Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Nilles & Nilles
  • Patent number: 6390866
    Abstract: A double-acting hydraulic cylinder and piston rod unit having fluid hoses for conducting fluid thereto. A generally flat outer end is provided on the piston or cylinder. A bracket has a spherical socket and either the piston rod end or cylinder has a spherical ball portion swively mounted in the socket. A yoke has a slot in which the generally flat end is slidably mounted for sliding in opposite directions. The flat end prevents relative rotation between the rod and cylinder about a longitudinal axis. Guide slots are provided and arranged at right angles to the yoke slot, the yoke being slidable in the guide slots whereby the unit can swivel about the socket and can slide in the opposite directions in the yoke and the unit can also move at right angles thereto by sliding with the yoke in the guide slots. The piston rod and cylinder are prevented from rotating relative to one another about their longitudinal axis and thereby prevent twisting of the hoses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Twin Disc, Incorporated
    Inventor: Frederic E. Nystrom
  • Patent number: 6386721
    Abstract: A light pipe for a backlight assembly has a front surface and a back surface. The back surface includes an integral surface diffuser microstructure formed thereon. The front surface may also have an integral surface diffuser microstructure formed thereon as well. A backlight assembly has a reflective surface adjacent the back surface of the light pipe and a separate diffuser film layer disposed against the front surface. A pair of brightness enhancing film layers for collimating light are placed adjacent the diffuser film layer. A protective layer is disposed over the brightness enhancing film layers. The integral diffusers on the front and back surfaces of the light pipe significantly enhance the brightness and light distribution uniformity of the assembly without adding additional components or reducing other performance characteristics of the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
    Inventors: Abbas Hosseini, Gajendra Savant
  • Patent number: 6380843
    Abstract: A secured system of access checking using a portable storage carrier (C) on which there is recorded an electronic key (CL), a digital data processing instrument (LE) for the production of keys, and an electronic lock (L) function capable of authorizing access should the storage carrier have the requisite electronic key. To transfer an entitlement to produce keys (CL) from one production digital data processing instrument (LE) to another, it is loaded with a new public key (K′) and the signature (CER′) of this key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: La Poste
    Inventors: Didier Guerin, Constant Hardy, Marc Girault, Marie-Josèphe Revillet
  • Patent number: 6375105
    Abstract: A jaw crusher having a stationary jaw and a movable jaw which define a variable crushing gap (or closed side setting), a toggle beam, and a toggle between the toggle beam and the movable jaw, and a toggle seat between the toggle and each of the beam and movable jaw for seating the toggle against the beam and movable jaw. A double-acting hydraulic ram having a connection with the toggle beam for shifting the toggle beam toward and away from the fixed jaw. An abutment is supported by the housing and engageable by the toggle beam for defining an adjustably variable limit of shifting thereof. End caps provide a rigidly guided sliding toggle beam having a plurality of alternatively selectable positions of adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Astec Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew B. Haven, Patrick Quella, Brian P. Jaworski
  • Patent number: 6369925
    Abstract: A nonimaging beam combiner and collimator. The nonimaging beam combiner and collimator can include at least two light sources that emit light of the same wavelength through a focus point and a nonimaging element that receives the light of the same wavelength after the focus point and collimates the light at the same wavelength through the atmosphere. The at least two light sources can include fiber light sources, optical fibers, gradient index lenses, fiber lasers or laser diodes. The collimator can include an input surface, a paraboloid surface located adjacent to the input surface, a conical surface located adjacent to the paraboloid surface, and an ellipsoid surface located adjacent to the conical surface and located on an opposite side of the collimator from the input surface. The paraboloid surface can include a total internal reflection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
    Inventors: Il'ya Agurok, Lonnie Lindsey
  • Patent number: 6362257
    Abstract: The pavement patch composition of the present invention comprises a lightweight aggregate and highly modified polymer asphalt binder. The composition is formed by heating the binder to a flowable state, mixing the flowable binder with a lightweight aggregate, and then allowing it to cool into a solid form. The pavement patch composition is used to repair voids in pavement, such as pot holes, cracks and depressions. It is applied by heating solid pavement patch composition to a flowable state and applying it to the void, or on a surface in need of repair, and then allowed to cool. The resulting patch is self-adhering, strong and flexible. The formulation of the pavement patch composition may be adjusted for specific use in a cold climate, a moderate climate, a warmer climate, or for use in various traffic applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Crafco, Incorporated
    Inventors: James G. Chehovits, Robert Lowell Parkison
  • Patent number: 6359349
    Abstract: A rotor composite type three-phase stepping motor having a stator consisting of two stator elements each having 6n pieces of stator magnetic pole with Ns pieces of pole tooth formed on the tip end of each stator magnetic pole piece, and a permanent magnet held by the two stator elements therebetween, a rotor of magnetic material arranged so as to face to a periphery of the stator through an air gap, Nr pieces of pole tooth being formed on a periphery of the rotor, and exciting windings wound around each stator magnetic pole piece of the stator elements consisting of two sets of three-phase windings each wound around 3n pieces of stator magnetic pole among the 6n pieces of stator magnetic pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Japan Servo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6357285
    Abstract: Local sensitive force detector output data, acquired from a cellular and sub-cellular structures (“biological structures”), are quantified in an objective format. Data are acquired from two axes of the biological structure at scan positions along a third axis of the biological structure, which is perpendicular to the two axes. Data are then quantified as a function of scan position along the third axis. The quantified data can be plotted and displayed to generate a two-dimensional representation of a biological structure's morphology, which contains quantified data points from along the third axis of the biological structure. The output can be used for morphology-based classification and typing of biological structures. The invention classifies and types biological structures by converting the local sensitive force detector data into a graphical fingerprint, which, for example, can be compared to standard data generated from known biological structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Michael J. Allen
  • Patent number: 6359453
    Abstract: A vertical probe card assembly containing a plurality of vertical probe cards is mounted within a central corridor or opening within a magnetic field generator. Each of the vertical probe cards has a multiplicity of probe needles extending downwardly therefrom for electrically contacting test pads of a device under test that is positioned below the magnetic field generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: James M. Forbis, Dennis J. Cahalan
  • Patent number: 6354484
    Abstract: A metal-ceramic composite substitute is produced by joining a metal plate to a ceramic substrate by using a brazing material in a paste form prepared by adding 10-14 parts by weight of a vehicle to 100 parts by weight of a powder of which the solid centent comprises 90.0˜99.5% of an Ag powder, 0˜9.5% of a Cu powder and 0.5˜4.0% of an active metal powder, and 0.0˜0.9% of a titanium oxide powder if necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Dowa Mining Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Sakuraba, Masami Kimura, Masaya Takahara, Junji Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6352759
    Abstract: A glass diffuser is fabricated by first producing a metal shim submaster or other high temperature resistant diffuser having a surface relief structure on one surface. A glass substrate material is heated to a suitable temperature and at least one exposed surface is thereby softened to a desired degree. The submaster diffuser, and particularly the surface relief structure, is then placed in contact with the exposed and softened glass substrate material in order to replicate the surface relief structure in the glass material. The submaster diffuser and the glass substrate are separated and then the glass is allowed to cool to form a glass diffuser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
    Inventor: Gajendra D. Savant
  • Patent number: 6352359
    Abstract: A vehicle light assembly includes a lens cover from which light emanates. A light shaping surface microstructure is carried in a portion of the light assembly. The microstructure can be incorporated into many different surfaces of the light assembly such as a surface of the lens cover, a surface of a macro-optical structure on the lens cover, or on a reflective surface of the assembly. The microstructure homogenizes and directs light emanating from the light assembly via reflection or transmission to provide a smooth, continuous pattern of light having a predetermined distribution shape or envelope and a predetermined directionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
    Inventors: Rick L. Shie, Jeffrey A. Laine, Gajendra D. Savant
  • Patent number: 6353673
    Abstract: A system and method for real time optical processing of images by simultaneous combining the variable set of images in selected spectral intervals. Spectral images at a plurality of spectral intervals are collected if needed. According to criteria established in a particular application, coefficients for an optimal combination of selected spectral intervals are calculated. Positive and negative images are continuously captured through the optical filter whose transmission spectrum adjusted to positive and negative coefficients of the optimal combination. Negative images are subtracted from positive images and a sequence of resulting optimized images is displayed in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
    Inventors: Paul I. Shnitser, Sergey Sandomirsky, Il'ya Agurok, Aramais Avakian
  • Patent number: 6353221
    Abstract: A high degree of measurement reproducibility is assured for the life of the tip of a probe-based instrument such as an atomic force microscope (AFM) by periodically operating the instrument in a tip cleaning mode to remove contaminants from the tip. The instrument is operated to interrupt the scanning operation and cause the probe to interact with the cleaning medium so as to remove contaminants from at least the pointed end portion of the tip. Tip cleaning may be achieved, for example, by ramming the tip vertically into the sample itself or into another cleaning medium located adjacent the sample. Alternatively, the tip can be moved laterally over the sample, a sticky material, a brush-like material, a ribbed material, or another material having surface characteristics that remove contaminants from the tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey R. Elings
  • Patent number: 6352207
    Abstract: In an expansion valve having a control mechanism with an airtight chamber, the airtight chamber is sealed by a steel ball joined into a filling hole in a metallic wall of the airtight chamber. The steel ball is fixed by resistance welding for sealing the filling hole. The diameter ratio between the inner diameter of the filling hole and the outer diameter of the spherical surface of the steel ball is set to a value falling in a range from 0.6 to 0.85.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: TGK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kawakami, Isao Sendo, Tatsuo Ito, Shigeyoshi Ueno
  • Patent number: 6351959
    Abstract: In a refrigerating cycle with a by-pass line 5 detouring the condenser 2 in an auxiliary heating mode the amount of circulated refrigerant is controlled in accordance with load, etc. so that the heating can be suited to such conditions. A regulator 20 for controlling the outlet pressure of the evaporator to a fixed level allows to use an evaporator 4 having ordinary pressure resistance. An accumulator 6 for temporarily storing low-pressure refrigerant liquid is provided between the outlet of evaporator 4 and a compressor 1. In an auxiliary heating mode the amount of the circulated refrigerant passing the by-pass line 5 is controlled by the accumulator 6. Simultaneously the regulator is controlling the outlet pressure of the evaporator to an essentially fixed level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: TGK Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Hisatoshi Hirota
  • Patent number: 6352089
    Abstract: A device designed to be incorporated in a volumetric feeder having a body in which a distribution key with a vertical axis is rotatably mounted. The body with a truncated seat open at the base and at the top and having a lateral opening. The seat is designed to receive the dispensing key whereof the truncated part is open at the base and has a radial opening and is likewise open at the top in an axially extending stem projecting from the body towards the bottom and open in its distal end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Hema Technologies S.A.
    Inventor: Thierry Le Breton
  • Patent number: 6349819
    Abstract: A belt material handling system including conveyor belts supported on a belt conveyor idler support frame. Brackets are provided for supporting one or multiple idler rollers on such a frame. One form of such brackets has a tab for retaining the shafts in the end bracket that can be precisely bent over the shaft end by providing a cut that extends generally at right angles from a slot. The adjacent ends of a center and an outer roller shaft in a center combined bracket are retained by a single tab that can be bent into locking position over adjacent ends of the shafts. A conveyor return bracket can be utilized either as a left- or right-hand bracket or it can be used as a simple rise bracket. This return bracket uses novel shaped flanges which act to position the shaft in an enlarged portion of the slot, then the slotted portion of the shaft is pressed into holding engagement in the narrow portion of the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Astec Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry D. Nohl, Neil E. Schmidgall, Darin J. Buss
  • Patent number: 6347873
    Abstract: A backlight assembly is disclosed having a light pipe and at least one light source located at an edge of the light pipe. The light pipe has a back surface and a front surface opposite the back surface. The light pipe also has one or more light directing, diffusing, turning, or brightness enhancing film layers adjacent the front surface. The light pipe also has an integral surface diffuser microstructure molded, embossed, or otherwise replicated in the front surface of the light pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
    Inventors: Abbas Hosseini, Hyun-Sun Chung, Anatoly Vasiliev, Gajendra D. Savant
  • Patent number: 6346809
    Abstract: A method comprises manufacturing a read/write head for a disk drive; then testing the read/write head; and then mounting the read/write head to a suspension only after the testing step indicates that the read/write head is not defective. The testing may be performed by writing information to and reading information from a non-disc shaped media paddle that is caused to move back and forth with respect to the read/write head in oscillatory fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Inventor: Raymond M. Karam, II