Patents Examined by Colleen Cooke
  • Patent number: 6596958
    Abstract: A modular welding gun includes a frame and an upper and lower yoke both interconnected with the frame. One of the yokes is movable with respect to the frame. An upper weld arm has one end removably interconnected with the upper yoke and the other end designed to support an electrode. A lower weld arm has one end removably interconnected with the lower yoke and the other end designed to support an electrode. An actuator is operable to move the movable yoke between a welding position and a rest position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Milco Manufacturing Co.
    Inventor: Wylie Chase
  • Patent number: 6561408
    Abstract: There is provided an inclination prevention member for preventing a pressing part from inclining to a supporting part. Therefore a pressing face and a stage face can be arranged to be nearly parallel. The pressing face can be thus disposed with the higher parallelism to the bonding stage as compared with the conventional art, so that components and a circuit form object can be bonded with a high bonding quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Hosotani, Shuji Ono, Hidenobu Nishikawa, Mitsuo Maeno, Hiroshi Nasu
  • Patent number: 6475958
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a high-temperature superconductor arrangement which is protected against hot spots. A contact-making layer 4 is provided between a superconductor layer 1 and an electrical bypass 2, which contact-making layer 4 has anisotropic electrical conductivity. This ensures a low contact resistance between the superconductor 1 and the bypass 2, without the admittance being increased in the main current flow direction 3. The said anisotropy is produced by discontinuities in the contact-making layer 4, for example by said contact-making layer 4 being broken down into areas 41 which are not connected to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd
    Inventors: Willi Paul, Makan Chen
  • Patent number: 6467678
    Abstract: A wire bonding method and apparatus, in which after the tail of a wire extends out of a capillary, the capillary moves to a measurement position above a tail length measuring member; the capillary descends so that the end of the tail contacts the tail length measuring member; a position of the capillary or a distance by which the capillary is lowered at the time that electrical continuity is established with the tail length measuring member is detected; and the tail length is calculated based upon a height level of the tail length measuring member, the position of the capillary before being lowered for measuring the tail, and the position of the capillary when the wire contacts the tail length measuring member, or upon the height of the capillary above the tail length measuring member before lowering the capillary for measuring the tail, and a distance the capillary is lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Shinkawa
    Inventors: Tooru Mochida, Tatsunari Mii, Nobuaki Hirai
  • Patent number: 6461737
    Abstract: An epitaxial compound structure has a crystal structure including fluorite crystal on which is epitaxially grown a film of simple perovskite crystal with a (011) orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Agency of Industrial Science & Technology, Ministry of International Trade & Industry
    Inventors: Shinji Migita, Shigeki Sakai
  • Patent number: 6459064
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for assembling electroconductive pass by electric current heating. Said method is characterised in that it consists in moving forward electrodes (10, 20) with different polanties, towards the parts (30, 40) to be assembled, and in contacting said electrodes with at least one of the pans (30) to be assembled, current being applied to said electrodes (10, 20). Thus, the electroconductive pants (30, 40) are locally heated and assembled by the current flowing through them to pass from one electrode to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Magna IHV Gesellschaft fur Innenhochdruck
    Inventor: Franz Trubert
  • Patent number: 6432853
    Abstract: The present invention is directed at a leaded copper boroaluminosilicate glass, having coefficients of thermal expansion (CTES) of between 25-55×10−7/°C. (over a range of 25-300° C.) and a softening point in the range of 550-725° C., being suitable for use as a sealing glass, especially for borosilicate glasses, and having a composition consisting essentially, in terms of weight percent on an oxide basis, of 27-60 SiO2, 3-14 Al2O3, 9-28 B2O3, 0.0-10 R2O, 0.1-40 PbO, 0.1-11 CuO, where R2O is an alkali oxide selected from the group consisting of Li2O, Na2O, K2O, Rb2O and Cs2O.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: George B. Hares, Dianna M. Young
  • Patent number: 6378762
    Abstract: A cream solder printing apparatus is disclosed which includes a positioning unit for positioning a workpiece 1, a mask 9 having a plurality of opening portions 31, a filling unit for filling cream solder 11 in the opening positions, a pressurizing unit composed of a pressure head 12 having a pressure container 13 and a gas charge/discharge pipe 14, a position registration unit for aligning the workpiece, the mask and the pressure head, and a moving means for peeling the mask away from the workpiece. A lower surface 27 of said pressure head has holes at positions corresponding to the opening portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Athlete FA Corporation
    Inventors: Masao Takeuchi, Yoshiharu Fujimori, Chuji Tomita
  • Patent number: 6344629
    Abstract: On a setting cart which is movable back and forth between a setting station and a vehicle body assembly station, there are provided floor panel setting members, side sill receiving members and side panel forcing members which force side panels toward a floor panel from a lateral outward. In the setting station, the floor panel and the side panels which are set in position on the setting cart are transferred to a jig which is disposed in a side portion of the vehicle body assembly station. The side panels are welded to the floor panel by welding robots which are disposed at a level below the jig. In the above-described arrangement, the side sill receiving members and the side panel forcing members are set on the setting cart so as to be retractable into shunted positions free from interference with the welding robots in welding operation. The welding work by the welding robots can thus be started without waiting for the returning of the setting cart to the setting station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Chitoshi Kato, Masayuki Fukumori, Teiji Miwa, Kenji Kusumegi, Nagahisa Kitamura, Masashi Koike, Masaaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6344295
    Abstract: Rechargeable cells employing mercury- and lead-free zinc-bismuth alloys as negative active materials are provided. Such cells demonstrate low after-cycle gassing, improved cumulative discharge capacities and initial discharge performances comparable to that of rechargeable cells that employ leaded zinc powders as negative anode materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Noranda, Inc.
    Inventor: Jean Yves Huot
  • Patent number: 6343733
    Abstract: A wire bonding method in which first and second bonding points are connected by a wire comprising the steps of: connecting the wire that passes through a capillary to a first bonding point, raising the capillary and performing a reverse operation so as to move the capillary in the opposite direction from the second bonding point, raising and moving the capillary toward the second bonding point and then lowering the capillary slightly, raising the capillary and performing at least once another reverse operation so as to move the capillary in the opposite direction from the second bonding point, and raising and then moving the capillary toward the second bonding point and connecting the wire to the second bonding point; thus forming a stable wire loop that has a high shape retention strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Shinkawa
    Inventors: Shinichi Nishiura, Tooru Mochida
  • Patent number: 6333480
    Abstract: In order to improve ease of assembly and machining accuracy of a wire electric discharge machine, the present invention constructs a column and a lower support assembly to be separated, and configures the lower support assembly to have a structure integrally composed of a proximal portion having the same sectional shape as a sectional shape of the column, and a central projecting portion that projects from a center of a bottom surface of the proximal portion to support a lower arm. Furthermore, the lower arm is attached to the central projecting portion of the lower support assembly, while a Y-axis guide guided by a Y-axis guide rail of a Y-axis guiding mechanism, for example, is attached to the bottom surface of the proximal portion of the lower support assembly. Then the proximal portion and a bottom surface of the column are connected by bolts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koutarou Watanabe, Toshio Moro
  • Patent number: 6326575
    Abstract: The invention provides an incinerator adapted for disintegrating metal needles and lancets such as are used in the medical profession. An incinerator is provided that includes first and second electrodes, each having a contact edge spaced apart in an overlapping relationship to one another. The second electrode is rotated relative to the first electrode so as to define a tapered gap between the contact edges. A controlled power source is selectively interconnected to the first and second electrodes, with both being supported by a housing. The housing defines an opening adjacent to the electrodes for receiving metal, such as hypodermic needles, interveinous needles, lancets, etc., to be incinerated by the electrodes. In another embodiment of the invention, a residue collection drawer is slidably mounted within the housing adjacent to the electrodes so as to capture residue from the incineration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Spectrum Meditech Inc.
    Inventors: Roy Decaire, Petar Stancu
  • Patent number: 6326576
    Abstract: An electrical discharge machining (EDM) apparatus includes at least one work station having an electrode fixedly mounted to a base and a workpiece fixture slidingly mounted to the base above the electrode. A servomotor is mounted to the base and arranged to drive the workpiece fixture toward and away from the workpiece. Preferably, the EDM apparatus will include a number of such work stations, and each work station will be connected to a separate control system for independently controlling and energizing the work station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rudi O. Krenz, Willem T. De Graaff, Kenneth E. Mascarenas
  • Patent number: 6325274
    Abstract: The rotary tools are disposed to weld along two spaced welding lines. The two rotary tools are inserted into respective welding joints and moved at the same time along the respective welding lines. At a position P1 of a portion of a window one rotary tool is withdrawn from the welding joint so that the friction stir welding on that welding joint is stopped although the welding tool continues to move. At a position P3, the rotary tools are gradually withdrawn from their respective welding joints while they continue to move along the welding line. At a position P4, the movement of the rotary tools along the respective welding lines is stopped, the rotary tools are completely withdrawn and the welding is stopped. Next, the rotary tools are inserted into the respective welding joints once again and movement thereof is started again. An insertion amount of the rotary tools at this time is larger than the insertion amount thereof prior to the stopping of the movement of these rotary tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakuni Ezumi, Kazusige Fukuyori, Akihiro Satou
  • Patent number: 6315188
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparing the surface of a high purity alumina ceramic or sapphire specimen that enables direct brazing in a hydrogen atmosphere using an active braze alloy. The present invention also relates to a method for directly brazing a high purity alumina ceramic or sapphire specimen to a ceramic or metal member using this method of surface preparation, and to articles produced by this brazing method. The presence of silicon, in the form of a SiO2-containing surface layer, can more than double the tensile bond strength in alumina ceramic joints brazed in a hydrogen atmosphere using an active Au-16Ni-0.75 Mo-1.75V filler metal. A thin silicon coating applied by PVD processing can, after air firing, produce a semi-continuous coverage of the alumina surface with a SiO2 film. Room temperature tensile strength was found to be proportional to the fraction of air fired surface covered by silicon-containing films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Charles H. Cadden, Nancy Yuan Chi Yang, Floyd M. Hosking
  • Patent number: 6310312
    Abstract: An automated method and apparatus for electrode discharge machining wherein method includes moving the tool holder to the electrode loader, automatically mounting an electrode into the tool holder and then testing the electrode for conformance to geometric and dimension tolerances and testing the electrode for proper alignment in the tool holder and thus proper alignment relative to the workpiece just prior to moving the tool holder to the workpiece area for machining. The apparatus includes a moveable servomechanism with a tool holder, an electrode magazine, and a sensor module for testing an electrode mounted in the tool holder. The sensor module has a recess configuration of conductive material complimentary to the electrode such that the electrode will make contact with the conductive material when inserted into the sensor module if the electrode is out of tolerance or misaligned in the tool holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Evelitsa Higuerey, Gordon Reed, Thomas R. Davis, Wilfred Grenfell
  • Patent number: 6307175
    Abstract: In a method of forming a cooling bore in a wall of a workpiece, the configuration of a feed section and a diffuser section is selected, a throughbore is produced with a cross-sectional area within the cross-sectional area of the feed section, and the diffuser section is cut out by a beam- or jet-drilling method in such a way that the drilling beam or jet in the region of the feed section remains essentially within the cross-sectional area of the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Blöchlinger, Ivan Luketic, Klaus Semmler, Günter Wilfert
  • Patent number: 6294752
    Abstract: A method of flash-butt welding in which the travel speed (Vt) of the machine mobile plate and the welding voltage (U2) are changed (by preset programs) and the travel speed is controlled through negative feedback by welding current, the voltage being changed discretely for each flashing fixed interval of tm duration as a function of the increment of the actual average speed of flashing details of shortening (Va) during the previous flashing interval, Va value being maintained at the present level, lower than Vm. The invention envisages a change of the coefficient of enhancement of the negative feedback in a discrete manner for each preset flashing interval of tm duration as a function of Va increment during the previous flashing interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Inventors: Sergei I. Kuchuk-Yatsenko, Alecsandr V. Didkovskiy, Mikhail V. Bogorskiy, Valeriy G. Krivenko, Alexei I. Gorishnyakov, Vadim P. Krivonos
  • Patent number: 6288356
    Abstract: An apparatus for welding that includes a fixture for locating product including a weldable material having a relatively sharp melting point. The apparatus also includes a robot positioned adjacent the fixture and that has a moveable arm and a controller programmable to control movement of the arm, and a welder assembly that includes a mid-frequency DC transformers and a weld mechanism attached to the arm and operably connected to the mid-frequency DC transformer. The weld mechanism includes a pair of opposing weld tips adapted and configured to weld a pair of plates that include the weldable material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Dane Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Henry Harder, Dennis Walter Scygiel, Grant Stanford Goodspeed