Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Francis A. Sirr
  • Patent number: 4458398
    Abstract: During manufacture of a flexible disk drive, the drive's head is located in its penetration direction, and then in radial, azimuth, tangential, roll and pitch attitudes by reading a test disk, as the head is held by a robotic head holder/manipulator. The head's signal produces closed-loop control of a serially-stacked array of rotary and linear motors which position the holder/manipulator. After the head is properly adjusted, it is clamped to the disk drive's head carriage.Cross Reference to Other ApplicationsApplication Ser. No. 391,058, filed June 22, 1982, "Manufacturing Method and Apparatus for Adjusting the Position of a Magnetic Head in a Flexible Disk Drive", by Paul M. Charlson, Richard H. Estry and Clarence R. Schwieters.Application Ser. No. 433,618, filed Oct. 12, 1982, "Manufacturing Apparatus for Adjusting the Position of a Magnetic Head in a Flexible Disk Drive", by Holger J. Baasch, Ross W. Bishop, Paul M. Charlson, James G. Hunzeker and Clarence R. Schwieters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew D. Goldstein, Kim E. Russell, Arthur W. Scott
  • Patent number: 4458274
    Abstract: During manufacture of a flexible disk drive, the drive's head is located in its penetration, radial, azimuth, tangential, roll and pitch attitudes by reading a test disk, as the head is held by a robotic head holder/manipulator. The head's signal produces closed-loop control of a serially-stacked array of rotary and linear motors which position the holder/manipulator. After the head is properly adjusted, it is clamped to the disk drive's head carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Charlson, Richard H. Estry, Clarence R. Schwieters
  • Patent number: 4456938
    Abstract: During manufacture of a flexible disk drive, the drive's head is located in its penetration, radial, azimuth, tangential, roll and pitch attitudes by reading a test disk, as the head is held by a robotic head holder/manipulator. The head's signal produces closed-loop control of a serially-stacked array of rotary and linear motors which position the holder/manipulator. After the head is properly adjusted, it is fixed to the disk drive's head carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Holger J. Baasch, Ross W. Bishop, Paul M. Charlson, James G. Hunzeker, Clarence R. Schwieters
  • Patent number: 4456235
    Abstract: Documents are inserted into a bin beneath a document stack already in the bin. An air bearing holds the document stack above the floor of the bin. A lifting mechanism lifts the stack along one edge so that a document is driven between the last sheet in the stack and the floor of the bin. A selectively activated drive means positioned on the floor of the bin advances the document into proper registration into the bin. Documents can be fed from the top of the stack simultaneously with the bottom stacking operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald F. Colglazier, Ernest P. Kollar
  • Patent number: 4454282
    Abstract: A stable, non-agglomerating, magnetic recording coating ink, for use in coating a flexible non-magnetic substrate, is made by a two-step process which first mixes finely divided chromium dioxide particles with water and a polymeric surfactant/dispersant agent which has as its major functionality in a side chain, carboxylic acid, as a free acid, ester or amide thereof, and of a relatively low number average molecular weight in the range 500 to 20,000. Only after the particles are dispersed in this slurry is water-based polyurethane binder added to the slurry, as the second step in the process, to form the final ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard L. Bradshaw, Samuel J. Falcone, Alexander Simonetti
  • Patent number: 4448649
    Abstract: A trivalent chromium electroplating solution containing trivalent chromium ions, a complexant, a buffer and a sulphur species selected from sulphites and dithionites, the complexant being selected to impart a stability constant, K.sub.1, to the chromium complex which is in the range 10.sup.6 <K.sub.1 <10.sup.12 M.sup.-1. The chromium ion molar concentration is lower than 0.01M. The complexant is selected from aspartic acid, iminodiacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, 5-sulphosalicylic acid or citric acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald J. Barclay, William M. Morgan, James M. Vigar
  • Patent number: 4448648
    Abstract: A trivalent chromium electroplating solution containing trivalent chromium ions, a complexant, a buffer and a sulphur species having S--O or S--S bonds. The complexant is selected to give the chromium complex a stability constant, K.sub.1, in the range 10.sup.6 <K.sub.1 <10.sup.12 M.sup.-1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald J. Barclay, William M. Morgan, James M. Vigar
  • Patent number: 4447144
    Abstract: A xerographic reproduction device with a reusable, closed-loop, belt photoconductor, having the photoconductor supported by at least one roller whose surface is axially grooved. These grooves are dimensioned to accept and hold carrier beads at or below the surface of the roller. As carrier beads accumulate in a groove, they move longitudinally of the roller, to accept more beads. The beads thereby move to the end of the roller and are discharged, preferably to a bead-capturing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: David K. Gibson
  • Patent number: 4442144
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for coating a moving web and for independently controlling the coating's width, thickness and uniformity of thickness along the length of the web. A back-up roller supports the moving web on a portion of the roller's periphery. A stationary and pliant smoothing film is positioned adjacent the exposed surface of the web which is supported by the back-up roller. A coating liquid is metered to the confluence of the web and the smoothing film, the metering rate being selected to produce a desired coating width. A pliant pressure generating means, in the form of a membrane or a force web, holds a length of the smoothing film against the moving web with a static force whose magnitude is selected in accordance with a desired coating thickness. The relative position of the back-up roller and the pressure generating means determines the length of coincidence of the moving web, the coating liquid, and stationary smoothing film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: David J. Pipkin
  • Patent number: 4437659
    Abstract: A low inertia rotary drum supports flexible sheets of different sizes for transport and processing. A plurality of slots are disposed on the surface of the drum. The slots are configured in spaced relation along the longitudinal and circumferential dimension of the drum. A plurality of holes or communicating ports are disposed in the slots. The holes interconnect the interior of the drum with the surface. The number of holes varies circumferentially and longitudinally. A vacuum system having a relatively low vacuum and a relatively high flow rate is coupled to the interior of the drum. Sheets are loaded onto the drum so that a minimum number of holes are vented to the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher D. Caron, Donald W. Schaefer
  • Patent number: 4434220
    Abstract: A developer material comprising toner particles and coated carrier beads for use in developing images in an electrostatographic device is disclosed. The toner particles are initially classified according to a size distribution wherein less than 15% by weight are greater than 16 microns, between 7 and 15% by weight are less than 5 microns, the remainder being from 5 to 16 microns; and wherein the median particle size by weight is from 8 to 12 microns.The carrier beads have a core with a coating thereon. The coating is a mixed resin system comprising 5 to 55% by weight polytetrafluoroethylene, 5 to 55% by weight fluorinated polyethylene-propylene, and 40% to 80% by weight of a poly(amide-imide) resin which is stable up to at least 600.degree. F., triboelectrically negative (with respect to the herein described toner), nonspalling, essentially nonfriable and dispersible with the other resin components. Also, preferably the coating includes a pigment, such as TiO.sub.2, dispersed in the resin system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jerry J. Abbott, Stephen C. Crossan, Sterritt R. Fuller, Jr., Paul D. Jachimiak
  • Patent number: 4419010
    Abstract: The toner concentration of a xerographic reproduction device is maintained by use of a patch sensor, wherein the photoconductor's test patch is toned while the photoconductor voltage is substantially zero, and while the developing field is provided by a development electrode voltage source whose polarity is opposite that which is used during reproduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony Grombone, George W. Van Cleave
  • Patent number: 4417955
    Abstract: A plating solution and method of forming such a solution for plating chromium and its alloys from Cr(III) is disclosed. The solution is an aqueous solution of a chromium(III) thiocyanate complex having at least a ligand other than water or thiocyanate in the inner coordination sphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald J. Barclay, William M. Morgan
  • Patent number: 4414579
    Abstract: A copier-printer is employed in conjunction with an optical scanner and associated character recognition logic to transmit information contained in a document over a telephone line or other communication line. The copier-printer is used to make a copy of the document which is stored in the duplex tray. When a buffer memory associated with the communication line is ready to receive further information for transmission, the copy is retrieved from the duplex tray and circulated through the copier-printer to the optical scanner. The scanner provides the information from the copy to the buffer memory in a non-coded format except to the extent that the character recognition logic is able to code some or all of the information. The copy is advanced from the scanner to a mailbox in the form of a limited access compartment at the bottom of the collator for the copier-printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony J. Dattilo, James F. McDonald, Carl A. Queener
  • Patent number: 4413901
    Abstract: An electrophotographic copier having a recirculating automatic document feeder whereby a stack of original documents are top-fed, one at a time, to the copier's platen for copying, and after such copying, rejoin the stack by operation of means which cyclically lift the stack to enable the returning document to be deposited below the stack, and then lowers the stack to cause such a returned document to become the lowermost document of the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Ernest P. Kollar
  • Patent number: 4398709
    Abstract: Device for separating and feeding sheets in seriatim from a stack to a processing station. The device includes a pin which periodically contacts and forms a pivot point on the stack. A rotary wave generator is disposed to rotate about the pivot point. The rotary wave generator periodically contacts a topmost sheet in the stack and shingles (that is separates) the sheet from the stack. The shingled sheet is fed into a paper sheet aligner and into the processing station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donovan M. Janssen, Robert Magno, William S. Seaward
  • Patent number: 4397184
    Abstract: Xerographic toner and carrier are analyzed by placing a sample thereof in a closed container, the container having upper and lower nonmagnetic and electrically conductive flat plates separated by nonmagnetic and electrically nonconductive walls, and subjecting the container to a vibratory force, while a voltage simulating an electrostatic image is applied to one plate, and while the charge associate with the other plate is monitored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Neil R. Bankert, Steven R. Heyer, Lawrence Viele, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4396274
    Abstract: An electrophotographic copier with an endless photoconductor belt adapted to move around a cylindrical drum and a flat platen. A vacuum column is positioned between the cylindrical drum and the platen. The vacuum column creates a concave bend in the photoconductor, enabling a latent image of a document to be placed on a flat run of the photoconductor belt, and enabling charging, developing, transferring and cleaning of the photoconductor belt to occur about a curved run of the photoconductor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ernest P. Kollar, Richard E. Norwood
  • Patent number: 4395033
    Abstract: Device for separating and feeding sheets in seriatim from a stack to a processing station. The device includes a pin which periodically contacts and forms a pivot point on the stack. A rotary wave generator is disposed to rotate about the pivot point. The rotary wave generator periodically contacts a topmost sheet in the stack and shingles (that is separates) the sheet from the stack. The shingled sheet is fed into a paper sheet aligner and into the processing station. A variable or ramped force and/or a variable velocity is applied to the shingler. The force and/or velocity begins at a relatively low value and increases until a sheet is sensed downstream from the stack. This enables the feeding of a wide range of paper types and weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1983
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donovan M. Janssen, Robert Magno, William S. Seaward, James A. Valent
  • Patent number: RE31508
    Abstract: Chromium containing deposits free of cracks and having good hardness are plated by the use of a novel aqueous chromium (III) electrolyte. The electrolyte includes an aquo chromium (III)-thiocyanato complex as a source of chromium (III) cations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1984
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald J. Barclay, William M. Morgan