Patents Examined by James P. Mackey
  • Patent number: 11260614
    Abstract: A venting device and a tire mold are disclosed for use in a tire vulcanization process. The venting device includes a core shaft and a sleeve sleeved over the core shaft, a venting passage is formed between the sleeve and the core shaft, the core shaft includes a shaft body, one end of the shaft body is connected to a shaft head, the other end of the shaft body is connected to a shaft end piece provided with a groove extending through the shaft end piece, and an end of the groove facing away from the shaft head is closed. The shaft end piece is used for axially stopping the shaft body, and the shaft end piece is further used for assembling the sleeve and the core shaft by contracting and springing back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: HIMILE MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SHANDONG) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei Zhang, Wanli Wang, Ping Du, Riwen Sun, Jian Li, Lixin Feng, Yizhao Zang
  • Patent number: 11260613
    Abstract: A tire vulcanizing mold comprises a sidewall ring for molding a sidewall portion of a tire. The sidewall ring is composed of a main body provided with a circumferentially extending groove, and mold pieces mounted in the groove so as to be adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Between the mold pieces and/or between the main body and the mold pieces, there are formed micro-gaps for discharging gas existing in the tire vulcanizing mold so as to communicate with exhaust flow paths extending from the groove toward the outside of the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Nozomi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11225040
    Abstract: A tire vulcanizing mold includes a groove-shaped saw cut and a vent hole which are formed in a forming surface for forming a tire surface, the vent hole being opened in the forming surface so as to communicate with the saw cut, and a vent plug being fitted in the vent hole. The vent plug includes a circular-cylindrical housing interiorly including an air discharging path, a stem being inserted in the housing, and a valve body for opening and closing the air discharging path in an end portion closer to the forming surface. The housing has a top surface positioned closer to the forming surface such that the top surface is positioned closer to the forming surface than a groove bottom of the saw cut. The top surface is provided with a cutout by which the air discharging path and the saw cut are communicated with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 11220078
    Abstract: A combination of first and second plugs for a tire mold includes associated first and second receivers/jackets. Fasteners secure the receiver to an associated tire mold. A securing member extends from the receiver into the cavity of the first receiver to retain the first plug therein. The first plug is contoured and dimensioned for mating receipt in the first receiver cavity. The second plug is likewise contoured and dimensioned for mating receipt in the associated second receiver cavity, but will not be accepted in the first receiver. A tool is provided to facilitate insertion and removal of the first and second plugs, and limit the potential for damage to the associated tire mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
    Inventors: Steve Reigle, Chris Ackerman, Brett Badertscher, Curtis Barron, Kurt Utrup
  • Patent number: 11214020
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to a thermoplastic composite material forming method and tooling used to perform the method. More specifically, this disclosure is directed to a method of fabricating large, complex thermoplastic composite part shapes with a consolidation tool having a conformable tooling bladder that heat thermoplastic material in the tool and provide thermoplastic material consolidation pressure in directions in the tool to form a part shape of thermoplastic composite material. A novel tooling concept is used to fabricate large, complex thermoplastic composite part shapes which are not easily producible using traditional methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mike P. Matlack, Alexander M. Rubin, Randall D. Wilkerson, Amol Ogale
  • Patent number: 11214028
    Abstract: A tire vulcanizing apparatus includes a mold having a tread mold including a plurality of segments arranged in a tire circumferential direction, and upper and lower side molds. Each of the segments includes an upper segment portion and a lower segment portion which are divided up and down. The apparatus includes a segment supporting unit which supports the upper segment portion and the lower segment portion so as to be movable to the same side in a tire radial direction and opposite sides to each other in a tire axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Onimatsu
  • Patent number: 11207856
    Abstract: A tire vulcanizer is disclosed that has superior durability and in which mold parting surfaces defined by a sector and side plates are less likely to be worn even after repeated use. The tire vulcanizer includes: the sector that shapes a tread of a tire; paired upper and lower side plates that shape sidewalls of the tire; a segment that is fixed to the sector and causes the sector to move in a tire radial direction; paired upper and lower attachment plates that are respectively fixed to the paired upper and lower side plates; and the mold parting surfaces defined by the sector and the side plates. Mold inner ends of the mold parting surfaces are arranged on the tread, and the mold parting surfaces extend outward in the tire radial direction from the mold inner ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 11198231
    Abstract: A process for making an erosion control mat includes rotating a cylindrical drum having a plurality of mold cavities; depositing a paste into the mold cavities; selecting the sheet of mesh material to have sufficient tensile strength to join the blocks of hardened paste together without tearing or separating from the blocks of hardened paste, and to have sufficient density to retain the paste within the mold cavities as the drum rotates; covering an outer surface of the cylindrical drum and outer surfaces of the paste with the sheet of mesh material; continuing to rotate the cylindrical drum as the paste hardens into dimensionally stable blocks, and holding the sheet against the outer surface such that the sheet retains the paste within the mold cavities and the sheet becomes embedded in the paste; and separating the dimensionally stable blocks from the mold cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: MOTZ ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventor: Matthew J. Motz
  • Patent number: 11192318
    Abstract: In a tire vulcanization device, a vertical position of a container ring is locked at a closed position by a lock mechanism. A pressurizing mechanism is operated so as to decrease a vertical gap between an upper plate and a lower plate. The lower plate is moved upward so that a segment is moved toward a center mechanism by a container ring and sector molds are assembled in an annular shape. A state where a predetermined vertical gap is formed between the container ring and a bolster plate by a vertical connection mechanism is created. An upper side mold disposed on a lower surface of the upper plate is closed by being pressed against an upper surface of each of the sector molds while maintaining a state where the sector molds are assembled in an annular shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Inventor: Yukihisa Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11179905
    Abstract: A method and device for manufacturing the tire are provided. For each tire obtained by feeding green tires having an identical specification into an identical vulcanizer, using an arrangement mechanism, with circumferential positions of the green tires varied with respect to the vulcanizer and vulcanizing the green tires, a storage unit stores characteristic value data of at least one of a UF or DB value and feed position data identifying the circumferential position of the green tires, a calculation unit calculates, based on the stored data, the circumferential position of the green tires with respect to the vulcanizer at which a characteristic value related to the characteristic value data is brought within a tolerance range, and feeding using the arrangement mechanism, into the vulcanizer, the green tire to be newly vulcanized while adjusting the green tire to the circumferential position with respect to the vulcanizer being calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Inventors: Tomohiro Yoshikawa, Taisuke Kimura
  • Patent number: 11179906
    Abstract: A set of molding elements suitable for being inserted into a mold for molding a tire comprises a main strip (1) and at least one secondary strip (2), the secondary strip (2) comprising a first secondary strip portion (3) and a second secondary strip portion (4), the second secondary strip portion (4) extending the first secondary strip portion and the first (3) and second (4) secondary strip portions extending on either side of the main strip (1) and the set of molding elements comprising members to assemble the secondary strip (2) with the main strip (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Frédéric Massis, Laurent Nadreau
  • Patent number: 11167453
    Abstract: A safety apparatus includes a safety bar that is capable of moving in a mold clamping direction and a mold opening direction, in conjunction with a moving platen provided with a movable mold, and a latch that contacts the safety bar when a door, which is provided in a cover of an injection molding device, is open, wherein the latch includes a notch in a surface thereof on the mold-opening-direction side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fuyuki Sugiura, Masatoshi Senga
  • Patent number: 11167462
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bearing system for molds, wherein the mold includes a fixed part and a moving part (2), the bearing system comprising a sliding mold carrier (3) provided with vertically movable support elements (5) for bearing the moving part (2) of the mold, wherein said support elements (5) are hydraulic support elements. The invention also relates to a method for regulating the position of a moving part (2) of a mold comprising the following steps: assembling the moving part (2) of the mold; vertically and sequentially moving the hydraulic support elements (5) until they detect a pre-determined pressure; and stopping the vertical movement of each hydraulic support element (5) when said pre-determined pressure is detected. The invention allows for comfortable and efficient regulation of the support points of the sliding mold carrier with the moving part of an injection mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: CIE AUTOMOTIVE, S.A.
    Inventor: Antonio Barrios Laguna
  • Patent number: 11155051
    Abstract: A tire vulcanizing method comprises: a step of causing a connecting body, at which an upper mold of a vulcanization mold is supported and that connects together upper end portions of upper tubes of a plurality of supporting pillars, the supporting pillars being disposed so as to be apart in a peripheral direction at a periphery of the vulcanization mold, which is formed from a lower mold and the upper mold, which is set above the lower mold, and the supporting pillars having lower tubes that are hollow and the upper tubes, which are hollow and are slidably engaged with the lower tubes, and the supporting pillars extending in a vertical direction, to, together with the upper tubes and the upper mold, approach the lower mold, and close the vulcanization mold; and a step of vulcanizing an unvulcanized tire that is accommodated at an interior of the vulcanization mold that is closed, wherein the causing the connecting body, the upper tubes and the upper mold to approach the lower mold is carried out by operating
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Fukui, Tomoyuki Iwamoto, Hideki Fukuda, Yoshikatsu Hineno
  • Patent number: 11135750
    Abstract: An injection mold, in particular for encapsulating rotors of electric machines, has a mold, wherein the mold has an arrangement of mold segments. The arrangement forms, along a longitudinal axis, a cavity for a component to be arranged. An exchange unit is provided, which is designed to remove at least one mold segment from and/or insert at least one mold segment into the arrangement, with the result that a size of the cavity can be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stephan Kirsch, Thorsten Rienecker, Philipp Schlag, Peter Schmid
  • Patent number: 11130261
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a pressure vessel and a steerable heat source disposed within the pressure vessel. The apparatus also includes one or more control systems coupled to the steerable heat source. The one or more control systems are configured to direct supplemental heat toward a targeted region within the pressure vessel using the steerable heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventor: Christian Aaron Todhunter
  • Patent number: 11123165
    Abstract: A custom tool for forming a dental restoration in a mouth of a patient includes a first mold body providing for a customized fit with at least one tooth of the patient. The first mold body includes a portion corresponding with at least a first surface of the tooth and an interproximal portion corresponding with an interproximal surface of the tooth, the interproximal portion being of unitary construction. The first mold body is configured to combine with the tooth of the patient to form a mold cavity encompassing a first portion of missing tooth structure of the tooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: James D. Hansen, Joseph C. Dingeldein, Mary C. Doruff
  • Patent number: 11123907
    Abstract: A mould tool (100) has a first part (102) defining a first area (114) of a mould profile, an actuated part (130) defining a second, adjacent area (132) of the mould profile, which actuated part is configured to move from a moulding position to an actuated position at the end of each mould cycle to facilitate removal of a moulded component. The actuated part (130) comprises a temperature control apparatus (108) configured to control the temperature of the actuated part to influence a clearance (C) between the first part and the actuated part by thermal expansion and/or contraction of the actuated part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: SURFACE GENERATION LIMITED
    Inventor: Ben Halford
  • Patent number: 11117300
    Abstract: A mold clamping device includes a base, a stationary platen fixed to the base and supporting a stationary mold, a movable platen movable on the base and supporting a movable mold, and a mold clamping mechanism for clamping the movable mold against the stationary mold. Tie bars extend from the stationary platen completely through both the movable platen and the mold clamping mechanism. A shaft supporting plate is fixed to the ends of the tie bars and terminates at its lower end portion in two spaced-apart shoes that have flat bottom surfaces in direct sliding contact with the base. The flat bottom surface of each shoe has a larger area than the cross-sectional area of the shaft supporting plate situated vertically above the shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Inventors: Hozumi Yoda, Satoshi Hoshino, Hiroo Okubo, Atsushi Murata, Keiichi Tozawa
  • Patent number: 11110627
    Abstract: A device (1, 1?) is depicted and described for processing concrete blocks (2), including: a transport device (3) for the transport of concrete blocks (2), and means (4, 4?) for the mechanical processing of the edges of the concrete blocks (2), wherein the means (4, 4?) for the mechanical processing are arranged above the transport device (3). In order to be able to process the concrete blocks (2) in a constructively simple manner with low mechanical stress, it is proposed, to pivot-mount the means (4, 4?) for the mechanical processing. In addition, a method for processing concrete blocks (2) is depicted and described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: METTEN Stein+Design GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Michael Metten