Patents by Inventor Bret A. Robison

Bret A. Robison has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110113592
    Abstract: A blower/vacuum device has removable blower tube configured to connect with a connector stub of the device. The connector stub has a guide path formed in its interior wall and the blower tube has a latch runner disposed on its outer surface. A flipper is positioned in the guide path near the end of the circumferential segment of the guide path and coacts with the latch runner. The flipper is biased such that its tongue extends into the guide path. When the blower tube is rotated a sufficient distance such that the latch runner is rotated past the tongue, the flipper is repositioned by spring force and the tongue locks the blower tube in place. The flipper is repositioned to move the tongue out of contact with the latch runner to permit the blower tube to be rotated in the disconnect direction and removed from the connecting stub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: MTD Products Inc.
    Inventor: Bret Robison
  • Patent number: 6247878
    Abstract: A mechanism and method for adjusting the position of a cutting insert relative to the body of a cutting tool is disclosed. The mechanism of the invention comprises a pair of flexible cantilevered walls each defining a wall of cutting insert pocket in the body of a boring bar. A boring bar of the invention comprises a bar body having at least one pocket for receiving a cutting insert and a position-adjusting mechanism including a pair of flexible cantilevered walls each defining a wall of the pocket. In the method of the invention, a boring bar is provided having a plurality of pockets each defined by a pair of cantilevered walls adapted to be flexed by a wedge mechanism. Next, a cutting insert is installed into each pocket. The position of the cutting edge of each cutting insert is then determined. In the last step of the method, the radially inwardmost insert is adjusted outward by using the wedge mechanism to flex the cantilevered walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Kennametal PC Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Musil, Bret A. Robison