Patents Examined by Marc W. Butler
  • Patent number: 6108906
    Abstract: In a fixing device for an image forming apparatus, a heat roller includes a hollow cylindrical base, a heating layer formed of strip-like fibers implementing desired power consumption, and a parting layer provided on the outer periphery of the heating layer with the intermediary of an electrical insulating layer. The strip-like fibers of the heating layer are wound on the base and provided with a preselected resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Fujita, Hiroshi Wada, Shigeharu Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6108890
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of removing punch rivets, which are set into a workpiece and have a male die end for driving the punch rivet and an opposite female die end which penetrates the workpiece. A pin is placed with its front end onto the male die end so as substantially to cover the latter and, with a simultaneous supply of energy through the pin, heats the contact area between pin and male die end up to a fusion temperature in the contact area, whereupon after cooling of the contact area the pin is retracted counter to the pressure of an abutment supported on the workpiece and carries along the punch rivet which is thereby withdrawn from the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Emhart Inc.
    Inventors: Reinhold Opper, Dieter Mauer
  • Patent number: 6108909
    Abstract: A groove forming process for forming at least one groove pattern on the outer diameter of a shaft for use in a hydrodynamic bearing of a spindle motor. First, the shaft is inserted between a pair of dies, at least one of which has a groove pattern thereon. Next, the shaft is positioned so that it is perpendicular to the groove pattern and at one end of the groove pattern. By lowering the upper die, the shaft is clasped between the dies. The shaft is then rolled in a first direction over the groove pattern by simultaneously applying pressure in a vertical direction and applying pressure in a first horizontal direction to one of the pair of dies so that the shaft rolls in the first direction. The shaft is then rolled in a second direction over the groove pattern by simultaneously applying pressure in a vertical direction and applying pressure in a second horizontal direction to one of the pair of dies so that the shaft rolls in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd.
    Inventors: Charles J. Cheever, Frank Alton Gray, Mark Hazelton, Johannes van Witzenburg
  • Patent number: 6105235
    Abstract: An implantable bone prosthesis includes portions of two different materials which interfit with each other to form a unitary article having hard wear surface portions and strong, stiff portions for structural support. These portions are preferably formed of ceramic and of metal, respectively. The prosthesis is formed by making a multiply connected ceramic wear surface element having openings or passages therethrough, and casting the remainder of the prosthesis extending in the openings to form a mating or dendritic support or a frame interdigitated and interlocked with the ceramic wear surface. The frame may be shaped so that it contracts along a direction of shrinkage, as the casting cools, without binding against the ceramic body. In a spherical shell, such as used for the weight-bearing acetabular shell or ball joint of a hip, this is achieved with short, radially-directed interlock elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Professional, Inc.
    Inventor: Salvatore Caldarise
  • Patent number: 6105250
    Abstract: The inner peripheral surface of the larger-outer-diameter portion 11a is pressed against the upper forming portion 20 of the sizing core rod 12, so that the bearing surface of a shape corresponding to the forming portion 20 is formed in the inner peripheral surface. As the upper punch 14a and the sizing core rod 12 are further moved in operative association with each other, the end of the smaller-outer-diameter portion 11b reaches the tapered portion 21b1 of the drawing portion 21b, so that it is subjected to a radially inwardly directed pressurizing force. Thereby, the inner peripheral surface of the smaller-outer-diameter portion 11b is pressed against the lower forming portion 20 of the sizing core rod 12, so that the bearing surface of a shape corresponding to the forming portion 20 is formed in the inner peripheral surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiko Tanaka, Isao Komori
  • Patent number: 6101718
    Abstract: The invention relates to an improved mattress comprising an inner spring assembly from a used mattress wherein the inner spring assembly has been stripped of its outer covering of ticking and padding material, heat treated to provide stress relief to the components of the inner spring assembly having received only partial stress relief or no stress relief when the assembly was new, and covered with new ticking and padding material. Prior to the heat treatment, the used inner spring assembly has any bent border wires and connecting wires straightened, and displaced components returned to their proper position, and any damaged components replaced with good quality new or used replacement components resulting in the same inner spring assembly structure as when the assembly was new. The resulting mattress has improved load bearing capacity compared to the original mattress when it was new.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: American Risk Management Inc.
    Inventor: Simon Zysman
  • Patent number: 6101719
    Abstract: In manufacturing a rolling bearing, at least one component of an inner ring, an outer ring, and a rolling element is manufactured from an alloy steel comprising 0.05 weight %-0.5 weight % carbon, 0.5 weight %-18 weight % chromium, 1.5 weight % or less silicon, 5 weight % or less molybdenum, 4.0 weight % or less vanadium, 4 weight % or less nickel, and 8 weight % or less tungsten, by subjecting the alloy steel to carburizing, hardening and tempering. The carburizing is carried out by vacuum carburization. In the vacuum carburization, carburizing and diffusion are carried out by introducing an acetylene-based carburizing gas in a hot atmosphere under reduced pressure, followed by hardening and tempering. The use of the vacuum carburization enables carburization with the chromium (Cr) content being 3.0 weight % or more, and even up to 18 weight %, which was difficult to achieve with the conventional gas carburization (pre-oxidation+gas carburizing).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Kiuchi, Shigeru Okita, Kenji Yamamura
  • Patent number: 6098287
    Abstract: This manufacturing method comprises a first step in which a molten aluminum alloy is cast into casting dies into which a ball 8 forming a ball portion 1a of a ball-shank 1 in corporation with a shank 1b connected to the portion 1a is inserted as a core so that a holder 2 covering the ball portion 1a is formed leaving the connected portion of the shank 1b as it is; a second step in which the aluminum alloy for forming the holder 2 is subjected to a solution heat treatment; a third step in which the shank 1b is brought into pressure contact with the ball 8 exposed from the holder 2, electrodes 10a and 10b are held in contact with the shank 1b and the holder 2, respectively, and the ball 8 and the shank 1b are projection-welded by turning on electricity between electrodes to thereby form the ball-shank 1; and a fourth step in which an external force is applied to the holder 2 or the ball-shank 1 to thereby provide a gap between the ball 8 and the holder 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunihisa Takahashi, Noboru Yuki, Nobuyuki Maki, Yoshikazu Suga
  • Patent number: 6094813
    Abstract: In an automatic transmission connector for interconnecting circuits provided inside and outside an automatic transmission, there are provided a plurality of terminals, a housing for receiving the terminals, and a rear holder engageable with the housing. The housing has a plurality of cavities for receiving the terminals, respectively, and the cavities are separated from one another in such a manner that the cavities communicate with one another through partially-notched wall portions. The housing has terminal passage holes into which the terminals are press-fitted, respectively. The rear holder has wall piece portions, and when the rear holder is engaged with the housing, the wall piece portions cooperate with notches, formed in the wall portions of the cavities, to separate the cavities from one another, and also retain the terminals within the respective cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Akeda, Takahiro Sano
  • Patent number: 6095958
    Abstract: A composite roll including one or more rings of cemented carbide metallurgically bonded to a cast iron casing. The composite roll may be used for hot or cold rolling. The cast iron has the following composition in addition to Fe, in weight %, 1.9-2.8% Si, 0.02-0.10% Mg, 0.5-4% Ni, 0.1-1% Mn, balance Fe and a C.sub.eqv =2.5-6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Sandvik AB
    Inventors: Carl-Johan Maderud, Jan-Erik Karlsson
  • Patent number: 6092283
    Abstract: A method is provided for producing a gear pump/motor in a low cost and efficient manner that can effectively operate in air entrained oil without emitting undesirable noises. This is accomplished by providing bleed slots in a housing adjacent an outlet passage at a location that allows first and second intersecting cavities to be machined with the same boring tool. The bleed slots have a length defined by the distance between two adjacent teeth of first and second intermeshing gears and a cross-sectional area at the mid-point of the arcuate length that is defined by multiplying the flow of the pump at a given RPM time a derived constant. The machining of the body of the gear pump/motor is accomplished in a low cost and efficient manner to produce a gear pump/motor that operates in air entrained oil without emitting undesirable noises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Brown, Vijay P. Shah
  • Patent number: 6092279
    Abstract: A bearing puller for removing from a shaft a bearing having a tapered eccentric flange on its inner race includes a cylindrical tube disposed within an outer cylindrical housing. The puller tube is capable of sliding displacement within and along a portion of the length of the outer housing and includes a first end having outer threads for engaging and maintaining a puller nut on a first end of the housing. The puller nut includes a threaded aperture on an end thereof for receiving a draw bolt which is inserted in the housing and extends to a second opposed end thereof. A second end of the sliding puller tube includes a peripheral flange for engaging first and second paired split jaw members each having a respective inner tapered flange on a distal end thereof for engaging the tapered flange on the bearing's inner race.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Shoup
  • Patent number: 6085420
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of making a slider of a linear guide device for guiding a movable body such as a work table or an industrial robot of a machine tool under load which moves along a track rail arranged at a fixed portion such as a bed, a column or the like, the method is comprising a first step of forming a block main body made of a metal which becomes a core part of the slider in a predetermined shape and forming load rolling faces of balls on the block main body by machine, and a second step of inserting the block main body formed in the first step into a mold and executing an injection molding of a synthetic resin by which ball retaining portions are built on both sides of the load rolling faces of block main body, and according to the first step pairs of smooth faces for shielding the molten synthetic resin are formed along the both edges in the longitudinal direction of the load rolling faces formed on block main body whereas according to the second step the block main body is fix
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masashi Konomoto
  • Patent number: 6079102
    Abstract: True-tilting pad of journal bearing has face with border region including engagement surface and defining pocket with longitudinal sidebars, bottom, and abrupt step. The pad has leading and trailing portions, with the face extending longitudinally therebetween. The portions can be positioned upstream and downstream, respectively, relative to rotation direction of rotatable shaft having convex surface. The pad is pivotally supported by pivot and can cooperate with one or more other pads and fluid within housing to hydrodynamically and mechanically support the shaft. The pad tilts free of mechanical engagement with other pads. The leading portion can define an entrance to the pocket and the sidebars can converge along the rotation direction. The pocket hydrodynamically increases pressure on the convex surface of the shaft during rotation, and generates pressure effecting on the face counteraction force about the pivot and upstream relative to the rotation direction in order to counteract spragging force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: WHM Holdings Corporation
    Inventor: William Miller
  • Patent number: 6080092
    Abstract: An industrial cleaning sponge includes an industrial sponge roller device having a cylindrical body of polyvinyl acetal material and a plurality of projections, formed of the polyvinyl acetal material, extending from an outer surface of the cylindrical body. The projections have a truncated conical shape with each projection including a circular base coupled to the outer surface of the cylindrical body, a circular, planar top surface and a side wall extending outwardly from the top surface to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Xomed Surgical Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald J. Cercone, Gerald D. Ingram, Leon C. Nunier, Scott J. Quaratella
  • Patent number: 6077207
    Abstract: A printing web transporting roller is disclosed which is characterized by using as the roller basis thereof a roller basis made of a fiber-reinforced plastics and provided on the peripheral surface thereof with a plurality of portions of a surface of large curvature and a plurality of portions of a surface of small curvature alternately arranged in a mutually adjoining state and having a composite coating film superposed on the roller basis and composed of a porous ceramic layer formed by thermal spraying and a resin layer formed on the surface of the ceramic layer and inside the pores in the ceramic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignees: Yoshikawa Kogyo Co., Ltd., Kabushiki Kaisha Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, Nippon Steel Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yokoyama, Kunihiro Umezu, Noriyuki Shiba
  • Patent number: 6073337
    Abstract: A method of controlling curvature of hydrodynamic bearing slider. The method includes adding a preselected amount of compressive surface stress to the slider to change curvature of the slider and then removing a portion of the added compressive stress to adjust the curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard A. Strom
  • Patent number: 6070325
    Abstract: In a double-row rolling bearing, there is a uniform relationship between a pre-load applied to the bearing and a pre-load gap formed by elastic transformation of rollers and some parts related to the rollers. Therefore, to measure the pre-load is equivalent to measure the pre-load gap. Then, a pre-load gap is measured at every row of the rollers, and measured values of the pre-load gaps are added together to thereby obtain an entire pre-load gap of the bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Miyata, Nobuyoshi Murakami
  • Patent number: 6070315
    Abstract: In a method of producing a self-focusing reflection grating structure for the series manufacture of microspectrometers including flexible foil strips provided with a grating structure and supported in a microspectrometer housing, a foil is first mounted onto a support member of an ultraprecision turning lathe on which circumferential parallel grooves are cut into the foil by microforming diamonds providing a saw-tooth pattern of annular teeth with predetermined tooth spacing, the foil is then cut into a plurality of foil strips and the strips are bent into a curved shape providing a focusing reflection grating structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Schubert, Lothar Bohn
  • Patent number: 6061905
    Abstract: The slow production rates associated with cutting machines for cutting extruded metal tubing to length are avoided in an apparatus that continually cuts extruded metal tubing (46) and which include a reel (44) for providing a coil of (42) of metal tubing (46) to a cutting nip defined by rollers (66) carrying scoring knives (68). The tubing is continuously moved through the nip by a continuously operated set of feeding rolls (70) and then passed to a set of pull rolls (74) which are driven at a more rapid rate to place the tubing (46) in tension to cause it to be severed where scored. Also disclosed is a method of continuously cutting extruded metal tubing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Modine Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Jeff Logic