Patents Examined by Christopher A. Fiorilla
  • Patent number: 6458315
    Abstract: A process for producing crack-free shaped ceramic bodies based on Si/C/N by hot pressing of crosslinked polysilazane powder and subsequent pyrolysis of the hot-pressed shaped body employs a pressing temperature higher than the temperature maximum of the TMA curve of the optimally crosslinked polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften E.V.
    Inventors: Juliane Seitz, Bill Joachim, Fritz Aldinger, Yngve Naerheim
  • Patent number: 6458298
    Abstract: A wet molding method in which a ceramic slurry is charged into a cavity and uniaxially pressed by a punch to remove excess liquid from a portion of the slurry facing the punch to effect molding, the method being improved by maintaining at least one of the following conditions; (a) the pressing of the slurry is stopped at a time between T and 1.5 T, T being defined as the pressing time necessary to remove sufficient excess liquid from the slurry in the mold to produce a molded mass; or (b) the punch displacement position at a time at which sufficient excess liquid is removed from the slurry in the mold to produce a molded mass is less than 17% of the total mold length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Awazu, Yasushi Tsuzuki, Akira Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 6454972
    Abstract: The effects of processing parameters and suspension chemorheology on the deposition behavior of SFF components derived from polymeric-based gelcasting suspensions combines the advantages associated with SFF fabrication, including the ability to spatially tailor composition and structure as well as reduced tooling costs, with the improved handling strength afforded by the use of gel based formulations. As-cast free-formed Al2O3 components exhibited uniform particle packing and had minimal macro-defects (e.g., slumping or stair casing) and no discernable micro-defects (e.g., bubbles or cracking).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Sherry L. Morisette, Joseph Cesarano, III, Jennifer A. Lewis, Duane B. Dimos
  • Patent number: 6454977
    Abstract: A continuous paste making process for lead acid batteries that includes the steps of mixing water with a lead oxide, reaction an acid with the lead oxide in a mixture to produce lead acid compounds, and forming a paste including interlocking lead acid crystals from the lead acid compounds, where the mixing, reacting, and crystal forming steps occur in an extrusion apparatus. The method also includes the step of extruding the paste from the extrusion apparatus into a grid where the paste is dried to form a battery plate of the lead-acid battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Wellington Y. Kwok, Gary L. Ballard
  • Patent number: 6454971
    Abstract: In a process for producing tiles, the waste material is ground to a reduced size, ferrous metals are removed from the waste material, the waste material is mixed with a binder to form a mixture after grinding, and the mixture is molded to form the tiles. The binder includes magnesium oxide, a regulating agent for accelerating the hardening of the magnesium oxide, a modifying agent selected from a water-reducing agent, a water-repellent agent, a water-resistant enhancing agent, and an active agent which can react with excess magnesium ions in the binder to form an insoluble magnesium salt, and a degrading agent for degrading heavy metal toxic substances contained in the waste material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Inventor: Tien-Te Lee
  • Patent number: 6446632
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus for detecting and eliminating, defective and/or incorrectly positioned, in particular transversely located, cigarettes in the cigarette magazine of a cigarette-production and/or a cigarette-packaging machine. Thus, the avoidance of disruptions in the cigarette magazine is improved. For detection using an optical checking element, an image of the cigarettes located in the cigarette magazine is scanned, the image is evaluated by an image-processing device and, if, during the evaluation, the scanned image is established as deviating from a reference image and/or reference value, an error signal is produced. For eliminating defective cigarettes, an ejecting unit arranged in the region of the magazine is actuated in order to eject a plurality of cigarettes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventor: Heinz Focke
  • Patent number: 6444066
    Abstract: A highly reliable ceramic electronic device is manufactured by suppressing diffusion of silver, the ceramic device having a silver-based conductive pattern on a sintered glass ceramic compact primarily composed of BaO—TiO2—ReO3/2 dielectric ceramic powder. A method for manufacturing the ceramic electronic device involves the steps of blending BaO—TiO2—ReO3/2 dielectric ceramic powder and glass powder to form a powdered glass ceramic mixture, in which Re is a rare-earth element, molding the powdered glass ceramic mixture to form a glass ceramic compact having a predetermined shape, forming a silver-based conductive pattern on the glass ceramic compact, and heating the glass ceramic compact provided with the silver-based pattern at a heating rate of at least about 10° C./minute from a temperature of at least about 500° C., in which the total baking time at the temperature of at least about 500° C. is set to be about 20 to 90 minutes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasutaka Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 6443161
    Abstract: A non-smokeable cigarette unit which may be rendered smokeable by application of a tubular sleeve to the cigarette filter region has a tobacco rod, a filter plug portion and connecting material for connecting the filter plug to the tobacco rod. At least a portion of the periphery of the filter plug is of a sufficient porosity to render the cigarette unit unsmokeable. The filter has a diameter less than the diameter of the tobacco rod. The connecting material bridges a transition from the smaller filter to the larger tobacco rod. This transition portion assists in sliding the sleeve onto the larger tobacco rod to provide a smokeable cigarette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Roths, Benson & Hedges Inc.
    Inventors: Peter P. Kaczmarek, Warren A. Brackmann, Gary Black, Cameron Thompson
  • Patent number: 6440223
    Abstract: This invention provides a method for improving the flavor and aroma properties in a smoking article. A high fructose corn syrup, ammonium hydroxide and diammonium phosphate are reacted with each other for a time and under conditions sufficient to provide a heat activatable flavorant-generating composition, which comprises 2-deoxy 2-amino glucose. The composition is incorporated into a component of said smoking article without heat treatment. The resultant smoking articles, when smoked, exhibit highly desirable flavor and aroma properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
    Inventors: Michael Francis Dube, William Monroe Coleman, III, Luis Mayan Dominguez, Kenneth Wayne Smith
  • Patent number: 6440265
    Abstract: An improved hood enclosure for isolating wood pulp washing equipment from the ambient environment. The hood has a pair of end members, a pair of skirts along each side to connect to the end member together, and an upper spine also connected at each end to the end members. A pair of clamshell style doors are mounted to the spine along longitudinal hinge lines and are opened vertically. A plurality of access doors are positioned within the skirts, and a plurality of spray or shower pipes penetrate the hood through an end panel to deliver wash liquid to the internal wash drums positioned within the wash vat. Several sealing methods are incorporated to provide sealable access for the access doors, the clamshell doors, and access to the interior of the washing vat for the shower pipes. The clamshell doors abut a peripheral neoprene sealing gasket and are held against the gasket by their own weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Bonded Fiberglass Company
    Inventor: Brian Judd
  • Patent number: 6440343
    Abstract: A process for controlling and thus predicting the microstructural bias of multi-phase composites to obtain preferential positioning of the component compounds in their morphology and position in the resulting microstructure to cause the grains of a first phase either to locate at the grain boundaries of a second phase, or to be homogeneously distributed in the second phase using both conventional manually mixing and advanced self-propagating high-temperature processing technologies. A process whereby a lower cost composite material performs comparably to a more expensive monolithic nature of higher performance material by causing the higher performance first phase grains to preferentially locate at the grain boundaries of the second phase during densification/fusing. A process to optimize the performance properties by preferentially biasing the microstructure to cause the phase which intrinsically has the preferred properties to influence and enhance the desired properties of the bulk composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
    Inventor: Kathryn V. Logan
  • Patent number: 6439239
    Abstract: To pack a group of cigarettes in a rigid packet, a collar, a respective inner sheet of wrapping material and a respective group of cigarettes are fed successively into a same conveying seat in which the collar and the inner sheet are at least partly folded together about the group of cigarettes as of respective flat initial configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: G.D Societa' Per Azioni
    Inventors: Mario Spatafora, Fabrizio Talé, Franco Carini, Marco Ghini
  • Patent number: 6432341
    Abstract: A method of producing a ceramic molding having a desired shape involves extruding a ceramic material that has been pressure-fed into a resistance pipe. By using a production apparatus including a screw type extruder and mold, connected to the distal end of the extruder through the resistance pipe, the ceramic material is pressure-fed from the extruder into the resistance pipe. The resistance pipe is heated or cooled at its periphery so as to control the shape of the ceramic molding extruded from the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Yamaguchi, Hiromi Katou, Nobutoshi Matsui
  • Patent number: 6428725
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing crowns etc. by producing a frame, for example, made of alumina, whereby a film (6) is shrink-fitted on the die (3) of a working model. The film (6) is provided with a slip and the slip is baked on a frame after the film is removed. In order to accelerate the method and to avoid the loss of materials, the die (3) is placed on a rotatable shaft (2). The slip is deposited with a tool (5). A drying process using a hot air dryer (7) is carried out during and/or after depositing the slip. This method can also be carried out in a CNC machine with which the veneer ceramic is successively deposited. A separating agent similar to lipstick can be deposited in place of the film (6). Said separating agent melts at temperatures greater than 45 DEG C. when the spacer function is not used. The invention also relates to a crease-free shrink-fitting of the film (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Inventor: Stefan Wolz
  • Patent number: 6427492
    Abstract: A bushing including a terminal ear and a method of manufacturing the bushing are disclosed. The bushing includes a bushing body which can include side plates, end plates, a bottom plate, and terminal ears coupled to the bushing body. Clamps are attached to the terminal ears to supply electrical current to the bushing to maintain the glass inside in a liquid state. Each terminal ear includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion is coupled to a side plate of the bushing. A clamp is attached to the lower portion of the terminal ear. The upper and lower portions are oriented at an angle with respect to each other. Support portions are provided along the side edges of the upper portions of the terminal ears. Support portions stiffen the terminal ear, thereby increasing its resistance to bending and fatigue stresses. Support portions do not contact the bushing and therefore do not directly conduct current to the bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy A. Sullivan, Jack L. Emerson, Ramin Dowlati
  • Patent number: 6429267
    Abstract: Process for reducing the AOX content of wet-strength resins, such as polyaminopolyamide-epi or polyalkylene polyamine-epi resins, by treatment with base, e.g. sodium hydroxide, while maintaining the wet-strength effectiveness of the resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Hercules Incorporated
    Inventor: Richard James Riehle
  • Patent number: 6428726
    Abstract: A method for molding a block for an outdoor staircase stair includes filling a form with zero slump mix, the form having outer walls and a core member which includes a vertically disposed central recess extending into the core from its lower surface, filling the recess in the core member, agitating the filled form and recess, compressing the top of the mix in the form, passing a compression head through the form to transfer the formed mix to a pallet, and then curing the formed mix in a misting kiln.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: King's Material, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary F. Pribyl
  • Patent number: 6428740
    Abstract: A method of removing a core from a CMC component in which the core was used to form an internal cavity. According to one embodiment of the invention, the core is removed from a fully densified CMC component by heating the component and core to a temperature at which the core deteriorates but below a temperature at which the component would melt or otherwise be damaged. According to a second embodiment of this invention, the component is only partially densified, and then impregnated with a coating material that is resistant to a leaching compound capable of removing the core. The core can then be removed using the leaching compound without damage to the internal surfaces of the component defined by the core when the component was fabricated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas J. Dunyak, James D. Steibel, David R. Chang, Peggy E. Jones
  • Patent number: 6425400
    Abstract: A device for displacing rod-shaped objects used in the tobacco-processing industry in a direction of the longitudinal axes of the rod-shaped objects includes a revolving conveyor having receptacles each for receiving a plurality of the rod-shaped objects in an axially aligned formation, the rod-shaped objects presenting at least one exposed frontal face. At least one revolving pressing ring is arranged for pressing against the at least one frontal face of the objects in a displacement area, the pressing ring having a spring-elastic material of a silicon material, rubber-elastic plastic material and/or a metallic material. At least one actuating element is arranged in the displacement area for a spring-elastic pressing of the pressing ring against the exposed frontal face objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau AG
    Inventors: Lothar Krause, Dieter Plähn, Manfred Folger, Joachim Meyer, Joachim Kreidelmeyer
  • Patent number: 6423264
    Abstract: A method of a manufacturing rotating electromagnetic component to have both soft and hard (permanent) magnet regions, in which powder technologies are used to net-shape mold the component. A soft magnet powder material and an insert or powder of a permanent magnet material are compacted to form a rotating electromagnetic body containing soft and hard magnet regions. A partial sintering operation is then performed on the body at a temperature of 1600° F. (about 870° C.) or less, preferably about 1400° F. to 1500° F. (about 760° C. and 830° C.), and most preferably at 1500° F. to at least partially fuse the soft magnet powder materials with the permanent magnet material. The soft powder component of the resulting electromagnetic body is sufficiently fused to exhibit mechanical properties comparable to a fully sintered body (i.e., sintered at 2050° F. (about 1120° C.) or more), but without degrading the magnetic properties of the hard magnet region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: David Earl Gay