Patents Represented by Attorney Davis Bujold & Daniel, P.L.L.C.
  • Patent number: 7445068
    Abstract: An axle of a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle is proposed, in which a change-under-load shifting element is provided between the wheels of the axle, which can be actuated to release the rotationally fixed connection between the wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Rebholz
  • Patent number: 7445573
    Abstract: A transmission device (3) of a vehicle for distributing a driving torque of a transmission input shaft (13) to at least two transverse vehicle shafts (4; 4X; 4Y; 4Z; 5). Between the transmission input shaft (13) and a transmission output shaft (15) gear elements (16 to 25) are disposed in a housing (11) for the purpose of implementing different gear ratios. One of the vehicle axles (4; 4X; 4Y; 4Z) extends through an inner space (10) of the housing (11). In a cross-sectional area disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the transmission device (3), in which area the transverse vehicle shaft (4; 4X; 4Y; 4Z) that is guided through the housing (11) is disposed, at least part of an electrical device (45, 46), which is mounted to the housing side, and/or at least part of a temperature control unit (47), which is mounted to the housing side, are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Martin Grumbach, Matthias Reisch, Ralf Dreibholz
  • Patent number: 7445200
    Abstract: A gas-liquid contactor baffle includes a body having a first portion, a second portion and a middle portion, the middle portion being positioned between the first portion and the second portion. The middle portion is a corrugated sheet having a first face and a second face. The corrugated sheet has alternating ridges and open ended channels extending across each of the first face and the second face between the first portion and the second portion. The first portion has a first collection channel adapted to collect liquids from the open ended channels of the middle portion when flow is along the first face in a first direction. The second portion having a second collection channel adapted to collect liquids from the open ended channels of the middle portion when flow is along the second face in a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: AMT International, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam T. Lee, Kuang-Yeu Wu, Larry W. Burton, Karl Tze-Tang Chuang
  • Patent number: 7446871
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for real-time polarization difference imaging (PDI) video including an imaging lens focusing the light on to a collimating lens, whereby the stimulus beams becomes parallel before striking a polarizing beam-splitter. Segregated orthogonally polarized components of the stimulus are then focused on imaging sensors, and one sensor's output signal is subtracted from the other, thereby creating a real-time polarization difference video image. The efficiency of such a system is greatly enhanced by illuminating the target with a polarized light source (with a polarization orientation matching one of those used in the PDI process), and PDI-enhanced targets can be constructed with surface features and textures optimised to result in a maximum return signal strength and spatial contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Inventor: James Plant
  • Patent number: 7444898
    Abstract: In a shifting assembly for a multiple-gear variable speed motor vehicle transmission, a central selector or shifting shaft (2) is mounted in the transmission housing (12) such that it can be rotated and displaced axially. By rotating the selector or shifting shaft (2) a coupling to be actuated in a shift gate can be selected, and by subsequently axially displacing the shaft, the gears can be engaged. At least two roller arms (4), spaced somewhat from one another, are positioned on the selector or shifting shaft (2), bearing a rod (6) between them. The rod (6) is mechanically linked with a contoured element or lever (16) that is mounted in the transmission housing (12) such that it can swivel. The contoured edge (20) of the contoured element or lever (16) mirrors the selection patterns and is spring loaded against the rod (6) by a spring element (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Uwe Beer, Michael Drabek
  • Patent number: 7445582
    Abstract: A method for the control of an actuator of a starting clutch of a motor vehicle. The actuator is so regulated by a control apparatus that the starting clutch is closed upon the presence of a desire for starting, as well as closed by an adjusted, transmission ratio, and the clutch is opened upon the termination of the starting procedure. For the freeing of a vehicle from a roadway obstruction by way of a rocking process of the vehicle, it is proposed that the starting clutch, during a starting procedure and by way of control of the actuation actuator, is operated in a fully automatic manner in such a way, that the torque (M_K) periodically varies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Wilhelm Härdtle
  • Patent number: 7444765
    Abstract: A footwear sole structure for dynamically directing interacting forces between a user's foot and the footwear during a stride, including an inner sole located adjacent the user's foot, a mid-sole located between the inner sole and the footwear, and a rib ribbon force transfer structure located between the inner sole and the mid-sole wherein the rib ribbon includes a plurality of ribs spaced along and transversely to a spine axis and attached to a longitudinally extending spine. The rib ribbon resists flexing about an axis parallel to the spine axis and allows a relatively greater degree of flexing about an axis transverse to the spine axis and the rib ribbon is located along a path between the inner and mid-soles to dynamically direct the interacting forces between a user's foot and the footwear as the user's weight shifts from a heel to a toe position during a stride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Bivab, LLC
    Inventors: Gordon Graham Hay, Keith M. Orr, Derek Carroll
  • Patent number: 7444912
    Abstract: A portable sawmill with bi-directional cutting circular saws includes a saw support pivotally mounted to a primary support structure for pivotal movement about a pivot axis which is transverse to the direction of movement. Two circular saws are rotatably mounted one above the other on the saw support. A first one of the two circular saws rotates in a first rotational direction and a second one of the two circular saws rotates in a second rotational direction. The teeth on both of the two circular saws are always moving toward a log resting on the log support as the log is being cut. An actuator is provided for selectively pivoting the saw support to invert the positioning of the two circular saws so that the teeth on both of the two circular saws continue to move toward the log being cut upon a change in direction occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Inventors: David S. Fenton, Lester D. Oilund
  • Patent number: 7444896
    Abstract: A shifting device for the shifting of a transmission with a shifting shaft (2), having a multiplicity of shifting forks or shifting levers (8, 10, 12, 14) placed in an axial slidable manner for the carrying out of a shifting procedure with a selection apparatus (28, 30, 32, 42, 44, 46) for the choice of a shifting fork (8, 10, 12, 14) from the multiplicity of shifting forks for the carrying out of the shifting procedure and with blocking disk (52) for the prevention of the movement of non-chosen shifting forks (8, 10, 12, 14). The elements (2, 8, 10, 12, 14, 20, 22) for the carrying out of the shifting procedure are made from a material of high structural strength and the elements of the selection apparatus (28, 30, 32, 42, 44, 46) and the blocking apparatus (52) are constructed from a material of lesser structural strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Bernd Schepperle
  • Patent number: 7444219
    Abstract: A device for evaluating vehicle, driving and operating parameters of a vehicle, in order to adjust the gear ratio of a transmission according to predetermined algorithms, parameters, or characteristic diagrams, selects anew the gear to be adjusted and adjusts the same by way of an evaluation in dependence upon criteria that are specific to the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Gerald Karch, Matthias Winkel
  • Patent number: 7442357
    Abstract: A kinetically controlled vapor reaction process for synthesizing silica areogel in a reaction container by injection of a precursor reagent vapor, a catalyst reagent vapor, super saturated steam as a component of the catalyst solution, and a hydrophobic reagent vapor amd continuously mixing vapor droplets of the precursor, catalyst and water reagents in a super saturated state to continuously nucleate in a hydrolysis/poly-condensation reaction and deposit as silica aerogel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Keller Companies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert R. Keller, Sr.
  • Patent number: 7441356
    Abstract: An apparatus for displaying procedural information cards on a computer video monitor includes a central shaft having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end capped by an upper cross member having an upper planar arm extending in one direction from the shaft, and an upper arcuate arm extending the opposite direction. The lower end is terminated by a lower cross member having a lower planar arm and a lower arcuate arm. The apparatus includes means for affixing the apparatus to a surface on a computer video monitor. The arcuate arms of the apparatus extend outwardly from the monitor to facilitate installation and flipping of the cards. Each of the arcuate arms comprises a generally semi-circular ring, and means for preventing inadvertent removal of the cards from the arcuate arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Axzo Press L.L.C.
    Inventor: Russell J. Schwartz
  • Patent number: 7444263
    Abstract: A metric monitoring and analysis system including dynamic sampling agents located in monitored system elements and a service management platform. Each sampling agent includes a data adapter collecting metric data in a common format, a threshold generator for determining dynamic metric threshold ranges, an alarm detector generating an indicator when a metric deviates outside a dynamic threshold range or a static threshold, and a deviation tracker generating an alarm severity scores. The service platform includes an alarm analyzer identifying root causes of system alarm conditions by correlation of grouped metrics or forensic analysis of temporally or statistically correlated secondary forensic data or data items from a service model of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Opnet Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Ronald White, John J. McGee, Steven J. Baron, Edward W. Macomber, Earl Charles LaBatt, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7441618
    Abstract: An electrical drive system for a vehicle with a skid steering element exhibits a homogeneous electrical drive engine and a homogeneous gear unit (16, 18) on the left and on the right side in each case, which are propelled by a drive engine (2,4), assigned in each case, and over a power drive flange (28, 40) to propel a track or a drive wheel. Two transfer elements (26, 24) of the left gear unit (16), which do not form the drive, are directly connected by a mechanical gear train crosswise in each case with both transfer elements (36, 38) of the right gear unit, which do not form the drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Johannes Sorg
  • Patent number: 7441810
    Abstract: A sewer line coupling device to facilitate attachment of a recreational vehicle sewer line to a fixed waste pipe. The coupling device comprising a main body having a second end for insertion into the waste pipe. A movable member is movable relative to the main body and a sealing sleeve is supported by the main body adjacent the second end. One end of the sealing sleeve is affixed to the main body while the other end is coupled to the movable member. When the movable member is moved in a first direction, a minimum dimension of the sealing sleeve is achieved to facilitate insertion into the waste pipe and, when the movable member is moved in an opposite direction, a maximum dimension of the sealing sleeve is achieved to facilitate formation of a seal with the waste pipe. A flange is supported by the main body between the first end and the second end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Inventor: Samuel Wayne Buff
  • Patent number: 7443395
    Abstract: Operation of a multi-variable process involves multidimensional representation of the value (p1-p12) of the process variables (P1-P12) according to individual coordinate axes, and an operational envelope (UB,LB) derived from a group of sets of values for the process and quality variables (P1-P12,Q1-Q2) accumulated from multiple, earlier operations of the process, defines an operating zone for the process and quality variables of the process. If the current value (p7) of any process variable (P7) goes outside the envelope, an envelope (UO,LB) for a different, wider grouping of the stored data-sets is displayed at least for the quality variables (Q1-Q2). A series of nested envelopes to provide stepwise enlargement of the operating zone may be provided, but non-nested envelopes can be used where there is clustering of acceptable values of process variables of the stored data-sets. The changes to control variables to bring the values of dependent variables within a best operating range can be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Curvaceous Software Limited
    Inventors: Robin William Brooks, John Gavin Wilson
  • Patent number: 7431137
    Abstract: A synchronizer for a manual transmission with a first and second idler gears rotatably mounted on a transmission shaft with a synchronizer sleeve non-rotatably mounted on the transmission shaft such that it can shift axially. The sleeve can be coupled to the first or second idler gear and comprises a shifting flange with through openings arranged around its periphery. A first and second synchronizer ring are separated by way of locking pins around the periphery, which can be inserted through the openings. At least one of the two synchronizer rings has an outer cone and an inner cone (double cone), that the double cone can be placed in non-positive contact simultaneously with an outer coupling ring that has an inner cone and an inner coupling ring that has an outer cone, and that the two coupling rings can be positively connected to the adjacent idler gear and axially supported against it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Josef Bader
  • Patent number: 7430936
    Abstract: A method for controlling operational sequencing of gears in an automatic transmission (102) which has been built in an auxiliary mode. In the case of such a shifting transmission it is possible that during the engagement of its transmission gear stage, impact noises or contact noises are present in the shifting procedure. This can occur by the generation of a tooth-on-tooth positioning between the toothing of a sliding collar (126) and the come-along toothing of an idler gear (130, 132). Provision is made for the control of the activation movement of the sliding collar (126) carried out in such a manner that an activation condition impact of the transmission parts, which are partakers in the shifting associated transmission part onto other transmission parts with the least possible impact force and/or with a least possible impact noise level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Rainer Petzold, Mario Steinborn, Stefan Veittinger
  • Patent number: 7429230
    Abstract: A multi-stage automatic transmission for a motor vehicle with standard drive has one overdrive front-mounted gearset (VS) which is connected with one input shaft (AN), a multi-member main gearset connected with one output shaft (AB) and connectable with one output element of the front-mounted gearset (VA), the same as six shifting elements (A, B, C, D, E, F) by the selective paired closing of which preferably eight forward gears can be engaged without range shifting. The main gearset comprises three rear-mounted gearsets (NS1, NS2, NS3) whose three sun gears (SO_NS1, SO_NS2, SO_NS3) are interconnected and can be connected with the output element of the front-mounted gearset (VS) and with the input shaft (AN). One web (ST_NS1) of the first rear-mounted gearset (NS1) is fixable and connectable with the input shaft (AN).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Peter Ziemer
  • Patent number: 7430463
    Abstract: A method for monitoring and diagnosing errors of drive train components of a motor vehicle by monitoring a transmission route of a drive train control signal by reading an actual value of a monitored output signal at an output of the transmission route of the drive train control signal, determining by a calculation algorithm a nominal output value corresponding to the monitored output signal resulting from a check variable inserted into the transmission route before the output of the transmission route wherein the calculation algorithm is selected such that the nominal output value represents a value of the monitored output signal for the current value of the check variable, and performing a plausibility check of the monitored output signal by determining whether the actual output value is within an acceptable value of the nominal output value for the current value of the check variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Christian Popp, Klaus Steinhauser, Sven Diebold, Manfred Scholz