Patents Examined by Robert Muromoto
  • Patent number: 7073538
    Abstract: Bi-directional and multi-axial fabrics, fabric composites, ballistically resistant assemblies thereof, and the methods by which they are made. The fabrics are comprised of sets of strong, substantially parallel, unidirectional yarns lying in parallel planes, one above the other , with the direction of the yarns in a given plane rotated at an angle to the direction of the yarns in adjacent planes; and one or more sets of yarns having lower strength and higher elongation interleaved with the strong yarns. The fabrics of the invention provide superior ballistic effectiveness compared to ordinary woven and knitted fabrics but retain the ease of manufacture on conventional looms and knitting machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Ashok Bhatnagar, Elizabeth Stroud Parrish
  • Patent number: 7073539
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric having superior surface property, fiber supporting property, wear resistance, water removing property, and rigidity. The fabric according to the present invention comprises an upper layer comprising an upper surface side warp, an upper surface side weft, an auxiliary weft binding yarn, and an auxiliary weft; and a running face layer disposed under the upper layer and comprising a running face side warp and running face side weft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Nippon Filcon Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichi Takimoto, Shigenobu Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 7069960
    Abstract: A control technique is capable of adjusting a weight of a pile fabric by adjusting consumption of a pile warp at a proper range with a more simplified system. In a pile loom, a tolerance relative to a value associated with consumption of the pile warp is set, and the value associated with consumption of the pile warp is measured during a pile weaving period. If the value associated with consumption of the pile warp exceeds the tolerance, the weaving condition parameter associated with the weight of the pile is corrected in a direction to approach a target value of the weight of a pile fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Tsudakoma Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiko Nakada, Akihiko Yamamoto, Masato Matsumoto, Tomokazu Ishita
  • Patent number: 7062786
    Abstract: A diver's suit, survival suit, or a suit worn to protect a worker from hazardous materials is provided with releasable water-tight seals around the wrists, ankles and/or neck. Each releasable water-tight seal includes first and second complementary shaped annular interlocking seal members preferably extruded from a first polymeric material. Gaskets made of a second softer polymeric material may be co-extruded with the first polymeric material and are compressed when the seal members are mated in order to enhance the impermeability of the resulting seal to liquids or gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Diving Unlimited International, Inc., a California corporation
    Inventor: Robert T. Stinton
  • Patent number: 7062788
    Abstract: A thin, stretchable chemical vapor protective garment worn next-to-skin is disclosed. The protective undergarment is made of material that stretches and is capable of efficient elimination of air spaces between the undergarment and the user's body, thus enabling the user to wear other operational clothing over top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: The Minister of National Defence of Her Majesty's Canadian Government
    Inventors: Julie Tremblay-Lutter, E J Scott Duncan, Tannis Grant, Eva F. Gudgin Dickson, Ben Lacroix
  • Patent number: 7048012
    Abstract: A papermaker's fabric, usable in the forming section of a paper machine, having two layers of cross-machine-direction (CD) yarns. Interwoven with the CD yarns is a system of MD yarns. At least some of the MD yarns are grouped into alternating pairs comprising a crossing pair having a first MD yarn and a second MD yarn and a second pair having a third MD yarn and a fourth MD yarn. The first MD yarn and the second MD yarn combine to weave each CD yarn in the first layer and cross between the first layer and the second layer. The left and right warp yarns in the pairs are aligned in such a way that like adjacent yarns from adjacent pairs have MD cell lengths greater than or less than the MD cell lengths from non-like adjacent yarns from adjacent pairs. The third MD yarn is interwoven with the first layer of CD yarns and the fourth MD yarn is interwoven with the second layer of CD yarns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Albany International Corp.
    Inventors: Chad A. Martin, Scott Quigley
  • Patent number: 7025094
    Abstract: On the one hand, the invention relates to a device for exerting a return force on at least one harness element of the harness of a Jacquard weaving machine, comprising at least one return spring (2) provided with means of attachment (1) for attaching the return spring (2) to retaining means (4) being immovably provided, said means of attachment (1) being provided with a positioning opening (6) for positioning the means of attachment (1) with respect to the retaining means (4), and a fixing opening (7) for fixing the means of attachment (1) to the retaining means (4), a spring connection (8) being provided between the positioning opening (6) and the fixing opening (7), in such a manner that the means of attachment (1) are able to move from positioning opening (6) to the fixing opening (7) with respect to the retaining means (4), but after having been fixed will be unable to move back from the fixing opening (7) to the positioning opening (6) with respect to the retaining means during operation or transport of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: N.V. Michel Van de Wiele
    Inventors: Bram Vanderjeugt, Yvan Lauwereys
  • Patent number: 7021340
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method of and loom for teaching Braille by weaving with a loom, wherein the levers to move the harnesses are shaped and spaced like the levers on a Perkins Brailler (a Braille typewriter).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Blind Faith School of Music and Art
    Inventor: Jennifer J. Mayster
  • Patent number: 7017191
    Abstract: A ventilated protective garment particularly for wear by operators, occupants, and passengers of sports motor vehicles, such as motorcycles for example, includes a garment body which may be configured as a jacket or coat, and which includes an especially configured vent structure at sleeves of the garment, which vent structure provides for selective opening of a vent passage on the sleeve forearm portion, while also insuring against the sleeves sliding up the wearer's arms in the event of a fall from the moving vehicle followed by a tumble and slide on gravel or pavement, for example. Thus, the wearer of the garment may select to be provided with desirable ventilation, or to close the forearm ventilation openings, and is protected against forearm abrasion regardless of whether the forearm vent openings are opened or closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Inventor: Paul Golde
  • Patent number: 7007721
    Abstract: The invention relates to a shedding device comprising at least one electric rotary actuator having an output shaft (11) that is designed to rotate a pinion (21) which is engaged with a rack (22), said rack being connected to a control heald (3) of a warp end (4) by means of a load transfer element (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Staubli Lyon
    Inventors: Dario Bassi, Damien Bouchet, Guillaume Boutte
  • Patent number: 6997215
    Abstract: The method for weaving low flaw cloths (4) comprises an elimination of weft thread sections which have irregularities (22, 22?). The method is carried out by means of a weaving machine (1) which in the presence of an irregularity on a weft thread (2) to be woven can be controlled in such a manner that at least one weft thread section which comprises the irregularity can be removed from the cloth being formed after an insertion operation. The irregularity is in each case detected by a sensor (23a, 23b, 23c) prior to the feeding in of the weft thread into a thread store (21). After the detection of the irregularity an incorporation of the weft thread into the cloth is prevented in that a shed forming apparatus (100), for example a dobby for the moving of heald frames (10), is controlled in such a manner that that all warp threads (3) of the cloth to be formed are deflected either downwardly or upwardly into positions to the side of a weft thread insertion line (2?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Sultex AG
    Inventor: Andrea Bühlmann
  • Patent number: 6994122
    Abstract: A heald frame for a weaving machine includes stops (15, 16) made of a material with shock-absorbing properties associated with the ends of the healds (10). A gap is provided between the heald ends and the stops, such gap ensuring that the healds can be moved along guide rails forming part of the heald frame while reducing noise and potentially damaging vibrations. The healds are held on the guide rails with play and are moved by and limited in their movements in a longitudinal direction by the stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Picanol N.V.
    Inventors: Marnick Cardoen, Geert Ostyn, Bart Beernaert
  • Patent number: 6994124
    Abstract: A three dimensional waffleweave includes a plurality of light coloring yarns interlaced with a plurality of dark coloring yarns to form a plurality of waffleweave units, wherein each of the waffleweave units, having an oblong shaped, defines four sidewalls and a center region within the four sidewalls. The center region of each of the waffleweave units is woven by the light coloring yarns and each of the sidewalls of each of the waffleweave units is woven by two dark coloring yarns while one of the dark coloring yarns is woven to float on the center region, such that a contrast of light and shade is created through the light coloring yarns and the dark coloring yarns to enhance a three dimensional stitching effect of the waffleweave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Inventor: Chen Feng
  • Patent number: 6944885
    Abstract: A fluid-impervious sheet has two expansive surfaces, to one of which an elastomeric grommet adheres. The elastomeric grommet, which is annular when unstressed, outlines a region on the fluid-impervious sheet. The elastic grommet is adapted to provide a fluid-impervious seal around an object penetrating the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fitting tightly through the elastomeric grommet. A protective garment for a hazardous environment is made from the fluid-impervious sheet and has a breathing apparatus, which comprises elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements. The tube penetrates the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fits tightly through the elastomeric grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: Morning Pride Manufacturing, L.L.C.
    Inventors: William L. Grilliot, Mary I. Grilliot
  • Patent number: 6892767
    Abstract: A compact, economical air bag fabric of low air permeability and light mass is realized by a thermoplastic fiber fabric having a distribution of pores formed by the fibers constructing the fabric, that is, the pore distribution of 2.0 or smaller and air permeability of 2.5 L/cm2/min or lower. By setting a permeating deformation index PI of the thermoplastic fiber to 0.1 to 0.6 and the air permeability of the fabric at the differential pressure of 20 kPa to 1.0 (L/cm2/min) or lower, an economical uncoated air bag fabric of which air permeability is low but increases under the high differential pressure condition in the latter period of development is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Toyo Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mamoru Kitamura, Tatsuo Konishi
  • Patent number: 6860298
    Abstract: A host computer is used in a supporting system for supporting a user of a plurality of looms. The host computer includes a database section for storing specifications information relating to specifications of each of a plurality of looms, the specifications information including apparatus information relating to an operating apparatus provided in each loom, and an advice information providing section for receiving query information sent via a communications way, and identifying a loom based on the received query information, and creating advice information with respect to the identified loom based on specifications information extracted from the database section with respect to the loom, and providing the advice information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Tsudakoma Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Kontani
  • Patent number: 6840287
    Abstract: A weaving machine, in particular an airjet loom, which is fitted with a system (16) for cutting a filling thread (12?), which is being held ready for filling insertion, from a filling (12) already beaten into a fabric (10), wherein the system (16) includes a laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Picanol N.V.
    Inventors: Jozef Peeters, Patrick Puissant
  • Patent number: 6773446
    Abstract: A delivery apparatus for a self-expanding stent is disclosed. The apparatus has an outer sheath forming an elongated tubular member having distal and proximal ends and an inside and outside diameter. The apparatus also includes an inner shaft located coaxially within the outer sheath. The inner shaft has a distal end, a proximal end and longitudinal axis extending therebetween. At least a portion of the inner shaft is made from a flexible coiled member. The shaft preferably includes a stop attached thereto, the stop being proximal to the distal end of the sheath. Lastly, the apparatus includes a self-expanding stent located within the outer sheath, wherein the stent makes frictional contact with the outer sheath and the shaft is disposed coaxially within a lumen of the stent. During deployment of the stent, the stent makes contact with the stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Cordis Corporation
    Inventors: Clifford J. Dwyer, Luis A. Davila, Frederick Feller, III, Mark L. Mathis, David J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 6763854
    Abstract: A weaving machine, in particular an airjet loom, which is fitted with a system (16) for cutting a filling thread (12′), which is being held ready for filling insertion, from a filling (12) already beaten into a fabric (10), wherein said system (16) includes a laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Picanol N.V.
    Inventors: Jozef Peeters, Patrick Puissant
  • Patent number: 6729356
    Abstract: A graft provided with a flexible sealing member to substantially prevent blood from leaking between the graft a lumen into which the graft is placed. In one embodiment, the flexible sealing member may be pressed against the vascular wall by an outwardly biased spring means attached to the sealing member. In other embodiments, the sealing member may be self-positioning upon deployment of the graft. The sealing member also may be formed into the shape of a toroid, which may be filled with thrombogenic material causing blood permeating into the toroid-shaped space to coagulate therein and hold the sealing member in place. It is also contemplated that the sealing member be formed from tufts of frayed yarn protruding circumferentially from the outer surface of the graft. A method of manufacturing such tufted yarn sealing members is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Endovascular Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven G. Baker, Tamara L. Trayer, Arnold M. Escano, Mark LeMere, Elizabeth A. McDermott