Patents Examined by I. Cuda Rosenbaum
  • Patent number: 6584686
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inexpensive and easily produced method for refurbishing transmission pump assemblies. The method of converting a transmission pump assembly from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the steps of: a) providing a first configuration transmission pump assembly comprising a pump body and a pump cover, wherein the pump body and the pump cover each have a plurality of fluid passageways formed between worm tracks on at least one side thereof; b) removing a portion of the worm tracks from both the pump body and the pump cover; c) providing at least one insert; d) attaching the at least one insert into a predetermined position; and e) machining the pump cover and pump body to the second configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Inventors: James Clark, Russell E. Shreve
  • Patent number: 6581285
    Abstract: A replacement method facilitates replacing of a portion of a nuggeted combustor liner within a gas turbine engine combustor in a cost-effective and reliable manner. The combustor includes a combustion zone that is defined by an inner and an outer liner. The inner and outer liners each include a series of panels and a plurality of nuggets formed by adjacent panels. The method includes the steps of cutting between an outer surface and an inner surface of at least one liner panel through at least one nugget, removing at least one panel that is adjacent the area of the liner that was cut, and installing a replacement panel into the combustor for each panel that was removed from the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventor: Edward John Emilianowicz
  • Patent number: 6571470
    Abstract: A method of retrofitting a gas turbine wherein the gas turbine comprises a stator and a rotor. The rotor is coaxially aligned with the stator and spaced apart from the stator so as to define a gap therebetween. The method of retrofitting comprises fixedly securing a sealing member to the stator. The sealing member is configured to restrict a flow of a fluid medium in a fluid path across the gap and generate a pressure drop generally transverse to the gap during operation of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jason Paul Mortzheim, Norman Arnold Turnquist, Osman Saim Dinc
  • Patent number: 6571473
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a refrigerant tube for a condenser includes forming an inner fin like a band plate having a predetermined length, forming a holder having a substantially V-shaped open section and a predetermined length, inserting the inner fin into the holder from a V-shaped opening of the holder, and pressing the holder to close the V-shaped opening and change the substantially V-shaped open section to a compressed closed section, whereby the inner fin is fixed in the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Kimio Nozaki, Kazuhiro Asano, Toru Okabe
  • Patent number: 6572517
    Abstract: A current roller for an electrolytic strip coating plant includes a roller wall having an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface and two essentially cylindrical base bodies having cylindrical walls and filling out the roller wall, wherein the base bodies have sides facing each other and facing away from each other, wherein the roller wall and the base bodies are releasably connected to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Werner Schimion
  • Patent number: 6571471
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for demounting a turbine blade out of an axial groove of a rotor or stator. The turbine blade is demounted with a hydraulic device by means of a hooked slide which is located in a gap between the blade base of the blade root and the groove bottom of the axial groove. At the same time, the hooks of the hooked slide engage into clearances which are located at the blade root.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Alstom (Switzerland) Ltd
    Inventor: Siegfried Hohmann
  • Patent number: 6571458
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing a honeycomb body from a stack having a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers forming a plurality of channels through which a fluid can pass, including a mould having an internal shape substantially corresponding to an external shape of a honeycomb body to be produced, a wrapping device for holding a stack at least partially structured sheet metal layers at a central region thereof, the wrapping device being pivotally disposed about an axis for wrapping the stack, and a holding device having positioning elements at least partially insertable into channels formed in the central region of the stack for maintaining a structural configuration in the central region of the stack during a wrapping of the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Emitec Gesellschaft fur Emissionstechnologie mbH
    Inventors: Rolf Brück, Robert Diewald
  • Patent number: 6568079
    Abstract: A replacement method facilitates replacing of a portion of a combustor liner within a gas turbine engine combustor in a cost-effective and reliable manner. The combustor includes a combustion zone that is defined by an inner and an outer liner. The inner and outer liners each include a series of panels and a plurality of nuggets formed by adjacent panels. The method includes the steps of cutting between an outer surface and an inner surface of at least one liner panel, removing at least one panel that is adjacent the area of the liner that was cut, and installing a replacement panel into the combustor for each panel that was removed from the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gilbert Farmer, David Bruce Patterson, Steven Allen Stiverson, James Michael Caldwell, Edward John Emilianowicz, Jeffrey Michael Martini
  • Patent number: 6568078
    Abstract: A method of assembling a catalytic converter comprising a ceramic catalyst substrate supported by a compressed resilient mat within a metal shell comprising the steps of: (1) providing a slave enclosure exhibiting a predetermined shape that substantially matches the shape of the ceramic substrate; (2) providing a layer of resilient supporting mat material on the inner surface of the enclosure; (3) mechanically pre-compressing the encircling mat layer against the inner surface of the slave enclosure; (4) inserting the substrate into the slave enclosure while retaining the encircling mat layer against the inner surface and without further compressing the mat layer; and (5) transferring the substrate and mat layer into the metal shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: Gregory Eisenstock
  • Patent number: 6568077
    Abstract: Damage in a blisk airfoil is machined away to create a notch. A repair is welded in the airfoil to fill the notch. The weld repair is then machined to restore the airfoil to a substantially original, pre-damaged configuration at the repair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie McLean Hellemann, Christopher Lee English, Bruce Leonard Borne, Ronald Clarence Glover
  • Patent number: 6564456
    Abstract: A method for finishing a valve seat for ball valves, in particular for fuel injection valves in internal combustion engines. The workpiece to be finished and a finishing tool are driven in an opposite direction of rotation, whereby the axes of rotation of the workpiece and the finishing tool are aligned with each other at an angle of from 1° to 10°. The finishing tool rests against the inside surface of the workpiece to be finished over its entire circumference. The surface of the workpiece to be treated is provided with a crowned shape. A finishing stone with a wear-resistant and preferably cone-shaped working surface is employed as the finishing tool, whereby a narrow sealing zone with a convex contour in the longitudinal section is produced in the crowned surface of the workpiece by partial removal of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Ernst Thielenhaus GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Harald Goldau, Marc Stephan Klopp, Martin Wolters
  • Patent number: 6564458
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing radiators by joining a corrugated fin to a base plate, characterized by low costs and prevention of thermal deformation of the corrugated fin due to low-temperature soldering. A first soldering at the lower ends of the corrugated fin is conducted by a first soldering alloy in a recess heated by a heating plate in a mobile solder tank filled with the molten first soldering alloy. A second soldering alloy is heated by a heating plate on a base plate and the molten second soldering alloy is used to conduct a second soldering. When the corrugated fin is placed on the base plate, pressed and heated, the first and second solders are melted to join the corrugated fin to the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Tokyo First Trading Company
    Inventors: Tadashi Sawamura, Takeshi Asao
  • Patent number: 6564457
    Abstract: Immediately after a laser-cladding is performed, a control surface is formed by machining the clad metal while an extra metal is left. An intermediate inspection is performed about presence/absence of any defect in the clad metal using the control surface. When a defect is detected, the clad metal is removed, and a laser-cladding is performed again. Since an extra metal where an amount of clad metal required can be secure exists, re-cladding can be made possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichi Kanai
  • Patent number: 6565498
    Abstract: In a composite roll for manufacturing heat transfer tubes that has two or more grooving rolls having protrusions where at least one of cross sectional shapes, lead angles relative to a rotation direction and sizes is different, by coaxially combining the rolls to form multiple types of grooves on a surface of metallic strips by pressing against the metallic strips, the composite roll for manufacturing heat transfer tubes of the present invention is characterized in that the two or more grooving rolls are joined in one body in a mutually surface contacting state. It is also preferable that the two or more grooving rolls are joined by diffusion bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Die Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Nakada, Takao Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6560870
    Abstract: A method for applying diffusion aluminide coating on a selective area of a turbine engine component and the coating produced by that method is disclosed. A quartz infrared lamp heats only substantially the localized area of the component to be coated, rather than the complete part. Either halide activated or non-activated tape is applied on the area to be coated and is held in place during coating using a high temperature dimensionally stable tape holder manufactured from graphite or ceramic. The quartz infrared lamp is used to heat only the desired area to a coating temperature of about 1800° F. to about 2000° F. under an inert atmosphere for about 3 to about 8 hours to achieve the desired aluminide coating thickness. No powder masking of the machined surface area is required. Due to the localized heating, aluminum vapor generated from the tape will only deposit aluminide coating on the taped area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nripendra Nath Das, Raymond William Heidorn, Walter Michael Gmerek, Jr., David Andrew Jablonka
  • Patent number: 6560868
    Abstract: A lower end cap for a scroll compressor includes a plurality of generally u-shaped surfaces, wherein the u-shaped surfaces have circumferentially spaced gaps. The gaps provide a location for mounting a weld seam from the center shell. The gaps are preferably machined at an outer periphery to provide a guiding surface for the center shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Scroll Technologies
    Inventors: Tracy Milliff, John R. Williams
  • Patent number: 6560867
    Abstract: A method of assembling a cylinder head assembly (11) for use with a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine. The method involves providing a cylinder head slab (17) defining a pattern of intake (21) and exhaust (23) poppet valves. The head slab is provided with a plurality of bolt holes (37) defining a bolt hole pattern. Next, a plurality A and B of valve activation modules, selected from a group of possible modules (15;101;201;301) is provided, each defining a plurality of bolt holes (63;109) which correspond with at least a major portion of the bolt holes (37) in the bolt hole pattern. The next step is selecting one module (15;101;201;301) and bolting it to the cylinder head slab (17).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Dale A. Stretch
  • Patent number: 6557236
    Abstract: An armature for a selectively engageable and disengageable coupling and a method of making the armature are provided. The armature includes a substantially annular body that is disposed about a first axis. The body may be formed by stamping or fine-blanking. One side of the body is hardened through a nitriding process. A grinding wheel is then applied at an angle to the same side of the body along a diametrical line of the body extending perpendicular to the first axis. As a result, the body is configured so that the thickness of the body increases as the distance from the diametrical line increases. In particular, the thickness of the body varies along each cross-section taken along the line from a minimum thickness at the innermost portion of the cross-section to a maximum thickness at the outermost portion of the cross-section. The inventive armature reduces galling, and the resulting noise, that occur during burnishing of couplings incorporating the armature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Inventors: Charles A. Boyer, Jeffrey C. Steiner
  • Patent number: 6554755
    Abstract: A roller device is presented that includes a roller with a cylindrical roller body that forms a working roller circumference. The roller, which has a equalization system, is mounted at its ends so as to rotate. The equalization system has tempering devices that are assigned to the roller body. The devices extend over the length of the roller body and act on the roller, which are arranged in a recess of the roller body and by means of which the roller body can be preferentially tempered in a narrow circumference angle region adjacent to a plane that passes through the axis of the roller body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Eduard Kusters Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Klaus Kubik
  • Patent number: 6554754
    Abstract: An improved bowed roll assembly and system that can be adjusted during operation to alter critical speeds to outside the range of the operational speed of the assembly, and methods of altering critical speeds of the roll assembly during its operation to inhibit harmonic vibration are provided. In one embodiment, the bowed roll assembly system includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) and accelerometer, and the critical speeds of the roll assembly are “learned” by the PLC which triggers changes to the pressure of the pressure applying member of the assembly to alter the roll's stiffness and the critical speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Appleton International, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark R. VanRens