Patents by Inventor Vincenzo Sofia

Vincenzo Sofia 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: 8381388
    Abstract: A method for handling a stator bar at a braze station including: lifting the stator bar from a platform, wherein the stator bar is in a substantially horizontal orientation on the platform; turning the stator bar from the horizontal orientation to an orientation at least 45 degrees from horizontal; aligning an upper end of the bar with a brazing station and positioning a lower end of the bar in a pit; turning the bar to reverse positions of the ends of the bar, and returning the stator bar to a horizontal orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Robert Schumacher, Yu Wang, Vincenzo Sofia, Alan Michael Iversen, Jeffrey Michael Breznak
  • Publication number: 20120074204
    Abstract: A method for handling a stator bar at a braze station including: lifting the stator bar from a platform, wherein the stator bar is in a substantially horizontal orientation on the platform; turning the stator bar from the horizontal orientation to an orientation at least 45 degrees from horizontal; aligning an upper end of the bar with a brazing station and positioning a lower end of the bar in a pit; turning the bar to reverse positions of the ends of the bar, and returning the stator bar to a horizontal orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Robert Schumacher, Yu Wang, Vincenzo Sofia, Alan Michael Iversen, Jeffrey Michael Breznak
  • Patent number: 8069551
    Abstract: A method for handling a stator bar at a stator bar facility having a stator bar workstation, an in-ground pit proximate to and at an elevation below the workstation and a stator bar transport proximate to the in-ground pit including: loading the stator bar onto the stator bar transport; turning the stator bar at least 45 degrees in a vertical plane; positioning at least a third of a length of the stator bar down into the in-ground pit, aligning a first end of the bar with the workstation, and turning the bar to reverse positions of the ends of the bar, such that a second end of the bar is aligned with the workstation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Robert Schumacher, Yu Wang, Vincenzo Sofia, Alan Michael Iversen, Jeffrey Michael Breznak
  • Publication number: 20100242260
    Abstract: A method for handling a stator bar at a braze station including lifting the stator bar from a platform, wherein the stator bar is in a substantially horizontal orientation on the platform; turning the stator bar from the horizontal orientation to an orientation at least 45 degrees off horizontal; aligning an upper end of the bar with a brazing station and positioning a lower end of the bar in a pit; turning the bar to reverse positions of the ends of the bar, and returning the stator bar to a horizontal orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: David Robert Schumacher, Yu Wang, Vincenzo Sofia, Alan Michael Iversen, Jeffrey Michael Breznak
  • Patent number: 7735211
    Abstract: A stator bar facility including: a stator bar workstation; an in-ground pit below the workstation; a stator bar elevator extending from the workstation pit, and a coupling mechanism attached to the elevator, wherein the coupling mechanism further comprises a rotational mount to receive at least one stator bar, wherein the rotational mount enables the received stator bar to be turned from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Robert Schumacher, Yu Wang, Vincenzo Sofia, Alan Michael Iversen, Jeffrey Michael Breznak
  • Publication number: 20060108889
    Abstract: A stator bar facility including: a stator bar workstation; an in-ground pit below the workstation; a stator bar elevator extending from the workstation pit, and a coupling mechanism attached to the elevator, wherein the coupling mechanism further comprises a rotational mount to receive at least one stator bar, wherein the rotational mount enables the received stator bar to be turned from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Schumacher, Yu Wang, Vincenzo Sofia, Alan Iversen, Jeffrey Breznak