additively manufacturing at least one three-dimensional object, comprising at least one process station being configured to perform an additive manufacturing process and/or at least one preprocessing process for an additive manufacturing process and/or at least one postprocessing process for an additive manufacturing process; at least one conveying device configured to convey an item between at least two positions (P1, P2) of the plant, the conveying device comprising at least one conveying element, the at least one conveying element being at least partially bound to ground, and at least one conveying carriage being connectable or connected with the conveying element so as to be moveable between at least two positions (P1, P2) of the plant, the at least one conveying carriage comprising at least one supporting interface for supporting at least one item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Concept Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Viktor Kremer, Christoph Schmidbauer, Ralf Hetzel, Pascal Krause, Benjamin Krausser
  • Patent number: 11135786
    Abstract: In additive manufacturing, a method of adding a segment of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic filament. Adding a segment of filament involves three tasks: (1) determining where the segment of filament should be added, (2) depositing the segment of filament at the desired location, and (3) tamping the segment of filament to ensure adhesion and eliminate voids. Tamping the segment of filament is performed by steering a wheel along the filament. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the wheel is steered around a yaw axis that is offset from the wheel's axis by a distance s, where s is a positive real number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Arevo, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Thomas Lee, Steven George Manuel
  • Patent number: 11123924
    Abstract: A powder bed fusion apparatus for building an object in a layer-by-layer manner includes a build platform movable within a build sleeve to define a build volume, a layer formation device for forming layers of powder across the build volume in a working plane and an irradiation device for irradiating powder in the working plane to selectively fuse the powder. The powder bed fusion apparatus further includes a mechanical manipulator arranged to engage with the object and/or a build substrate, to which the object is attached, to tilt the object in a raised position above the working plane such that powder is freed from the object and deposited at a location above the working plane and/or into the build volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David Roberts McMurtry, Christopher Sutcliffe, Robin Geoffrey Weston, Paul Campton, David John Whitton, David Beeby
  • Patent number: 11117315
    Abstract: A carrier plate assembly for use in producing a three-dimensional object by bottom-up stereolithography includes: (a) an upper support; (b) an adhesion plate having a substantially flat planar lower adhesion surface, on which surface the three-dimensional object can be formed; (c) at least one energy absorber interconnecting the upper support and the adhesion plate; and (d) a carrier lock portion connected to the upper support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Carbon, Inc.
    Inventors: Bob E. Feller, Gregory W. Dachs, II
  • Patent number: 11110696
    Abstract: A color 3D printer and its method of use are disclosed. The color 3D printer uses a number of chambers to dye a filament to a given color. This colored filament is then extruded, pursuant to an associated 3D model of an object, to produce varying colored physical objects, on demand, with the use of a single filament and a single print head. Further, the color 3D printer features a waste management apparatus which provides a number of ways to dispose of waste fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: R3 Printing, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Sieradzki, Daniel Downs
  • Patent number: 11104070
    Abstract: A 3D printing head, a 3D printing device and a control method of the 3D printing head are provided. The 3D printing head includes a feeding pipe, provided with an opening at its bottom; a shutter, disposed at the opening and slidably connected to the bottom, where the opening includes a region occluded by the shutter and a region not occluded by the shutter, and the region not occluded by the shutter forms a discharge port of the 3D printing head, where the discharge port includes a first end and a second end, and the first end and the second end define a length of the discharge port; and a drive apparatus, used to drive the shutter sliding at the opening to adjust the length of the discharge port. The 3D printing head makes it possible to take both printing efficiency and printing accuracy into account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Inventor: Weidong Huang
  • Patent number: 11104121
    Abstract: A method of selecting a scanning sequence of a laser beam in a selective laser solidification process, in which one or more objects are formed layer-by-layer by repeatedly depositing a layer of powder on a powder bed and scanning the laser beam over the deposited powder to selectively solidify at least part of the powder layers, includes determining an order in which areas should be scanned by: projecting a debris fallout zone that would be created when solidifying each area based on a gas flow direction of a gas flow passed over the powder bed; determining whether one or more other areas to be solidified fall within the debris fallout zone; and selecting to solidify the one or more other areas that fall within the debris fallout zone before solidifying the area from which the debris fallout zone has been projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventor: Ben Ian Ferrar
  • Patent number: 11097454
    Abstract: A system and method for manufacturing a part in a mold having a mold cavity including a printhead for depositing a first material within the mold cavity, and an injection head for depositing a second material within the mold cavity. A part can be made in the mold cavity by the cooperative use of both injection molding and additive manufacturing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: GE AVIATION SYSTEMS LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Mouris Astefanous