Patents Examined by Gerard M. Reid
  • Patent number: 4869312
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for casting metal strip includes a moving chill body that has a quench surface. A nozzle mechanism deposits a stream of molten metal on a quenching region of the quench surface to form the strip. The nozzle mechanism has an exit portion with a nozzle orifice. A depletion mechanism supplies a reducing gas to a depletion region located adjacent to and upstream from the quenching region. The reducing gas reacts exothermically to lower the density to provide a low density reducing atmosphere within the depletion and substantially prevent formation of gas pockets in the strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 26, 1989
    Assignee: Allied Corporation
    Inventors: Howard H. Liebermann, John A. Wellslager, Lance A. Davis
  • Patent number: 4780929
    Abstract: A floating hinge of the type which is composed of a lower member and an upper member each having a surface face and a channel including a pair of guideways located at their distal ends. A first arm and a second arm are employed to connect the upper member and the lower member and to provide movement of the members between an open position and a closed position. The first arm has a fixed end pivotably fixed to the lower member and a sliding end pivotably and slidably fixed to the upper member. The second arm has a fixed end pivotably affixed to the upper member and a sliding end pivotably and slidably fixed to the lower member. The sliding ends of the arms are pivotably and slidably affixed to their respective upper or lower member by a pin engaging an eccentrically fixed orifice of a pair of floating hinge slides fitted within the guideways of the channels of the upper and lower members. Means can be used to secure the upper member to the lower member when the hinge is in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: Gen-Fold Corporation
    Inventors: David B. Burns, Joseph C. Mastroianni
  • Patent number: 4756053
    Abstract: First and second flaps (10, 12) are joined at a hinge joint formed by a hollow hinge pin (22) passing through alternating lug extensions (18, 20) of the first and second flaps (10, 12). A plurality of flow openings (24) in the hollow hinge pin (22) are provided for establishing fluid communication between the interior of the first flap (10) and the interior of the second flap (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: William M. Madden, Claude R. Stogner, Charles E. Spaeth
  • Patent number: 4754800
    Abstract: Molten steel containing an undissolved alloying ingredient denser than molten steel (e.g. Pb and/or Bi) flows from a tundish to a continuous casting mold. Various expedients are employed to prevent large globules of undissolved alloying ingredient from flowing out of the tundish into the mold. Another expedient prevents large quantities of undissolved alloying ingredient from accumulating on the bottom of the tundish.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1988
    Assignee: Inland Steel Company
    Inventors: Charles R. Jackson, Daniel Rellis, Jr., Howard M. Pielet, Debanshu Bhattacharya, Larry A. Frank, Purnendu Dasgupta, John R. Knoepke
  • Patent number: 4753143
    Abstract: A portable machine for field facing and threading of pipe including a housing in which is carried a shaft for rotation about a central axis. Attachment apparatus attaches the housing to the end of a pipe so that the central axis of the machine and pipe are substantially coaxial. Attached to the shaft is a cutting tool assembly which rotates with the shaft to cut the end of the pipe. Linear and radial feed components provide, respectively, generally longitudinal and transverse motion to the cutting tool assembly relative to the central axis of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Inventor: Charles R. Mynhier
  • Patent number: 4748715
    Abstract: An adjustable roller assembly for supporting and leveling an appliance including a rail secured to the appliance and having a keyhole opening with a horizontal stationary base frame secured to the rail. A bracket having a bottom end is pivotally secured to the base frame and the top end of the bracket has a threaded nut spaced from the keyhole opening in the rail. A roller is rotatably secured to the bottom end of the bracket and is movable up and down relative to the stationary base frame in response to pivotal movement of the bracket. A horizontally disposed bolt having a head portion, a shank portion, a threaded portion, and an unthreaded terminal end portion is provided with the shank portion passing through the keyhole opening in the rail. The head portion is located on one side of the rail, and the threaded portion on the opposite side of the rail and threadingly engages the nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1988
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Frank L. Rice
  • Patent number: 4747443
    Abstract: The invention relates to an improved casting furnace for the casting of metal or the like comprising a crucible (1) having a primary casting chamber (2) which is interconnected with one or more secondary casting chambers (3,4) to allow the melt to flow from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber or chambers. Means are provided in each secondary chamber (3,4) for introducing additives to the melt preferably close to the solidification point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 31, 1988
    Assignee: University of Strathclyde
    Inventor: Robert Wilson
  • Patent number: 4744126
    Abstract: A combined pull and carry handle comprises a one-piece part adapted to be retained within an aperture in a panel or the like having a face portion adapted to engage the front of the panel when the one-piece part is retained within the aperture, an opening extending through the one-piece part, a cross-bar disposed across the top of the opening having a channel therein adapted to receive an edge of the panel when the one-piece part is retained within the aperture, a cap adapted to receive the one-piece part therein and sized so as to engage the back of the panel, and a pair of screws for securing the cap to the one-piece part and thereby retaining the one-piece part within the aperture in the panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1988
    Assignee: Southco, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert H. Bisbing
  • Patent number: 4741073
    Abstract: A compact, collapsible handle attachment for a rectangular carton having rectangular-shaped wire bands which are pivotable or swingable in holes in the handle end blocks. As the weighted carton is lifted, the handle end blocks slip upwardly on one side of the carton while the bight portions of the wire bands more firmly frictionally engage the front edges of the carton to thereby prevent slippage of the handle-holder off the carton when the same is raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1988
    Inventor: Thomas F. Capen
  • Patent number: 4738002
    Abstract: Hinge mounted doorstops which include channel members having a normally horizontal perforated web and normally vertical opposed flanges on opposite sides of the web mountable on top of door hinge hubs, engaged by the top hinge pin, edges of the flanges engaging the hinge leaves to limit door opening past a predetermined arcuate amount. The hinge mounted doorstops permitting opening of doors in the general arcuate range of 90.degree. to 180.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1988
    Inventor: Joseph M. Shank
  • Patent number: 4733434
    Abstract: A blocking mechanism for the top and rear lid of a motor vehicle with a convertible top, in which the ends of a cable or of a rod are secured at a distance from the respective lid axis at the top and rear lid and at a pivot part supportable at the body. Additionally, an abutment is formed at one pivot part which, during the opening of the coordinated top or rear lid, acts on the second pivot part. As a result thereof, either an opening of the top or rear lid coordinated to the second pivot part is prevented or, during the opening of the top or rear lid, the respectively other top or rear lid is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1988
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Martin Wegge
  • Patent number: 4570697
    Abstract: A method of treating a continuous cast strand in a horizontal continuous casting process wherein when the level of molten steel within a tundish becomes lower than a prescribed level at a portion near the upper surface of a tundish nozzle at final stage of the casting process, drawing of the continuous cast strand is discontinued, and after a lapse of a specified time the drawing of the continuous cast strand is again performed and the strand is broken at the feed nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Takasuke Mori, Jun Miyazaki, Hitoshi Nakata
  • Patent number: 4558729
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing a fine-grain ingot are disclosed. A feedstock stick is melted to produce a series of fully molten drops which falls on the upper surface of an ingot being formed, to cover a portion thereof which is substantially less than the ingot's total upper surface. The mold is moved laterally with respect to the feedstock stick at a rate which is high enough so that the molten metal impinges upon different portions of the ingot's upper surface but which is low enough to prevent a substantial centrifugally outward flow of the metal impinging on the upper surface of the ingot. The molten metal melt rate is so selected that the impact region on the ingot's upper surface is at or below the solidus temperature of the alloy and above a temperature at which metallurgical bonding with the successive impinging metal can occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1985
    Assignee: Demetron, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles d'A. Hunt
  • Patent number: 4540038
    Abstract: This is a process of fabricating directionally solidified turbine blades for combustion turbines. It is an improvement to the type of process where a mold containing molten metal is cooled in a controlled fashion such that solidification occurs slow enough to allow directional solidification beginning at the airfoil end. In the improved process solidification is monitored and magnetic mixing of the remaining molten metal is started at approximately the beginning of solidification of said root section and the rate of cooling of said blade is increased to a rate faster than at which directional solidification occurs. A blade is produced with a directionally solidified airfoil section and a fine grained root section and without a substantially inhomogeneous portion at the interface between the airfoil and root sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1985
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Michael A. Burke
  • Patent number: 4505321
    Abstract: During a change in casting parameters, particularly during displacement of a mold wall to change the strand format or cross-sectional shape, the supporting action and the cooling capacity should not fall either below a well-defined supporting action and a predetermined cooling capacity in order to avoid metal break-out or other defects in the cast strand. Furthermore, upon changing the strand cross-section the rate of adjustment should be increased in order to reduce the length of transitional pieces between the old strand format and the new strand format. To achieve this result it is contemplated to bend the mold wall, during displacement thereof into each pivotal position thereof, this bending of the mold wall corresponding to the instantaneous geometric shape of the moving solidified shell or skin of the strand and such bending is represented by bending lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1985
    Assignee: Concast Service Union AG
    Inventor: Josef Zeller
  • Patent number: 4502528
    Abstract: The method and apparatus of the invention provide a rotatable casting wheel having an outer peripheral quench surface and an interior, annular coolant chamber. A wheel hub has a concentric axis of rotation, and two spaced-apart, annular, radially extending side members connected thereto and located concentric therewith delimit the side walls of the wheel and the coolant chamber. A cylindrical, axially extending wheel rim member is connected between the peripheral circumferential edges of the side members to provide the wheel quench surface and delimit the peripheral, circumferential wall of the coolant chamber. The rim has a frusta-conical inner surface that is sloped radially outward along the intended direction of coolant flow. A flow director located within the coolant chamber is comprised of at least one annular, radially extending support member and a cylindrical, axially extending flange member connected to the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1985
    Assignee: Allied Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony P. Frissora, Alexander T. Kojak