Patents Examined by M. Rachuba
  • Patent number: 7234241
    Abstract: A pocketknife has a handle, a blade, a lock assembly and a pivot pin assembly. The handle has a lower cover, an upper cover, a block and a blade lock. The blade is mounted pivotally in the handle and has a curved guide. The lock assembly is mounted in the handle and has a safety lock and a latch. The safety lock is attached to the blade and has a latch guide. The latch is mounted in the handle and has a resilient latch tab. The latch tab corresponds to the curved guide on the blade and engages the latch guide on the safety lock when the blade is closed in the handle. The pivot pin assembly is mounted through the handle, the blade and the safety lock. The lock assembly keeps the closed blade from being opened unintentionally by external impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Inventor: Chi-Tung Chu
  • Patent number: 7235002
    Abstract: A method and system for making glass sheets is provided. At least one grinding wheel is provided for grinding a lateral edge of a glass sheet. An airbag and corresponding air pressure regulator are provided for biasing the grinding wheel against the lateral edge of the glass sheet being ground. In certain example embodiments, the airbag is advantageous in that it permits the grinding wheel to be biased against the lateral edge of the glass sheet with a substantially constant pressure, where this pressure does not substantially fluctuate due to small changes in the location of the edge of the passing glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Guardian Industries Corp.
    Inventor: Thomas E. Pride
  • Patent number: 7229344
    Abstract: A blade sharpening tool includes a main body, a first grinding unit, a second grinding unit, and a protective jacket. The first grinding unit is directed toward a direction in line with the axial direction of the main body. Thus, when the first grinding unit is pressed to move on the blade of the gardening shears, the first grinding unit is movable in the direction the same as that of the blade, so that the first grinding unit is operated easily and quickly to facilitate the user operating the blade sharpening tool in an energy-saving manner. In addition, the mating surface of the main body has a shape corresponding to that of the jaw of the gardening shears to facilitate movement of the first grinding unit on the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Jiin Haur Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shih-Piao Wu
  • Patent number: 7229336
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for conditioning and monitoring a planarizing medium used for planarizing a microelectronic substrate. In one embodiment, the apparatus can include a conditioning body having a conditioning surface that engages a planarizing surface of the planarizing medium and is movable relative to the planarizing medium. A force sensor is coupled to the conditioning body to detect a frictional force imparted to the conditioning body by the planarizing medium when the conditioning body and the planarizing medium are moved relative to each other. The apparatus can further include a feedback device that controls the motion, position, or force between the conditioning body and the planarizing medium to control the conditioning of the planarizing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott E. Moore
  • Patent number: 7226337
    Abstract: Methods system and apparatus, including computer program products, for monitoring polishing a substrate. A polishing pad mounted on a platen is rotated at a first rotation rate, and a carrier head is rotated at a second rotation rate that is different from the first rotation rate. The carrier head carries a substrate and presses the substrate against the polishing pad. A sequence of data traces is acquired using a sensor mounted in the platen, wherein each data trace results from a separate scan with the sensor along a path across the substrate, and wherein the first and second rotation rates are such that a plurality of paths corresponding to a predetermined number of consecutive scans are substantially evenly radially distributed across the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Drue David
  • Patent number: 7223153
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for polishing objects, such as semiconductor wafers, utilizes one or more polishing surfaces, multiple wafer carriers and at least one load-and-unload cup. The load-and-unload cup may be configured to move to and from the wafer carriers in a pivoting manner. The load-and-unload cup may be configured to move to and from the wafer carriers in a linear reciprocating manner. The wafer carriers may be configured to move to and from the load-and-unload cup in a pivoting manner. The wafer carriers may be configured to move to and from the load-and-unload cup in a linear reciprocating manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Inopla Inc.
    Inventor: In Kwon Jeong
  • Patent number: 7223159
    Abstract: A centerless cylindrical grinding machine, for through-feed and in-feed grinding of various workpieces (8), has a first driven positioning axis XS for a grinding spindle head (2) with a grinding wheel (1) and a second driven positioning axis XR, running parallel to the positioning axis XS, for a regulating spindle head (4), with a regulating wheel (3). The positioning axes XS and XR are arranged perpendicular to the rotation axes (5, 6) or the grinding wheel (1) and the regulating wheel (3). A workpiece support (7) on a carriage (12) and an inner- or outer-acting wheel-true device (9) are arranged between the grinding spindle head (2) and the regulating spindle head (4). During operation, the grinding spindle head (2), the regulating spindle head (4), the workpiece support (7) and the wheel-true device (9) are located within a safety housing (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Inventors: Urs Tschudin, Libor Sedlacek
  • Patent number: 7220165
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a blasting method and a shot material, which are very practical both in the cost and the treatment performance. (a) A shot material containing a styrene ion-exchange resin or a waste material caused therefrom, or/and a dried sludge-derived material, (b) a shot material containing a resin which is comprised of a resin containing a rubber component and a resin containing no rubber component, and (c) a shot material containing at least one component selected from the group consisting of an epoxy resin composition and inorganic filler, and a blasting method using the shot material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhito Inagaki, Tetsuya Komine, Masahiro Sawaguchi, Daisuke Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 7217175
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus comprises a first polishing table having a first polishing surface, a substrate carrier for holding a substrate and positioning the substrate so as to bring a surface of the substrate into contact with the first polishing surface, a pressing mechanism for pressing, against the first polishing surface, the surface of the substrate which has been brought into contact with the first polishing surface by the substrate carrier, a retainer ring mounted on the substrate carrier so as to surround the substrate which has been pressed against the first polishing surface by the pressing mechanism, and a retainer-ring-position-adjustment mechanism for adjustably positioning the retainer ring relative to the substrate, which has been pressed against the first polishing surface, in directions toward and away from the first polishing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuji Togawa
  • Patent number: 7210385
    Abstract: A compound miter saw includes a table on which a workpiece is placed, a miter saw unit supporting a saw blade, and a housing pivotally supporting the miter saw unit related to the table in such a manner that the miter saw unit is at least laterally pivotable. Further, the miter saw includes a bevel mechanism for selectively determining the lateral position of the miter saw unit at any of a plurality of pivoted positions, including a vertical position where the saw blade is positioned substantially vertically relative to the table, and leftward and rightward pivoted positions where the blade is inclined laterally leftwardly and laterally rightwardly from the vertical position. The bevel mechanism includes a movable rod and three fixed stop members, the rod being operable to move between a first rod position abutting one of the fixed stop members and a second rod position not abutting the one of the fixed stop members so as to permit the lateral pivotal movement of the miter saw unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Stumpf, Mark E. Brunson, Scott M. Livingston, Michael L. O'Banion, Robert G. Moores, Jr., John W. Miller, Daryl Meredith, Thomas Kaye, William G. Harman, Jr., Adan Ayala
  • Patent number: 7210989
    Abstract: Machines with solution dispensers and methods of using such machines for chemical-mechanical planarization and/or electrochemical-mechanical planarization/deposition of microelectronic workpieces. One embodiment of such a machine includes a table having a support surface, a processing pad on the support surface, and a carrier assembly having a head configured to hold a microelectronic workpiece. The carrier assembly can further include a drive assembly that manipulates the head. The machine can also include a solution dispenser separate from the head. The solution dispenser can include a support extending over the pad and a fluid discharge unit or distributor carried by the support. The fluid discharge unit is configured to discharge a planarizing solution onto a plurality of separate locations across the pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael J. Joslyn
  • Patent number: 7207872
    Abstract: The invention is based on a bearing arrangement for vibratingly supporting a grinding disk (24) on a grinding apparatus (10), in particular in a vibrating grinder, having a plurality of elastic vibration bodies (48), which can be connected on the one hand to the grinding disk (24) and on the other to the grinding apparatus (10). It is proposed that the vibration bodies (48) are disposed, individually or in groups of a plurality of vibration bodies (48) each, in a plurality of modules (42) that are separate from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Justus Lamprecht, Tobias Lutz, Christoph Cramer
  • Patent number: 7207114
    Abstract: A rotary knife with an improved drive transmission. The knife includes a tubular handle assembly, an annular blade, a blade housing, a pneumatic motor, and a drive transmission assembly. The transmission includes a drive or pinion gear, a drive shaft, and a connector assembly that inhibits axial movement of the pinion gear into the blade housing by the force of air pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Bettcher Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Marinel Rosu, Jeffrey A. Whited
  • Patent number: 7207874
    Abstract: An electric hand power tool has a housing, an air-cooled electric motor which is accommodated in the housing, a tool which is driven by the electric motor a protective hood which at least partially covers the tool, the housing having a handle and an auxiliary handle for a two-hand guidance of the hand power tool, the auxiliary handle being positioned in a plane transverse to a plane of the first-mentioned handle and, with reference to a work direction, before the first-mentioned handle, the auxiliary handle being completely hollow and having an inlet communicating with the protective hood so as to carry motor cooling air which has left the housing and passed the protective hood for the tool and then flows into the inlet of the auxiliary handle carrying debris and through the auxiliary handle and out of the latter, so that the auxiliary handle is operative for damping a flow noise of the air from the electric motor, from a motor-cooling fan and from the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Bohne, Eugen Hild, Heiko Roehm
  • Patent number: 7204744
    Abstract: A handheld power tool, in particular a handheld right-angle grinder (10), has an electric motor drive for a motor housing (11) that accommodates a tool and also has a handle (15), which is retained on the motor housing (11) by means of a handle mounting device (30) located between them, which handle mounting device has a mount (40), fastened to the motor housing (11), and at least one vibration-damping element (50) that is in communication with the mount (40) and the handle (15). The handle mounting device (30) has a mounting plate (60), on which the handle (15) is fastened by means of a fixation device. The at least one vibration-damping element (50) is located between the mount (40) and the mounting plate (60) and is solidly joined to them to form a unitary component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Justus Lamprecht, Joachim Schadow, Mario Frank, Siegfried Keusch, Ulrich Mueller-Boysen
  • Patent number: 7204243
    Abstract: A truing tool for truing an essentially cylindrical grinding worm that is arranged on the tool spindle of a machine suitable for the continuous generation grinding in the tangential- and diagonal process. The truing tool comprises an essentially cylindrical gear wheel (6) having an abrasive coating on the surface that is active during truing to profile the flanks of the grinding worm (3) and an essentially cylindrical roll (7) having an abrasive coating on its circumferential surface to adapt the diameter of the addendum circle of the grinding worm. The gear wheel (6) and the roll (7) can be connected axially and torsion-resistantly to the work piece spindle (1) of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: The Gleason Works
    Inventor: Engelbert Schauer
  • Patent number: 7198553
    Abstract: An abrasive article includes a plurality of abrasive particles securely affixed to a substrate with a corrosion resistant matrix material. The matrix material includes a sintered corrosion resistant powder and a brazing alloy. The brazing alloy includes an element which reacts with and forms a chemical bond with the abrasive particles, thereby securely holding the abrasive particles in place. A method of forming the abrasive article includes arranging the abrasive particles in the matrix material, and applying sufficient heat and pressure to the mixture of abrasive particles and matrix material to cause the corrosion resistant powder to sinter, the brazing alloy to flow around, react with, and form chemical bonds with the abrasive particles, and allow the brazing alloy to flow through the interstices of the sintered corrosion resistant powder and form an inter-metallic compound therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Brian D. Goers
  • Patent number: 7198554
    Abstract: A cylindrical valve guide having a roughened external surface texture from about 50 to about 100 microinches permits effective amounts of lubricating oil to become trapped or contained by such roughened external surface and thereby facilitates subsequent press fitting of the valve guide into an internal combustion engine. Centerless grinding constitutes a preferred method of achieving the surface texture of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Helio Precision Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Howard M. Livingston
  • Patent number: 7192337
    Abstract: To provide a diamond rendering reflective light off a table goldenly brilliant by making a proportion thereof symmetrical at any place viewed from an upper face, a side face or a bottom face, a first reference line, a second reference line crossing the first reference lines at a right angle and third reference lines equally dividing segments defined by an intersection of the first reference line and the second reference line into four equal parts, respectively, are provided. A first arc line intersects these reference lines. An approximately regular hexadecagon shaped table is established by line segments defined between these first intersections of the reference lines with the first arc line. Fourth reference lines dividing sectors defined between the third reference lines into two equal parts and a second arc line concentric with and larger than the first arc line, are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Diana Sun Diamond Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naotake Shuto
  • Patent number: 7189144
    Abstract: A centerless grinding apparatus (10) includes an outer diameter surface grinding wheel (11) for grinding the outer diameter surface of a work (1) of a substantially cylindrical shape, a regulating wheel (12) for supporting the outer diameter surface of the work (1) in conjunction with the outer diameter surface grinding wheel (11) and an end surface grinding wheel (21) for grinding the end surface of the work (1). The end surface grinding wheel (21) grinds the end surface of the work (1) while the outer diameter surface grinding wheel (11) grinds the outer diameter surface of the work (1) in a state that the work (1) is disposed between the outer diameter surface grinding wheel (11) and the regulating wheel (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuko Kamamura, Hiroyuki Iwanami