Patents by Inventor Michael E. Craft

Michael E. Craft 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: 6276519
    Abstract: A rodless cylinder rope tensioning apparatus maintains tension in an endless rope operable for threading a web in a paper-making apparatus and includes at least one rodless cylinder having at least one yoke sheave attached to the internal piston in the rodless cylinder. The rope is initially threaded around an entry guide roller and the yoke sheave and spliced, and then stretched by operation of the rodless cylinder, which selectively causes the piston to relocate the yoke sheave along the length of the rodless cylinder and apply a selected degree of tension to the rope. In a preferred embodiment a pair of entry guide rollers is provided in a frame containing a pair of parallel rodless cylinders, each having a yoke sheave independently movable along the rodless cylinder by operation of the rodless cylinder piston, to effect tensioning of a pair of ropes in the paper-making apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Inventors: Michael E. Craft, Douglas M. Craft, Paul E. Mayfield
  • Patent number: 5992721
    Abstract: A rodless cylinder rope tensioning apparatus maintains tension in an endless rope system operable for threading a web in a paper-making apparatus and includes at least one rodless cylinder having at least one yoke sheave attached to the internal piston in the rodless cylinder. A rope is stretched around an entry guide roller and the yoke sheave and is stretched by operation of the rodless cylinder, which selectively causes the piston to relocate the yoke sheave along the length of the rodless cylinder and apply a selected degree of tension to the rope. In a preferred embodiment a pair of entry guide rollers is provided in a frame containing a pair of parallel rodless cylinders, each having a yoke sheave independently movable along the respective rodless cylinder by operation of the corresponding rodless cylinder piston, to effect tensioning of a pair of ropes in the paper-making apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: MEC Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael E. Craft, Douglas M. Craft, Paul E. Mayfield