Patents Examined by Eric B. Compton
  • Patent number: 6745459
    Abstract: A heat exchanging tube assembling apparatus is adapted to a heat exchanger having an outer casing in which is arranged a partition plate formed with holes through which heat exchanging tubes, each having a U-shape in outer appearance, are inserted from an open end side of the casing in a full automatic manner. The heat exchanging tube assembling apparatus includes a tube grasping device for grasping a plurality of U-shaped tubes in a group at a working position, a tube positioning device for positioning the grasped tubes to positions from which the U-shaped tubes are inserted into the holes formed to the partition plate, a tube taking-out device for sequentially taking out one by one the U-shaped tubes grasped by the tube grasping device, and a tube feed device for feeding the taken-out tubes toward the partition plate and inserting the tubes into the holes of the partition plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Tokunaga, Tadashi Washizuka, Shoichi Okisawa, Takio Ichimura, Motomu Ito
  • Patent number: 6708393
    Abstract: A fixture and method for aligning a vehicle fender and door, particularly a fixture for an assembly line point that attaches to a vehicle door and moves a front edge of the door to a spacing element, attaches to a vehicle fender, moves the fender to the spacing element and to a pre-defined 3-dimensional relationship with the door, and holds the fender in the pre-defined relationship while the fender is secured in place on the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Roy, Anthony J Osborne, John LeBlanc, Ronald R Moore, Larry Weatherall, Lawrence J Guc
  • Patent number: 6688001
    Abstract: There is provided a method of working a plain bearing and a working apparatus of the plain bearing, which make it easy to perform working by forming a plurality of inclined surfaces of different angles in portions on both sides of the inner peripheral surface of the bearing alloy metal of the plain bearing in the axial direction thereof. In the working method and apparatus, a working holder 18 is provided which has a groove 20 extending on the inner peripheral surface in the peripheral direction and portions on both sides of the groove in the transverse direction formed in step-like shape, a half bearing 11 is housed in the working holder 18, and both ends of the half bearing 11 in the peripheral direction are pressed by use of pressing means 24. Then, the half bearing undergoes plastic deformation so as to be fitted into the groove and both sides of the half bearing in the axial direction thereof come into abutment with the edges 22, 23 of the step-like portions and are deformed in a polygonal line form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Daido Metal Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Imai, Nobutaka Hiramatsu, Hideo Ishikawa, Takayuki Shibayama, Mikio Suzuki, Mitsuharu Sahashi
  • Patent number: 6640426
    Abstract: A pin grid array insertion and extraction tool is disclosed that is used to both insert and extract pin grid array connectors. The tool comprises a rigid window frame defined by bars connected to handles wherein the bars define straight slots and ramped slots on an elongated side that engage tabs and sliders of a header and socket of a pin grid array connector. The ramped slots are used to generate mechanical advantage and bring the insertion force seen by an operator's hand down to reasonable levels when engaging or disengaging connector pins to or from their mating receptacles. By using ramped slots the insertion and extraction tool can be made very compact in almost every dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Brian E. Sonnichsen
  • Patent number: 6583074
    Abstract: A nonwoven, metal fabric is formed by providing a mass of loose fibers with sufficient lubricating oil for them to be carded without disintegration of the fiber web. The fiber web is then lapped and needled to form a metal fabric of superior strength, density, and thermal insulation properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Global Material Technologies Incorporated
    Inventors: Alexander Krupnik, Terrence P. Kane, Kurt H. Schild
  • Patent number: 6418608
    Abstract: A convertible flange insertion machine for the insertion of a pair of internally threaded flanges into a drum head of a shipping container is disclosed. The machine includes a pair of continuously moving drum head conveyor chains running along conveyor supports and between a pair of tooling dies that upon compression insert flanges into the drum head. A pair of flange conveyors run along side the drum head conveyor and include a pair of side rails with two lips for guiding the lips of flanges according to two different flange styles. The flange conveyors terminate at a lateral transfer mechanism. One lateral transfer mechanism includes an indexer with two pawls that sequentially indexes flanges in a two step procedure over a pair of spring loaded stops and into the receiving pocket of a tooling block. The tooling block places the flanges over the tooling die where a release assembly forces the flanges out of the tooling block and onto the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Rieke Corporation
    Inventor: Glenn R. Keesler
  • Patent number: RE38315
    Abstract: An apparatus for extracting screw elements from a screw shaft comprises a frame, a stationary clamp mounted on the frame and disposable between open and closed positions, a carriage mounted on the frame for motion toward and away from the stationary clamp, a movable clamp mounted on the carriage for motion therewith and disposable between open and closed positions, a first drive coupled to the stationary clamp for opening and closing the stationary clamp, a second drive coupled to the movable clamp for opening and closing the movable clamp, and a third drive coupled to the carriage for causing motion of the carriage toward and away from the stationary clamp, wherein clamping of a downstream screw element by the stationary clamp, clamping of an upstream screw element by the movable clamp and one or more strokes of the carriage away from the stationary clamp result in removal of the downstream screw element held in place by the stationary clamp from the screw shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Apex Tool and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert S. Hodgson, Michael J. Mattingly