Patents Examined by Katherine A. Bareford
  • Patent number: 7341763
    Abstract: A thermal spraying device with a first blowing mechanism for lengthening a droplet formed near the tips of thermal spraying materials by arc, and a second blowing mechanism for a blowing a tip portion of the lengthened droplet to atomize it into droplets and to scatter atomized droplets towards a face to be thermally sprayed. The first blowing mechanism lengthens the droplet so that the second blowing mechanism propels air to the tip portion of the lengthened droplet that is separated from a location where the tips of thermal spraying materials are adjacent and the arc is generated. Arcing between the tips of the thermal spraying materials continues stably, and satisfactory thermal spraying is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noritaka Miyamoto, Hajime Kubota, Nobuhide Kondo, Kouta Kodama, Toshinao Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7341758
    Abstract: An article having a thermal-spray coating thereon is prepared by thermally spraying a coating material onto a surface of a substrate article. The coated article is nondestructively tested by directing a transmitted ultrasonic signal into the coated article, receiving a received ultrasonic signal from the coated article, and evaluating a near-bondline region of the coated article located adjacent to the surface of the article using the received ultrasonic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthew Stewart, Thomas J. Tomlinson, David J. Dietz, Patsy Augustine Ruzzo
  • Patent number: 7338686
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low-cost method for producing conductive particles in a short period of time by simplifying pretreatment in electroless plating. The method for producing conductive particles includes the steps of: introducing a solution composed mainly of palladium chloride and hydrochloric acid into an electroless plating bath containing particles of an organic material or an inorganic material while stirring the bath; and simultaneously applying an electroless plating to the surface of the particles and allowing the palladium catalyst to be carried on the surface of the particles to give conductive particles having an electroless plate coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Kiyokawa Plating Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kiyokawa, Kiyoto Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 7332193
    Abstract: An electroless plating method and composition for depositing Co, Ni, or alloys thereof onto a metal-based substrate in manufacture of microelectronic devices, involving a source of deposition ions selected from the group consisting of Co ions and Ni ions, a reducing agent for reducing the depositions ions to metal onto the substrate, and a hydrazine-based leveling agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Enthone, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Valverde, Nicolai Petrov, Eric Yakobson, Qingyun Chen, Vincent Paneccasio, Jr., Richard Hurtubise, Christian Witt
  • Patent number: 7332199
    Abstract: The invention relates to a piston ring coated with a coating material by a thermal spray process, exposed to heat treatment of the coating material at an elevated temperature and for a time effective to at least partially diffuse the coating material into the piston ring surface or underlying layer of coating material, and an additionally applied coating material layer subject to successive heat treatments of each coating material layer in order to lay down on the piston ring surface a plurality of layers of the same coating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Koncentra Marine & Power AB
    Inventor: Mehdi Aram
  • Patent number: 7332198
    Abstract: There is provided a plating apparatus and method which can control the temperature of a plating solution during plating more uniformly and easily form a uniform plated film on the to-be-plated surface of a workpiece, and which can simplify the device and decrease the footprint. The plating apparatus includes a plating bath having a double bath structure including an inner bath for holding a plating solution and carrying out plating, and an outer bath which surrounds the inner bath and is in fluid communication therewith. A heating device is disposed in the outer bath. The plating apparatus may further include means for circulating or stirring the plating solution in the plating bath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Xinming Wang, Kenichi Abe, Koji Mishima
  • Patent number: 7247344
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for applying a surface treatment composition to a photosensitive printing element during thermal processing. A photosensitive printing element is contacted with a web of absorbent material that is capable of absorbing material that is melted or softened from an imaged and exposed surface of a photosensitive printing element. The web of absorbent material is coated with a surface treatment composition to transfer the surface treatment composition from the web of absorbent material to the imaged and exposed surface of the photosensitive printing element. Applying the surface treatment composition during thermal processing provides for more complete and more uniform coverage of the surface treatment composition on the photosensitive printing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Inventors: Timothy Gotsick, Ryan Vest
  • Patent number: 7211297
    Abstract: An fountain applicator for applying coating liquid onto a web of paper carried past the applicator, has a coating liquid flow path that includes a curved surface along which a sheet of the coating liquid is flowed to subject the sheet to centrifugal force to cause air entrained in the coating liquid to move away from one side of the sheet that is toward the curved surface, so that the one side is relatively free of entrained air. After being flowed along the curved surface, the sheet of coating liquid is directed toward the web in a free standing jet curtain of coating liquid, to contact the web surface primarily with the one relatively air-free side of the coating liquid sheet to decrease the occurrence of skip coating on the web surface, especially when the web is traveling past the applicator at high speeds. The coating is applied in excess onto the web surface and is metered and leveled to a desired coat weight by a downstream doctor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Stora Enso North America Corp.
    Inventor: Wayne A. Damrau
  • Patent number: 7208201
    Abstract: A coating apparatus and coating method include a device for conveying an object to be coated; a coating device which is disposed in a vicinity of a conveyed surface of the object, and which discharges a coating liquid, and which forms a bridge of the liquid between the device and the object which is conveyed by the device for conveying an object to be coated, and which coats the liquid on at least one surface of the object; and a gas stream blowing device which, immediately after starting of coating, blows out a gas from a direction substantially opposite to a object conveying direction, toward a portion of the object where coating starts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Shin Kanke
  • Patent number: 7175881
    Abstract: A bowling lane maintenance apparatus includes a transfer roller and a dressing oil tank configured to contain dressing oil. A wick is configured to pass dressing oil from the tank to the transfer roller. A buffer brush is configured to receive dressing oil from the transfer roller and spread the dressing oil on a bowling lane. The wick may comprise a foam material having a first region having a first capillarity and a second region having a second capillarity differing from the first capillarity. The wick may also be maintained in contact with the transfer roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: QubicaAMF Worldwide, LLC
    Inventors: Adam P. Baker, Gary J. Ford, Mark D. Kilpatrick, Matthew E Popielarz, G. Joe Burroughs
  • Patent number: 7172785
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for depositing a metal on a material. The process comprises the steps of: immersing the material in deposition solution comprising the metal; inducing a material vibration in the deposition solution having a frequency corresponding to a resonance frequency of the material; including a solution vibration in the deposition solution in a direction non-parallel to the material vibration, said solution vibration having a frequency corresponding to the a resonance frequency of the deposition solution, whereby said metal is deposited onto the material. This process results in deposition of metal from the plating bath on the material in a controlled and substantially uniform thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Inventors: G. Alan Thompson, Theresa M Anderson, David E. Marx
  • Patent number: 7169445
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for curtain coating of a moved substrate, particularly for high-speed curtain coating of a continous paper web substrate, wherein a substrate (12) is moved below a hopper means (14), provides one or more liquid coating materials in the form of a free-falling curtain (16) impinging the substrate at a dynamic wetting line. (21) Edge guide elements (22, 24) are used for stabilizing the width and equalizing the flow speed of the coating curtain and allowing disturbance free provision of an auxiliary liquid (13) as well as practically compelte removal of the auxiliary liquid (23) wilst preventing the forming of solidification on the edge guides elements. An auxiliary liquid is injected (32) essentially parallel to the flow direction of the coating film at an edge of the coating film wilst moving along a slide of said hopper arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Markus Gueggi
  • Patent number: 7166325
    Abstract: Nanotubes and nanotube-based devices are implemented in a variety of applications. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a nanotube device is manufactured having a nanotube extending between two conductive elements. In one implementation, each conductive element includes a catalyst portion, wherein electrical connection is made to opposite ends of the nanotube at each of the catalyst portions. In one implementation, the conductive elements are coupled to circuitry for detecting an electrical characteristic of the nanotube, such as the response of the nanotube to exposure to one or more of a variety of materials. In another implementation, the nanotube device is adapted for chemical and biological sensing. In still another implementation, a particular functionality is imparted to the nanotube using one or more of a variety of materials coupled to the nanotube, such as metal particles, biological particles and/or layers of the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Hongjie Dai, Jing Kong
  • Patent number: 7160579
    Abstract: A method for curtain coating a moving web (8) is described, wherein the total amount of the coating liquids and of the lateral flow liquid, added perpendicular to the lateral extension of the curtain (6), is deposited on the moving web (8) under formation of only a minimally thickened bead, wherein there is no need to separate the lateral flow liquid before impingement on the moving web. The corresponding device incorporates in the edge guides (7) a groove (13) having incorporated, in its surface, channels parallel to the direction of the falling curtain (6). The curtain is stabilized with the lateral flow liquid which is supplied to the groove (13), the real guide surface of the curtain, perpendicular to the lateral extension of the curtain (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Ilford Imaging Switzerland GmbH
    Inventors: Gilbert Gugler, Maurice Pasquier
  • Patent number: 7160584
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a ceramic glow pin which is formed of more than two layers arranged especially coaxially to the axis of the glow pin and symmetrically. The layers of the layer structure are manufactured by co-extrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Beru AG
    Inventors: Oliver Goeb, Hans Houben, Lutz Frassek, Henning Von Watzdorf, Martin Allgaier, Johann Weissenbacher
  • Patent number: 7147894
    Abstract: A method for the self assembly of a macroscopic structure with a pre-formed nano object is provided. The method includes processing a nano object to a desired aspect ratio and chemical functionality and mixing the processed nano object with a solvent to form a suspension. Upon formation of the suspension, a substrate is inserted into the suspension. By either evaporation of the solvent, changing the pH value of the suspension, or changing the temperature of the suspension, the nano objects within the suspension deposit onto the substrate in an orientational order. In addition, a seed crystal may be used in place of the substrate thereby forming single-crystals and free-standing membranes of the nano-objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Otto Z. Zhou, Hideo Shimoda, Soojin Oh
  • Patent number: 7144602
    Abstract: The invention proposes a process for obtaining a flexible/adaptive thermal barrier, the thermal barrier comprising a ceramic layer deposited on a substrate covered with a sublayer, the ceramic layer being deposited by thermal spraying using a torch. The ceramic layer is deposited in a single pass and the torch is set to give the ceramic layer a thickness of at least 80 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Per Bengtsson, Laurent Paul Dudon
  • Patent number: 7132135
    Abstract: Applying materials, e.g. electrolytes and other materials, in the form of a spray during battery manufacture, particularly using a vibratory nebulizer to produce a small droplet, low velocity spray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: The Gillette Company
    Inventors: George Cintra, Maya Stevanovic, Ken Taylor
  • Patent number: 7125586
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process for applying a kinetic spray coating of powder particles onto a substrate covered in a plastic-type material without first removing the plastic-type material. In one use of the process a mask is used to enable a single kinetic spray pass to both remove the plastic covering and bind particles having average nominal diameters of from 60 to 250 microns to the underlying substrate. In another use of the process the particles have an average nominal diameter of from 250 to 1400 microns and the use of a mask is optional because the particles can penetrate the plastic material and bind directly to the substrate. The process finds special use in forming electrical connections or solderable pads anywhere along the length of a flexible circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Hubert Van Steenkiste, Daniel William Gorkiewicz, John R. Smith, Martin Stier, George Albert Drew
  • Patent number: 7125584
    Abstract: A liquid film forming method of dropping a liquid adjusted to be spread into a give amount on a substrate to be processed from a dropping nozzle or dropping nozzles of a dropping unit onto the substrate, and then moving the dropping unit and the substrate relatively while keeping the dropped liquid on the substrate, so as to form a liquid film on the substrate, wherein the relative movement of the dropping unit and the substrate is composed of straight movement along a file direction in which the dropping unit passes from one end side of the substrate through an upper space of the substrate to the other end side of the substrate, and movement along a rank direction outside the substrate, movement distance along the file direction is the sum of dropping length (L) over the substrate and distance of an acceleration/deceleration section, and movement speed (v) along the file direction over the substrate is defined dependently on the square root of the product of the dropping length (L) and the absolute value of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Shinichi Ito