Patents Represented by Attorney Thomas W. Buckman
  • Patent number: 5599470
    Abstract: A battery box for an engine driven welding machine slides in an opening in the welding machine base between closed and open positions. When the battery box is in the closed position, a battery secured to a battery box is concealed inside the base. When the battery box is in the open position, the battery is exposed for servicing. Panels assembled to the base define an opening in the base. The panels cooperate with the base floor to form slots in which the battery box slides. The panels and base floor provide a cantilever support for the battery box when it is in the open position. A finger hole in the battery box is surrounded on one side by a small housing that keeps foreign material out of the machine base when the battery box is in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Miller Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Benjamin G. Peotter, Harvey R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5591362
    Abstract: An idle solenoid assembly sets the idle speed of the internal combustion engine of a self-contained welding machine. The idle solenoid assembly comprises a bracket to which a solenoid is immovably secured. The solenoid plunger is connected to the engine governor arm. The bracket has slotted feet that slide on an engine surface. By sliding the bracket, the position of the engine governor arm is adjusted to produce the desired engine idle speed when the solenoid is actuated. There is no contact or binding between the bracket and the solenoid plunger or between the solenoid plunger and the engine governor arm. The solenoid is wired to a control circuit through a first plug retained in the bracket and a second plug. The solenoid is properly grounded on the internal combustion engine through the second plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: The Miller Group, Ltd.
    Inventors: Joseph E. Feldhausen, Jeffery P. Schroeder
  • Patent number: 5586661
    Abstract: A dam for use with a screen deck for screening materials such as coal, sand, limestone, crushed stone and various ores where the dam regulates the flow of material across the screen deck, can be releasably retained to the screen deck in various positions about the screen deck and readily can be removed and repositioned about the screen deck or replaced with another dam member of a different size, configuration or both to accommodate various applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Roger M. Maki
  • Patent number: 5570834
    Abstract: A box doubles as a shipping carton and a dispensing container for light weight roof fasteners. The box has two end walls, each with a channel-shaped perforation therein. Top flaps connected to the end walls along respective foldlines are formed with cutouts. The cutouts in each top flap align with the perforation in the associated end wall when the top flap is folded over into facing contact with the end wall. The perforations and cutouts are offset from vertical centerlines of the end walls and top flaps. The perforations are punched out to create tabs that are pushed through the top flap cutouts, and to simultaneously produce openings in the end walls. A long strap is inserted through the cutouts and openings and looped under the box. A person can carry the box and roof fasteners in it by slinging the strap over his shoulder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Paul M. Larson, Donal H. Egan
  • Patent number: 5558479
    Abstract: A wall anchor uses splines on an interior surface of a cylindrical body to accommodate fasteners having different thread diameters. The splines are configured in types. A first type includes at least one spline protruding centrally at a narrow angle, while a second type also includes at least one spline protruding centrally at a wider angle. When a fastener, such as a #6 or #8 sheet metal screw (SMS), is inserted into the wall anchor, the first type of spline will primarily engage the #6 SMS, while the second type of splines are only partially implemented. When a #8 SMS, which has a larger thread diameter than a #6 SMS, is inserted into the wall anchor, both the first and second types of splines are engaged to facilitate retention of the SMS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: James W. McElderry
  • Patent number: 5541375
    Abstract: A switch structure is provided for use in computer pen-based applications which can be easily adapted to perform either as a "writing" pen, an "artist" pen, or a "CAD" pen. The switch structure includes a top compression spring, an actuator, a bottom compression spring, a pair of PCB-connectible terminal pins, a printed circuit board having a pair of fixed spaced-apart electrodes and a cover plate which are especially arranged within a housing. The pair of terminal pins are in engagement with a respective one of the pair of electrodes. In one preferred embodiment, one end of the bottom compression spring contactly engages the pair of terminal pins to produce an electrical connection between the pair of electrodes when the actuator is in its fully extended position. The components of the switch structure can be easily modified so as to be utilized in each of the three common pen applications, thereby reducing cost in manufacturing and assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Dam, Joseph J. Gierut, Richard D. McAffrey
  • Patent number: 5535572
    Abstract: Apparatus for wrapping a load in film material is provided with magazines of vertically oriented corner protectors, each associated with a corner of the load, and from which a corner protector is withdrawn and transferred to cover the corresponding corner of the load prior to wrapping the latter with plastic film material. The magazines comprise a pair of vertically spaced apart conveyor belts which feed the corner protectors to a discharge end of the magazine, and a pick-up and transfer arm pivotal about a single arm axis transfers a corner protector from the magazine through an arc of 135.degree. which aligns the corner protector for movement into engagement with the corner of the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Jack I. Morantz, David T. Lencz, Normand Boyer
  • Patent number: 5534671
    Abstract: A switch structure is provided for use in computer pen-based applications which can be easily adapted to perform either as a "writing" pen, an "artist" pen, or a "CAD" pen. The switch structure includes a top compression spring, an actuator, a bottom compression spring, a pair of terminals, and a cover plate which are uniquely arranged within a housing. The pair of terminals are disposed in the opposite sides of the housing. In one preferred embodiment, one end of the bottom compression spring contactly engages the pair of terminals to produce an electrical connection therebetween when the actuator is in its fully extended position. The components of the switch structure can be easily modified so as to be utilized in each of the three common pen applications, thereby reducing cost in manufacturing and assembly. The unique switch structure allows a circuit between the pair of terminals to reliably break at relatively small displacements of the actuator, with a relatively small amount of force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph J. Gierut, Julie Suvada Rutkowski, Robert Dam
  • Patent number: 5518043
    Abstract: A pneumatically powered strapping tool, being modular, comprises a tensioning motor module, a sealing motor module, a sealing mechanism module, and a control valve module. The tensioning motor module comprises a pneumatic tensioning motor arranged to coact with a tensioning mechanism driven by such motor for tensioning two overlapped ends of a steel strap drawn from a supply and wrapped around a load. The sealing motor module comprises a pneumatic sealing motor, which is arranged to drive the sealing mechanism module for sealing the overlapped ends to each other, after the overlapped ends have been tensioned. The control valve module comprises pneumatic control valves for controlling the respective pneumatic motors. The modules and the tensioning means are adapted to be readily assembled and to be readily disassembled without requiring disassembly of any of the modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works
    Inventors: Nelson Cheung, Janusz Figiel, Allen D. Sordyl
  • Patent number: 5499664
    Abstract: A cutting mechanism is disclosed, which is useful in a strapping tool of the type used to apply a steel strap in a tensioned loop around a package by means of a series of interlocking joints comprising interlockable shoulders punched into overlapped ends of the strap. The cutting mechanism comprises an anvil arranged to support the overlapped ends of such a strap, a cutter holder movable toward and away from the anvil, an elongate cutter removably mounted within to the holder so as to extend crosswise in relation to the overlapped ends such a strap when the overlapped ends of such a strap are supported by the anvil. The cutter is movable conjointly with the holder, toward and away from the anvil. The cutter has a polygonal profile defining plural, elongate, parallel cutting edges, one of which projects toward the anvil when the cutter is mounted within the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Janusz Figiel, Peter Drabarek
  • Patent number: 5482420
    Abstract: A collated screw package is formed with a plurality of parallel screws secured to each other with two wires which are sufficiently friable to permit the screws to be singly detached from the package as the screw is driven by a rotary drilling device. The wires are preferably spot welded to unthreaded portions of each screw which prevents fragments of the wires and fragments of the spot welded joints from interfering with the screw threads. To form the unthreaded portions, the thread of each screw is interrupted for a portion to allow at least one of the wires to be secured to the screw shank at the interruption. The interruption is formed by a relief in a continuous surface of thread forming tooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: William L. Gabriel, James E. Doherty
  • Patent number: 5467870
    Abstract: In a package for containers of a type having a side wall, a wrapper is formed from a paperboard sheet, folded, and seamed and has a bottom wall, two lateral walls providing expansive surfaces for labelling of the package, and two struts, which extend across the wrapper and divide the package into two endmost regions and an intermediate region. As formed from sheet-form, resilient, polymeric material, a carrier has band segments defining container-receiving apertures in two longitudinal rows, two endmost ranks, and two intermediate ranks, and a handle is attached to the carrier so as to extend upwardly from a longitudinal midline of the carrier. Each container is loosely received by one container-receiving aperture so that the band segments defining such aperture grip its side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: James A. Broskow, Leslie S. Marco
  • Patent number: 5465078
    Abstract: A magnetic drain bolt comprising a bolt body and a magnet. The bolt body comprises of a male-threaded member and a head member, the male-threaded member having a fastening protuberance formed at an end thereof. The magnet is comprised of a sintered ferrite material and has a recess formed at a bottom end thereof for receipt of the fastening protuberance, the recess having a depth sized equivalent to a height of the fastening protuberance, the magnet having a diameter slightly smaller than a diameter of the male-threaded member. The fastening protuberance is secured with an adhesive to the magnet within the recess whereby the fastening protuberance provides additional support for securing the magnet to the bolt body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: James D. Jones, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5443345
    Abstract: A strip of collated fasteners is disclosed, which comprises a plurality of fasteners and a carrier molded from a polymeric material. Each fastener has an elongate shank, which has a pointed end, and a head. The shank of each fastener defines an axis and has two portions of different diameters, namely a thicker portion adjoining the head and a thinner portion adjoining the pointed end, and a shoulder joining the thicker and thinner portions. The carrier comprises a separate sleeve associated with each fastener and is frangible between the separate sleeves. A representative sleeve is disposed around the shank of the associated fastener and has an initial axial length, which the representative sleeve assumes when disposed around the shank of the associated fastener but not compressed axially, and a critical axial length, at which the representative sleeve splits when disposed around the shank of the associated fastener and compressed axially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Harish C. Gupta
  • Patent number: 5377477
    Abstract: A novel method and apparatus for feeding and tensioning a strap in a power strapping machine. The apparatus includes a strap feeding mechanism, a strap tensioning mechanism, and a pivoting roller carriage pivoted by a feeding and tensioning cam. The pivoting roller carriage first actuates the strap feeding mechanism to engage a portion of a strap and feed the strap toward a strap application assembly where the strap is formed in a loop about an object or group of objects. The strap feeding and tensioning mechanism actuates a first gripper that secures an end of the strap in the strap application assembly. The pivoting roller carriage then actuates the strap tensioning mechanism to engage a portion of the strap and apply a tension to the looped strap. The strap feeding and tensioning apparatus also actuates a second gripper that secures the tensioned strap in a closed loop about the package so that the strap application assembly may form a strap joint sealing the strap in the closed loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Signode Corporation
    Inventors: James A. Haberstroh, Timothy B. Pearson
  • Patent number: 5258894
    Abstract: A snap-in headlamp adjustment assembly for positioning a vehicle headlamp mounted upon a movable mounting bracket relative to a fixed vehicle frame includes a snap-in adjuster nut being formed of a head portion, a body portion, and a flange portion. The head portion includes a plurality of resilient arms which are interlockingly engagable with an interior retaining surface of the fixed vehicle frame to secure the adjuster nut against axial movement relative to an opening in the vehicle frame. A pair of projections are formed on the flange portion and are engagable with corresponding grooves disposed adjacent the opening on an exterior surface of the vehicle frame to secure the adjuster nut against rotation relative to the opening on the vehicle frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1993
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Steven L. Bivens
  • Patent number: 5251544
    Abstract: For a strapping machine, a mechanism is disclosed for mounting a movable chute to a fixed wall and for biasing the chute toward the wall while permitting the chute to move away from the wall so as to allow a strap to be pulled from the chute. The mechanism comprises a wall-mounted bracket, a chute-mounted bracket, and a pivot arm having an end portion connected pivotally to the wall-mounted bracket, an end portion connected pivotally to the chute-mounted bracket, and an intermediate portion, to which a coiled spring is connected at one end so as to bias the chute toward the wall but so as to permit the chute to move away from the wall. The coiled spring is connected at its other end to the first bracket and extends between the brackets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: Signode Corporation
    Inventor: Jack S. Abrams
  • Patent number: 5249518
    Abstract: In a strapping machine comprising a fixed wall and a movable chute, a mechanism is provided for stripping the strap from the chute. The chute has two sections defining a gap straddled by a bracket connecting the sections. A lever is mounted pivotally on the bracket so as to extend through the gap. A pin in fixed relation to the fixed wall extends through an elongate slot in the lever. The lever is arranged to pivot toward an inoperative position as the chute is moved toward the closed position and to pivot away from the inoperative position and to strip a strap from the space between the flanges of the chute as the chute is moved away from the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1993
    Assignee: Signode Corporation
    Inventor: Jack S. Abrams
  • Patent number: D340224
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph J. Gierut
  • Patent number: D340227
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph J. Gierut