Patents Examined by James P. Mackey
  • Patent number: 11090888
    Abstract: A set (1) of moulding elements intended to be added to a mould comprise a main moulding element (10) and a secondary moulding element (20) comprising an edge (21), said main moulding element (10) comprising a contact zone (11) adapted to be in contact with all or part of the edge (21) of the secondary element, said contact zone (11) not being flat, and the edge (21) of said secondary moulding element (20) comprising at least one recessed portion (22) complementary to the non-flat contact zone (11) of the main element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Pierre Chigros, Damien Bardin
  • Patent number: 11090887
    Abstract: A set of moulding elements, designed to be inserted into a mould for moulding a tyre, comprises: at least one first moulding element (1) and one second moulding element, each moulding element extending in a main moulding-element direction (EM) between two ends (3) of the moulding element with one of the ends (3) of the first moulding element connecting to one of the ends (3) of the second moulding element along an axis (MA), which is substantially perpendicular to the main moulding-element axis (EM).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Pascal Goumault, Didier Malin
  • Patent number: 11089786
    Abstract: A two piece mold assembly is comprised of flexible material, suitable for baking wherein the two pieces are joined together in a vertical orientation or a stacked orientation and held together by an interlocking seal structure. Once joined together, the mold assembly defines an interior cavity defining a shape for a baked comestible product. A comestible substance is injected into the interior cavity through an aperture in the top of the mold assembly that is either defined by one or more of the two pieces. The interlocking seal prevents egression of injected liquid from extruding outside the mold assembly. After baking, the pieces of the mold can be peeled away from the comestible product at the interlocking seal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventors: Todd Lindsay Wirth, Fatimah Wirth
  • Patent number: 11090842
    Abstract: A valve insert (4) for use in an air venting valve (1) of a vulcanizing mould of a vehicle tyre, which valve insert (4) comprises a valve stem (6) arranged to be inserted into a valve sleeve (3) of the air venting valve (1), a first end of which valve stem (6) is provided with a valve disk (7) and a second end of which valve stem (6) is provided with an elastically compressible retainer member (8) for detachably attaching the valve insert (4) to the valve sleeve (3) and for limiting an opening stroke of the valve insert (4). The retainer member (8) comprises a stop surface (14) which is arranged to abut an end surface (16) of the valve sleeve (3) and thus limit the opening stroke of the valve insert (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: WD RACING OY
    Inventor: Pekka Penkkimäki
  • Patent number: 11090889
    Abstract: A curing bladder (7) for a tire has a shape of revolution about a central axis and a flexible wall made of crosslinked rubber, the external surface of which is intended to come into contact with the internal surface of a green tire during curing, the external surface having a relief structure having a plurality of air evacuation channels. The relief structure has first channels forming air evacuation grooves (100) arranged at a distance of between 2 and 5 mm, and having a depth of between 0.4 and 1 mm, two adjacent grooves defining, between one another, an inter-groove zone (500) having second channels forming air channelling furrows (1000) made so as to communicate with one another and with at least one of the grooves (100), the furrows each having a depth of between 0.01 and 0.4 mm and being situated at a distance of between 0.2 and 1 mm from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Frederic Pialot, Alain Faugeras, Jose Merino Lopez
  • Patent number: 11059247
    Abstract: A vent plug is mounted in a vent hole open in a molding face of a tire cure mold. The vent plug has a cylindrical housing having a vent path in itself, a stem that is inserted into the housing and serves as a valve element for opening and closing the vent path, and a coil-shaped spring that biases the stem toward a cavity so as to open the vent path. The stem includes a columnar trunk portion and a head portion that comes in contact with a valve seat at an opening portion of the housing to thereby close the vent path. The stem turns as the stem moves along an axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshikazu Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 11059210
    Abstract: A plastic injection molding machine and molding method related to an injection molding machine for stack molds, wherein the central portion of the mold remains fixed and it has two molding faces that act on the fixed central portion by means of a hydraulic chamber that produces the clamping force and prevents the deformations due to bending on the molding faces. Likewise, it relates to a molding method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: DISEÑO Y DESARROLLO DE MATRICERIA, S.L.
    Inventor: Jose Antonio Pacios Rivera
  • Patent number: 11052623
    Abstract: A tire cure mold has a tire molding face, a mounting groove provided to the tire molding face and a stencil plate mounted into the mounting groove. The stencil plate has a front face that faces a cavity, a back face that faces a bottom face of the mounting groove, and a through hole extending from the front face to the back face. A recessed portion for forming a protruding identification mark on the outer surface of the tire is provided to the front face. A first protruding portion corresponding to the recessed portion is provided to the back face. A second protruding portion that protrudes toward the bottom face of the mounting groove is provided to an outer edge portion of the stencil plate at least at a periphery of the through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Isao Yonetsu
  • Patent number: 11054348
    Abstract: A die arrangement for pressing, sintering or stamping comprising: a die body with a cavity extending from an opening at a first end of said die body to an opening at a second end of said die body, and one or more moving parts arranged around the opening at said first end of said die body, wherein each moving part is displaceable between a first position and a second position. The die body may be configurable to receive a die plunger at said second end of said die body, said plunger being displaceable within the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Specac Limited
    Inventors: Ian Gaskin, Matthew Cooper, Anthony Atkins, Richard Lock
  • Patent number: 11046004
    Abstract: An apparatus for the treatment of residual thermoplastic powder from an additive manufacturing process includes a feed apparatus for feeding powder, which includes the residual thermoplastic powder, to a pressing area, and two rotatable roller elements which are drivable in opposite directions. Lateral surfaces of the two rotatable roller elements are adjacent to one another in a pressing area and each laterally have a plurality of molding elements that are assigned to one another in pairs in order to compress powder into granules in the pressing area. Also, a cam mechanism is included and configured to deflect the molding elements of one of the two rotatable roller elements radially depending on the angle of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Bruno Alves
  • Patent number: 11027509
    Abstract: Mould for moulding a tread of a tire, this tread having a thickness of material to be worn away and a tread surface intended to come into contact with the road surface when the tire is running, this mould having a moulding surface intended to mould the tread surface of the tread, and having a moulding element formed of a blade and a bar, the blade being attached to the moulding surface to mould a sipe in the tread, the bar, borne by the blade to form an enlarged part of maximum width D, being intended to mould a channel in the tread, this channel itself being intended to form a new groove when the tread becomes part worn. Each blade is delimited by two lateral faces forming between them a mean angle of between 6° degrees and 18°. The blade width decreasing from the mould surface when new, as far as the connection with the bar, the blade width meets the bar being at least equal to between 0.2 and 0.4 times the maximum width D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Etienne Collet, Fabien Marlier, Ludovic Schmitt, Pierre Godin
  • Patent number: 11027506
    Abstract: An actuating ring for a tire mold includes an upper sidewall portion and a lower sidewall portion providing radial and axial movement of the actuating ring relative to the upper sidewall portion and the lower sidewall portion. The actuating ring has axially upper, circumferentially extending slots and axially lower, circumferentially extending slots axially offset from the axially upper, circumferentially extending slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Babatunde Omogbolahan Agboola, William Andrew Haydu, Deep Samanta
  • Patent number: 11027463
    Abstract: A molding apparatus includes a movable molding surface with molding cavities, a pressure shoe with a stationary outer surface that defines in cooperation with the molding surface a pressure zone, and a resin source configured to introduce molten resin into the pressure zone to be forced into the molding cavities by pressure in the pressure zone. The molding surface is movable with respect to the pressure shoe to introduce molding cavities to the pressure zone to be filled with resin while the outer surface of the pressure shoe and the molding surface define in between an entrance gap of decreasing width upstream of the pressure zone. The outer surface of the pressure shoe is spaced from the molding surface in the pressure zone to define a minimum gap at which the outer surface of the pressure shoe has a slope parallel to the molding surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Gregory K. Kopanski, Stephen R. Arata, Charles S. White
  • Patent number: 11020928
    Abstract: A removal apparatus for removing pellets from a die plate of a rotary press comprises a housing and a first channel positioned on the housing and configured to receive pellets removed from the die plate. A guide element is arranged on the housing and positioned over the die plate. The guide element is configured to guide pellets produced in the rotary press from the die plate into the first channel. The guide element and the first channel are moveably mounted on the housing. A plurality of mechanical positioning elements are configured to be alternatively inserted into the housing and cooperate with the guide element and the first channel to movably position the guide element and the first channel relative to the housing. Each of the mechanical positioning elements defines a different position of one of the guide element and the first channel relative to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Fette Compacting GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Kolbe, Stefan Luedemann
  • Patent number: 11020881
    Abstract: A system for maintaining low pressure within a tire press bladder when the press is open and controlling pressure by using an orifice on the supply line side of the tire press bladder. The supply line runs from a high-pressure supply media to a tire press bladder. A three-way valve alternates in directing high pressure directly through the supply line and directing high pressure to an orifice. Simultaneously the pressure in the bladder is controlled by a regulating valve on the drain side piping. When the press is closed on a tire, the three-way valve supplies high pressure from the supply line directly to the tire press bladder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Inventor: Teddy Gore
  • Patent number: 11020919
    Abstract: A tire vulcanization mold disclosed herein includes sectors 13 divided in a tire circumferential direction and molding a tread portion 1, and a pair of upper and lower side plates 11 and 12 molding a sidewall portion 2 of a tire. Mold parting lines 16a and 17a formed by the sectors and the side plates are located in the tread portion 1. A lateral groove molding rib 18 molding a lateral groove 5 in the tread portion is provided to bridge from the sectors 13 to the side plates 11 and 12 and a protrusion molding recess 18a used to mold a protrusion 5a at a groove bottom of the lateral groove 5 is provided to the lateral groove molding rib 18. Mold parting planes 16 and 17 are provided to divide the lateral groove molding rib 18 at a position where the protrusion molding recess 18a is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 11014317
    Abstract: A vent plug is mounted in a vent hole open in a molding face of a tire cure mold. The vent plug has a cylindrical housing having a vent path in itself, a stem that is inserted into the housing and serves as a valve element for opening and closing the vent path, and a coil-shaped spring that biases the stem toward a cavity so as to open the vent path. The stem includes a columnar trunk portion and a head portion that comes in contact with a valve seat at an opening portion of the housing to thereby close the vent path. The stem turns as the stem moves along an axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshikazu Yasunaga
  • Patent number: 11007736
    Abstract: A tire vulcanizing system (100) is provided that optimizes the service life of guidance means and preserves the thermal stability of the vulcanization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Pierre-Yves Boulard, Miguel Torres-Castellano
  • Patent number: 11007735
    Abstract: An advanced tire mold has been developed which offers the advantages of reducing the level of whiskers on the surface of the tire, reduces sticking to the mold, and which facilitates enhanced gas removal. This tire mold includes a mold segment having an inner side for contacting the uncured tire, an outer side opposite to the inner side, and a plurality of vent passages which allow gas to pass from the inner side of the mold segment to the outer side of the mold segment, the vent passages comprising vent slots, wherein each vent slots have an inlet at the inner side of the mold segment, and wherein the vent slots taper from the inlets to the outer side of the mold segment. This tire mold can be comprised of multiple mold segments which can be utilized in a tire curing press.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
    Inventors: David Charles Jacques Robert Laurent, Thomas Minisini, Babak Rabbanipour Esfahani, Gauthier Freddy E C V C Piret, Béni Rukundo, Guilherme Pacheco
  • Patent number: 11007698
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a ruffled moldable material includes: a body including an interior space and an extrusion opening that passes through from the interior space to an exterior of the body; and a ruffle formation structure that at least partially covers the extrusion opening, the ruffle formation structure including: a first side; a second side opposite the first side; a first edge attached to the body; and a second edge. In operational use, extruded moldable material is emitted from the extrusion opening along an extrusion direction, and the extruded moldable material interacts with the ruffle formation structure to form the ruffled moldable material by compressing at least some of the extruded moldable material along the extrusion direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Hasbro, Inc.
    Inventors: Jill Renee Penney, Roger Paul Cazeault, Jr.