Patents Represented by Attorney Carella, Byrne, Bain, et al
  • Patent number: 7654725
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multiple-screw extruder that comprises a first process chamber (1) and a second process chamber (2). In the degassing zones of said extruder, at least the first process chamber is provided with at least one degassing opening. The radius R of the conveyor element in the degassing zones, in at least one conveyor element (7; 9) of at least one screw (5, 7; 5, 9) configured as a passage screw, in a subsection configured as a passage subsection (71a, 71e; 91a, 91e), along the peripheral direction of the at least one conveyor element (7; 9) is by ?R smaller than the full radius Rv of the conveyor element (6; 8) required for the mutual stripping of adhering product in a closely intermeshing screw operation with die adjacent conveyor elements (6; 8) of adjacent conventional screws (5, 6; 5, 8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Buhler AG
    Inventors: Achim-Phillipp Sturm, Jürgen Schweikle, Andreas Christel, Federico Innerebner
  • Patent number: 7648341
    Abstract: The restoring process machines out a crack in the platform of a turbine blade to form a pocket that then receives a plug of compatible material. The plug is brazed in place and the blade is the machined and cleaned to present a clean fresh surface where the plug is inserted. The plug has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion so that the plug area has less compressive stresses in the repaired area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Sulzer Hickham Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew Charles Lau
  • Patent number: 7600308
    Abstract: Drainage elements are made by delivering loose fill elements under gravity from a container into a sleeve of netting that is tied at one end to a pipe, or other endless element, that is passing through the container. The sleeve of netting is supplied from an apertured cage extending below the container. In one embodiment a blower and chute arrangement is used to blow air downwardly into the drainage element being formed to increase the rate of flow of the loose fill elements into the sleeve of netting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Inventors: Harry Bussey, Jr., Buddy Harry Bussey, III
  • Patent number: 7588391
    Abstract: The preassembled drainage element is made with a water permeable membrane sleeve that has slits placed in the peripheral portion of the sleeve that is to form the bottom of the drainage element. The aggregate is post-expandable after fabrication of the drainage element so as to widen the slits and cause the periphery of the drainage element to bulge in the sections containing the slits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Inventors: Buddy Harry Bussey, III, Harry Bussey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7588173
    Abstract: The top portion of a filiform metal hook of a hanger is provided with an eyelet and the indicator block is provided with a protuberance that fits into the eyelet to secure the indicator block on the hook. In one embodiment, the indicator block has two hingedly connected tabs that are snap-fitted together over the mounting portion of the hook. In a second embodiment, the indicator block is of box shape with internal projections that fit into the eyelet of the hook.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Mainetti S.p.A.
    Inventor: Mario Mainetti
  • Patent number: 7568324
    Abstract: The package is made of cardboard with one or more plastic envelopes laminated to at least the side walls of the package. The envelopes are inflated from without the carton via a hollow needle that passes through a side wall of the package and a glue spot adhering the envelope in place. Air, nitrogen, foamable material or polystyrene beads may pass through the hollow needle to inflate the envelope(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Inventors: Buddy Harry Bussey, III, Harry Bussey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7540476
    Abstract: The valve for a contract tray employs an aperture in a deck that is of rectangular or trapezoidal shape with upstanding walls at the sides of the aperture. The valve body is disposed in the aperture with a cover above the aperture and legs that extend downwardly to interfit with at least the upstream end of the walls to block the liquid flow. The valve body may be fixed or movable. In the movable embodiment, the valve body is seated on the walls about the aperture to close the aperture. The ascending vapor lifts the valve to allow bubbling of the vapor in the liquid on the deck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Sulzer Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Mark W. Pilling, Dale Edward Nutter
  • Patent number: 7513271
    Abstract: The fluid inlet device for a column includes an inflow stub and a deflection unit. The deflection unit includes an input zone with a plurality of inlet passages of constant cross-sections that merge into diffuser-like passages formed by curved guide lamellae. The curved guide lamellae diffuse the flow of fluid from the lateral passages laterally and circumferentially of the column to separate a high density phase, such as liquid drops, from a low density phase, such as a gas, under centrifugal force. The curved lamellae also direct the flow of fluid from the central passages downwardly of the column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Sulzer Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Christian Gottlieb Bachmann, Pierre Schaeffer, Felix Muggli
  • Patent number: 7484292
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for making drainage elements in a vertical manner. In one embodiment, a vertically disposed hollow rotatable mandrel with a screw-threaded flight is used for guiding a length of perforated pipe and filling an annular space between the pipe and a cylinder of mesh material secured at one end to the pipe with aggregate. A hopper is used for directing the aggregate into the space between the mandrel and a cylindrical outlet of the hopper. A motor for driving the mandrel may be reversed at a slower speed than the forward speed to stop delivery of aggregate and to allow time for the upper end of the cylinder of mesh material to be severed and secured to the pipe to form a drainage element as well as to allow severance of the pipe. In another embodiment, the perforated pipe is driven through the hopper and the aggregate flows under gravity into the mesh sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Inventors: Harry Bussey, Jr., Buddy Harry Bussey, III
  • Patent number: 7481981
    Abstract: The apparatus for the esterification of a fatty acid F includes a column with a packing. In addition to functioning as a catalytic reactor, the packing functions as a stripping section. A heteregenous catalysis of a fatty acid is carried out with an alcohol used in the same molar ratio or in excess. A gaseous alcohol-rich counter-flow is produced in a sump of the column by vaporization. Water is removed from the reaction zone by means of the counter-flow acting as a stripping gas. The loaded stripping gas is at least partially liquefied at the head of the column. The head product is separated into a water-rich fraction as well as an alcohol-rich fraction. The alcohol-rich fraction is returned to the process as a starting material for the esterification and for the production of the stripping gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Sulzer Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Peter Moritz, Peter Faessler, Claudia von Scala, Oliver Bailer
  • Patent number: 7475477
    Abstract: The drainage element is made with a periphery formed of a filter material that allows the passage of water and prevents the passage of soil and a second peripheral section of net material that allows the passage of water while the preventing the passage of the lightweight aggregate therein. The filter material is preferably made of spun bonded polyester and may be made of a biodegradable material such as starch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Inventors: Harry Bussey, Jr., Buddy Harry Bussey, III
  • Patent number: 7438464
    Abstract: The static mixer has a polymorphic structure that can be used for mixing or homogenizing a fluid medium. The mixer has at least two sections arranged in a tube one after the other in the longitudinal direction. Baffles of the first section that are effective to promote mixing redistribute the medium to be mixed largely globally over the entire cross-section of the tube. Baffles of the second section that are effective to promote mixing effect largely local mixing in partial regions, which in each case contain only one part of the tube cross-section. The baffles of both sections have the same or approximately equally large hydraulic diameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Sulzar Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Felix Moser, Gerhard Sebastian Hirschberg, Markus Fleischli
  • Patent number: 7434794
    Abstract: The use of a cross-passage packing made of a metal fabric relates to a method in which an exchange of material and/or of heat is carried out between a liquid stream and a gas or vapour stream. The fabric packing (1) used is composed of vertical layers (11?, 12?) which consist of corrugated or pleated metal fabrics (11, 12) which form flow passages (13). The gas or vapour stream flows in the flow passages and the liquid stream flows on the metal fabric. The flow passages of adjacent layers cross in an open manner. The angle between crossing passages is lower than approximately 100°. In this method, the fabric packing is acted on by a relatively small liquid loading. The metal fabric forms a carrier for the liquid stream that is largely free of holes or other apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Inventors: Florian Kehrer, Marc Wehrli
  • Patent number: 7419333
    Abstract: The machine for making the drainage elements employs a forming collar about the delivery chute for the aggregate so as to form a continuously supplied strip of netting into a tube to receive the aggregate. The machine may be run on an automatic basis without a need to stop the machine in order to replenish the supply of netting. A pair of tapes are used to secure the longitudinal edges of the tape together, one tape located inside the tube and the other tape located outside the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Inventors: Harry Bussey, Jr., Buddy Harry Bussey, III
  • Patent number: 7414513
    Abstract: The invention concerns a component of predominantly organic material which affords overvoltage protection for electronic circuits, and a circuit by which a multiple of the threshold voltage of an individual component can be implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Walter Fix, Dietmar Zipperer
  • Patent number: 7396433
    Abstract: The process separates oil and water from a sludge mixture by directing the sludge mixture into a rapidly rotating friction dryer having a cylindrical chamber with a smooth inner surface and a rotating rotor having rotor arms extending into closely spaced relation to the inner surface of the chamber. The rotor is rapidly rotated to form an annular bed of the sludge material while moving the material particles in the mixture axially and tangentially and while frictionally generating heat between the rotor arms and the sludge material sufficient to evaporate the water in the sludge material to steam. At the same time, the oil in the mixture is heated by the steam and evaporated at a temperature below the normal atmospheric boiling point of the oil. Thereafter, the separated evaporated oil and the steam are removed from the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Thermtech AS
    Inventor: Asbjørn Strand
  • Patent number: 7383978
    Abstract: A single blank is provided with four removable sections which are sub-divided by lines of weakening and fold lines. The blank is foldable along a longitudinal line and transverse line to form the four sections into a four layer product. Upon removable from the blank, the four layer product may be manipulated to expose different sub-sections and, thus, provide different pictorial representations depending upon the imaging of the sub-sections. The sub-sections are imaged in a coordinated manner to produce different scenes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Inventors: Irving R. Michlin, Stephen A. Singer
  • Patent number: 7380359
    Abstract: A hanger is provided with a web with an internally disposed tab for movement in the plane of the web between a first position and a second position. A size indicator that is mounted on the web has a pair of walls disposed on opposite sides of the web and a bridge that extends between the walls for locking engagement with the tab in the first position. In one embodiment, the end of the tab may be accessed by a pointed tool to allow the block to be removed. In another embodiment, the tab is covered over to prevent the block from being removed. Several seating arrangements are provided for seating of the block on the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Mainetti S.p.A.
    Inventor: Mario Mainetti
  • Patent number: D581473
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Inventor: Frank Thomas
  • Patent number: D596892
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Telescope Casual Furniture Co.
    Inventor: William M. Vanderminden