Patents Examined by Lowell A. Larson
  • Patent number: 7185525
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming an end closure for a surrounding sidewall of a container, such as an aluminum can. The method includes forming a central body panel oriented transversely to the central axis of the can and forming an outer surrounding margin portion joined to the sidewall such that the margin portion has a support section oriented longitudinally relative to the sidewall. A portion of the margin is corrugated to provide a rib structure having longitudinally extending first rib components located on the support section. This method can be accomplished during the ironing and doming of a can.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Inventors: Elmer D. Werth, Roger A. Hahn
  • Patent number: 7185585
    Abstract: An apparatus for crushing containers includes a die defining an opening, a punch, and a system for displacing the die and punch relative to each other. The punch may be fixed and the die may be moved from a first position spaced apart from the punch such that a container to be crushed can be placed between the punch and die and a second position in which the punch extends into the die opening to define an annular gap between the punch and die opening. The arrangement is such that a container crushed between the die and punch as a result of displacement of the die to the second position is at least in part forced into and deformed within the annular gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Francis Henry Lee
    Inventor: David Aubrey Plumptre
  • Patent number: 7185523
    Abstract: A metal strip rolling system (18), having a first reeling device (21) for reeling-off strip (18), a rolling stand (12) having at least two working rolls (13, 14) between which there is formed a roll gap (17) whose width is controllable, and a second reeling device (31) used for reeling-on strip (18) with a reduced strip thickness. A first strip storage assembly (23) having a plurality of rolls is positioned between the first reeling device (21) and the rolling stand (12), and a second strip storage assembly (33) having a plurality of rolls is positioned between the rolling stand (12) and the second reeling device (31). At least one of the strip storage assemblies (23, 33) is formed of a double roll assembly with strip being wrapped around two rolls (24, 25; 34, 35) in an S-like way, the rolls (24, 25; 34, 35) being arranged at different levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Muhr und Bender KG
    Inventor: Andreas Hauger
  • Patent number: 7185680
    Abstract: The cable tie tool has a variable trigger linkage which is supported within a tool handle by a connection thereto. The trigger linkage is coupled to a lever and movable between open and closed positions such that moving the trigger linkage from the open to closed positions causes the lever to pivot from neutral to tensioned positions. The trigger linkage engages the lever alternatively at near or distant positions thereon to couple the trigger linkage to the lever such that, when a uniform force is applied to the trigger linkage for movement thereof from the open to closed positions, the engagement at the distant position results in the force applied to the tool head by the lever being greater than the force applied to the tool head by the lever which results from the engagement at the near position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Thomas & Betts International, Inc.
    Inventors: Joey D. Magno, Jr., Anders Fahlen, Johan Tapper
  • Patent number: 7185686
    Abstract: The invention relates to a feeder device in a timber harvester, which includes a frame, a 3-row roller chain arranged to be rotated around a drive sprocket, a turnover member and roll guides, which roll guides extend for a great length of a gripping side of the feeder device, between the drive sprocket and the turnover member, and in which roller chain there are rows of links staggered relative to each other by transverse pins, comprising a middle row of links with smaller rollers and outer rows of links with larger rollers, each row of links corresponding to its own roll guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Inventor: Lauri Ketonen
  • Patent number: 7185584
    Abstract: A lightweight, portable lateral heat press machine that allows an operator to quickly and economically transfer graphic characters or images using an ink transfer paper process or a sublimation process, or vinyl onto the surface of a garment or an object. The device includes a vertical aligned sliding arm assembly perpendicularly aligned to a horizontally aligned chassis assembly. Attached to the chassis assembly is at least one workstation assembly and a console. The workstation assembly includes a pedestal with an exchangeable, horizontally aligned lower platen that may be selectively rotated and locked in portrait or landscape orientation and a height and pressure adjustment feature. The sliding arm assembly extends upward and forward and includes a heated, upper platen attached to a manually operated plunger. The console contains the controls for operating the heating element inside the upper platen and a timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Inventors: Daniel L. Woods, Linda M. Woods
  • Patent number: 7181822
    Abstract: A hot rolling mill and method for operating the hot rolling mill where the shape of the strip is controlled by localized cooling devices positioned at intervals along work rolls in at least three lateral zones, a central and two edge zones, and capable of separately cooling each zone to control the shape of the work rolls in that zone and inhibit the formation of shape defects occurring in the strip being rolled. Five zones may be provided across the work surface of the work rolls so that two intermediate zones can control for quarter buckles. The hot rolling mill has particular application in continuously casting thin strip. The method can be made automatic by sensing downstream of the hot mill the shape of the strip in each zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Jay Jon Ondrovic, Richard Britanik, Tino Domanti, Glen Wallace
  • Patent number: 7181844
    Abstract: A method for increasing structural strength of spokes of a bicycle or a motorcycle, which adopts a mechanically processing measure to increase the structural strength of the bending section of the spoke. The spoke is many times compressed to process and harden the bending section of the spoke so as to enhance the metal strength (shearing strength) of the bending section. At the same time, the wire diameter of the spoke (cross-sectional area) is increased due to compression in accordance with the principle that shearing load=shearing strength×cross-sectional area. With least metal material and lower processing cost, the spoke can have highest structural strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: SHA DAR Accessories Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wen-Hsuan Chen
  • Patent number: 7181949
    Abstract: A method for the strip-edge-oriented shifting of the intermediate rolls (11, 11?) in a six-roll rolling mill comprising respectively a pair of workrolls (10, 10?), intermediate rolls (11, 11?) and backup rolls (12, 12?), whereby at least the intermediate rolls (11, 11?) and workrolls (10, 10?) have devices for axial shifting cooperating with them and each intermediate roll (11, 11?) has a barrel elongated by the amount of the CVC-shifting stroke and a one sided setback (x) in the region of the strip edge. The method is characterized in that the upper intermediate roll (11) is shifted in the direction of the drive side AS) and the lower intermediate roll (11?) is shifted in the direction of the service side (BS)—or conversely—relative to the neutral shift position (Szw=0 mm) symmetrically to the rolling mill center (y—y) be respectively the same amount in the direction of their (x—x).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: SMS Demag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Klaus-Dieter Haberkamm, Andreas Ritter, Rüdiger Holz
  • Patent number: 7181946
    Abstract: The aim of the invention is to configure a device for winding and unwinding partly rolled products, in a way that ensures the smallest possible accumulation of scrap. To achieve this, a roller (20, 20?, 20?) whose position is controlled and which runs on the periphery of the coil is used during the transfer of the coils from the winding station to the unwinding station. The vertical adjustment of said roller ensures that the coil is completely unwound, even with a diminishing coil diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: SMS Demag AG
    Inventors: Matthias Krüger, Jürgen Merz, Karl-Friedrich Fuhrmann
  • Patent number: 7181950
    Abstract: A device for processing a thin metal foil and provided with a frame plate (7) for a die (16), a guide plate (10) for a punch (11), and a guide arranging for the die (16) and the punch to cooperate in the desired manner for the purpose of processing a thin metal foil by the die and the punch. The guide consists of at least two hinge elements (8, 9), each connected by means of an elastic line hinge (4, 5) with both the frame plate and the guide plate, the line hinges allowing only a pivotal motion in substantially the rectilinear displacement. The frame plate, the guide plate and the guide are manufactured from a single block (1) of material, in which the frame plate, guide and guide plate connected by the elastic line hinges are formed by the provision of bores (3), slits (6) and/or recesses (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepastnatuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO
    Inventors: Pieter Jan Bolt, Raymond Turk, Petrus Paulus H. Veltmans
  • Patent number: 7182112
    Abstract: A cutter head for wood planing machine comprises elongated slots, wedges and blade retainers of a cooperative configuration that allows the blade retainers to be positioned in the slots with the wedges overlying the blade retainers. The wedges may be shifted upwardly and away from a base portion of the associated blade retainer to urge the blade retainer toward a blade to clamp the blade in the slot. Magnets may be used to loosely hold the blade in place for adjustment of blade height or to tighten the blade retaining assembly comprising the associated wedge and blade retainer. In addition, the base of the blade retainer may be retained in the slot by one or more magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: DesignTek LLC
    Inventor: Thomas A. Meados
  • Patent number: 7178454
    Abstract: Compactor apparatus for an on-board module builder, including single cylinders and guide members on opposite sides of the module builder for guiding and effecting a cotton compacting process. The compactor apparatus includes a frame disposed in a cotton module builder chamber, movable downwardly within the chamber against the cotton for compacting the cotton against the floor and walls of the chamber. The frame includes cross members which extend across the chamber and protrude outwardly therefrom through upwardly and downwardly extending slots or passages through the sides of the module builder. The ends on each side are connected together by an exterior side structure which is movable upwardly and downwardly by a suitable driver, guided by at least one vertically extending guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventors: Michael J. Covington, Timothy A. Meeks, Gary R. Gallens, George H. Hale
  • Patent number: 7178748
    Abstract: It is an object of this invention to efficiently recycle a plastic resin material used in a process cartridge. To achieve this object, in a method of recycling a plastic material of a process cartridge, the process cartridge is crushed in a crushing step while particles such as toner are collected by suction, particles including toner are further separated in a screening step, metal materials are separated in a magnetic selection step, a drum magnetic selection step, and an eddy current step, particles including toner and foreign matter are separated in an air selection step, a secondary crushing step, a peeling step, and a dry gravity separation step, and a plastic material having a specific density is separated in a color selection step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noboru Koumura, Nagatoshi Konno, Seiichi Kato
  • Patent number: 7178455
    Abstract: A compacting press having a support section, a compacting section which undergoes translational movement along a vertical axis (Z, Z?) which is fitted with a thrust-plate and which forms a ram designed to compress cases by the application of pressure, and a guide assembly made up of a skirt, with a liner, a hoop and a cradle. The cradle is fitted to a skirt holding section by a removable connection made up of a reversible assembly system involving the fitting into place and horizontal movement of at least one key-hole shaped opening which passes vertically through the cradle and at least one vertically orientated mushroom-shaped lug. This press is preferably used for compacting a case containing hazardous materials, in particular radioactive waste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Matieres Nucleaires
    Inventors: Patrick Jacq, Philippe Kerrien
  • Patent number: 7174762
    Abstract: A can end member has a center panel, a circumferential chuck wall, and a transition wall. The center panel is centered about a longitudinal axis and has a peripheral edge. The center panel also has a step portion located radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis. The step portion has an annular convex portion joined to an annular concave portion and displaces at least a portion of the center panel vertically in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. The curl defines an outer perimeter of the end member. The circumferential chuck wall extends downwardly from the curl to the transition wall. The transition wall connects the chuck wall with the peripheral edge of the center panel. The transition wall has a folded portion extending outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Rexam Beverage Can Company
    Inventors: Timothy Turner, Rajesh Gopalaswamy, Randall G. Forrest
  • Patent number: 7174764
    Abstract: Apparatus for and a method of expanding tubulars, and particularly tubulars or a string of tubulars that have one or more per orated portions and one or more non-perforated portions. In one embodiment, the apparatus (150) includes an inflatable element (e.g. a packer 152) that has a shaft (156) rotatably coupled thereto so that the shaft (156) can rotate relative to the inflatable element (152). An expansion cone (158) is threadedly engaged with a threaded portion (156t) of the shaft (156) so that it moves along the threaded portion (156t) upon rotation of the shaft (156) relative to the cone (158).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: E2 Tech Limited
    Inventors: Peter Oosterling, Colin Neil Morrison, Philip Michael Burge
  • Patent number: 7175119
    Abstract: A shredder apparatus and method for shredding wet chip materials in which the shredder utilizes a shredder mechanism having a shaft attached to a frame, a bearing assembly disposed on the shaft, and a rotatable rotor disposed on the bearing assembly. First shredder members are attached to and rotatable with the rotor, and cooperate with second shredder members attached to the frame to shred wet chip materials fed into the shredder apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Inter-Source Recovery Systems
    Inventor: William D. Nemedi
  • Patent number: 7174760
    Abstract: A dual-directional pipe-bending machine bends a pipe in either direction and has a base, a transporting device and a pipe-bending assembly. The base has a bracket. The transporting device is mounted slidably on the bracket. The pipe is mounted on the transporting device. The pipe-bending assembly is mounted on the base and has a transversely moving bracket, a vertically moving bracket, a location-changing assembly, a rotating transmission device, a rotating bracket and two pipe-bending devices. The transversely and vertically moving brackets are mounted on the base. The location-changing assembly moves the transversely moving bracket and the vertically moving bracket. The rotating bracket connects to the vertically moving bracket. The rotating transmission device rotates the rotating bracket. The two pipe-bending devices are mounted on the rotating bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Ying Lin Machine Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ping-Kun Hu
  • Patent number: 7175118
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for dispersing solid constituents into a liquid vehicle employ an immersion mill operating in combination with a low shear mixer blade assembly which sweeps the walls of a tank containing a batch of solid constituents in a liquid vehicle to circulate the batch through the immersion mill to carry out a milling operation to establish a relatively high viscosity mixture having a high degree of uniformity. The immersion mill includes an improvement wherein a helical screw impeller is placed within a tubular inlet passage for moving the batch longitudinally through the tubular inlet passage into the immersion mill, the helical screw impeller including a helical flight extending along the length of the tubular inlet passage and having a diameter complementary to the diameter of the tubular inlet passage and a pitch less than the length of the tubular inlet passage such that the helical flight spans the diameter of the tubular inlet passage along plural turns of the helical flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Hockmeyer Equipment Corp.
    Inventor: Herman H. Hockmeyer