Patents Examined by Joseph Del Sole
  • Patent number: 8425214
    Abstract: The invention relates to a spraying tool, in particular as part of a mold-spraying device for spraying at least one section of a wall of a mold with working medium. In at least one embodiment, the spraying tool comprises a plurality of spraying elements for dispensing working medium, and at least one working-medium supply line which supplies working medium to the plurality of spraying elements. In accordance with at least one embodiment, at least some of the spraying elements, the spraying nozzles of which point downwards during operation, are equipped with a separate valve unit which is adjacent to the spraying nozzle and the valve element of which is prestressed elastically into a closed position in which it prevents the dispensing of working medium, but can be transferred under the action of a hydraulic and/or pneumatic pressure into an open position in which it permits the dispensing of working medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: AED Automation GmbH
    Inventor: Karl-Heinrich Keim
  • Patent number: 8425215
    Abstract: A powder compression molding machine includes a downward spray portion that sprays a lubricant toward an inner circumferential surface of a die bore and a tip face of a tip of a lower punch, an upward spray portion that sprays the lubricant toward a tip face of the tip of the upper punch, a first lubricant flow passage through which the lubricant supplied from a lubricant supply device externally provided is fed to the downward spray portion, and a second lubricant flow passage through which the lubricant supplied from the lubricant supply device externally provided is fed to the upward spray portion. A small-diameter region of which an inner diameter is made smaller than that of the first lubricant flow passage is provided at a part of the second lubricant flow passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Kikusui Seisakusho Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitsugu Oneda, Kunihiky Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 8425109
    Abstract: A device and method prevents freeze over of a fishing hole cut through a layer of ice overlying a body of water. The device has a housing; a motor; at least one water inlet in the housing; at least one water outlet in the housing; and at least one water-moving element driven by the motor and moving water out of the at least one water outlet. The device may spin within the hole and stir water to prevent too rapid ice buildup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Inventor: Daniel V. Foss
  • Patent number: 8420269
    Abstract: A fuel cell system is turned off without using up the electric power of a secondary battery in the case where a fuel cell fails to start up, while reducing the startup time of the fuel cell system. When an ignition key is turned on, a controller calculates allowable waiting time for a fuel cell to start up on the basis of the electric power stored in a secondary battery. If the fuel cell fails to start up during the period of time from the instant the ignition key was turned on until the allowable waiting time elapses, then the controller turns on an alarm lamp which indicates the startup failure of the fuel cell. Meanwhile, in the case where the fuel cell starts up, the controller begins a normal operation in which a traction motor and the like are actuated by using the electric power generated by the fuel cell and the electric power stored in the secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisa
    Inventors: Takeshi Maenaka, Atsushi Imai
  • Patent number: 8419988
    Abstract: A method of producing a honeycomb structure includes producing a honeycomb structure using methyl cellulose as at least part of a binder, the methyl cellulose having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 4,000,000 to 5,000,000, and having an integral molecular weight distribution value of components having a molecular weight of 100,000 or less in the integral molecular weight distribution curve of 15 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshikazu Ito, Yasushi Noguchi
  • Patent number: 8420006
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a translucent ceramic is provided. The method comprises: mixing a raw powder and an organic binder and kneading them to obtain a compound, the raw powder containing an aluminum oxide powder and a magnesium oxide powder, and the organic binder containing a first organic component and a second organic component; molding the compound in a predetermined shape by an injection molding method to obtain a green body; debinding the organic binder contained in the green body to obtain a brown body; and sintering the brown body to obtain a sintered body of the translucent ceramic. When the softening point of the first organic component is defined as “T1” (° C.) and the softening point of the second organic component is defined as “T2” (° C.), the kneading step is carried out at a temperature in the range of T2 or higher but lower than T1 after the raw powder and the organic binder are preheated at a temperature in the range of T1 to T1+100(° C.). An orthodontic member is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Sakata, Junichi Hayashi, Hideki Ishigami
  • Patent number: 8420002
    Abstract: A method of RTM molding wherein a reinforcing fiber substrate is placed in a mold, each of a first and a second resin distribution media exhibiting a resin flow resistance lower than the resistance of the reinforcing fiber substrate is placed on each surface of the reinforcing fiber substrate, and the inside of the mold is evacuated and a resin is injected into the mold to thereby impregnate the reinforcing fiber substrate with the resin injected, characterized in that the first resin distribution medium exhibits a resin flow resistance lower than that of the second resin distribution medium, and the evacuation is carried out through the second resin distribution medium while the resin is injected through the first resin distribution medium. The method can be advantageously employed for producing, in particular, FRP structure which is thick and excellent in designability, lightweight property and/or strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignees: Toray Industries, Inc., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihide Sekido, Kazuaki Kitaoka, Hiroshi Odani, Shigeru Nishiyama, Masahiko Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8419403
    Abstract: There is disclosed a conveyer and a conveying method that enable conveying a lengthy honeycomb formed article extruded at a high speed with a simple apparatus without causing cracks and deformation. The conveyer of a honeycomb formed article includes a plurality of lengthy cradles that are sequentially supplied and then sequentially support and convey the honeycomb formed article, and a fixed support that is fixed so as to extend from the extruder to a supply position of the lengthy cradles, supports the honeycomb formed article just after being extruded, and conveys it to one of the lengthy cradles, and the fixed support is an air float having a supporting face and a plurality of air ejection pores formed on the supporting face that conveys the honeycomb formed article by feeding air from the air ejection pores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasumasa Fujioka, Yohei Takemori, Yuji Ueda, Kiyoshi Ishihara
  • Patent number: 8419266
    Abstract: A technique facilitates well servicing operations by utilizing a hopper system to introduce a dry additive into a mixing tank. The hopper system comprises a feeder and a hopper that delivers the dry additive into the feeder. The feeder, in turn, enables introduction of the dry additive into the cement mixing tank in a controlled manner. When the hopper system is used on a transportable cementing unit, the hopper system may be mounted on a cement mixing tank and also may incorporate a hopper that is both expandable to accommodate a greater amount of dry additive and contractible to facilitate transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Saravanan Velayutham, Hau Nguyen-Phuc Pham, Laurent Coquilleau, Stuart K. Taylor, Brian Goddard
  • Patent number: 8419998
    Abstract: A hollow carbon sphere having a carbon shell and an inner core is disclosed. The hollow carbon sphere has a total volume that is equal to a volume of the carbon shell plus an inner free volume within the carbon shell. The inner free volume is at least 25% of the total volume. In some instances, a nominal diameter of the hollow carbon sphere is between 10 and 180 nanometers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., The Regents of the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Lab
    Inventors: Claudia C. Luhrs, Jonathan Phillips, Monique N. Richard, Angela Michelle Knapp
  • Patent number: 8409489
    Abstract: An insertion plunger for inserting at least one wrap-around label and at least one bottom label into an injection mold for producing a plastic container has an outer plunger and an inner plunger that is movable relative to the outer plunger. In a method for insertion of a wrap-around label and a bottom label into an injection mold, the labels are inserted by an insertion plunger in that the wrap-around label and the bottom label are inserted in a single stroke performed by the insertion plunger into the injection mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Marbach moulds & automation GmbH
    Inventor: Daniel Döbler
  • Patent number: 8393177
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling glass flow in, for example, a downdraw glass manufacturing process (e.g., the fusion downdraw process) are provided. In certain aspects, the mass, thickness, and/or the temperature distribution of molten glass (40) on the surface of forming apparatus (60) is managed by: (A) constructing a stream-tube mapping between (i) regions (510; FIG. 5A) of a cross-section of a conduit (400) that supplies molten glass (40) to the forming apparatus (60) and (ii) regions (510; FIG. 5B) on the exterior surface of the forming apparatus (60); (B) using the stream-tube mapping to select a temperature distribution for the cross-section that results in a desired mass, thickness, and/or temperature distribution of molten glass (40) on the surface of the forming apparatus (60); and (C) heating and/or insulating the conduit (400) so as to produce a temperature distribution for the cross-section which equals or at least approximates the distribution selected in step (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Olus N. Boratav, Keith R. Gaylo, Kiat C. Kang, Bulent Kocatulum, Steven M. Milillo, Douglas G. Neilson
  • Patent number: 8394317
    Abstract: Methods of fabricating a polymeric implantable device with improved fracture toughness through annealing are disclosed herein. A polymeric construct is annealed with no or substantially no crystal growth to increase nucleation density. After the annealing, crystallites are grown around the formed nuclei. An implantable medical device, such as a stent, can be fabricated from the polymer construct after the crystallite growth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Yunbing Wang, James Oberhauser
  • Patent number: 8394519
    Abstract: A battery system includes a plurality of electric rechargeable cells which are stacked in a row and conductive members which electrically connect the electric rechargeable cells together. The electric rechargeable cells each has a gas exhaust port, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal which are disposed in such a manner as to hold the gas exhaust port therebetween. The battery system includes a gas exhaust member connected to the gas exhaust ports, a partition holding member which establishes partitions between the gas exhaust member and the positive electrode terminals and the negative electrode terminals in such a manner as to cover them and on which the conductive members are provided, and a voltage control circuit which is attached to an outer surface side of the partition holding member in a position which confronts the gas exhaust member and controls voltages of the electric rechargeable cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Atsuhiro Naganuma
  • Patent number: 8383194
    Abstract: To provide a film forming apparatus capable of using an expensive organic EL raw material without waste and uniformly forming an organic EL film over a long period of time and a jig therefor. A plurality of ejection vessels are provided for a single raw material container section. A switcher is provided for carrying out switching from a piping system, which evaporates an organic EL raw material in the raw material container section and supplies it along with a carrier gas to one of the ejection vessels, to a piping system for another ejection vessel. In this manner, by supplying the organic EL raw material from the single raw material container section to the plurality of ejection vessels by switching, the use efficiency of the organic EL raw material can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignees: Tohoku University, Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tadahiro Ohmi, Takaaki Matsuoka, Shozo Nakayama, Hironori Ito
  • Patent number: 8383027
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a template (14) for a concave array mold (30) having a plurality of recesses of a high aspect ratio includes arranging a plurality of needles (10) in a mutually separated state and fixing the plurality of the arranged needles (10). This method allows a template for a concave array mold having a high aspect ratio structure to be easily and inexpensively fabricated. Further, the thus fabricated template can be used to easily and inexpensively fabricate a concave array mold. Furthermore, a needle array sheet can be fabricated by injecting and fixing a resin solution into the concave array mold (30) and separating the cured resin solution from the concave array mold (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Shotaro Ogawa, Aya Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8382464
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a device for the production of a cellular wood plastic composite material comprised of an orifice that conducts the composite material from the adapter of the extruder to the transition die plate in such a manner that a uniform flow of material reaches the transition die plate; a transition die plate that further directs the flow of material to a flow restriction die plate in a manner ensuring that equal amounts of material are delivered to all areas of the flow restriction die plate; a flow restriction die plate that provides sufficient resistance to material flow to increase the melt pressure of the portion of the material that is upstream in relation to the flow restriction die plate and controls the temperature increase caused by this restriction by dividing the flow into numerous suitably sized and shaped streams; a compression die plate that fuses the separate streams issuing from the flow restriction die plate into a single stream of material and maintains the melt
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Strandex Corporation
    Inventors: Brian D. Keller, David F. Dostal, Terry C. Laver, Alfred B. England
  • Patent number: 8382467
    Abstract: A multiple part mandrel on which a hollow body may be formed includes multiple sectors. Each sector has a skin on an outer face and a pair of opposed side returns at longitudinal sides of the sector. The mandrel formed by the sectors is symmetrical about a central axis of the mandrel. When the sectors are assembled as the mandrel, the side returns of adjacent sectors face each other. Each of the side returns includes a recess in an outside surface of the side return, spaced from the skin of the respective sector, and an inflatable O-ring disposed in the recess. The recesses of adjacent side returns in the mandrel are offset with respect to each other in an axial direction of the mandrel. Inflation of the inflatable O-rings urges adjacent sectors together at the skins of the sectors to seal the adjacent sectors at the skins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Constructions Industrielles de la Mediterranee—CNIM
    Inventors: Dominique Micheaux, Pierre Valibouse, Philippe Marino, Denis Colombo
  • Patent number: 8376011
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial aircraft tire is described having a B/A ranging between 60-70%, wherein B is the width of the tire between the wheel flange, and A is the inflated tire width under rated pressure. The tire may further optionally include a tire bead portion having a Ra/Fr1 relationship which ranges from about 1 to about 2.1, wherein: Ra is the tire heel radius at uninflated and in an new and unused condition, and Fr1 is the wheel flange elliptical radius at the heel section of the tire. The tire may further optionally include a SW/TS ratio which ranges from about 0.1 to about 0.5, wherein SW is the chafer gauge at area A, TS is the total sidewall rubber gauge at area A, wherein A is defined as the region in the sidewall that has a lower radial endpoint defined by the point of contact between the flange and the tire at inflated, unloaded condition, and an upper radial endpoint Ah defined by the tire wheel flange point of contact when the tire is at inflated, and at 100% rated load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Ueyoko, Clarence Byrd Alsobrook, Badal Das
  • Patent number: 8376728
    Abstract: This invention relates to a device for producing portions of food products in pieces, especially chunks of fresh meat, comprising at least one pump capable of outputting an approximately constant flow rate of food product in pieces, a tubular distributing pipe (2) connected to the delivery outlet of said pump, and comprising at least one delivery opening (22a, 22b), and cutting and shaping means (61) acting on the food product distributed by the outlet opening of the pipe to form portions (P1), said tubular pipe being equipped with a cutting system (3) comprising at least one cutting means, such as a flat oscillating blade (310a, 310b1 320a, 320b, 410), which traverses transversely from one side to the other of said main internal passageway in order to cut the food product into at least two layers and so produce textured portions (P1) of food products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Stork Food Systems France
    Inventor: Jacques Le Paih