Patents Examined by James Derrington
  • Patent number: 6641775
    Abstract: Methods for lowering processing and raw material costs are disclosed. Specifically, the use of nanostructured powders is disclosed for faster and lower sintering temperatures whereby electrodes currently employing platinum can be substituted with lower melting point metals and alloys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: NanoProducts Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony Vigliotti, Tapesh Yadav, Clayton Kostelecky, Carrie Wyse
  • Patent number: 6634365
    Abstract: A shower of tobacco particles is fed into the upper end of a downwardly sloping and downwardly tapering funnel-shaped part of a conveyor wherein the particles gather into a flow of interlaced particles. Successive increments of the flow are acted upon by one or more jets of air issuing from at least one nozzle which loosens successive foremost increments of the flow prior to admission into a tobacco filler rod forming unit in a cigarette rod making machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau AG
    Inventors: Ralf Barkmann, Reinhard Hoppe, Thomas Juschus, Peter Schumacher, Rolf Lindemann
  • Patent number: 6631628
    Abstract: Natural or synthetic silica is deposited on a preform set into rotation in front of a plasma torch which moves back and forth substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the preform, a first feed duct feeds the plasma with grains of natural or synthetic silica while a second feed duct feeds the plasma with a fluorine or chlorine compound, preferably a fluorine compound, mixed with a carrier gas. Any sodium or lithium contained in the grains of natural or synthetic silica react with the fluorine or chlorine of the fluorine or chlorine compound, thereby making it possible to improve the optical quality of fibers drawn from a preform built up with natural or synthetic silica, and to do so at reduced cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Alcatel
    Inventors: Alain Drouart, Benoît Gouez, Yves Lumineau, Pierre Ripoche, Jean-Forent Campion
  • Patent number: 6619073
    Abstract: The invention relates to optical glass having improved initial transmittance, formed by subjecting the glass to a hydrogen and/or deuterium treatment at a temperature, and for a duration of time sufficient to diffuse the hydrogen and/or deuterium into the glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Nicholas F. Borrelli, Daniel R. Sempolinski, Thomas P. Seward, Charlene M. Smith
  • Patent number: 6620368
    Abstract: A process which uses sol-gel to process oxide-based monoliths which are virtually free of cracks, without nullifying the desired attributes of the oxide-based monoliths. The method comprises substantially drying a wet porous gel monolith by removing a portion of the liquid from the pores of the gel monolith while the gel monolith remains wet, shrinking in size, and becoming correspondingly more dense, then removing the remaining portion of the liquid from the pores of the gel monolith such that the outer region of the gel monolith is not dried before the inner region of the gel monolith is dried. The gel monolith is substantially dried under conditions in which the liquid evaporation rate is no greater than the pore liquid diffusion rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Simax Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Shi-Ho Wang, Chih-Hsing Cheng, Sharon Doh
  • Patent number: 6609394
    Abstract: In a process for producing an air-quench-toughened glass plate, defective glass plates containing nickel sulfide (NiS) are removed by compulsory breaking the glass plates. Such compulsory breakage is carried out in the course of a batch-manner soaking process carried out after a toughening step; in the course of a toughening step carried out after generation of cracks in an annealing step; in the course of a toughening step carried out after generation of cracks in a pretreatment step; or in the course of a continuous annealing step carried out after a toughening step. Through the method, NiS-free toughened glass plates of high quality can be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihiro Sakai, Masashi Kikuta, Masayuki Maenaka
  • Patent number: 6606883
    Abstract: A method for forming a fused silica glass includes delivering a silica precursor to a burner and passing the silica precursor through the flame of the burner to form silica particles, depositing the silica particles on a planar surface to form a flat, porous preform, dehydrating the porous preform, and consolidating the porous preform into a flat, dense glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Kenneth E. Hrdina, Nikki J. Russo, Michael H. Wasilewski
  • Patent number: 6606885
    Abstract: A glass polarizer and a method of making the polarizer, the polarizer being produced from an R2O—Al2O3—B2O3—SiO2 glass containing limited amounts of ZrO2 and TiO2, and having a silver halide liquidus temperature and a rutile liquidus temperature, both temperatures being not over 995° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael D. Harris, Thomas G. Havens, William E. Horsfall, David J. Kerko
  • Patent number: 6605249
    Abstract: A guide block is provided for supporting a blade within a saw, such as a band saw, the guide block being formed from a ceramic material. A ceramic material is provided in powder form initially and is pressed into a billet of compressed ceramic powder. This billet of compressed ceramic powder is machined into a desired shape for the guide block but oversized in all of its dimensions by an oversized percent similar to an amount of shrinkage experienced by that ceramic material upon firing into a final hardened state. The machined compressed powder billet forms a pre-firing guide block which is fired at sufficient temperature and for sufficient duration so that it achieves its final hardened state as a ceramic guide block having dimensions precisely matching those of a prior non-ceramic guide block being replaced. The ceramic guide block can then be substituted into the saw for use in supporting the saw blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Inventors: Clifford D. Hyatt, Nicholas Osa
  • Patent number: 6605241
    Abstract: A method for producing ceramic green sheets allows the foreign substances on the surface of a carrier film to be reliably removed, prevents fluctuation of the path line when a carrier film is transferred by a foreign substance removal device, and enables a ceramic green sheet having a low local variation in thickness to be achieved. In this method for ceramic green sheets, a carrier film is transferred, the transfer direction of the carrier film is changed by a support roll, and the foreign substances on the carrier film surface are removed by an adhesive roll as a foreign substance removal device at the area where the carrier film is in contact with the peripheral surface of the support roll. Then ceramic slurry is applied on the carrier film using a ceramic slurry applying unit, and thereby a ceramic green sheet is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Asakawa, Yutaka Iseki
  • Patent number: 6599463
    Abstract: A process for producing a monolithic ceramic electronic component, which includes: providing a ceramic slurry, a conductive paste, and a ceramic paste; forming a plurality of composite structures each comprising a ceramic green sheet produced by shaping the ceramic slurry, internal circuit element films formed by applying the conductive paste partially onto a main surface of the ceramic green sheet so as to provide step-like sections, and a ceramic green layer which compensates for spaces defined by the step-like sections, the ceramic green layer being formed by applying the ceramic paste onto the region on the main surface of the sheet on which the element films are not formed, so as to substantially compensate for the spaces; forming a green laminate by laminating the composite structures; and firing the green laminate, wherein the ceramic paste contains ceramic powder, an organic solvent, and an organic binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Miyazaki, Satoru Tanaka, Koji Kimura, Koji Kato, Koji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6595030
    Abstract: A device for producing optically homogeneous, streak-free quartz glass bodies having a large diameter including a furnace or melting device having an inner chamber with a pair of openings opposite one another. One or more movable burners are displaceable into one of the openings and the respective glass body to be produced is located in the other opening. Both the burner and glass body are movably positioned. In the course of the production of the quartz glass body, a relative movement is effected in the axial and radial directions between the burner and the quartz glass body such that the distance from the burner outlet opening pertaining to the quartz glass body decreases as the distance from the burner to the X-X axis of the quartz glass body increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Inventors: Hartmut Bauch, Hraban Hack, Frank Rudiger, Thomas Schindelbeck, Rolf Martin, Andreas Menzel, Matthias Schmidt, Roland Scholz, Andreas Voitsch
  • Patent number: 6592805
    Abstract: A method for producing electroceramic materials of high sintered density from hydroxide and/or oxalate precursors is disclosed. In this method the precursor(s) are compacted to form a preform, thermally treated, recompacted and then sintered to form finished products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: National University of Singapore
    Inventors: John Wang, Junmin Xue, Leong Ming Gan, Ser Choon Ng, Leong Chew Lim
  • Patent number: 6592798
    Abstract: A method for advantageously producing sintered eutectic ceramics having a homogenous and dense structure, in particular, a eutectic containing a rare earth aluminate compound. The method allows eutectic powder of alumina and a rare earth aluminate compound to stand at a temperature of 1300-1700° C. for 1-120 minutes under vacuum or in an non-oxidative atmosphere under a pressure of 5-100 MPa using a spark plasma sintering apparatus, thereby causing crystal growth to occur to obtain a rare earth aluminate eutectic structure crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignees: Sumitomo Coal Mining Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mamoru Omori, Toshio Hirai, Masao Tokita
  • Patent number: 6588233
    Abstract: In many engineering production processes, for example glass or glass-ceramic manufacturing processes, liquids, such as glass melts, participate in the processes in which gases are dissolved, which in part form bubbles in the liquid. So that the quality of the final product is not disadvantageously influenced, the liquid, e.g. glass melt, should be refined to remove the bubbles. According to the method of the invention an overpressure acting on the liquid is provided which is such that the internal pressure in the bubbles immediately under the surface of the liquid in a refining chamber is at least as great as the sum of equilibrium pressures of the gases dissolved in the liquid and the sum of the vapor pressure of components evaporating from the liquid. A two stage apparatus is provided which performs a preferred embodiment of the refining method of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Schott Glas
    Inventor: Kurt Nattermann
  • Patent number: 6589465
    Abstract: The raw materials for forming a cordierite composition are dissolved into water with a dispersing agent to prepare a slurry, and the thus prepared slurry is passed through the sieve having a mesh of 45 &mgr;m or less. After that, the slurry after sieving is dried by means of the spray drying to obtain dry powders, and the batch for forming is obtained by using the dry powders. Or, the batch for forming is obtained by the filter pressing. That is to say, the batch for forming is obtained by using the raw material powders which are passed through the sieve in a wet state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent agglutination of the raw material particles and to remove the coarse raw material particles effectively. As a result, if the extrusion molding is performed by using the thus obtained batch for forming, it is possible to form the ceramic honeycomb structural body having an extremely thin wall thickness with no defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kumazawa, Yasushi Noguchi
  • Patent number: 6584806
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a preform, the method comprising rotating a primary preform about an axis X, establishing relative displacement in translation between the preform and a plasma torch, and introducing a glass powder into the plasma flame, the glass powder being accelerated prior to penetrating into the plasma flame by an accelerator gas introduced into the flow of glass powder, said process being performed in an enclosure and said introduction being performed into an atmosphere at a regulated pressure lower than the pressure outside the enclosure. Apparatus for manufacturing the preform comprises an enclosure connected to a unit for regulating the pressure inside the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Alcatel
    Inventors: Emmanuel Petitfrere, Gérard Lavanant, Benoit Gouez
  • Patent number: 6581608
    Abstract: A shower of tobacco particles is admitted into the inlet at the top of and descends by gravity and/or under the action of a driven cell wheel in a generally upright duct. The particles are moisturized prior to admission into the duct or due to contact with droplets of water in the inlet, and are thereupon caused to traverse an orbiting shower of steam, water and/or another conditioning medium in an intermediate portion of their path in the duct. Such treatment entails a swelling and thus increases the volume of the particles. The conditioning medium is discharged via orifices radially outwardly from at least one substantially horizontal conduit which is rotated about its axis and can be provided with external pins or analogous mechanical impellers serving to cause the particles of tobacco to orbit about the conduit prior to descending into the range of a dryer at a level below the intermediate portion of the path, e.g., at the outlet of the duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau AG
    Inventors: Torsten Grigutsch, Dieter Paus
  • Patent number: 6581415
    Abstract: A method for producing formed semiconductor articles with predefined shapes such as core tubes for CVD production of bulk polysilicon. The method is characterized by thermal spray deposition of the semiconductor material in a on a temperature controlled rotating mandrel that is shaped complementarily to the desired article shape, and by later separation of the formed semiconductor body from the mandrel by thermal contraction, melting, or chemical reduction of the mandrel size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: G.T. Equipment Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohan Chandra, Yuepeng Wan
  • Patent number: 6578623
    Abstract: Method of making a ceramic core for casting an industrial gas turbine engine airfoil having a large airfoil pitch by forming a precursor core (chill) of smaller dimensions than the final desired ceramic core, firing the chill, applying a thin ceramic skin to the fired chill to form a coated core of final dimensions, and then firing the coated core. Firing of the thin ceramic skin reduces airfoil pitch shrinkage resulting from the latter firing operation to reduce overall core dimensional tolerance variations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Howmet Research Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald J. Keller, Rodney S. Haaland, Julie A. Faison