Patents Examined by Henry Liu
  • Patent number: 9731791
    Abstract: A bicycle chainring for engagement with a drive chain includes a plurality of teeth extending from a periphery of the chainring wherein roots of the plurality of teeth are disposed adjacent the periphery of the chainring. The plurality of teeth include a first group of teeth and a second group of teeth, each of the first group of teeth wider than each of the second group of teeth. At least some of the second group of teeth are arranged alternatingly and adjacently between the first group of teeth, and at least some of the first group of teeth are asymmetrically wider than each of the second group of teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: SRAM, LLC
    Inventors: Markus Reiter, Raymond Florczyk, Henrik Braedt
  • Patent number: 9726253
    Abstract: A torque filter having an impact spring constant includes a pair of left and right arc springs arranged at left and right sides and having spring constant values set based on a torque of a crank shaft which transfers a driving force of an engine as the torque. An impact spring is disposed in which the pair of the left and right arc springs face each other and has a spring constant value set with a threshold torque based on an instant speed change of the crank shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Ki-Bong Yoon
  • Patent number: 9714693
    Abstract: A tensioning rail for an endless drive, in particular a timing chain drive of an internal combustion engine, comprises a sliding lining body and a reinforcement body inserted in the sliding lining body and connected thereto by a detent connection, the sliding lining body comprising a slide rail for contact with an endless drive and a press-on region for the tensioning piston of a tensioning device. The tensioning rail is characterized in that the press-on region is arranged in a resiliently movable fashion on the slide rail and comprises a detent device as a constituent part of the detent connection such that the detent device is adapted to be locked due to the resilient movement of the press-on region. An endless drive having a tensioning rail of the type disclosed is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: IWIS MOTORSYSTEME GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Ulrich Lindner, Yannick Guyot
  • Patent number: 9714067
    Abstract: A bicycle chain device that includes a mounting bracket configured to be affixed to a bicycle. The bicycle has a solitary bicycle front sprocket. A cage is movably mounted to the mounting bracket so that the cage is positioned adjacent to the front sprocket. The cage has a chain-receiving slot, through which a bicycle chain passes. The cage is configured to move in accordance with a shifting operation of a bicycle rear derailleur to maintain alignment with a chain to prevent the chain from falling off the sprocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventor: Nobukatsu Hara
  • Patent number: 9714690
    Abstract: A metal belt for a continuously variable transmission includes a metal element wound around a drive pulley and a driven pulley and transmits a driving force between the two pulleys, in which a rocking edge is provided at the radially outer end of a front face of a body part. The rocking edge being a fulcrum for pitching of the metal element, and a recess is formed in a rear face of a neck part, and therefore, when the metal element on the rear side is displaced toward the radially outer side with respect to the metal element on the front side, the rocking edge of the metal element on the rear side enters a ring slot and the recess of the metal element on the front side, and the metal element on the rear side moves so as to be closer to the metal element on the front side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Yagasaki, Soichiro Sumida
  • Patent number: 9714695
    Abstract: A variable-speed belt drive includes at least: two shafts that can be positioned in a substantially parallel manner; two variably interspaced flange pulleys, one driving, the other driven, one carried by one, the other by the other of the shafts, the pulleys being interconnected by the belt; a speed-variation device controlled by the action of the flanges of the driving pulley being brought together or interspaced; and elements for recalling the flanges in a close position. The speed-variation device is manually controlled and the shaft of the driven pulley is provided with at least one idler member having an outer peripheral surface mounted on the shaft in a freely rotating manner, and around which the belt can wind at least partially in the interspaced position of the flanges of the driven pulley, corresponding to the position with the smallest diameter for the winding of the belt around the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: FRANCE REDUCTEURS
    Inventor: Wouter Barendrecht
  • Patent number: 9709137
    Abstract: In an aspect, a tensioner is provided for tensioning an endless drive member that is engaged with a rotary drive member on a shaft of a motive device. The tensioner includes a base that is mountable to the motive device, a ring that is rotatably supported by the base in surrounding relationship with the shaft of the motive device and which is rotatable about a ring axis, a tensioner arm pivotally mounted to the ring for pivotal movement about an arm pivot axis, and first and second tensioner pulleys. The first tensioner pulley is rotatably mounted to the tensioner arm. The tensioner arm is biased towards a first span of the endless drive member on one side of the rotary drive member. The second tensioner pulley is rotatably mounted at least indirectly to the ring and is biased towards a second span of the endless drive member on another side of the rotary drive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: LITENS AUTOMOTIVE PARTNERSHIP
    Inventor: Ingo Walter
  • Patent number: 9709027
    Abstract: The drive system for wind turbine with contra-rotating generator includes various embodiments of belt drive pulley systems for a direct drive contra-rotating wind generator. The generator has a magnetic rotor and an armature mounted on a shaft configured to rotate in the opposite direction from the magnetic rotor. In some embodiments, a belt extends across two pairs of coaxially mounted idler pulleys between a pulley on the magnetic rotor shaft and a pulley on the armature shaft. In other embodiments, the pulleys on the magnetic rotor and armature shafts are double sheave pulleys, and a first belt extends across one or two coaxial pair(s) of idler pulleys between an inner and outer sheave, and a second belt extends across one or two coaxial pair(s) of idler pulleys between an inner and outer sheave. Either the magnetic rotor or the armature shaft or both are coupled to a wind turbine rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: KUWAIT UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Osama M. Al-Hawaj
  • Patent number: 9702434
    Abstract: A friction transmission belt includes short fibers arranged so as to protrude from a surface of a pulley contact-side part made of a rubber composition. The short fibers consist of aramid short fibers and non-aramid synthetic short fibers having a standard moisture regain of equal to or less than 4%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: BANDO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Takahashi, Takayuki Okubo, Yasuhiro Takano, Hiroyuki Tachibana, Tadahiko Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9702410
    Abstract: A machine arrangement comprising a crankshaft which is supported by at least one roller bearing including bearing rings and roller elements between the bearing rings, wherein the roller bearing is connected with a device for delivering of a lubricant to the area of rolling contact between the bearing rings and the roller elements. To improve the supply of lubricant to the roller bearing and to supply the right amount of lubricant in dependence of the temperature of the roller bearing, the device for delivering of the lubricant comprises a lubricant reservoir and a flow path from the lubricant reservoir to the area of rolling contact, wherein a valve element is arranged in the flow path for controlling at least one of a flow of lubricant and a pressure of lubricant in dependence of the temperature of at least one of the roller bearing and the valve element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: AKTIEBOLAGET SKF
    Inventor: Yannick Baubet
  • Patent number: 9701484
    Abstract: A lubrication injector comprising a housing and a translating metering body axially moveable with respect to the housing and provided with a lubricant supply channel. The injector includes at least one translating intermediate piston radially interposed between the metering body and the housing and axially moveable with respect to the housing, the intermediate piston carrying the metering body. The intermediate piston is mounted slidable axially on the metering body. The intermediate piston and the metering body delimit at least partly a metering chamber for a lubricant in communication with the supply channel of the metering body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: SKF LUBRICATION SYSTEMS FRANCE
    Inventor: Kilian Tisserand
  • Patent number: 9695906
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a belt with upstream treatment of a tension member. The belt comprises a belt body made of a polymeric material having elastic properties, having a top ply as belt backing and a substructure having a force transmission zone, and a tension member embedded into the belt body. The tension member has been treated with crosslinked polymer; in an upstream stage of the belt fabrication method, voids in the tension member are filled at least partly with crosslinked polymer and the tension member is sealed with an envelope layer of crosslinked polymer, this being done, in a single treatment stage or in at least two treatment stages, by wetting of the tension member with an overall treatment mixture comprising at least one prepolymer, at least one crosslinker and at least one solvent or dispersion medium, and then drying of the treated tension member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: ContiTech Antriebssysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Stephan Brocke, Hubert Goeser, Andre Kucharczyk
  • Patent number: 9695909
    Abstract: A leaf chain includes a plurality of chain units each having two pins, around which first and second alternate inner plates between outer plates are mounted. The plates form respective apertures where the pins penetrate. Each chain unit has bushings located in the apertures of the first and second inner plates, and first washers disposed between any two adjacent bushings and between the bushings and the outer plates. There are connecting plates located at an outer side of the outer plates and tightly engaged with the pins to prevent the outer plates from being deformed because of a concentration of large force in the outer plates during the transmission. The outer plates have a loose engagement with the pins to prevent the pins and inner plates from being worn away. The first washers help the sealing effect to maintain the preferable stability and transmissibility and prolong the operating life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Ming-Chang Traffic Parts Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yi-Cheng Huang
  • Patent number: 9695907
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a frictional power transmission belt containing an extensible layer forming a belt back surface, a compressive rubber layer formed on one surface of the extensible layer and frictionally engaging at the lateral surface thereof with pulleys, and a tension member embedded between the extensible layer and the compressive rubber layer along the belt length direction, in which a surface of at least a part of the compressive rubber layer to be in contact with pulleys is coated with a fiber/resin mixture layer that contains a resin component and heat-resistant fibers having a softening point or a melting point higher than a vulcanization temperature in a mixed state, and the heat-resistant fibers contain a fiber embedded so as to extend from the fiber/resin mixture layer to the compressive rubber layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Mitsutomi, Yoshihito Noborikawa, Tsuyoshi Takehara
  • Patent number: 9689530
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of dosing lubricating grease with a lubricant dispenser (1), comprising a lubricant cartridge (3) filled with lubricating grease (2) and holding a plunger (4) for expelling the lubricating grease (2), a spindle (6) driven by a direct-current drive motor (5) for moving the plunger (4), a power supply (7), a controller (8) for operating the motor (5) with a microcontroller (9), and a device (10) for interrupting the motor current flowing through the motor (5). The motor (5) is started up by the controller (8) in adjustable time intervals and a dose of dispensed agent is expressed from the cartridge (3) through a plunger motion with a predetermined plunger stroke. The motor current and the motor voltage are measured during motor operation, and the motor runtime, and the plunger stroke is calculated with the current and voltage measured values and at least one motor characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: perma-tec GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jochen Lehnert, Manfred Grom, Thomas Haupt, Egon Eisenbacher
  • Patent number: 9689474
    Abstract: Provided is a chain tensioner that is capable of restricting the movement of a plunger at an engagement position, hardly causes its breakage and abrasion even if receiving a great force applied to the plunger, needs no setting for a backlash amount, and allows the engagement position of the plunger to be freely shifted forward and backward. The tensioner body has an engagement member that extends toward and retracts from engagement grooves provided on the outer periphery of the plunger, a press member that presses, in one direction, a cam member which maintains and releases the extending state of the engagement member, and a hydraulic supply path through which oil is supplied to press the cam member in a direction opposite to the pressing direction of the press member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Onoda, Osamu Yoshida, Yuji Kurematsu
  • Patent number: 9689440
    Abstract: A power transfer device includes a hydraulic clutch capable of coupling and decoupling a secondary shaft of a CVT and axles to and from each other. A secondary pulley of the CVT includes a movable sheave movably supported by the secondary shaft, and a secondary piston that rotates together with the secondary shaft and that constitutes a second hydraulic actuator together with the movable sheave. The secondary piston of the second hydraulic actuator is used to define an engagement oil chamber of the hydraulic clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazumichi Tsukuda, Takeshi Asada
  • Patent number: 9683630
    Abstract: The application describes and illustrates a timing belt, particularly a toothed belt, having a first end, a second end, a rear side, a front side, and having a plurality of teeth arranged on the rear side and/or the front side, wherein the first end has at least one cutaway, wherein the second end has at least one tine that is insertable into the cutaway, and wherein the first end and the second end are detachably connectable to each other and the teeth of the first end have an offset relative to the teeth of the second end in the connected condition under no tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: SIG Technology AG
    Inventors: Jurgen Vollbarth, Bernd von Birgelen, Markus Klaus
  • Patent number: 9683486
    Abstract: A belt drive arrangement for an internal combustion engine, includes a drive pulley which is driven by a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, a first output pulley with which a first auxiliary unit can be driven, a second output pulley with which a second auxiliary unit can be driven, and a belt which has an inner face and an outer face opposite the inner face and which loops at least some portions of the drive pulley and the output pulleys as a belt transmission. The inner face of the belt loops the drive pulley and the first output pulley while physically contacting same, and the outer face loops the second output pulley while physically contacting same. An internal combustion engine is provided with such a belt drive arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Leopold Eisterlehner, Friedrich Tischberger, Christian Bramberger
  • Patent number: 9677643
    Abstract: A notched transmission belt has a plurality of notches whose bottom in a cross-section taken along a plane orthogonal to the width direction of the belt includes a linear portion at a center, and recessed curved portions continuously formed at both sides of the linear portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: BANDO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Tadahiko Noguchi, Kyotaro Yanagi, Tomonari Nakamura, Takamitsu Akashi, Toshiaki Kitai