Patents Examined by Roy King
  • Tungsten alloy suture needles
    Patent number: 9358000
    Abstract: A method for making a curved tungsten alloy suture needle comprising the step of heating tungsten alloy needle blanks or a tungsten alloy suture needle to a temperature below the recrystallization temperature of the alloy. The tungsten alloy suture needles described herein have a desirable combination of stiffness, strength, ductility, and surface color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank R. Cichocki, Jr., Eugene D. Reynolds, Robert E. Maurer
  • 6XXX aluminum alloys, and methods for producing the same
    Patent number: 9359660
    Abstract: New 6xxx aluminum alloy bodies and methods of producing the same are disclosed. The new 6xxx aluminum alloy bodies may be produced by preparing the aluminum alloy body for post-solutionizing cold work, cold working by at least 25%, and then thermally treating. The new 6xxx aluminum alloy bodies may realize improved strength and other properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Alcoa Inc.
    Inventors: Rajeev G. Kamat, John M. Newman, Ralph R. Sawtell, Jen C. Lin
  • Aluminum alloy material for use in thermal conduction application
    Patent number: 9353429
    Abstract: An aluminum alloy material for use in thermal conduction to which improved castability has been imparted by silicon addition. It has improved thermal conductivity and improved strength. The material has a composition containing 7.5-12.5 mass % Si and 0.1-2.0 mass % Cu, the remainder being Al and unavoidable impurities, wherein the amount of copper in the state of a solid solution in the matrix phase is regulated to 0.3 mass % or smaller. The composition may further contain at least 0.3 mass % Fe and/or at least 0.1 mass % Mg, provided that the sum of (Fe content) and (content of Mg among the impurities)×2 is 1.0 mass % or smaller and the sum of (Cu content), (content of Mg among the impurities)×2.5, and (content of Zn among the impurities) is 2.0 mass % or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Horikawa, Masahiko Shioda
  • Mg-base alloy
    Patent number: 9347123
    Abstract: The quasicrystal phase and/or quasicrystal-like phase particles, which is composed of the Mg—Zn—Al, are dispersed into Mg-base alloy material for strain working. The microstructure in this material does not include the dendrite structure, and the size of the magnesium matrix is 40 ?m or less than 40 ?m. The present invention shows that the quasicrystal phase and/or quasicrystal-like phase is able to form by addition of the Zn and Al elements except for the use of rare earth elements. In addition, the excellent trade-off-balancing between strength and ductility and reduction of the yield anisotropy, which are the serious issues for the wrought processed magnesium alloys, is able to obtain by the microstructure controls before the strain working process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Somekawa, Yoshiaki Osawa, Alok Singh, Toshiji Mukai
  • Marker alloy
    Patent number: 9345819
    Abstract: A marker alloy foreign implant made of a biodegradable metallic material and having the composition MgxYbyMz wherein x is equal to 10-60 atomic percent; y is equal to 40-90 atomic percent; z is equal to 0-10 atomic percent; M is one or more element selected from the group consisting of Ag, Zn, Au, Ga, Pd, Pt, Al, Sn, Ca, Nd, Ba, Si, and Ge; and wherein x, y, and z, together, and including contaminants caused by production, result in 100 atomic percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: BIOTRONIK VI PATENT AG
    Inventors: Bruno Zberg, Bodo Gerold, Joerg Loeffler
  • Wrought and cast aluminum alloy with improved resistance to mechanical property degradation
    Patent number: 9347558
    Abstract: Aluminum-based alloys for casting or wrought processing having improved combinations of properties, including improved high temperature strength, are provided. The alloys generally comprise copper, magnesium, silver, and titanium, along with scandium and/or cobalt. Zirconium, zinc, and/or vanadium may also optionally be present in the alloy. When cobalt is present in the alloy, nickel may also optionally be present. Cast and wrought products, as well as methods of making the same using the alloys, are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Rahbar Nasserrafi, LaVerne L. Waalkes, Gerald E. Hicks, Kevin Obrachta, David E. Jakstis
  • Lead-free solder alloy
    Patent number: 9339893
    Abstract: The present invention provides a lead-free solder alloy having high reliability and excellent solder bonding properties and suited for the mounting of micronized electronic components at low cost. The lead-free solder alloy according to the present invention has a composition containing 0.5 to 1.5 wt % of Ag, 0.3 to 1.5 wt % of Cu, 0.01 to 0.2 wt % of Ni, 1.0 wt % or less of Ga, and the balance being Sn and unavoidable impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Nihon Superior Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuro Nishimura
  • Method for producing a hot-formed and press-hardened metal component
    Patent number: 9340233
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a hot-formed and press-hardened metal component for an automobile having at least two regions of different hardness. A hardenable sheet-metal blank is heated to at least an austenizing temperature and a first region of the sheet-metal blank is intermediately cooled at a cooling speed greater than the lower critical cooling speed of the material of the sheet-metal blank. The sheet-metal blank is then hot-formed and press-hardened in a press-hardening tool by quenching the first region from a bainitic structure transformation stage, thereby adjusting a mixed structure of martensite and bainite in the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: BENTELER AUTOMOBILTECHNIK GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Pellmann, Johannes Böke
  • Ytterbium sputtering target and method of producing said target
    Patent number: 9328411
    Abstract: Provided is a method of producing an ytterbium sputtering target, wherein an ytterbium target material having Vickers hardness (Hv) of the material surface of 15 or more and 40 or less is prepared in advance, and a surface of the ytterbium target material having the foregoing surface hardness is subject to final finish processing by way of machining. With the ytterbium sputtering target, present invention aims to remarkably reduce the irregularities (gouges) on the target surface after the final finish processing of the target material, and to inhibit the generation of particles during sputtering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation
    Inventor: Shiro Tsukamoto
  • Ni-based heat resistant alloy
    Patent number: 9328403
    Abstract: A Ni-based heat resistant alloy as pipe, plate, rod, forgings and the like consists of C?0.15%, Si?2%, Mn?3%, P?0.03%, S?0.01%, Cr: 15% or more and less than 28%, Mo: 3 to 15%, Co: more than 5% and not more than 25%, Al: 0.2 to 2%, Ti: 0.2% to 3%, Nd: fn to 0.08%, and O?0.4Nd, further containing, as necessary, at least one kind of Nb, W, B, Zr, Hf, Mg, Ca, Y, La, Ce, Ta, Re and Fe of specific amounts, the balance being Ni and impurities, wherein, fn=1.7×10?5d+0.05{(Al/26.98)+(Ti/47.88)+(Nb/92.91)}. In the formula, d denotes an average grain size (?m), and each element symbol denotes the content (mass %) of that element. If the alloy contains W, Mo+(W/2)?15% holds. The alloy has improved ductility after long-term use at high temperatures, and cracking due to welding can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Semba, Hirokazu Okada, Hiroyuki Hirata, Mitsuru Yoshizawa, Atsuro Iseda
  • Aluminum pressure casting alloy
    Patent number: 9322086
    Abstract: Aluminum alloy for components having increased strength with a yield point Rp0.2>120 MPa and at the same time an elongation at break A>7% in the cast state, a yield point Rp0.2>200 MPa and at the same time an elongation at break A>6% after a T5 heat treatment or a yield point Rp0.2>200 MPa and at the same time a high elongation at break A>9% after a T6 heat treatment, in particular for structural and chassis parts of a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignees: Georg Fischer Druckguss GmbH & Co KG, Georg Fischer GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Leif Speckert, Stuart Wiesner
  • Desensitization of aluminum alloys using pulsed electron beams
    Patent number: 9315886
    Abstract: A method for desensitizing an aluminum alloy is presented. A desired location on the surface of an aluminum alloy sample is exposed to a controlled pulsed electron beam. The pulsed electron beam heats a shallow layer of the metal alloy having a desired depth at the desired location on the surface of the sample to a temperature between a solvus temperature and an annealing temperature of the metal alloy to controllably reduce a degree of sensitization of the metal alloy sample at the desired location, an extent of a reduction in the degree of sensitization being controllable by varying at least one of a voltage, a current density, a pulse duration, a pulse frequency and a number of pulses of the electron beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: John D. Sethian, Matthew C. Myers, Mathew Wolford, Frank Hegeler, Ronald L. Holtz, Derek Horton, Alexis C. Lewis, Kathryn J. Wahl
  • Method for the manufacture of an aluminium alloy plate product having low levels of residual stress
    Patent number: 9314826
    Abstract: This relates to a method of the manufacture of a thick gauge aluminum alloy plate having reduced level of residual stress. The method includes (a) providing a solution heat-treated and quenched aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of at least 80 mm, (b) stress-relieving the plate by cold rolling the plate to achieve a reduction in the thickness direction of the plate product in a range of at most 8%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: ALERIS ROLLED PRODUCTS GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Ingo Günther Kröpfl, Alfred Johann Peter Haszler
  • High strength and low density particle-reinforced steel with improved E-modulus and method for producing said steel
    Patent number: 9315883
    Abstract: A particle-reinforced high strength and low density steel with improved E-modulus and method for producing the steel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: TATA STEEL NEDERLAND TECHNOLOGY BV
    Inventors: Cheng Liu, Christian Theodorus Wilhelmus Lahaye
  • Boron-containing stainless steel having excellent hot workability and surface property
    Patent number: 9303301
    Abstract: A boron-containing stainless steel having excellent hot workability and weldability and a good surface quality is proposed and is a boron-containing stainless steel comprising C: 0.001-0.15 mass %, Si: 0.1-2 mass %, Mn: 0.1-2 mass %, Ni: 5-25 mass %, Cr: 11-27 mass %, B: 0.05-2.5 mass %, Al: 0.005-0.2 mass %, O: 0.0001-0.01 mass %, N: 0.001-0.1 mass %, S: not more than 0.005 mass %, one or both of Mg: 0.0001-0.005 mass % and Ca: 0.0001-0.005 mass % and the remainder being Fe and inevitable impurities provided that a part of Si, Al, Mg, Ca and S is included as a non-metallic inclusion made of sulfide and/or oxysulfide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: NIPPON YAKIN KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hidekazu Todoroki
  • Method to obtain a high resistance gray iron alloy for combustion engines and general casts
    Patent number: 9284617
    Abstract: A new alloy, obtained through a new method, which presents the mechanical and physical properties of the gray iron alloy, with a wide interface range of the CGI's tensile strength (TS). This new alloy, flake graphite based, is a High Performance Iron (HPI) alloy. Therefore, besides its high tensile strength, the HPI alloy presents excellent machinability, damping vibration, thermal conductivity, low shrink tendency and good microstructure stability (compatible with gray iron alloys). HPI's characteristics are obtained by a method that defines a specific interaction among five metallurgical fundaments: chemical analysis; oxidation of the liquid metal; nucleation of the liquid metal; eutectic solidification and eutectoidic solidification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: TEKSID DO BRASIL LTDA.
    Inventors: Otto Luciano Mol de Oliveira, Jefferson Pinto Villafort
  • Impact toughness and heat treatment for cast aluminum
    Patent number: 9284636
    Abstract: A method for transforming a cast component made of modified aluminum alloy by increasing the impact toughness coefficient using minimal heat and energy. The aluminum alloy is modified to contain 0.55%-0.60% magnesium, 0.10%-0.15% titanium or zirconium, less than 0.07% iron, a silicon-to-magnesium product ratio of 4.0, and less than 0.15% total impurities. The shortened heat treatment requires an initial heating at 1,000° F. for up to 1 hour followed by a water quench and a second heating at 350° F. to 390° F. for up to 1 hour. An optional short bake paint cycle or powder coating process further increases the impact toughness coefficient of the cast component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Jonathan A Lee
  • Pd-Y alloy catalyst, method for preparing the same, and fuel cell comprising the catalyst
    Patent number: 9269965
    Abstract: Disclosed are a platinum (Pt)-free, palladium (Pd)-yttrium (Y) alloy catalyst having superior oxygen reduction reaction activity and stability, a method for preparing the same, and a fuel cell including the catalyst. Since the Pt-free Pd—Y catalyst is inexpensive, it may be usefully applicable for fuel cells, particularly polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Sung Jong Yoo, Soo-Kil Kim, Seung Jun Hwang, Suk-Woo Nam, Tae Hoon Lim, Seong Ahn Hong
  • High-strength steel sheet and the method for production therefor
    Patent number: 9267193
    Abstract: A high-strength steel sheet comprises, by weight, not less than 0.25% and not more than 0.5% of C, not less than 4% and not more than 14% of Mn, not less than 6.5% and not more than 9.5% of Cr, and not less than 0.3% and not more than 3% of Si. The high-strength steel sheet satisfies formulas 1 and 2, formula (1) being 12?2.0Si+5.5Al+Cr+1.5Mo?25 and formula (2) being 13?30C+0.5Mn+0.3Cu+Ni+25N?17, and mainly consists of austenite, and the high-strength steel sheet has yield strength of not less than 1000 MPa and total elongation of not less than 20%. In formulas 1 and 2, each element in the above formulas indicates the content, in weight %, of the element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Masashi Ishii, Sven Leonhardt, Yoshitaka Okitsu, Klaus Brokmeier, Georg Frommeyer, Ursula Frommeyer, Astrid Frommeyer
  • Method and device for reducing iron-oxide-containing feedstocks in a high-pressure reducing unit
    Patent number: 9255302
    Abstract: A method for reducing iron-oxide-containing feedstocks by introducing a reducing gas into a high-pressure reducing unit (1) where the reducing gas is consumed by reducing iron-oxide-containing feedstocks and then the reducing gas is withdrawn as top gas from the high-pressure reducing unit (1). At least one subportion of the top gas is admixed to a feed gas as recycle gas (15). The reducing gas is generated by CO2 being separated off from the gas mixture obtained from the addition of the recycle gas (15) to the feed gas after one or more compression steps. The recycle gas (15) is added to the feed gas in at least two recycle gas substreams that are separated from one another with recycle gas substream pressures at various distances from the high-pressure reducing unit (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS VAI METALS TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Robert Millner, Gerald Rosenfellner