Patents Examined by Amanda Meneghini
  • Patent number: 9744916
    Abstract: An improved tarp specifically configured and adapted for transporting cargo in a truck bed, and unloading cargo from the truck bed at a desired location. The tarp includes several foldable flaps or panels which may be used to secure the cargo within the tarp. The tarp may include several loops which may be used for pulling the tarp out of the truck bed and unloading the cargo from the tarp. Also, the tarp may have several strengthening strips which pull the cargo out of the truck bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Inventor: David G. Bemis
  • Patent number: 9743782
    Abstract: A corrugated shelf extender having an upper section and a lower section is provided. The lower section is configured to be received by an inner area of a vertical support post. The upper section is configured to extend above the vertical support post so as to provide support for signage or the like. The lower section includes a channel that is configured so as to enable a section of the vertical support post that receives the lower section of the shelf extender to be simultaneously utilized by the shelf extender and one or more mounting lug. The corrugated shelf extender is manufactured from a flat piece of continuous corrugated material by folding the corrugated material so as to fabricate an inner portion and an outer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Vanguard Packaging, Inc.
    Inventor: Jerry Ryan Frost
  • Patent number: 9724809
    Abstract: Various embodiments of an apparatus and method for impact forming a cotter pin in a brake assembly are disclosed. In one example, an impact forming tool comprises a handle for receiving an operating force, a stationary portion and a hammer portion. The stationary portion is connected to the handle at a proximate end. An orientation pin is positioned on a distal end and two anvil pins are positioned on the stationary portion between the proximate end and the orientation pin. The hammer portion communicates with the operating force and moves linearly across the face of the stationary portion from a first position to a second position. The hammer portion has a symmetrical arcuate end, wherein a vertex of the symmetrical arcuate end is between the two anvil pins when the hammer is in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey L Jones, Daniel Ennis
  • Patent number: 9714799
    Abstract: Method for producing AIMn strip or sheet for making components by brazing and products obtained by said method, in particular fin materials of thin gauge used in heat exchangers. Rolling slabs are produced from a melt with <0.3% Si, ?0.5% Fe, ?0.3% Cu, 1.0-2.0% Mn, ?0.5% Mg, ?4.0% Zn, ?0.5% Ni, ?0.3% each of group IVb, Vb, or Vib elements, and unavoidable impurity elements, as well as aluminum that, prior to hot rolling, are preheated at <550° C. to control the number and size of dispersoid particles, hot rolled into a hot strip, cold rolled into a strip with total reduction of at least 90%, and heat treated to obtain a 0.2% proof stress value that is 50-90% of its proof stress value in the as cold rolled condition and in a range between 100 and 200 MPa. The strip may alternatively be produced by twin-roll strip casting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Gränges Sweden AB
    Inventor: Anders Oskarsson
  • Patent number: 9689625
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a heat pipe includes following steps: providing a tube; providing a rod; inserting the rod in the circular tube, a receiving portion is formed between an inner face of the tube and the upper portion of the rod; providing an amount of metal powder and filling the metal powder into the receiving portion; sintering the metal powder at a high temperature to form a first wick structure adhered on the inner face of the tube and then drawing the rod out of the tube; injecting a working medium into the tube and sealing the tube to form the heat pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignees: FURUI PRECISE COMPONENT (KUNSHAN) CO., LTD., Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sheng-Liang Dai, Jia-Hong Wu
  • Patent number: 9677764
    Abstract: The method for adjusting a natural gas temperature for a fuel supply line of a gas turbine engine includes measuring by infrared analysis the natural gas percentage content of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), carbon dioxide (CO2), calculating the nitrogen (N2) percentage content as the complement to 100 of the measured percentage content of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), carbon dioxide (CO2), calculating an index indicative of the natural gas energy content and adjusting the natural gas temperature on the basis of the index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: ANSALDO ENERGIA IP UK LIMITED
    Inventors: Klaus Knapp, Peter Marx, Karl Reyser, Maria-Belen Gasser-Pagani
  • Patent number: 9678279
    Abstract: An apparatus (10) for mounting blown fiber tubes (20) includes a main housing (40) mountable to an end (32) of a flex tube (30), an outer ring (50) positioned at an end (42) of the main housing (40), and an inner ring (60) positioned adjacent to and within the outer ring (50) wherein the blown fiber tubes (20) are positioned about an outer periphery (62) of the inner ring (60). A trigger (70) pushes the inner ring (60) to compress the blown fiber tubes (20) between the inner ring (60) and the outer ring (50). The outer ring (500 and the inner ring (60) each include a plurality of spaced pockets (52, 68) each sized for receipt of a blown fiber tube (20). The trigger (70) includes a threaded member (80) which pushes the inner ring (60) outwardly. In one embodiment, portions (64) of the inner ring (60) separate during activation and press against the blown fiber tubes (20) to compress the blown fiber tubes (20) against the outer ring (50). A spring (496) may be added to push on the inner ring (60).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: CommScope Connectivity Belgium BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Mattie Claessens, Dirk Kempeneers, Wouter Foulon, Vince Wellens
  • Patent number: 9669453
    Abstract: A clinch punch including a core and an sleeve that includes a plurality of teeth for forming an enhanced clinch joint. The core includes a first cam surface that engages cam surfaces on the teeth that drive the teeth into the sides of the clinch joint. In an alternative embodiment, the core acts upon jaws that are driven into engagement with the sides of the clinch joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Amanda Kay Freis
  • Patent number: 9669337
    Abstract: A method of constructing a rotary drum filtering apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: placing a cover element end on a support portion, placing an overlying portion over the cover element end and inserting a respective tab into a respective opening in the support portion, moving the overlying portion along the support portion, so that the tab second portion is then under the support portion, thus holding the cap on the clip, with the cover element end trapped in between.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: GL&V Luxembourg Sàrl
    Inventor: Eric Giasson
  • Patent number: 9664207
    Abstract: The method of safely handling compressed gas in a dual bottle subsea accumulator during service operations comprising providing a gas bottle for the primary purpose of storing gas which will be compressed to provide accumulated energy, providing a hydraulic bottle with the primary purpose of converting the energy stored in the gas bottle into pressurized hydraulic supply fluid, providing interconnecting plates at the top and bottom of the gas bottle and the hydraulic bottle with porting to communicate the gas from the gas bottle to the hydraulic bottle, providing a first closure valve in a protected position within the top of the gas bottle, providing a second closure valve in a protected position within the bottom of the gas bottle, expelling a majority of the gas from the hydraulic bottle into the gas bottle, closing the first closure valve and the second closure valve, and removing the interconnecting plates from the gas bottle and the hydraulic bottle, and servicing the hydraulic bottle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Reel Power Licensing Corp.
    Inventor: Benton Frederick Baugh
  • Patent number: 9662755
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle steering system that is able to restrict a travel amount of a steered shaft in a housing, that is small and that has an excellent strength. The vehicle steering system is a steer-by-wire vehicle steering system that converts rotative power of electric motors into a movement of a steered shaft in an axial direction via a ball screw mechanism. One of contact portions at respective ends of a screw shaft at an intermediate part of the steered shaft passes through a rotor based on a moving direction of the steered shaft so as to contact a corresponding one of the corresponding stoppers thereby restricting a travel amount of the steered shaft. The stoppers are made of a material different from that of the housing and having a high strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kosuke Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 9657643
    Abstract: A fuel system for a gas turbine engine, which includes a combustor section and an actuator, includes a fuel source, a combustor system, and an actuation system. The combustor system includes a combustor pump that is fluidly connected to the fuel source and to the combustor section, with the combustor pump being mechanically connected to and powered by an electric motor. The actuation system includes an actuator pump that is fluidly connected to the fuel source and to the actuator, with the actuator pump being mechanically connected to and powered by a gearbox or an electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Leo J. Veilleux, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9651261
    Abstract: A combustion turbine engine combustor igniter port alignment and dimensional verification tool is insertable in guide tube and igniter boss portions of the igniter port. The tool has concentrically nested outer and inner sleeves, having respective circumferential profiles that are separately slidably insertable within corresponding igniter port guide tube and igniter boss portions that have inner circumferential profiles in conformance with minimal dimension specifications. Concentric alignment of the guide tube and igniter boss is validated by inserting the nested outer and inner sleeves into the igniter port. The verification tool is capable of validating igniter port alignment and dimensions before the combustor is installed in a combustion turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter C. Sullivan, Michael J. Olejarski
  • Patent number: 9643304
    Abstract: An insertion tool is used to insert a threaded coil insert into a threaded opening of a support structure. The tool includes a rotatable mandrel body having an axial longitudinal passage and a projection slot. A plunger is disposed in the passage forward of a spring which urges the plunger forward. The plunger in turn urges a drive projection. A front end of the plunger includes an inclined surface that slidingly and inclinedly engages an inclined surface of the drive projection. The urging of the drive projection by the plunger along their respective inclined surfaces causes relative sliding movement of the drive projection so that the drive projection translates linearly through the projection slot in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Inventors: Jan Szewc, Neil F. Baldino
  • Patent number: 9638227
    Abstract: An apparatus configured to structurally replace a cracked weld in a nuclear plant may include: a first body portion that includes a first gripping portion; a second body portion that includes a second gripping portion; a wedge portion between the first and second body portions; and/or an adjustment portion. The first body portion may be configured to slidably engage the second body portion. The wedge portion may be configured to exert force on the slidably engaged first and second body portions. The adjustment portion may be configured to increase or decrease the force exerted by the wedge portion on the slidably engaged first and second body portions. When the adjustment portion increases the force exerted by the wedge portion on the slidably engaged first and second body portions, a distance between the first and second gripping portions may decrease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energry Americas LLC
    Inventors: Christopher M. Welsh, Nicholas Kandabarow, Barry H. Koepke
  • Patent number: 9631878
    Abstract: Provided is an aluminum alloy tube with superior corrosion resistance and a joining layer for brazing. In addition, a heat exchanger using a fin which utilizes a bare material of low cost and higher availability, rather than a clad material, is provided. A manufacturing method of an aluminum alloy tube, including the steps of forming a sacrificial anticorrosion layer comprising Zn, by ark spraying Zn with purity of 95% or more, onto a surface of aluminum alloy tube with a spraying amount of 3 to 10 g/m2 and a spraying speed of 150×103 to 350×103 mm/sec; and forming a joining layer for brazing by applying a joining material for brazing comprising a mixture obtained by mixing Si powder with purity of 95% or more and flux, onto a surface of the sacrificial anticorrosion layer, so that the amount of the Si powder is 1.2 to 3.0 g/m2, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: UACJ Corporation
    Inventor: Kensuke Mori
  • Patent number: 9611895
    Abstract: An alignment device aligns rollers R in an annular shaped alignment space 24 in parallel to each other while at the same time prevents damage from occurring on rolling surfaces of rollers R. Plural rollers R that are arranged in a row in an axial direction are sequentially supplied into an annular shaped alignment space 24 that is formed in a main jig 14 in a direction that coincides with a width direction of the alignment space 24. The plural rollers R are aligned in an annular shape so as to be in parallel to each other by alignment-fluid-supply means 16 spraying air onto a roller R that is in a supply position in the alignment space 24 from a direction that is orthogonal to the roller R supply direction and moving the roller R in a circumferential direction of the alignment space 24, and then supplying a next roller R into the alignment space 24.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Yuuichi Nagasaki
  • Patent number: 9610643
    Abstract: A fuel injector for a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The fuel injector includes a first component, a second component, and a braze layer. The first component has a sidewall. The second component also has a sidewall. The braze layer is formed between the sidewall of the first component and the sidewall of the second component. The braze layer is being formed from a Nickel (Ni) alloy brazing material containing non-metallic constituents. The braze layer also has a eutectic-free region with substantially all of the non-metallic constituents diffused away from a centerline area between the first component and the second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventor: William Corey Bogane
  • Patent number: 9597787
    Abstract: An insertion tool is used to insert a threaded coil insert into a threaded opening of a support structure. The tool includes a rotatable mandrel body having an axial longitudinal passage and a projection slot. A plunger is disposed in the passage forward of a spring which urges the plunger forward. The plunger in turn urges a drive projection. A front end of the plunger includes an inclined surface that slidingly and inclinedly engages an inclined surface of the drive projection. The urging of the drive projection by the plunger along their respective inclined surfaces causes relative sliding movement of the drive projection so that the drive projection translates linearly through the projection slot in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Inventors: Jan Szewc, Neil F. Baldino
  • Patent number: 9587834
    Abstract: A distributed sensing system for detecting a flashback condition in a combustor for a gas turbine engine The distributed sensing system includes one or more strategically positioned fiber optic cables provided upstream of the combustion area in the combustor. The distributed sensing system employs Rayleigh backscattering and swept-wavelength interferometry to measure temperature and reliably identify the location of the flashback condition The fiber optic cable is specially fabricated to have a high temperature resistance suitable for those temperatures existing during flashback conditions. The fiber optic cable can be wrapped on an inside of a combustion basket or on an outside of the combustion basket, and in a serpentine manner or otherwise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Upul P. DeSilva, Christine P. Spiegelberg