Patents by Inventor Michael Hoffer

Michael Hoffer 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: 11850616
    Abstract: A coating device for applying a coating agent to the surface of a workpiece. The coating device includes a frame with a workpiece receptacle, a coating agent source and a rotary unit which is rotatable in relation to the frame. The rotary unit has a pump and a plurality of spray units, with the pump on the suction side being connected to the coating agent source by a fluid-conducting rotary joint connection. The rotary unit has a pneumatic valve device, and the spray units have in each case one compressed air controlled valve for controlling the delivery of coating agent. The inlet side of the valve is connected to the compressed air source by a fluid-conducting rotary feedthrough, which simplifies the overall construction of the coating device by providing a pneumatic connection between the compressed air source and the rotary unit that is independent of the rotation angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Robert Bürkle GmbH
    Inventors: Marcel Scheerer, Michael Hoffer
  • Publication number: 20230202768
    Abstract: A cleaning device for a residue contaminated conveyor belt includes a roller arranged below the conveyor belt such that the lateral surface thereof contacts a lower strand of the conveyor belt, and a cleaning belt is arranged below the roller. The lateral surface of the roller contacts an upper strand of the cleaning belt, which is tilted relative to a main conveying direction at the upper strand relative to a longitudinal roller axis. A dispensing device on and/or above the cleaning belt feeds a solvent thereon. The dispensing device and the cleaning belt are relatively arranged such that the solvent from the cleaning belt is conveyed by a conveying movement of the cleaning belt into a region in which the cleaning belt contacts the roller, which via a rotational movement, at least partially picks up the solvent located on the cleaning belt and dispenses it onto the conveyor belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: Robert Burkle GmbH
    Inventors: Marcel Scheerer, Michael Hoffer, Martin Brummerstadt
  • Publication number: 20230058008
    Abstract: A coating device for applying a coating agent to the surface of a workpiece. The coating device includes a frame having a workpiece receptacle, a coating agent source, a compressed air source, and a rotary unit which is rotatable in relation to the frame. The rotary unit has a pump and a plurality of spray units, the pump on the suction side being connected to the coating agent source by a fluid-conducting rotary joint connection, and on the pressure side being connected to the spray units. The rotary unit has a pneumatic valve device, and the spray units have in each case one compressed air controlled valve for controlling the delivery of coating agent. The valve on the inlet side is connected to the compressed air source by a fluid-conducting rotary feedthrough and on the exhaust air side is connected to the compressed air controlled valves of the spray units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Applicant: Robert Bürkle GmbH
    Inventors: Marcel SCHEERER, Michael HOFFER
  • Patent number: 9253851
    Abstract: This invention relates to an auto configuring runway lighting system. The auto configuring runway lighting system comprises a plurality of lighting apparatus. Each lighting apparatus comprises a means for determining geographic location information of the lighting apparatus. A central controller communicates with the plurality of lighting apparatus to obtain the geographic location information and controls the status of the plurality of lighting apparatus based on the geographic location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: BWT Property, Inc.
    Inventors: John Michael Hoffer, Jr., Sean Xiaolu Wang
  • Publication number: 20130147389
    Abstract: This invention relates to an auto configuring runway lighting system. The auto configuring runway lighting system comprises a plurality of lighting apparatus. Each lighting apparatus comprises a means for determining geographic location information of the lighting apparatus. A central controller communicates with the plurality of lighting apparatus to obtain the geographic location information and controls the status of the plurality of lighting apparatus based on the geographic location information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: BWT PROPERTY, INC.
    Inventors: John Michael Hoffer, JR., Sean Xiaolu Wang
  • Publication number: 20130067782
    Abstract: This invention relates to traffic signs which are optimized for night vision based navigation. The symbol/word of the traffic sign is designed to have a thick outline with different reflectivity relative to the background in the infrared wavelength region. As a result, the traffic signs are not only visible to the human eyes but also discernible under night vision equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: BWT PROPERTY, INC.
    Inventors: John Michael Hoffer, Cunwu Yang, Sean Xiaolu Wang
  • Patent number: 6779382
    Abstract: A process for determining changes in a liquid medium, in particular a liquid coating agent or its components, caused by shear stress, in which a given volume of the medium is allowed to pass repeatedly through a shear unit under reproducible conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Paul Rupieper, Michael Höffer, Christian Voyé
  • Patent number: 6581440
    Abstract: A process and a device for determining changes in a liquid medium, in particular a liquid coating agent or its components, caused by shear stress, in which a given volume of the medium is allowed to pass repeatedly through a shear unit under reproducible conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Paul Rupieper, Michael Höffer, Christian Voyé
  • Patent number: 6190739
    Abstract: A lacquering line and a method of lacquering industrially manufactured products in standard and/or special colours, having one or more guide devices (1) for the industrially manufactured products, having one or more lacquering cabins and having spraying elements (2) disposed along the guide devices (1) inside the lacquering cabins, wherein at least one lacquering cabin comprises one or more lacquering units, having one or more exchangeable small containers (6, 6a), in which the lacquer quantity required for lacquering a predetermined number of individual products is packed ready to apply, as well as having a rinsing device (9), wherein the small containers (6, 6a) and the rinsing device (9) are connectable in each case by a lacquer conveying device (7) and one or more stub lines (8) directly or via a colour changer (11) to the spraying elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Herberts GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Höffer, Reiner Kasulke
  • Patent number: 5991042
    Abstract: A method of determining the visual effect of lacquer coatings in which one, two or more lacquer coatings are applied to the surface of a flat substrate and are dried or hardened, wherein one or two of the lacquer coats are applied with a coat thickness gradient, and one or more surface properties which influence the visual impression are subsequently each measured on the lacquered surface thus obtained, at measuring points distributed over the surface, by means of one or more optical methods of measurement, and the respective thickness of the lacquer coat(s) applied in the form of a gradient is also measured, as well as an apparatus for carrying out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Herberts GmbH
    Inventors: Paul Rupieper, Michael Hoffer, Joachim Cramm, Joachim Blum