Patents Examined by Daniel C. Crane
  • Patent number: 7040128
    Abstract: A method and device for checking clearance between a stamping die includes a template representative of relative movement between the stamping die and end tool. A template including a surface representing movement of the end tool relative to the stamping die is positioned relative to the stamping die. The position is indicative of a location of the end tool during operation of the stamping die. Contact between the template and the stamping die along the surface representing movement indicates potential contact between the end tool and the stamping die during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Syron Engineering & Manufacturing, LLC
    Inventors: Scott McCallum, Paul Kleine, Rick Hurst
  • Patent number: 7040127
    Abstract: A method and a device are proposed which accurately and efficiently form a pipe with a bending machine only, without using any correcting devices. A plate having holes is fed into a bending machine in which under an upper roll, lower rolls parallel thereto are arranged, and a pipe is formed during a rough forming step and a fine forming step. In the rough forming step, bending is performed so that the plate will have a required diameter at hole portions. In the fine forming step, the hole portions are not pressed for bending while other portions are rolled so as to become closer to a required diameter to form the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Kurimoto, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Kudo
  • Patent number: 7032426
    Abstract: A process for designing and manufacturing precision-folded, high strength, fatigue-resistant structures and a sheet therefore. The techniques include methods for precision bending of a sheet of material (41, 241, 341, 441, 541) along a bend line (45, 245, 345, 445,543) and a sheet of material formed with bending strap-defining structures, such as slits or grooves (43, 243, 343, 443, 542), are disclosed. Methods include steps of designing and then separately forming longitudinally extending slits or grooves (43, 243, 343, 443, 542) through the sheet of material in axially spaced relation to produce precise bending of the sheet (41, 241, 341, 441, 541) when bent along the bend line (45, 245, 345, 445, 543). The bending straps have a configuration and orientation which increases their strength and fatigue resistance, and most preferably slits or arcs are used which causes edges (257, 457) to be engaged and supported on faces (255, 455) of the sheet material on opposite sides of the slits or arcs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Industrial Origami, LLC
    Inventors: Max W. Durney, Alan D. Pendley, Irving S. Rappaport
  • Patent number: 7032420
    Abstract: A method for real-time adjustment of a planisher for planishing metal strip. After a planished strip has been cut into a plate, the method includes measuring the plate at the output of the planisher outside a support zone, correcting the measurement so as to eliminate the influence due to self-weight of the plate, and correcting, as the case may be, the clamping of rollers located at the planer output so as to obtain a plate with a controlled curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Usinor
    Inventors: Jacques-Yves Bourgon, Olivier Guillard, Fabrice Tondo, Olivier Madelaine-Dupuich, Pierre Lemoine
  • Patent number: 7032425
    Abstract: The apparatus is a support assembly for attaching a heavy tool on the side of a truck and for unfolding it from a storage position into a horizontal work position. At least one foldable support assembly is constructed from two channels, an extension channel pivoting down from within a mounting channel on the side of the truck, using a pivot located near the bottom of the mounting channel and near one end of the extension channel. A tool support pivots around the opposite end of the extension channel to form a support for a horizontal tool, but the entire assembly folds up flush against the truck. The folded size is minimized by each of the parts fitting within the adjacent part. An energy storage device such as a spring is also located within the support assembly and counteracts the weight of the support assembly and the tool to ease folding and unfolding the apparatus. A latch holds the assembly securely folded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Inventor: Emanuel S. Esh
  • Patent number: 7032428
    Abstract: A small-sized feeding unit for a transfer press is provided. To this end, the feeding unit comprises: a feed box body one end of which is attached to side faces of uprights; feed driving means having servo motors disposed within the feed box body and pinions rotatively driven by the servo motors; feed racks movable in a feeding direction and meshing with the pinions respectively; feed carriers integrally attached to the feed racks respectively; and feed bars coupled to the feed carriers respectively so as to be movable at least either in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the feeding direction or in a vertical direction, wherein when the feed carriers are positioned at a stroke end on a press body side, the feed carriers are located in the vicinity of the feed driving means with respect to the feeding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Komatsu, Ltd.
    Inventor: Makoto Miyaura
  • Patent number: 7032423
    Abstract: A hydraulic circuit for linearly driving a machine-tool slider in both directions, comprising an hydraulic cylinder (5) whose piston rod (4) is connected to a slider and which is fed with pressurized fluid from a reservoir (14) by a pump (15) through a three-position four-way valve (18), a check valve (12-13), and between the last ones, a pair of throttling valves (19, 19?) which are mounted symmetrically each other and operated to generate an increased pressure in either one or the other chamber, which is at the moment in a low pressure, of the hydraulic cylinder (5) in order to slow down said slider in its work motion in both directions of linear travelling when a programmable interval is approached from a predetermined position for each working pass. Situated in the bypass (190, 190?) of each throttling valve (19, 19?), among the same valves (19, 19?) and the hydraulic cylinder (5), is a manual flow control valve (20, 20?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: CML International S.p.A.
    Inventor: Alessandro Caporusso
  • Patent number: 7028527
    Abstract: A workpiece processing system having, a first assembly for performing at least a first processing operation on a workpiece at a first location and having a frame, a nesting assembly, a bolster assembly upon which a workpiece can be supported at the first processing location, and a transfer assembly. The bolster assembly is repositionable relative to the frame by movement along a first path between first and second positions. The transfer assembly is capable of moving a workpiece to/from the first processing location along a second path from/to the nesting assembly. The nesting assembly has first and second workpiece support elements, each with a length. The first and second workpiece support elements are each repositionable relative to the bolster assembly between a) an operating orientation wherein the lengths of the first and second workpiece support elements project generally in the direction of the second path, and b) a stored orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Aida Engineering Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeo Ishibashi, Duane Depweg, Curtis Smith
  • Patent number: 7028526
    Abstract: To accommodate a press tooling carrier without interference, a control arm straight guide having at least one drive, e.g., having motor angular gears (worm gears), cardan shaft or the like is provided. A control arm straight guide permits a very shallow position of the joints in the completely assembled state. A hydraulic cylinder may be used to support startup of the motor, i.e., to move the control arm straight guide out of its bottom dead center position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Markus Buck, Peter Sommerer
  • Patent number: 7024910
    Abstract: A self-contained stock lifter is particularly adapted for use in multiple station, progressive metal forming dies and the like, and includes a base plate with two vertical through holes adjacent opposite sides, and a vertical spring unit aperture located between the through holes. The stock lifter also includes a lifter bar having two vertical through holes in vertical registry with the base plate through holes. Two rigid guide shafts are mounted in the base plate through holes to permit the lifter bar to reciprocate in a manner which selectively lifts stock in the die to permit longitudinal shifting of the stock along the multiple die stations. A spring unit has a base retained in the spring unit aperture, and a reciprocating rod biased outwardly, with a free end abutting a central portion of the lifter bar to shift the lifter bar to an extended position, thereby defining a fully self-contained unit that can be readily mounted in and removed from the die to reduce manufacturing and repair costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Pyper Tool & Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel T. Pyper, John K. Pyper, Scott M. Breen, Charles T. Brown, Jeffery S. Pyper
  • Patent number: 7024913
    Abstract: An adjustment stroke connection for a mechanical press includes an eccentric bushing disposed within a press connection member and an eccentric crankshaft member disposed within the eccentric bushing. A rotatable crankshaft is connected to the eccentric member. A mechanism is provided for connecting the eccentric bushing with the press connection member in a manner that prevents rotation therebetween and concurrently permits rotation of the eccentric member relative to the eccentric bushing. When the mechanism is activated, driving rotation of the crankshaft produces a press stroke adjustment. A torque actuator delivers equal driving torque to plural eccentric crankshaft members to enable minimization of relative bushing angle slip. Suitable control of the bushing angle and slide position crank angle during bushing expansion and contraction also minimizes relative bushing angle slip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: The Minster Machine Company
    Inventors: Wenliang Tang, John B. Bornhorst, Richard J. Oen, Charles H. Dickman, Kevin J. Evers, Ryan M. Stoltz, Joseph H. Hamberg
  • Patent number: 7024911
    Abstract: The object of the invention is a pair of crimping pliers that comprises two arms (10) and (12), a fixed jaw and a movable jaw (34), which is articulated in regard to the two arms, and a hinge link interposed between the two arms. This pair of pliers displays an angular point for forming an arch perpendicular to which is positioned the axis A3. The present pair of pliers also has angular values and ratios of given lengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: FCI
    Inventors: Frédéric Delhumeau, Laurent Merle
  • Patent number: 7024904
    Abstract: A contour roll former capable of operating with different sets of pairs of roll forming heads depending on the type of extruded profile to be produced. The contour roll former includes pairs of heads mounted on carriages capable of sliding horizontally back and forth along a direction transverse to the forming line, so that it is possible to replace one set with another with minimum handling, requiring only horizontal movement of the carriages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Usinor
    Inventor: Philippe Maurice Jean Camille Dupas
  • Patent number: 7021110
    Abstract: A device is disclosed for preparing a U-shaped spacer having a longitudinal axis, wherein the spacer has first and second opposing sides extending from a spacer bottom, and wherein the spacer is to be used as a spacer between glass sheets on insulating frames. A method for producing such spacer features is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
    Inventor: Barent A. Rosskamp
  • Patent number: 7021109
    Abstract: An easy manufacturing method of a slip stopper, and apparatus therefor, that has a great slip stopping effect and can be used for a location where a problem occurs if a though hole is opened therein. After a protruding portion is formed on a steel plate, by using a first punching die unit, so as to protrude from the upper surface in a plate thickness direction, a concave portion and drain channels are formed in the protruding portion by shear planes that extend substantially perpendicular to the steel plate upper surface and have been half-blanked so as not to open a through hole in the steel plate by using a second punching die unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunji Ohno, Kazumichi Iwasa, Norio Nakajima, Masanori Tsuji, Tsuyoshi Doi, Yoshihisa Kouzu, Hideyuki Miyake, Mamoru Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 7021106
    Abstract: A plug tool for forming internally helically ribbed tube comprises a plug body for being rotatably disposed in a die orifice of a drawing die. The plug body has a central longitudinal axis, a plurality of external grooves equally spaced about the axis and a plurality of external lands in alternating arrangement with the grooves. The grooves extend along the plug body at a helix angle to the axis. Each groove has a normal cross-section defined by a root surface and opposing flank surfaces extending angularly outwardly from the root surface to adjacent land surfaces. The flank surfaces extend angularly outwardly from the root surface in opposite directions at different angles from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Mitsui Babcock (US) LLC
    Inventors: John E. Jesson, Michael J. Smith
  • Patent number: 7021096
    Abstract: A method, a front gauge and a sheet bending brake with a front gauge providing a scale for gauging a workpiece of sheet material, and optionally also for supporting the workpiece and/or squaring or angling the workpiece relative to a bending anvil of the brake. Mounting, either front mounting on a bending member or under-mounting below the brake, connects the scale to the brake, preferably removably and repositionably, such that the scale extends in front of the brake and under the workpiece, thereby enabling simple and efficient one-operator use without interfering with brake operation. The mounting also provides means for removably and repositionably attaching accessories such as a workpiece support and a workpiece rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Inventor: O. Lynn Barnett
  • Patent number: 7021108
    Abstract: A crimping tool including a frame, a die fixedly and non-pivotally supported by the frame, a punch arm pivotally mounted on the frame, a mating die affixed to the punch arm, and an actuator interconnected to the punch arm for moving the mating die between a first position in which the mating die engages the die and a second position in which the mating die is spaced from the die. The mating die is a male die having a generally triangular cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Varco Pruden Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Patrick Bodwell
  • Patent number: 7021114
    Abstract: An apparatus for applying an inward force to a medical device may include at least two independently operable sections. Each section may include a plurality of movable blades arranged to form an aperture or chamber whose size may be varied. Each blade may be pivotally connected to a mount and slidably engaged with a constraining member. The blades are movable so as to allow the aperture to be sized to contain the medical device and to alter the size of the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Perreault
  • Patent number: 7017383
    Abstract: A mounting and method for a multistation stamping press part transfer system in which transfer drive modules are mounted to pivotal supports so that rail-gripper assemblies connected to pairs of modules can be oriented to transfer blanks/parts through the press in either of two orthogonal directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Inventor: Luciano Trindade de Sousa Monteiro