Patents by Inventor Joseph James Wirkus

Joseph James Wirkus 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).

  • Patent number: 11208165
    Abstract: A tensioning system includes an idler wheel, a yoke coupled to the idler wheel, a set of crawler drive tracks that extends around at least a portion of the idler wheel, a mobile base supported by the crawler driver tracks that defines a frame, a pre-load actuating element attached to the mobile base, and a spring element pre-loaded by the pre-load actuating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Joy Global Surface Mining Inc
    Inventors: Joseph James Wirkus, James Michael Hutsick
  • Publication number: 20200290849
    Abstract: A support system is provided for a gear case of a rope shovel. The gear case supports a gear drive configured to drive rotation of a hoist drum, and the gear case includes a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end. The support system includes: a coupling for securing the gear case against translational movement relative to a rotating frame, the coupling oriented orthogonally to the longitudinal axis and configured to engage the rotating frame and a portion of the gear case; and a support member configured to be coupled to the rotating frame of the rope shovel and supporting the gear case, the support member permitting translational movement of the gear case relative to the rotating frame to accommodate flexing of the rotating frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Brent Buchholz, Joseph James Wirkus, Jonathan Webster, Joseph Colwell
  • Publication number: 20190039666
    Abstract: A tensioning system includes an idler wheel, a yoke coupled to the idler wheel, a set of crawler drive tracks that extends around at least a portion of the idler wheel, a mobile base supported by the crawler driver tracks that defines a frame, a pre-load actuating element attached to the mobile base, and a spring element pre-loaded by the pre-load actuating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Joseph James Wirkus, James Michael Hutsick