Patents by Inventor Tim-Malte Franke

Tim-Malte Franke 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: 7909313
    Abstract: An elastomer bush bearing, wherein the bearing body (2) is encapsulated through axial flanges (4, 4?) of the outer bearing sleeve (3), with the bush bearing having an elastomer bearing body (2) with a special profile in the axial direction. The bearing body (2) is employed in constructing the bush bearing of the invention, which is capable of supporting high radial loads even with low radial stiffness and without adversely affecting its stability and service life. The two axial end faces (5, 5?) of the bearing body (1) each have undulated contours which extend in the circumferential direction (u) in the same direction, both with respect to one another and also over the entire region of the material thickness (d) of the bearing body (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Hubert Siemer, Tim-Malte Franke, Claudia Hoping
  • Publication number: 20090202184
    Abstract: The elastomeric bush bearing is constructed of a metallic inner part (1) which is symmetric in relation to a bearing axis (a), an outer sleeve (3) arranged concentric with respect to the inner part (1), an elastomeric bearing body (2) arranged between the inner part (1) and the outer sleeve (3) and connected with the inner part (1) by vulcanization. At least one intermediate sheet (4) is vulcanized into the bearing body (2) which forms a support spring. The inner part (1) and the at least one intermediate sheet (4) are bulgedly expanded in a center axial region (5, 5?).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2009
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Tim-Malte FRANKE, Torsten BALTES, Oliver LANGE, Claudia HOPING
  • Patent number: 7441759
    Abstract: An elastomeric bush bearing is designed as a slotted bush. To reach a high ratio of static radial stiffness to torsion spring rate along with a high axial stiffness at the same time, a beading is formed at least at one axial end but preferably at both axial ends of the slotted bush. In case of an especially advantageous embodiment, a slotted bush with additional intermediate parts inserted into the elastomeric bearing body, two encapsulated rubber packets are created by the simultaneous special geometric design of the inner part. The individual stiffnesses of the two rubber packets are thus compensated and thus there is a homogeneous increase in the overall stiffness of the bush. The beadings are prepared before the components of the bearing are assembled and vulcanized to the parts of the later outer sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Tim-Malte Franke, Christine Schumacher, Claudia Hartfiel, Nicole Cieslack
  • Publication number: 20070290425
    Abstract: An elastomer bearing (1) has an inner part (2), an outer sleeve (4) surrounding the inner part (2) coaxially to a bearing longitudinal axis (3) defining the center of the bearing and an elastomer body (5) arranged between the inner part (2) and the outer sleeve (4). The elastomer body (5) has at least one bulge (6), adjacent to which at least one tapered section (7, 8) each is located on both sides when viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis (3) of the bearing. The outer sleeve (4) has axial end sections with a deformation (9, 10) each directed towards the inside of the bearing. Before the elastomer bearing (1) is mounted in a motor vehicle component (11), the elastomer body (5) has recesses (12, 13) on the axial front sides of the elastomer bearing (1), and the recesses (11, 12) are filled by the elastomer body (5) up to the area of the deformations (9, 10) after the elastomer bearing (1) has been inserted into the motor vehicle component (11).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Karl Heuer, Helmut Kammel, Klaus Kramer, Tim-Malte Franke
  • Publication number: 20070258671
    Abstract: An elastomer bush bearing, wherein the bearing body (2) is encapsulated through axial flanges (4, 4?) of the outer bearing sleeve (3), with the bush bearing having an elastomer bearing body (2) with a special profile in the axial direction. The bearing body (2) is employed in constructing the bush bearing of the invention, which is capable of supporting high radial loads even with low radial stiffness and without adversely affecting its stability and service life. The two axial end faces (5, 5?) of the bearing body (1) each have undulated contours which extend in the circumferential direction (u) in the same direction, both with respect to one another and also over the entire region of the material thickness (d) of the bearing body (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: HUBERT SIEMER, TIM-MALTE FRANKE, CLAUDIA HOPING
  • Publication number: 20070085253
    Abstract: An elastomeric bush bearing is designed as a slotted bush. To reach a high ratio of static radial stiffness to torsion spring rate along with a high axial stiffness at the same time, a beading is formed at least at one axial end but preferably at both axial ends of the slotted bush. In case of an especially advantageous embodiment, a slotted bush with additional intermediate parts inserted into the elastomeric bearing body, two encapsulated rubber packets are created by the simultaneous special geometric design of the inner part. The individual stiffnesses of the two rubber packets are thus compensated and thus there is a homogeneous increase in the overall stiffness of the bush. The beadings are prepared before the components of the bearing are assembled and vulcanized to the parts of the later outer sleeve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Inventors: Tim-Malte FRANKE, Christine Schumacher, Claudia Hartfiel, Nicole Cieslack