Patents Examined by Christopher Kirkman
  • Patent number: 5611137
    Abstract: A machine tool more particularly for drilling and milling, possesses a machine bed, on which a power driven longitudinal slide is adapted to run horizontally on rails. A machining head having a rotary drive device for at least one table forming part of said head, is power moved on the longitudinal slide in at least one further direction of movement. The machine bed possesses two spaced lateral walls, whose intermediate space is designed to serve as a machining zone for receiving at least one work holding means. On the two lateral walls two parallel guide rails are arranged for the longitudinal slide, a third guide rail being arranged with an offset in the longitudinal direction between the two other guide rails. The longitudinal slide is guided using three guide elements on the three guide rails, the power drive being at or adjacent to the central guide rail. On this arrangement a clamping yoke of relatively light design may be employed, which only requires one central drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1997
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG
    Inventor: Hans-Dieter Braun
  • Patent number: 5606786
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for perforating corrugated plastic pipe from the inside of the pipe to the outside and the pipe produced by the method. The apparatus has a perforating device attached to an elongated support member. Perforations are created by advancing pipe over the perforating device or by advancing the perforating device into the interior of the pipe. Where the pipe is advanced over the perforating device, a carriage, holding the pipe, is riding on a track which guides the pipe into engagement or into cutting or perforating proximity with the perforating device. The perforating device includes a housing holding motors with cutters attached to them. The cutters cut the inner corrugations or the valleys of the pipe as the pipe is passed over the perforating device. Pipe is perforated by advancing it over a perforating device, and curing the pipe from the inner pipe surface to the outer pipe surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Inventor: David W. Presby
  • Patent number: 5606849
    Abstract: Apparatus for tightly wrapping a package such as disposed on a pallet in a thin film such as for shipping or storage includes a rotating deck adapted to receive the pallet and package to be wrapped. The deck is directly coupled to and supported by a gear box driven by an electric motor. The apparatus further includes a film wrap supply in the form of a roll which lets out the film for wrapping around the package as the deck and package rotate. A manually adjustable tensioner allows for adjusting the stretch of the wrapping film on the package, while the film wrap supply may be adjusted vertically to permit wrapping the package over its entire vertical dimension regardless of the width of the roll of film wrap. A foot control allows an operator of the apparatus to rotate the deck and the package being wrapped while vertically moving the film wrap supply roll to fully enclose the package within the wrapping film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Inventor: Roger V. Bettenhausen
  • Patent number: 5607269
    Abstract: A milling apparatus is disclosed which includes a milling machine having a milling cutter which is sealingly isolated from the milling machine within an enclosed work area, a support fixture disposed within the enclosed work area for supporting a work piece, and a mechanism for moving the milling cutter along a predetermined path relative to the work piece. Preferably, the milling apparatus is employed to cut bone into small fragments for subsequent utilization, and the sealed isolation of the milling cutter inhibits cross-contamination between differing work pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Osteotech, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Dowd, Nelson Scarborough, Mark Daugherty
  • Patent number: 5607267
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the simultaneous duplication of both the bit notch pattern and shoulder position of a master key onto a key blank. The key blank is longitudinally and laterally aligned relative to a key cutter. A master key is longitudinally and laterally aligned relative to a key follower. The key follower is then longitudinally and laterally displaced relative to the master key to trace the contour of the key master. The key cutter is simultaneously displaced relative to the key blank in an identical manner to reproduce the traced contour of the master key on the key blank and to longitudinally reposition the key blank shoulder to coincide with the relative longitudinal location of the master key shoulder by cutting away a portion of the shank to reduce the length of the shank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Inventors: George L. Heredia, Robert E. Almblad, Mike A. Mueller
  • Patent number: 5604956
    Abstract: A hinge with self-closing mechanism includes a hinge arm fastened swivelable to a hinge cup and also includes an elastic element which lies with one end of the elastic element on the hinge arm and disposed outside the hinge cup under the bottom of the hinge cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: Grass AG
    Inventor: Alfred Grass
  • Patent number: 5600868
    Abstract: A hinge (20) includes two hinge plates (22, 24) and a connecting hinge pin (32). A coil spring (48) supported on a bushing (44) overlies the hinge pin (32), which is free to move along its longitudinal axis (30). A cam follower (42) on the hinge pin (32) engages a cam (32) mounted to one of the hinge plates (22), so that the hinge pin (32) slides longitudinally as the hinge plates (22, 24) pivot relative to each other about the hinge pin (32). As the hinge pin (32) slides longitudinally, it axially compresses or decompresses the spring (48). The cam (32) is oriented such that pivoting of the hinge plates (22, 24) in either direction from an open position compresses the spring (48), providing a restoring force which tends to retain the hinge plates (22, 24) in the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Santa Barbara Research Center
    Inventors: Thomas Tourville, George Romich
  • Patent number: 5588181
    Abstract: A hinge assembly having a strip shaped like a lower case h which attaches to a supporting surface and a generally U-shaped clamping member. The end of one of the legs of the clamping member attaches to the end of the top leg of the h. This attachment location forms the point of rotation of the hinge. The U-shaped strip has ribs down the inner sides of the legs. Along the base of the legs of the U, there are holes. To install, a sheet of glass is place in the slot formed by the legs of the U. A threaded screw is inserted through the holes in the first leg of the U. When the threads of the screw reach the hole on the opposed side, they engage the threads there. The screw is turned until the head of the screw reaches the base of the hole in the first side of the U. As turning continues, the screw begins pressing the legs of the U together. This presses the ribs firmly again the glass, thereby providing a firm hold on the glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Inventor: Michael R. Sutton
  • Patent number: 5584099
    Abstract: An adjustable gooseneck hinge (22) for supporting a vehicle closure member (20) includes an adjuster (60) having an adjuster strap pivotally supported by a pivotal connection (32) on a vehicle body mounted hinge member (26) and including a pin and elongated slot connection (64) that connects a first end (42) of a gooseneck strap (40) with the pivotal connection and the adjuster strap. An adjustable connection (65) of the adjuster (60) adjusts the spacing between the pivotal connection (32) and a curved gooseneck portion (48) of the gooseneck strap (40), that connects the first end thereof with a second end (44) thereof on which the closure member (20) is mounted. A second pin and elongated slot connection (66) is also provided between the adjuster strap (62) and the gooseneck strap first end (42) at a spaced location from the pivotal connection (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Midway Products Group, Inc.
    Inventor: David L. Westerdale
  • Patent number: 5562372
    Abstract: A method for the manufacture of gears, in which a gear adapted for meshing with a toothed pinion is formed by means of a disc tool having a cutting edge exactly the same as the contour of the teeth of the pinion; the tool being positioned so that its cutting edge would be coincident, if the gear were meshed with the pinion, with the contour of the teeth of the pinion itself, and is pivoted about an axis perpendicular to its own axis of rotating; about the pivot axis, the gear is moved translationally along a line of action perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the disc tool itself and is rotated about its own axis perpendicular to the line of action; the ratio of the speeds of rotation of the gear about its axis and the speed of pivoting of the disc tool about is axis being variable in dependence on the position of the zone of contact of the disc with the gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: Fiatavio S.p.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Baima, Giuseppe Borio, Leonardo De Carlo, Aurelio Berruto, Roberto Tolomei, Gianluigi Boscolo
  • Patent number: 5530990
    Abstract: A handle for a suitcase includes a housing having a cavity for slidably receiving a plate and a hand grip. A spring member may bias the plate and the hand grip outward of the cavity. The housing includes a recess for receiving a catch which has a projection for engaging with the hand grip. The projection of the catch is engaged with the hand grip so as to retain the hand grip in the cavity of the housing and the spring member biases the hand grip and the plate outward of the cavity when the projection is disengaged from the hand grip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Inventor: Shou-Mao Chen
  • Patent number: 5519916
    Abstract: In a wheel and brake assembly for a wheeled cart, such as a shopping cart or a luggage cart, a horn is mountable to the cart so as to extend downwardly from the cart. A wheel defining a wheel axis and including a hub is journalled to the horn at the hub. A pin projects from the hub but clears the horn when the wheel is rotated. A bracket is mounted pivotably to the horn so as to be pivotable over a limited range, between an inoperative position and an operative position, with a tang projecting axially from the bracket. The tang is arranged to engage the pin so as to brake the wheel against further rotation in one rotational sense, once the bracket has been pivoted to the operative position, if the wheel is rotated by less than one full revolution in the same rotational sense. The pin is arranged to engage the tang so as to pivot the bracket from the operative position, and so as to release the wheel, if the wheel is rotated by less than one full revolution in the opposite rotational sense.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1996
    Assignee: UNR Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Tommy D. Mainard
  • Patent number: 5491872
    Abstract: A handle device includes a board having a groove laterally formed in the rear portion and having two holes formed in the middle portion and communicating with the groove. A pair of slots are formed in the front portion of the board and communicating with the holes. The slots each includes two end portions. A U-shaped handle includes a middle portion engaged in the groove and includes two legs extended through the holes and rotatably engaged in the slots. The slots of the board each includes a narrower middle portion so as to maintain the legs of the handle in either of the end portions of the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Inventor: Yueh-Chy Tserng