Patents Examined by John M. Husar
  • Patent number: 6003796
    Abstract: A self-lubricating vertical shaft impact crusher having a housing, lubricating assembly, and a motor wherein the lubricant cools and lubricates the bearings of the rotating shaft and is circulated by using the hydraulic pressure associated with the height of the lubricant reservoir and propellers located on the vertical shaft itself within the shaft housing wherein the propellers provide additional driving force for the lubricant as the vertical shaft rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: James Corporation of Opelousas, Inc.
    Inventor: Laddie L. James
  • Patent number: 6000646
    Abstract: A double barrel chamber for a media mill where the media mill is used to grind and disperse pigments for paint, coating, ink products, and other pigment-vehicle fluids, as well as grinding and dispersing other particulate matter. Centered in each barrel is a rotatable shaft. On each shaft are a number of horizontally spaced discs. The shafts are parallel and arranged such that the edges of the discs overlap to cause major impacting and mixing in the central portion of the chamber when the shafts are rotated in a common direction. Also disclosed is a coiled cooling water jacket system for cooling a chamber. The system allows 100%, or near 100%, recovery of cleaning solvent, limits potential damage to a pumping system and allows slurry feeding flexibility. A special bearing seal section is disclosed which allows use of a diaphragm pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Inventors: Bethyl H. Ranne, Bobby C. Ranne, Bill H. Ranne
  • Patent number: 6000649
    Abstract: The invention is a cutter-mixer-feeder wagon for fodder and grass or straw silage, comprising at least two rotary screw feeders (7), housed inside a compartment (75) with curved section obtained on the bottom (76) of the container (2) itself, each one provided with at least one pair of spirals (9, 10), on which peripheral cutters (13) are fixed, one of said spirals being wound clockwise (10) and the other anticlockwise (9), starting from the ends of the screw feeder and such as to convey the processed material towards the area where said right and left spirals converge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Seko SpA
    Inventor: Giuseppe Loppoli
  • Patent number: 6000643
    Abstract: A guarding device to guard a household garbage grinder from inadvertent introduction of metal material into said grinder. The guard comprises a magnet around the entrance to the grinder to form a magnetic field across the entrance so that ferrous metals will be attracted to the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Inventor: Charles Van Gelder
  • Patent number: 6000640
    Abstract: Process and device for decomposing fibrous material in an installation including a drum having an inner wall, a first end, and a second end, a displacer having an outer wall positioned inside the drum, and a processing channel formed between at least a portion of the outer wall and at least a portion of the inner wall. The process includes pouring fibrous material to be decomposed into the drum, relatively moving the outer wall relative to the inner wall in a peripheral direction of the drum, and mechanically processing the fibrous material in the processing channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Voith Sulzer Papiertechnik Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Jochen Krebs, Wolfgang Muller, Andreas Steidele, Klaus Steinbild
  • Patent number: 6000645
    Abstract: A concrete reclaimer having a pair of concentric mesh cylinders for separating wet concrete into its original components. The invention includes a hopper and feed screw for feeding wet concrete into the inner cylinder at a constant rate. The concrete is washed by a water spray as it passes through the cylinders. The inner cylinder is made from coarse mesh which allows sand and cement, but not gravel, to pass through. Gravel is deposited from the outlet end of the inner cylinder. The outer cylinder is made from fine mesh, allowing cement, but not sand, to pass through. Sand is deposited into the bottom of at least one dewatering screw, which allows water to drain as it elevates the sand. The dewatering screw is in thermal contact with a heated liquid tank to prevent the water from freezing. The cement is dropped through the outer cylinder into a series of settling ponds, where it is allowed to settle out of the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: BFK Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark A. Preisser
  • Patent number: 5996915
    Abstract: A vibrating cone crusher which crushes material between a cone and a frustoconical ring located therearound. An annular frame supports the ring and a device for generating circular vibrations in a horizontal plane. Tie rods connect the frame to a cone holder. Vertical vibration that disrupts crusher operation is reduced or neutralized by positioning the center of gravity of the cone, the cone holder, the frame, and items supported thereon adjacent the plane of vibratory forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: FCB Societe Anonyme
    Inventors: Alain Cordonnier, Renaud Evrard, Jean-Fran.cedilla.ois Andre
  • Patent number: 5988543
    Abstract: A pepper grinding tool comprises a toothed plate capable of moving relative to a toothed portion of an adjustable grinder part, and an adjustment assembly for adjusting a position of the grinder part relative to the toothed plate such that the pepper grinding tool can grind pepper between the toothed plate and the toothed portion into ground particulater of various degrees of according to need. The adjustment assembly includes a threaded portion screwed into a threaded hole of the grinder part, and a finger portion for a user to turn the adjustment assembly therefrom for adjusting the position of the grinder part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Yienn Lih Enterprise Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hua-Te Wu
  • Patent number: 5984216
    Abstract: A device for recycling automotive windshields. An automotive windshield is comprised of two layers of glass and a plastic liner sandwiched in between The present invention strips the glass from both surfaces of the inner plastic liner, comminutes the glass and separates the two substances for recovery. A windshield is fed into the unit by means of dual horizontal feed rollers. The windshield then passes over a stationery breaker bar and into the path of a plurality of rotating flexible impactors. The force of the rotating impactors on the top surface and the stationery breaker bar on the under surface act together to strip the glass from both sides of the inner plastic liner material. The glass is hammered into small particles the size of gravel and sand while the plastic breaks into much larger fragments. A shaker screen located below the rotating impactors serves to separate the two substances for individual recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Andela Tool & Machine, Inc.
    Inventors: Cynthia Andela, James Andela
  • Patent number: 5979804
    Abstract: A particulating apparatus for liquid filled plastic containers in preparation for recycling produced plastic particulate. The particulating apparatus includes a container hopper for accepting a supply of plastic containers to be processed by the particulating apparatus wherein at least a portion of the containers are partially liquid filled. There is a transport for conveying the supply of plastic containers from the hopper to a pulverizer. The pulverizer has a pulverizing chamber within which a pulverizing means is housed for reducing the plastic containers to plastic particulate. The chamber includes means for draining liquid held within the containers to a liquid collector. A conveyor means is provided for transporting plastic particulate from the pulverizer to a collection bin where the particulate is retained for further processing or disposal. The conveyor means is inclined at least partially vertically upwardly from horizontal to permit drainage of additional liquid from the particulate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Capitol Vial, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert S. Abrams, Robert Thomas Garren, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5979805
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vibratory mill having a grinding chamber, preferably coated with an abrasion resistant polymer, the grinding chamber being charged with glass beads having a diameter in the range of about 0.1 mm to about 10.00 mm. There is further provided a method of using this mill to provide substantially pure ground dental filler particles having an average particle size less than the average wavelength of visible light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Kerr Corporation
    Inventor: Christos Angeletakis
  • Patent number: 5979806
    Abstract: A food processor is known which comprises a base unit (1, 6) having at least two separate mounts (2, 3) for one processing container (4, 5) each. A respective rotary drive shaft is disposed in the area of each mount (2, 3), which drive shaft is adapted to drive a processing tool (9) insertable into the processing container (4, 5) for the processing of food materials. The drive shafts are connected to an electric motor (29) by a transmission mechanism. A switch device (S1) is provided downstream from and in series with a manually actuatable main switch (8; S3) to enable electric current to be released to the motor (29), said switch device being adapted to be turned on or off by movement of a lid (10, 11) which closes or opens the respective processing container (2, 3), such that an actuating element (13, 14) formed on the lid (10, 11) displaces a lever arrangement (15) connected with the switch device (S1) in such fashion as to cause actuation of a switching contact (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Braun GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Borger, Bernd Pfeiffer
  • Patent number: 5979809
    Abstract: A refiner disc for a fiber refiner having a refiner disc removal device that is integral with and retained by the disc during refiner operation. The removal device includes a biasing element that is extended from the disc against its mounting surface to urge the disc away from the mounting surface. In its preferred embodiment, the biasing element is a threaded removal plug in a threaded hole in the disc. The plug preferably is of one-piece, unitary and headless construction, engaged by a tool during removal, and is no longer than the disc cross section. The hole is spaced from disc mounting bores, can be offset from the center of the disc to increase mechanical advantage during removal, and has a shoulder adjacent a refining surface of the disc for preventing the plug from backing out of the disc during refiner operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Inventors: Patrick J. Bartels, Gregory A. Garasimowicz
  • Patent number: 5975444
    Abstract: There is provided a new apparatus for use in the processing of a mass of material in which the mass is of any size or shape. The apparatus comprises a container which has a cutter within a space in the container. The cutter is rotationally driven about an axis. There is provided an adjustable loader for releasably engaging the mass and moving the mass into the container for engagement with the cutter. There is also provided a discharge for selectively discharging processed material from the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Inventor: Albert Ethier
  • Patent number: 5975440
    Abstract: Batch mixing takes place in the gap (3) between grooved faces of counter-rotating discs (1,2) such that the spiral grooves (8) and lands (10) of each face traverse the grooves (8) and lands (10) of the other, to shear and split material drawn inwardly along the grooves (8) for distributive mixing. Modifications include plural-turn spiral, straight, and truncated spiral grooving (FIGS. 5 to 10), and batch mixing in which only one disc (28) rotates (FIG. 11). Continuous mixing involving shear is carried out within a cylindrical barrel (40 FIG. 12;57 FIG. 13) between its internal helical-grooving (43;590 and the helical grooving (44;60), of opposite hand, of a rotor (41;58). The shearing can produce mechanochemical reactions that break down the molecular structure of the material, notably in the context of mastication and solubilising of used rubber in reclaim from vehicle-tyres.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Inventor: William Ferguson Watson
  • Patent number: 5975438
    Abstract: A disc refiner for thermo-mechanical pulping of wood chips or other fiber source for papermaking has annular refiner discs with a plurality of axially protruding radially extending curved refiner bars. Curved bars in the refiner zone should resist erosion and corrosion. Each disc has a region of bars which curve in the direction of rotation, and a region which curves away from the direction of rotation. Two identical refiner discs are mounted to rotate with respect to one another. Because of the bar curvature, processed stock experiences different angles of bar intersection as the pulp progresses from the inside of the refiner plate to the outside of the refiner plate, yielding a reduced hit on the pulp where opposed refiner bars curve in opposite directions. Where refiner bars on opposed plates curve in a like direction as they pass over one another there is a hold back action on the stock in that region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: J & L Fiber Services Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory Alexander Garasimowicz
  • Patent number: 5975449
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for the pulverization of vulcanized rubber pea-size pellets. The apparatus consists of a barrel entrance, an extruder forcing section, a multiple rotor barrier section and an end discharge which presents the extrusion to a high speed wire brush-like member which shatters the extrusion into extreme small pieces. The hopper forcing section is provided with an extremely long hopper opening the design of which permits an insert which completes the barrel bore to 360 degrees. By adding inserts, the length of the forcing section is adjustable and adiabatic extrusion can be achieved. The now adjustable forcing section is followed by a section of rotor barriers, which consist of a wide top diagonal barrier crossing the extruder groove in a manner which requires all of the process material to pass through the clearance barrier top to barrel bore. The wide top barriers are provided with a set of circumferential grooves which start at capacity and end downstream at zero capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Inventor: Paul Geyer
  • Patent number: 5975439
    Abstract: A method of processing waste is disclosed wherein the municipal solid waste is segregated and processed to recover reusable rubber, metal, plastic, glass and the remaining organic portion of the waste stream is used to make ethanol and other chemicals. One process utilizes a pretreatment step with dilute sulfuric acid to reduce the heavy metal content of the cellulosic component of the municipal solid waste which can inhibit the fermentation of the sugars obtained from such waste. In another, the heavy metal content of the cellulosic component of municipal solid waste is removed via an ionic exchange process, after hydrolysis with sulfuric acid. A process for an economical, energy efficient production of ethanol from municipal solid waste is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Controlled Environmental Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Rodger Chieffalo, George R. Lightsey
  • Patent number: 5975441
    Abstract: An apparatus for separating stones from stone-laden earthen material, particularly material that has been previously discarded from stone quarries, includes a hopper having a conveyor that feeds quantities of stone-laden earthen material unto a bed of spiked rollers that separates the earthen material from the stones, allowing the earthen material to pass through interstitial spaces between the spikes on adjacent rollers and conveying the remaining stones to the discharge end of the bed. The detachably mounted spikes on adjacent spiked rollers are offset with respect to one another to permit the spikes on adjacent rollers to pass between each other as the rollers are rotated. The drive mechanism allows each respective spiked roller to be driven independently and at different rotational speeds relative to one another at least for short periods of interrupted operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Inventor: Melvin M. Burkholder
  • Patent number: 5971304
    Abstract: A water powered waste disposal apparatus has an adjustable valve with adjustable operating pressure requirements. The disposal apparatus has a plurality of cutters disposed in a passageway for cutting waste. A reciprocating piston is driven by pressurized water in an annular chamber. The piston is coupled to at least one rotatable cutter. The valve has a reciprocating control piston for selectively diverting the pressurized water into the annular chamber on alternate sides of the drive piston. A reciprocating pilot piston selectively conveys the pressurized water to alternate sides of the control piston in response to water pressure in the annular chamber. A detent and spring apply an amount of resistance to the pilot piston such that water pressure in the annular chamber must reach a certain threshold pressure to overcome the resistance of the detent and spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Environmental Systems & Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald J. Sullivan