Patents Examined by Cornelius J. Husar
  • Patent number: 4808087
    Abstract: A canned motor pump having improved dielectric strength at a high temperature above 200.degree. C. is disclosed in which a jacket is arranged on an outer wall of the canned motor section, to an inlet port of which jacket is supplied a portion of pressurized liquid to be treated, while an outlet port of said jacket is connected to a lower pressure zone of the pump section or pump tubing system to circulate the liquid thereto. In accordance with the canned motor pump, the efficient cooling of the canned motor and the economically advantageous pump system without energy loss may be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1989
    Assignee: Nikkiso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Tsutsui, Takashi Akiba
  • Patent number: 4787656
    Abstract: A tubing coupling device constructed in accordance with this invention is comprised of a rigid body having cavity therein, an aperture communicating with the smaller end of said cavity and a tapered ferrule having an axial passageway that is aligned with the aperture. Means such as a nut that is in threaded engagement with the end of the rigid body opposite the aperture forces the ferrule into the cavity. The relative shapes and dimensions of the cavity and the ferrule are such that as the ferrule is forced into the cavity it is subjected to radial compression so as to attain intimate contact with the exterior surfaces of the end portions of tubes that are inside the ferrule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1988
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Bruce L. Ryder
  • Patent number: 4758112
    Abstract: A rotary shaft assembly including a cylindrical ceramic shaft having first and second axially spaced apart and annular outer surface portions, the first surface portion defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart irregularities; a metal boss surrounding the first and second surface portions and having an axial opening defined by a first annular inner surface portion juxtaposed to the first outer surface portion and a second annular inner surface portion juxtaposed to the second outer surface portion and uniformly spaced therefrom, the first inner surface portion being deformed so as to intimately engage the irregularities in the first outer surface portion; and a metal collar disposed between the second inner and outer surface portions and sealed thereto so as to form a fluid tight seal therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1986
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1988
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Kawamura
  • Patent number: 4741561
    Abstract: A engageable joint having male pipe end and a female pipe end. The male and female pipe ends are removably engaged with gaskets. The gaskets are inflatable and arranged in a plurality of stages in the axial direction to inflatably seal a clearance between the pipe ends, and the joint has a clamp device for clamping the two pipe ends so that the pipe ends can be engaged and disengaged readily and reliably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1988
    Assignee: Doryokuro Kakunenryo Kaihatsu Jigyodan
    Inventors: Eiji Morita, Noritaka Hashimoto, Akira Wadamoto
  • Patent number: 4741646
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for laying conduit within a trench, using a separable boxlike structure with end walls, side walls, a fill bin compartment internal of the boxlike structure for receiving fill material and dispensing fill material onto the bottom of the trench, and a conduit laying compartment through which conduit is fed for positioning on the bottom of the trench. The boxlike structure has a rigidly mounted tow bar which facilitates application of vertical, longitudinal and lateral forces on the boxlike structure to thereby enable an operator of the apparatus to maneuver it on-grade and in alignment along the bottom of the trench. The boxlike structure is maintained on-grade and in alignment with the assistance of a laser transmitter/receiver assembly and several grade-maintenance features, including a shearing blade which automatically adjusts its vertical position in response to the laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1988
    Inventor: G. Brent Hatch
  • Patent number: 4728217
    Abstract: A gripper with leaf springs having fingers near their ends to engage and disengage work. The springs are respectively connected in an annular array to the end of a cylindrical support. The springs are diverged or expanded to cause the fingers to engage the work and are converged or collapsed to cause the fingers to disengage the work. During the diverging and the converging each spring is pivoted about its junction with the support. The diverging and the converging of the springs is effected by an actuator or mandrel including a rod having a nose at its outer end. The actuator is reciprocable within the springs between advanced and retracted positions. Near its outer end the rod has a conical cam surface which engages cooperative internal cam-follower surfaces on the springs to diverge the springs when the actuator is in advanced position. The nose has a skirt which engages the outer ends of the springs, i.e. the fingers, to converge the springs near the ends when the actuator is in retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 1, 1988
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: David J. Fink
  • Patent number: 4728225
    Abstract: A method for rehabilitating an existing bulkhead located between a body of water and land is disclosed. The method includes the steps of installing a plurality of tiebacks attached directly to the existing bulkhead, and a new bulkhead facing is connected to the existing bulkhead which has been supported by the tiebacks. An alternate method includes the steps of installing a plurality of substantially vertical piles at horizontally spaced locations in front of, i.e. on the water side of, the existing bulkhead; connecting the vertical piles to the existing bulkhead; installing tiebacks through the existing bulkhead and into the land behind the existing bulkheads; and connecting the tiebacks to the vertical piles. In situations where use of piles and tiebacks alone are not sufficient to rehabilitate the bulkhead, a new bulkhead facing is installed in front of the existing bulkhead and connected to and supported by the piles and tieback supported existing bulkhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 1, 1988
    Assignee: Schnabel Foundation Company
    Inventors: Ernest D. Brandl, Robert C. Houghton
  • Patent number: 4723795
    Abstract: A connector assembly and an installation method therefor provides a fluid-tight joint between a nozzle and a column concentrically supported within the nozzle. An annular seal assembly is disposed above a flange formed on the interior of the nozzle. A spacer sleeve is threaded to the nozzle for engagement with a ledge formed on the column. A clamp assembly is mounted to the column at a fixed position and includes means for raising the column in relation to the nozzle to fix the axial position of the column. A nut threaded to the column is rotatable for forcing a drive sleeve into compressive engagement with the seal assembly to produce a fluid-tight seal between the column and the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1988
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Divakar S. Shenoy
  • Patent number: 4722502
    Abstract: Apparatus is provided for adjustably supporting an object, such as a surgical light, between two points on a yoke-type frame. A housing having a cylindrical cavity and a threaded axial bore therethrough is secured to one of two hubs provided on the legs of the yoke. An adjustment screw having a face plate passes through the aperture. Wave washers and a spherical washer having a spherically concave friction surface are provided within the housing's cavity. A shaft is supported within the housing by a spherical bearing and terminates in a nut having a spherically convex friction surface. A keyway and recessed area on the shaft serve to secure the light to the shaft. The hub on the other leg is provided with a spherical bearing which supports a second shaft. The second shaft has a keyway and a recessed area which are engaged by a key and adjusting screw on a second mounting bracket in the opposite side of the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1988
    Assignee: American Sterilizer Company
    Inventors: Wolfgang Mueller, Arthur T. Nagare
  • Patent number: 4719814
    Abstract: A shift mechanism in a power transfer device includes first and second shift rods axially slidably mounted in parallel to each other within a housing of the transfer device, an interlock mechanism arranged to selectively retain the shift rods in their shifted positions, an operation rod extending through the wall of the housing and rotatably supported therethrough, the operation rod having an outer end operatively connected to a manually operated transfer lever and an inner end located in the interior of the housing, and a swing lever pivoted to the inner end of the operation rod at a position displaced in a predetermined distance from the axis of the operation rod, the swing lever having one end portion engaged with the first shift rod and the other end portion engaged with the second shift rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuichiro Ida, Toshio Yoshinaka, Shuji Nagano
  • Patent number: 4714378
    Abstract: Apparatus and a method for progressively forming a subsea trench and for laying a pipeline in that trench are provided. The apparatus includes a towable sled for supporting the pipeline as it is being laid in a subsea trench that is being created by fluid jetting, mechanical cutting or a combination of both, using jetting and cutting devices mounted on the sled. In the preferred embodiment, the jet device proceeds the mechanical cutter on the sled and is vertically adjustably mounted so it can be raised out of the way while the mechanical cutter is in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignee: Ocean Engineering Systems, Pty., Ltd.
    Inventor: John B. Lincoln
  • Patent number: 4712439
    Abstract: Apparatus for producing a propulsion force comprises a pair of counter-rotating externally geared flywheels which are mounted on shafts for rotation in a housing and are balanced for high speed rotation. Each flywheel carries a mass slideable thereon in a radial slot but constrained to rotate angularly with the flywheel. The mass is constrained to rotate eccentrically of the flywheel by a stationary cam surface surrounding the path of rotation of the mass. The cam surface is provided on a plate slideable relative to the flywheels to adjust the degree of eccentricity of the cam track relative to the flywheel. A vibration isolation unit is connected between the housing of the flywheels and the frame of the device including a pair of airbags positioned between plates so as to communicate only the net unidirectional force from the housing to the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1987
    Inventor: Henry North
  • Patent number: 4712446
    Abstract: A dynamic damper comprising at least one elastic member and mass member is mounted within a conventional shaft housing eccentrically with respect to an axis center of a steering shaft. The elastic member of the dynamic damper gives a spring constant which is maintained at a constant value designed to provide a required resonant frequency at the mass member for suppresing a vibration transmitted to a steering wheel via the steering shaft since the vibration transmitted from the steering shaft to the steering wheel is always applied to the dynamic damper in the shear direction of said elastic member regardlessly of the steering wheel angular position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1987
    Assignee: Nissan Shatai Company, Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kamata, Yutaka Yamashita
  • Patent number: 4712938
    Abstract: An expansion seal assembly in which a corrugated plate extends between two members that are subjected to differential thermal expansion and contraction. An expansion joint connects the upper and lower edges of the corrugated plate with the two members respectively to accommodate differential thermal expansion and contraction between two members in an axial direction. The expansion joint acts as hinges to accommodate the lateral movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1987
    Assignee: Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Venkatraman Seshamani, Dudley P. Money
  • Patent number: 4711605
    Abstract: A key for transferring rotating driving force between a driven and driving member. The key has a leg portion and a cross portion wider than and integral with the leg portion. The leg portion is positioned in a keyway of a first rotatable member and the cross portion is positioned in a keyway of a second rotable member. Rotating force applied to one of the rotating members is transferred to the other member through the keyways and the leg and cross portions of the key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: Rexnord Inc.
    Inventor: Wasyly G. Hodlewsky
  • Patent number: 4711601
    Abstract: A method of installing an offshore construction, includes fabricating platform support columns from a plurality of interconnected column sections. The method comprises placing a first column section at the surface of a body of water, at least partly submerging the first column section by a certain amount, placing a second column section on top of the first column section whereby the top of the first column section is joined to the bottom of the second section near the waters' surface, the second column section thereafter being at least partly submerged as was the first column section. Additional column sections are placed on top of and joined to successive partly submerged column sections near the waters' surface, until a finished column of desired height is formed by the joined column sections. A base may be initially connected to the bottom of the first column section. The finished column may then be anchored to the seabed to maintain the finished column in a fixed vertical position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Inventor: Isaac Grosman
  • Patent number: 4711135
    Abstract: Disclosed herein in a mount structure where a shift lever retainer for spherically supporting a shift lever is mounted through a vibration damping member to a transmission case by a bolt, a vibration damping structure comprising a stopper means for preventing horizontal and vertical deformations of the vibration damping member greater than a predetermined amount. With this arrangement, there is no possibility that rigid feeling in operating of the shift lever is decreased, that is, shift feeling is deteriorated. Further, vibration of the shift lever and associated noise may be greatly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Horiuchi, Masaki Inui
  • Patent number: 4710052
    Abstract: A linear coupling device is disclosed for a play-free, safe and dust-protected transmission of large tractive, alternating or radial forces by means of coupling members comprising of fir tree-shaped cones. The coupling members are secured together in combination with corresponding connection members comprising of a plurality of segments and a locking member comprising of a sliding coupling sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Inventor: Gerd Elger
  • Patent number: 4708513
    Abstract: An extended lift coupling for joining tubular members in an end-to-end relationship is disclosed. The coupling is of simple design having only three components: a pin, a box and a threaded lock ring. An external compressive axial preload places a torus on the pin in axial compression. Make-up of the lock ring maintains the compressive strain on the torus and the lock ring when the axial make-up force is removed. Thereafter, increased tensile loading on the pin and box is partially absorbed in benign compressive stress of the locking ring. By controlling the geometry of the coupling such that the stiffness of the torus is high compared to the stiffness of the box and the stiffness of the lock ring, the fatigue life of the coupling caused by applied cyclic tensile forces is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1987
    Assignee: Hydril Company
    Inventors: Joseph R. Roche, Shaw-Wen Lin
  • Patent number: 4708528
    Abstract: A foundation is stabilized with a pier that extends downwardly from the foundation into the underlying surface material and at its lower end preferably bears against bedrock. At its upper end the pier is attached to the foundation through a bracket having a sleeve and a rod directed generally radially from the sleeve. To drive the pier, a hole is first drilled into the foundation wall, and the rod of the bracket is inserted into the hole, so that the sleeve lies along the wall. A jacking apparatus is fitted to the bracket, and it includes a lift member that actually engages the sleeve and a hydraulic cylinder that is located above the lift member and sleeve. The pier comprises sections which are fitted individually into the sleeve and are driven downwardly with the cylinder, with all but the first section being coupled to the section immediately below it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1987
    Assignee: Magnum Piering, Inc.
    Inventor: Dondeville M. Rippe