Patents Represented by Law Firm Sixbey, Friedman & Leedom
  • Patent number: 6050117
    Abstract: The object of the invention is a motor vehicle door lock with an outer housing (11) with an entry slot (12) for a lock hinge (50), with a rotary bolt (13) moving in entry slot (12) and located in housing (11), with a lock pawl (14) holding rotary bolt (13) in locked position and placed in housing (11) and preferably with an electric drive (15) placed in housing (11) for lock pawl (14). This is first characterized in that housing (11) is completely closed externally except for entry slot (12) for the lock hinges and optionally entry fittings (23) for one or two Bowden cables (24; 25) and/or an entry fitting (26) for a lock cylinder. Further, it can also and independently be achieved that another drive motor be placed in housing (11) for motorized movement of rotary bolt (13) and that it be engaged with rotary bolt (13) even when the latter is in the locked position, and rotary bolt (13) is turned increasingly further in the locking direction as the motor vehicle speed increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Bernd Weyerstall
  • Patent number: 6052342
    Abstract: Even if a recorded medium is exchanged during the reproduction of another recorded medium, the contents of the exchange work can be confirmed easily. A stocker accommodates a plurality of recorded medium carriers each holding a recorded medium. A first transport unit transports a recorded medium carrier between the outside of an apparatus housing and the stocker. A second transport unit transports a recorded medium between the stocker and a reproduction unit. The stocker is moved up and down in order to align the position of the recorded medium carrier with the first or second transport unit. While a recorded medium carrier is transported from the outside of the housing to the stocker, light emitting and receiving elements detect a presence/absence of a recorded medium. A control unit stores information of a presence/absence of a recorded medium at each stage of the stocker, and displays the contents of the information on a display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
    Inventor: Masaki Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 6051453
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the step of, after patterning the silicon film crystallized to a low degree by thermally annealing an amorphous silicon film into an island by etching, irradiating an intense light of a visible light or a near infrared radiation to effect a short-period annealing (RTA) to the silicon film of low crystallinity. Thus, the crystallinity of the silicon film is improved and the silicon film is densified in a short-period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Takemura
  • Patent number: 6050065
    Abstract: In a driving system for the cross closing jaw (16) of a continually operating flow packing machine it is customary that the drive motor (30) for the vertical movements of the jaw is mounted on the sledge (8) reciprocating the jaws along the conveying path. According to the invention, the motor (30) should not participate in these movements as it is mounted in a stationary manner for driving a longitudinally extending shaft (20) which cooperates with a driving bushing mounted on the sledge so as to be slidable along the shaft (20) and operating to control the said vertical movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Inventor: Tommy Bonde
  • Patent number: 6047914
    Abstract: A notched ring rotates together with a spool and opposes a disk of a locking shaft portion. A substantially semicircular engaging projection is formed on an opposing surface of the notched ring in the peripheral direction thereof. An engaging concave portion is formed at the disk so as to correspond to the engaging projection. When the spool is rotated in the withdrawing direction of a webbing and the opposing surface of the notched ring abuts the disk, the engaging projection enters and engages the engaging concave portion without clearance therebetween. Accordingly, even if rotating force is further applied to the spool in the withdrawing direction of the webbing, movement of the notched ring in the outer peripheral direction is prevented, and a state in which the rotation of the spool is restricted is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventor: Sumikazu Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6049092
    Abstract: A TFT formed on an insulating substrate source, drain and channel regions, a gate insulating film formed on at least the channel region and a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film. Between the channel region and the drain region, a region having a higher resistivity is provided in order to reduce an loff current. A method for forming this structure comprises the steps of anodizing the gate electrode to form a porous anodic oxide film on the side of the gate electrode; removing a portion of the gate insulating using the porous anodic oxide film as a mask so that the gate insulating film extends beyond the gate electrode but does not completely cover the source and drain regions. Thereafter, an ion doping of one conductivity element is performed. The high resistivity region is defined under the gate insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Konuma, Akira Sugawara, Yukiko Uehara, Hongyong Zhang, Atsunori Suzuki, Hideto Ohnuma, Naoaki Yamaguchi, Hideomi Suzawa, Hideki Uochi, Yasuhiko Takemura
  • Patent number: 6048440
    Abstract: An improved flexible manufacturing process for making molded fiber products uses a molding machine provided with a large number of ports for mounting a variety of molds. Quick release mold attachments permit rapid changeover of production output. The molds used are designed to have a predetermined total height, and platen stops maintain this design separation during transfer of the molded product. An expanded stock chest is provided to permit a higher pulp usage rate. Separate positive air supply lines are provided for the different transfer mold sites. Using these separate lines, a novel air volume and flow control method is provided to control the volume of air applied to release products from transfer molds, permitting manufacture of a variety of complex structures. The air flow controls permit control of both the rate of flow and the duration of the selected rate of flow of positive pressure air, thus providing total volume control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Roger J. Baker
  • Patent number: 6046793
    Abstract: A proximity printing device in which the angle of the light with which a workpiece is irradiated can be changed has an exit part attached on a base and a light source part supported by two bearings. Light emitted from a lamp is focused by an oval focusing mirror and is radiated onto the workpiece via a mask. In one embodiment, two ends of the base are joined to guides of arc-shaped arms. Rotating the base tilts the exit part and the workpiece can be obliquely irradiated with light. Because the light source part is held by two bearings, the lamp of the light source part can be held in a vertical state even when the base is tilted. Furthermore, the direction of motion of the light source part can be limited by means of a ball spline or the like to a horizontal direction, and can be moved by means of a drive so that the exit part can be tilted while holding the light source part vertical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Ushiodenki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoneta Tanaka, Hiromi Kai
  • Patent number: 6042321
    Abstract: An automated storage system for receiving, storing and returning dairy cases stored without pallets. Specifically, the automated storage system comprises an article transporter which includes a shuttle that deposits and retrieves dairy cases stored in storage lanes of a storage rack and a rail system for supporting the shuttle and dairy cases stored thereon. One or more shuttles may be used in the automated storage and retrieval system and are coupled via a shuttle bridge. The rail system includes two or more outer support rails and two or more inner support rails for supporting the shuttle and dairy cases. The rail system also supports normal Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) pallets or other special slave pallets. The bottom flange of the rail system has a "drip pan" style to contain leakage from the dairy cases. This "drip pan" design allows personnel to walk inside the storage lanes safely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Westafalia Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Labell
  • Patent number: 6042459
    Abstract: A wafer is rotated on its axis, which is biased with regard to an axis of a grinding wheel, and revolves around an axis which is biased with regard to the axis of the wafer and the axis of the grinding wheel. In this state, the grinding wheel is abutted against the surface of the wafer. Thus, all abrasive grains on the grinding wheel can act on the whole surface of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuo Honda
  • Patent number: 6043470
    Abstract: For use in the heating of foodstuffs by induction, use is made of an energy converter between energy taken from the mains supply via a rectifier and a high frequency oscillation. Such a converter is frequently based on the maintenance of an oscillation in a parallel resonant circuit (CR, LR) which may be disposed in a converter bridge (S1, S2, S3, S4) of controlled switches. It has turned out to enhance the efficiency considerably to let the parallel resonant circuit be series connected to a self-inductance L1 which connects it to the DC source UDC. A series resonant circuit is thereby created which is active during supply of energy and which in a simple fashion reduces the load on the participating switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrlux
    Inventor: Jan E. Dahl
  • Patent number: 6043105
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a non-single crystalline semiconductor layer including an intrinsic or substantially instrinsic silicon which contains hydrogen or halogen and is formed on a substrate in a reaction chamber which may have a substrate holder. Sodium is removed from the inside of the reaction chamber and/or the surface of the substrate holder to remove sodium therefrom so that the concentration of sodium in the semiconductor layer is preferably 5.times.10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6041705
    Abstract: A rotary silk screen printing machine or press with a modular design of the individual printing mechanisms and fully integrated control modules within a digital network system of the printing machine is set forth.As a result of the logical, modular design of the individual printing mechanisms, on a given printing machine base with a continuous conveyor belt fixed between two main rollers and which is driven by a main drive motor, it is possible to insert, replace and reprogram individual printing mechanisms. Both during the installation of a new printing system and when reequipping existing systems, considerable technical and economic advantages arise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Inventor: Alexander Lintner
  • Patent number: 6038866
    Abstract: In a gas pressure-driven type cryogenic refrigerating machine, an inner space of a cylinder 2 is divided into a lower pressure room 20, an upper pressure room 29 and expansion rooms 30, 31 by a slack piston 17 and a displacer 22 connected to the slack piston, a rotary valve 35 alternately changes between a high-pressure valve-open position for supplying high-pressure helium gas to the upper pressure room 29 and the expansion rooms 30, 31 and a low-pressure valve-open position for discharging the helium gas in the upper pressure room 29 and the expansion rooms 30, 31, and a difference in gas pressures between the upper and lower pressure rooms 29, 30 causes the slack piston 17 to be driven to reciprocate the displacer 22 thereby producing a cold condition at an extremely low temperature level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Okamoto, Toshiyuki Kurihara
  • Patent number: 6040035
    Abstract: The present invention provides a water-base ink absorbing material which can quickly absorb a water-base ink and has an excellent fixativity of the drying water-base ink and on which print with a good definition can be achieved without inducing inconsistencies in color density and bleeding of ink.The ink absorbing material is prepared so as to satisfy the following requirements 1 through 3:1 the contact angle measured at ordinary temperature by the liquid drop method using water is 50 degrees or less;2 the wetting index measured in compliance with "Testing method of wettability of polyethylene and polypropylene films" defined by JIS-K-6768 is 40 dyn/cm or more; and3 the water vapor permeability P is 800-20000 g/m.sup.2 /24 h/0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Satoh, Yoshio Taguchi, Noriko Shoyama
  • Patent number: 6039682
    Abstract: Composite paperboard containers formed from a first substantially planar sheet of paperboard material having a content contacting surface and a back surface, a first embossed sheet of paperboard material having a plurality of raised portions adhered to the back surface of the first planar sheet and a second embossed sheet of paperboard material having a plurality of raised portions adhered to the first embossed sheet of paperboard material. Additional planar sheets or embossed sheets may be added as desired in order to achieve the desired flexural stiffness and thermal resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Fort James Corporation
    Inventors: Jerome G. Dees, Kirk Kimbel
  • Patent number: 6040903
    Abstract: Proposed for detecting the relative position of two bodies (2, 3) or surface regions of bodies is an electro-optical measuring instrument which has, in a known way, a light beam transmitter (4), which can be attached to the one body (3) or surface region and transmits a focused light beam (L), and a single-axis or multi-axis optoelectronic position detector with a light-sensitive measuring surface (5). During measurement of the bodies (2, 3) or surface regions, the light beam (L) impinges on the measuring surface (5), and its point of impingement (LA) moves over the light-sensitive surface (5), during execution of a measuring movement, in a way which is characteristic of the current mutual alignment of the bodies (2, 3) or surface regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Pruftechnik Dieter Busch AG
    Inventors: Heinrich Lysen, Kal Aschenbrenner, Thomas Letze
  • Patent number: 6039154
    Abstract: A braking means for a movable part of a furniture component, especially an upholstered furniture component, which has support frame (1), with a slide rail (7) to be attached to either of a movable part (3) and a support frame (1), and with a brake bearing block (8) to be attached to the other of the support frame (1) and movable part (3), an adjustment device (9) for adjustment of the braking force exerted by the brake bearing block (8) on the slide rail (7) being provided on the brake bearing block (8). Especially sensitive adjustability and a small starting jerk are accomplished in this braking device by the bearing block (8) having two brake rollers (11) which roll on opposite brake surfaces (10) of the slide rail (7). As an alternative, the brake bearing block (8) is located within a crosspiece (6) through which the slide rail (7) penetrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Thomas Jungjohann
    Inventors: Reiner Moll, Helge Fedderke, Christoph Hartmann
  • Patent number: 6038968
    Abstract: In a stencil printer, a printing drum is provided with a clamp plate for clamping an end portion of a stencil master, thereby holding the stencil master on the printing drum. A paper supply mechanism supplies printing sheets to the printing drum in synchronization with rotation of the printing drum. A first motor drives the paper supply mechanism by way of a first transmission mechanism, and a second transmission mechanism is operatively connected to the first transmission mechanism to be driven by the first motor by way of the first transmission mechanism, thereby rotating the printing drum. A phase adjustment mechanism driven by a second motor drives the second transmission mechanism with the first transmission mechanism held stopped, thereby changing the relative phases of rotation of the printing drum and sheet supply operation of the paper supply means. A drum position sensor generates a detecting signal upon detection that the printing drum comes to a reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Hara, Katsuro Motoe, Hisashi Sanagi
  • Patent number: D422915
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Bomatic, Inc.
    Inventors: Borge T. Hestehave, Kjeld Hestehave