Patents Examined by Katherine A. Bareford
  • Patent number: 9074276
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided to reduce the defect rate and decrease production yield by removing foreign objects even when the foreign objects are mixed in with the thermally sprayed film. The operation for forming thermally sprayed film on inner surface of cylinder bore is paused, and protrusions generated in the thermally sprayed film by foreign objects are detected by visual observation and removed by a manual operation. The thermal spraying operation is then performed until thermally sprayed film reaches the prescribed film thickness. After formation of the thermally sprayed film, a finishing operation is performed by means of honing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Kanai, Eiji Shiotani, Takashi Sekikawa, Kimio Nishimura
  • Patent number: 9017773
    Abstract: A method is described for depositing nanostructures, such as nanostructures of conducting polymers, carbon nanostructures, or combinations thereof. The process comprises placing the nanostructures in a liquid composition comprising an immiscible combination of aqueous phase and an organic phase. The mixture is mixed for a period of time sufficient to form an emulsion and then allowed to stand undisturbed so that the phases are allowed to separate. As a result the nanostructure materials locate at the interface of the forming phases and are uniformly dispersed along that interface. A film of the nanostructure materials will then form on a substrate intersecting the interface, said substrate having been placed in the mixture before the phases are allowed to settle and separate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Julio M. D'Arcy, Richard B. Kaner
  • Patent number: 8974860
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of selectively plating a plastic article comprising a first polymer resin portion and a second polymer resin portion, wherein said first polymer resin portion is not rendered plateable by sulfonation and said second polymer resin portion is rendered plateable by sulfonation. The method comprises the steps of sulfonating the plastic article, activating the sulfonated plastic article to accept plating thereon, and plating the sulfonated and activated article in an electroless plating bath. The plastic article is selectively plated such that the first polymer resin portion does not have plating thereon and the second polymer resin portion is electrolessly plated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Inventors: Robert Hamilton, Mark Wojtaszek
  • Patent number: 8911608
    Abstract: The present invention provides a circuit creation technology that improves conductive line manufacture by adding active and elemental palladium onto the surface of a substrate. The palladium is disposed in minute amounts on the surface and does not form a conductive layer by itself, but facilitates subsequent deposition of a metal onto the surface, according to the pattern of the palladium, to form the conductive lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: SRI International
    Inventors: Sunity Sharma, Jaspreet Singh Dhau
  • Patent number: 8906446
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided having a closable chamber that can be sealed and is capable of withstanding an increased pressure and high temperature. The chamber has several inlet ports for the supply of various process liquids, such as deposition solutions, DI water for rinsing, etc., and a port for the supply of a gas under pressure. The apparatus also includes a solution heater and a control system for controlling temperature and pressure in the chamber. Uniform deposition is achieved by carrying out the deposition process under pressure and under temperature slightly below the boiling point of the solution. The solution can be supplied from above via a shower head formed in the cover, or through the bottom of the chamber. Rinsing or other auxiliary solutions are supplied via a radially moveable chemical dispensing arm that can be arranged above the substrate parallel thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Igor C. Ivanov, Jonathan Weiguo Zhang, Artur Kolics
  • Patent number: 8859039
    Abstract: In a viscous liquid feed nozzle having a nozzle body provided with a thin and long hole with a front end serving as a feed port, a lubricative plated layer is provided by immersing the liquid feed nozzle in a plating tank containing a lubricative plating solution and forming, by electroless plating, the lubricative plated layer at least on the inside and outside of the feed port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinpei Kakiuchi, Eijiro Furuta, Takashi Ando
  • Patent number: 8859052
    Abstract: Methods of making components having calcium magnesium aluminosilicate (CMAS) mitigation capability include providing a component, applying an environmental barrier coating to the component, where the environmental barrier coating includes a CMAS mitigation composition selected from the group consisting of zinc aluminate spinel, alkaline earth zirconates, alkaline earth hafnates, rare earth gallates, beryl, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Glen Harold Kirby, Brett Allen Boutwell, John Frederick Ackerman
  • Patent number: 8859041
    Abstract: The adhesiveness of a thermal spray coating and a cylinder internal surface is improved by forming a sufficient roughened surface on an internal surface. A processing roller is installed on the main shaft of a processing device via a pressurizing mechanism. An uneven surface is provided on the external periphery of the processing roller. By pressing the processing roller against the internal surface while the roller rotates and moves, a fine unevenness that corresponds to the unevenness of the roller is formed on the cylinder internal surface. A thermal spray coating is formed on the internal surface where the inner surface has been roughened by forming the above-mentioned unevenness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Sekikawa, Masahiko Iizumi, Takashi Ogino, Kimio Nishimura, Eiji Shiotani, Hideo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8840960
    Abstract: A method of cleaning a carbon work piece includes the step of applying an acetone cleaning agent to the carbon work piece to remove debris therefrom. The removal of debris promotes adhesion between the carbon work piece and a subsequently applied coating. For example, other steps may precede the acetone cleaning step, such as submersing the carbon work piece in deionized water. In one example, a subsequent coating process deposits an alumina coating on the carbon work piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: George H. Reynolds
  • Patent number: 8802199
    Abstract: An apparatus for applying segmented ceramic coatings includes means for supporting and moving one or more substrates; one or more heat sources disposed proximate to one or more substrates, wherein at least one of the heat sources is positioned to apply a heat stream to pre-heat a thermal gradient zone on a surface of a substrate; a material deposition device disposed proximate to one or more heat sources, wherein the material deposition device is positioned to deposit a material on a deposition area located behind the thermal gradient zone on the surface; and means for monitoring a surface temperature of one or more substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher W. Strock, Charles G. Davis
  • Patent number: 8784944
    Abstract: A ceramic thermal barrier coating having improved erosion resistance includes a metallic layer and a ceramic layer positioned on the metallic layer. The ceramic layer includes a first powder, a second powder, and a third powder. The first powder and the second powder are alloyed together prior to being mixed with the third powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin W. Schlichting, Paul H. Zajchowski
  • Patent number: 8715772
    Abstract: A process for the thermal deposition coating of a workpiece is provided that comprises the steps of: thermally depositing a coating on a metallic surface of a workpiece from a deposition head wherein at least one condition selected from the group of: coating deposition rate onto said surface, relative motion between the surface and said deposition head, and cryogenic coolant application rate onto said workpiece is controllable; substantially simultaneously measuring temperatures at a plurality of locations over the metallic surface of the workpiece; determining an average temperature of the temperatures measured in step (b); comparing the average temperature to a preselected minimum temperature and a preselected maximum temperature for the workpiece; and adjusting at least one of the controllable conditions if said average temperature is not between the preselected minimum temperature and the preselected maximum temperature for the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Zbigniew Zurecki
  • Patent number: 8647703
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for coating a photoresist on a substrate. The photoresist coating apparatus includes a nozzle, a discharge unit, and a foreign substance barrier. The nozzle coats a photoresist on the substrate. The discharge unit is formed in a body with a lower portion of the nozzle and discharges a photoresist. The foreign substance barrier is formed at a front lower portion of the nozzle and protects the discharge unit from a foreign substance on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: O Jun Kwon
  • Patent number: 8637121
    Abstract: A coating method through HVOF spraying that comprises generating a combustion jet in a combustion chamber connected to one end of a barrel while controlling the temperature of the combustion jet by supply of an inert gas to the jet, feeding resin coating materials into the temperature-controlled combustion jet and leading them to pass through the barrel, and spouting the coating particles through a spout port along with the combustion jet therethrough to thereby coat the substrate surface; wherein the length of the barrel, the temperature of the combustion jet and the physical properties of the coating particles are defined so as to satisfy both the following formulae (1) and (2). Numerical ? ? Formula ? ? 1 ? × t r > 0.5 ( 1 ) Numerical ? ? Formula ? ? 2 2.5 < Tav Tcp < 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: National Institute for Materials Science
    Inventors: Jin Kawakita, Seiji Kuroda, Masayuki Komatsu
  • Patent number: 8617637
    Abstract: A thermal spraying method includes forming a coating layer of heat resistant resin on the whole spray area of the metal surface, securely fixing a test piece of the same material as that of the metal as a constituent of heat resistant equipment on the surface of the coating layer, spraying a heat shield coating material onto the test piece, detaching the test piece from the surface of the coating layer, inspecting the condition of spray and setting spray conditions, removing the coating layer and, under the above set spray conditions, spraying the heat shield coating material onto the metal surface to thereby form a heat shield coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Morimoto, Yoriaki Inoue
  • Patent number: 8609196
    Abstract: A wear- and corrosion-resistance coating over a metal substrate having a first-layer carbide material, a second metal coating layer over the first metal coating layer, and a surface metal coating layer over the second metal coating layer; and thermal spray method for applying the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Kennametal Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Lee, Heidi Lynette de Villiers-Lovelock, Danie Jacobus Dewet, James B. C. Wu
  • Patent number: 8597736
    Abstract: A method for producing polymer coatings by surface initiated polymerization from a plasma deposited coating is provided. The modification of surfaces by polymer attachment is a versatile and efficient means of controlling interfacial properties, such as surface energy (i.e. wetting behavior), permeability, bio-activity, and chemical reactivity. The present invention provides a method whereby a plasma deposited coating is applied to a substrate and the polymer coating formed by surface initiated polymerization is formed on the coating rather than the substrate itself. This means that the growth of the polymer using the grafting from procedure can be performed efficiently and independently of the substrate from.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Surface Innovations Ltd.
    Inventors: David Barwick, Declan Oliver Hastings Teare, Jas Pal Singh Badyal
  • Patent number: 8597724
    Abstract: Methods for repairing gas turbine components damaged by corrosion that not only restores the components back to their original dimensions to ensure proper engine operations, but also have the added benefit of mitigating future corrosion attacks thereby extending the useful life of the components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Billie W. Bunting, Andrew DeBiccari, Chris Vargas, Monika D. Kinstler, Derek W. Anderson
  • Patent number: 8591985
    Abstract: A method is provided which includes dispensing a deposition solution at a plurality of locations extending different distances from a center of a microelectronic topography each at different moments in time during an electroless plating process. An electroless plating apparatus used for the method includes a substrate holder, a moveable dispense arm, and a storage medium comprising program instructions executable by a processor for positioning the moveable dispense arm. Another method and accompanying electroless deposition chamber are configured to introduce a gas into an electroless plating chamber above a plate which is suspended above a microelectronic topography and distribute the gas to regions extending above one or more discrete portions of the microelectronic topography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventor: Igor C. Ivanov
  • Patent number: 8574680
    Abstract: A method of rendering a substrate catalytic to electroless metal deposition comprising the steps of: (a) depositing a ligating chemical agent on the substrate, which is capable of both binding to the substrate and ligating to an electroless plating catalyst; and (b) ligating the electroless plating catalyst to the ligating chemical agent, wherein the ligating chemical agent has the chemical structure:
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tricia Breen Carmichael, Sarah Jane Vella, Ali Afzali-Ardakani, Mahmoud Mostafa Khojasteh