Patents Examined by Edward Tolan
  • Patent number: 9849495
    Abstract: A spinning thickening forming method is a method of, while rotating a plate including a center portion fixed to a fixing jig, increasing a thickness of a peripheral portion of the plate. Specifically, while locally heating the peripheral portion of the plate such that at least a portion of the plate which is adjacent to the fixing jig maintains stiffness, a forming roller is pressed against the peripheral portion of the plate to compress the peripheral portion in at least a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the peripheral portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuto Sakane, Yoshihide Imamura, Kohei Mikami, Hayato Iwasaki, Hideyuki Ogishi, Hiroshi Kitano
  • Patent number: 9844808
    Abstract: A crimping machine including a first shaft having a first crimping portion and a bead wheel and a second shaft having a tapered portion disposed opposite the bead wheel of the first shaft. The first and second shafts are configured to grip a pipe blank having a transverse channel including a first angle. The first and second shafts are further configured to roll the pipe blank forward while crimping a portion of the pipe blank with the first and second crimping portions and applying pressure on the transverse channel of the pipe blank. The crimping machine further has having a tapered portion disposed opposite at least a portion of the crimping portion and the bead wheel of the first shaft. The bead wheel is configured to push upon the forming shaft to bend the first angle of the transverse channel formed in the pipe blank to a second angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: FAMOUS INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Charles Klinect, Matthew Lehotay
  • Patent number: 9842690
    Abstract: The apparatus comprises a first working unit for unwinding a coil of conductor and providing straightened conductor, and a second working unit comprising a bending device arranged to bend the straightened conductor leaving the first working unit and a rotary table on which the bent conductor leaving the bending device is laid, whereby a set of turns is formed to make the superconductive coil. The rotary table is rotatably mounted about a stationary vertical axis. The bending device is mounted so as to be translatable both in a longitudinal direction coinciding with the direction of a longitudinal axis of the straightened conductor that is fed by the first working unit to the bending device and in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The first working unit is mounted so as to be translatable, along with the bending device, in the transverse direction only.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: CTE SISTEMI S.r.l.
    Inventor: Marco Dani
  • Patent number: 9833828
    Abstract: A hot-press deep-drawing forming apparatus includes a punch that constitutes a lower die and a die that constitutes an upper die. The punch has an inner-face forming surface that forms the inner face of a product, and a bent corner against which a scrap section S of a workpiece W abuts. The die has an outer-face forming surface that forms the outer surface of the product. A blank holder and a pre-forming die that clamp the scrap section are caused to move, together with the die, until the clamped scrap section abuts the bent corner. The movement of the blank holder and the pre-forming die is stopped after the scrap section has abutted the bent corner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takanori Ueda, Tomoyuki Horimoto, Shunsuke Izumi
  • Patent number: 9833822
    Abstract: Provided are a cooling method and a cooling apparatus that, in the cooling of a hot-rolled steel strip, regulates the amount of cooling water in a two-stage manner for each set of headers in the width direction and changes the rate at which the steel strip is cooled, in a multistage manner by a simple method, and that is effective particularly in cooling the lower surface of the steel strip, where space is narrow. The spray nozzles 5 are arranged in a row in the width direction of the steel strip at a predetermined pitch. Two systems of cooling headers 6 are arranged for one set so that spray nozzles 5 adjacent in the width direction can be supplied with cooling water from different pipe systems, and a spray valve 7 is attached to each cooling header 7 so that spraying/stop of spraying of cooling water can be individually performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Ueoka, Takeshi Chiba, Kazuya Ibuki, Yoshitsugu Iijima
  • Patent number: 9833823
    Abstract: A method for producing a metal strip, in which the strip is rolled in a multi-stand rolling mill, is removed behind the final rolling stand of the rolling mill in the direction of conveyance, and is cooled in a cooling device. The strip or metal sheet is subjected to additional rapid cooling immediately after passing the working rollers of the final rolling stand, wherein the strip or the metal sheet is cooled at least partially within the extent of the final rolling stand in the direction of conveyance, wherein rapid cooling is performed by applying a coolant to the strip or metal sheet from above and from below, wherein the volume flow of coolant that is applied to the strip or metal sheet from below measures at least 120% of the volume flow of coolant that is applied to the strip or metal sheet from above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventor: August Sprock
  • Patent number: 9833826
    Abstract: A press forming method presses and forms a formed part including: a top portion having a projecting outer edge, a part of the projecting outer edge projecting outward; and a flange portion that formed by bending along the projecting outer edge of the top portion. The press forming method includes: a first forming step of forming, at a region of a blank material in which the flange portion is to be formed, a preformed part including a vertical wall portion to be a part of the flange portion and a trough portion that is bent outward from the vertical wall portion and recessed on a side of the top portion; and a second forming step of forming the flange portion by bending a region including the trough portion of the preformed part formed in the first forming step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaki Urabe
  • Patent number: 9821360
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a thin uneven member. The apparatus includes a lower die fixed to a press bed, an upper die fixed to a ram and disposed opposed to the lower die, and a pressure-drive unit which presses the ram using a servo motor as a power source, the servo motor being fixed to a first support member. The pressure-drive unit includes a motion converting mechanism which converts a rotation of the servo motor to a linear motion of a lifting member, and a cylinder block connected and fixed to the first support member and including first and second pistons arranged in series vertically, wherein the first piston is connected to the lifting member through a second support member, and the second piston, larger in diameter than the first piston, presses the ram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUI HIGH-TEC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Matsubayashi, Kiyohisa Maki, Toshihiko Ezaki, Takeshi Sato, Kouji Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 9815098
    Abstract: A centrifugally cast, hot-rolling composite roll comprising an outer layer formed by a centrifugal casting method, and an inner layer made of ductile cast iron and integrally fused to the outer layer; the outer layer having a chemical composition comprising by mass 1.6-3% of C, 0.3-2.5% of Si, 0.3-2.5% of Mn, 0.1-5% of Ni, 2.8-7% of Cr, 1.8-6% of Mo, 3.3-6.5% of V, and 0.02-0.12% of B (or 0.01-0.12% of B, and 0.05-02% of S), the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, and meeting the relation expressed by Cr/(Mo+0.5W)??2/3[C?0.2(V+1.19Nb)]+11/6, wherein W=0, and Nb=0, when W and Nb are not contained, and containing by area 1-15% of MC carbide, 0.5-20% of carboboride, and 1-25% of Cr-based carbide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI METALS, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Hattori, Nozomu Oda, Yasunori Nozaki
  • Patent number: 9803676
    Abstract: A hollow screw and related process of making is provided, wherein the hollow screw is formed from a generally circular corrosion resistant stainless steel disk cut from flat roll stock. The hollow screw includes a head and an elongated and hollow shaft having a wall thickness between about 0.2 to about 0.7 millimeters extending therefrom and defining a shank portion and a threaded portion having a plurality of threads thereon with a rotational drive mechanism configured to facilitate tightening via the threads. The process involves annealing to soften the stamped hollow screw, followed by thread rolling, and then age hardening the hollow screw. As such, the resultant hollow screw is relatively lightweight, about 50% the mass of a solid core screw made from the same material, with a sufficient thread strength to meet most aerospace applications and contributes to important aircraft fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Physical Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles G. Hutter, III
  • Patent number: 9788980
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatus for manufacturing intravascular stents wherein the intravascular stent has its inner surface treated to promote the migration of endothelial cells onto the inner surface of the intravascular stent. In particular, the inner surface of the intravascular stent has at least one groove formed therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Vactronix Scientific, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher E. Banas, Julio C. Palmaz, Eugene A. Sprague
  • Patent number: 9789528
    Abstract: An automated forming machine is adapted to form at least one metal sheet and contains: a material supplying zone, a heating zone, a forming zone, and a cooling zone which are all configured to accommodate components of the automated forming machine. The automated forming machine includes: a frame and a forming device for clamping, heating, and blow molding the at least one metal sheet. The automated forming machine also includes plural tracks, plural loading carriers, a first pushing devices, a second pushing device, a third pushing device, a fourth pushing device, a pulling device, a first heating device and two cooling devices, and each cooling device includes a support rack and a plurality of spray nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Inventor: Po Ming Huang
  • Patent number: 9782824
    Abstract: Continuous casting equipment includes a casting product reduction apparatus and a casting product drawing apparatus, the casting product reduction apparatus including a pair of casting product reduction rolls that sandwich and apply pressure to a casting product and being configured to apply reduction to the casting product, the casting product drawing apparatus being provided in a following stage of the casting product reduction apparatus and configured to sandwich and draw the casting product with a pair of casting product drawing rolls. At least one of the pair of casting product reduction rolls includes a large-diameter part that projects radially outward in an axial-direction center region and applies pressure to a width-direction center region of the casting product. The casting product that is subjected to reduction by the casting product reduction apparatus has a depressed part corresponding to the large-diameter part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL AND SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuntaro Imai, Yasuo Maruki, Daisuke Miki, Hiroaki Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 9782812
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming spiral pipe includes a spiral pipe forming station having a feeding device for feeding a continuous strip and a bending device that receives the strip fed from the feeding device. The bending device has a fixed rolling element that forms a spiral pipe having a longitudinal axis and a sidewall. The apparatus also includes a cutting station having a cutting device movably extending in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the spiral pipe. A controller is operatively connected to the spiral pipe forming station and the cutting station to continuously operate the pipe forming station while the cutting station is operated to cut through the sidewall of the spiral pipe to define the one or more register holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Inventor: Roderick Clarence Minch
  • Patent number: 9776227
    Abstract: A flexible roll-die forming machine for variable cross-section parts includes: a feeding device and a flexible roll-die forming unit; wherein the flexible roll-die forming unit includes at least a set of flexible roll-die forming devices; when two or more sets of the flexible roll-die forming devices are provided, the flexible roll-die forming devices are connected in sequence; wherein the feeding device is arranged at a front end of the flexible roll-die forming unit and is connected to an adjacent flexible roll-die forming device. The present invention effectively solves problems that conventional flexible roll-die forming machines are not able to produce narrow part with variable cross-sections, and the forming accuracy is poor. The present invention also reduces the amount of shafts controlled by servo motors, so as to simplify the controlling system, improve system operation reliability and simplify maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: NORTH CHINA UNIVERSITY OF TECHONLOGY
    Inventors: Qiang Li, Zhenfeng Yang, Yanzhi Guan, Haibo Wang, Yu Yan
  • Patent number: 9776228
    Abstract: Pilger rolling train, which operates continuously for producing a tube, includes a pilger rolling mill for reducing the diameter of a hollow blank to form the tube, a first buffer for a plurality of tubes, wherein the first buffer has a device for bundling a plurality of tubes in a bundle, an annealing furnace for simultaneous annealing of a plurality of tubes, a second buffer for a plurality of tubes, wherein the second buffer for the tubes has a device for separating the plurality of tubes out of a bundle, and a straightening machine for straightening the separated tubes in succession, wherein the devices are disposed, in the direction of flow of the tube, in the aforementioned sequence, and wherein an automated transport device for the tube is provided between, respectively, the pilger rolling mill, the first buffer, the annealing furnace, the second buffer and the straightening machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Sandvik Materials Technology Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Udo Rauffmann, Thomas Froböse
  • Patent number: 9776229
    Abstract: A method influences the geometry of a rolled item in a controlled manner. In the method, the rolled item is transformed from an initial condition into an intermediate or final condition by rolling with the aid of a rolling stand having at least one processing assembly. An improvement in the geometry of the rolled item, particularly during processing of asymmetric rolled items, is achieved in that the at least one processing assembly is operated in a force-controlled manner on the basis of a desired force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: PRIMETALS TECHNOLOGIES GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Matthias Kurz, Birger Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9771642
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein relate to BMG articles with high bulk having all dimensions greater than the critical dimension. Exemplary BMG article can include at least one bulk component and/or one or more fixation elements configured on surface of the bulk component or inserted into the bulk component. Other embodiments relate to methods of making the BMG articles by thermo-plastic-formation of BMG alloy materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph C. Poole, Christopher D. Prest, Matthew S. Scott, Dermot J. Stratton, Stephen P. Zadesky
  • Patent number: 9757787
    Abstract: A metal plate stamping method is provided for cutting a metal plate, on which a bulging portion is formed through stamping, at a cutting area that is defined in a portion other than the bulging portion. The method includes forming a bead on the opposite side of the cutting area from the bulging portion and crushing the bead prior to the cutting of the metal plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Hirata
  • Patent number: 9757781
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved metal strips straightener, including an infeed device and a pressure frame. The infeed device has one or more leveling rollers, and the pressure frame has a roller frame. The roller frame has one or more roller blocks to bring a metal strip into a upward full encirclement wrap. Each roller block is attached with a camshaft, where each camshaft is connected to a motorized drive system. Rotation of the camshafts actuates the roller blocks to move the metal strips, applying pressure on the metal strips during the passing through of the roller blocks. A closing cylinder is attached to one end of a roller block, where the closing cylinder has a convex contact surface. Multiple roller blocks are connected to each adjacent roller blocks via their connected closing cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Inventor: Ching Chung Lai