Patents Examined by Maurina Rachuba
  • Patent number: 8961264
    Abstract: A controller controls the position of an abrasive. The abrasive is moved to a first desired position adjacent a ball. The ball is rotated while in contact with the abrasive. The abrasive abrades the outer surface of the ball and burrs on the outer surface to remove the burrs. A sensor may be used to sense the position and size of the burrs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Takahisa Ono
  • Patent number: 8961269
    Abstract: Bonded abrasive articles and in particular organic bonded depressed center wheels with one or more reinforcements have reduced stiffness in comparison to conventional counterparts. Techniques for producing and using such wheels are described. In one example, a method for reducing the stiffness of an organically bonded abrasive wheel includes applying to a raised hub region of a reinforced depressed center wheel a force effective to irreversibly decrease the stiffness of said wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc., Saint-Gobain Abrasifs
    Inventors: Han Zhang, Johannes Hermanus Kuit, Robert Jitze Wilting
  • Patent number: 8944888
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing pad includes a polishing layer, a recess being formed in a polishing surface of the polishing layer, the polishing layer including a surface layer that forms at least an inner side of the recess, and a ratio (D1/D2) of an average opening ratio D1(%) to an average opening ratio D2(%) being 0.01 to 0.5, the average opening ratio D1 being an average opening ratio of the inner side of the recess when the polishing layer has been immersed in water at 23° C. for 1 hour, and the average opening ratio D2 being an average opening ratio of a cross section of the polishing layer that does not intersect the surface layer when the cross section has been immersed in water at 23° C. for 1 hour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: JSR Corporation
    Inventors: Kotaro Kubo, Yukio Hosaka, Takahiro Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8944892
    Abstract: A method of dressing a wheel using a polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser, the method comprising: rotating the wheel; and contacting a working surface of the wheel with a working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser, wherein the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser is oriented such that a leading edge of the working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser is formed of larger grains than a trailing edge of the working surface of the polycrystalline CVD synthetic diamond dresser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Element Six Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Neil Perkins
  • Patent number: 8932116
    Abstract: Methods for producing in-situ grooves in CMP pads are provided. In general, the methods for producing in-situ grooves comprise the steps of patterning a silicone lining, placing the silicone lining in, or on, a mold, adding CMP pad material to the silicone lining, and allowing the CMP pad to solidify. CMP pads comprising novel groove designs are also described. For example, described here are CMP pads comprising concentric circular grooves and axially curved grooves, reverse logarithmic grooves, overlapping circular grooves, lassajous groves, double spiral grooves, and multiply overlapping axially curved grooves. The CMP pads may be made from polyurethane, and the grooves produced therein may be made by a method from the group consisting of silicone lining, laser writing, water jet cutting, 3-D printing, thermoforming, vacuum forming, micro-contact printing, hot stamping, and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: NexPlanar Corporation
    Inventors: Manish Deopura, Hem M. Vaidya, Pradip K. Roy
  • Patent number: 8915767
    Abstract: A sandpaper replacement device is used for replacing sandpaper of a polishing device, including a support platform, a driver, a driving detector sensor, a clamping member, a clamping detector and a controller. The driver includes a cylinder body and an extension rod movably positioned on the cylinder body. The cylinder body is positioned on the support platform, and the extension rod passing through and protruding out from the support platform. The driving detector sensor is positioned on the support platform adjacent to the extension rod. The clamping member includes a main body and two claws positioned oppositely to each other on the main body. The main body is mounted on the support platform away from the cylinder body. The clamping detector is positioned adjacent to the two claws. The controller is electrically connected to the driver, the driving detector sensor, the clamping detector and the clamping member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chao Shen
  • Patent number: 8911282
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a base, a table rotatable on the base, and a plurality of arms extending above the table's top surface and extending laterally for supporting differently sized cylindrical objects above the top surface. An adjustment mechanism simultaneously adjusts the arms rotationally, such that the ends of the arms can be automatically adjusted to support any one of the differently sized objects without further change. A controller is programmed to automatically control the adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism includes a center gear connected to planetary gears on each of the arms, and a center shaft that extends upwardly through a tubular drive shaft, the center shaft being movable between a lowered position where the arms are locked to the table and a raised position where the center gear is fixed to the base such that the arms adjust position when the table is rotated by its drive mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Progressive Surface, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary E. Mulder, Gary L. Vander Stel
  • Patent number: 8905821
    Abstract: A rotary cutting apparatus comprises a frame and a die roll defining a first longitudinal axis and comprising a cutting member. The die roll is rotatably connected with the frame and configured to rotate about the first longitudinal axis. The rotary cutting apparatus further comprises a bearer ring connected with the die roll and an anvil roll defining a second longitudinal axis and comprising an outer radial surface. The anvil roll is rotatably connected with the frame and is configured to rotate about the second longitudinal axis. The bearer ring of the die roll is in contact with the outer radial surface. The rotary cutting apparatus further comprises a reconditioning member comprising an abrasive surface engaged with the outer radial surface of the anvil roll. The outer radial surface of the anvil roll moves relative to the abrasive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Uwe Schneider, Robert Charles Dreisig
  • Patent number: 8905818
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process which may be automated for the manufacture of stone blocks for use as finished landscape stone blocks from quarry stone. The natural stone is quarried from the quarry and split into rectangular blocks, with squared ends and the top and bottom surfaces are ground with a plurality of grooves and ridges of varying heights. The ridges of varying heights are then removed thereby producing a surface having ridges of uniform height and grooves of uniform depth. The blocks may be used to form an architectural wall. The process is also applicable to pavers, steps and coping stones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Inventor: Leon Amsent
  • Patent number: 8905823
    Abstract: An abrasive tool for conditioning CMP pads includes abrasive grains coupled to a substrate through a metal bond and a coating, e.g., a fluorine-doped nanocomposite coating. The abrasive grains can be arranged in a self-avoiding random distribution. In one implementation, an abrasive tool includes a coated plate and a coated abrasive article that has two abrading surfaces. Other implementations related to a process for producing an abrasive tool that includes a coating at one or more of its surfaces. Also described are methods for dressing a CMP pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignees: Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc., Saint-Gobain Abrasifs
    Inventors: Jianhui Wu, Taewook Hwang, Ramanujam Vedantham, Charles Dinh-Ngoc, Thomas K. Puthanangady, Eric M. Schulz, Srinivasan Ramanath
  • Patent number: 8900034
    Abstract: A control unit that relatively moves a headstock and tailstock and a tool to thereby machine a peripheral surface of a workpiece in a radial direction executes control such that a relative feed speed of the tool in the radial direction in a transitional state where an amount of warpage of the workpiece in the radial direction at a machining position increases is faster than a relative feed speed of the tool in the radial direction in a steady state where an amount of warpage of the workpiece in the radial direction at the machining position is constant. By so doing, it is possible to reduce a machining time at the time of the start of machining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiki Kumeno, Masashi Yoritsune, Takashi Matsumoto, Kazuyoshi Ohtsubo
  • Patent number: 8894472
    Abstract: A tool for machining parts and particularly surfaces of parts includes a machining head and a main, supporting body (3) made of carbon fibers bonded by a polymer binder and additionally contains polyhedral multilayer carbon nanostructures of the fulleroid type having e.g. a layer-to-layer distance of 0.34-0.36 nm, taken in a quantity of 0.05-50 wt % of the mass of the polymer binder. The main body thereby obtains an increased stiffness and strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Virtum I Sverige AB
    Inventors: Olga Meza, Andrey Ponomarev
  • Patent number: 8882565
    Abstract: A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer includes applying a polishing pad to the semiconductor wafer so as to subject the semiconductor wafer to a polishing process and supplying an aqueous polishing agent solution between the polishing pad and the semiconductor wafer. The polishing pad includes fixedly bonded abrasives of SiO2 with an average grain size in a range of 0.1 to 1.0 ?m. The aqueous polishing agent solution comprising an alkaline component, being free of solid materials and having a variable pH value in a range of 11 to 13.5. The aqueous polishing agent solution is maintained at a pH value of less than 13 during the polishing process and the pH value of the aqueous polishing agent solution is increased to a range of 13 to 13.5 so as to end the polishing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Siltronic AG
    Inventors: Juergen Schwandner, Roland Koppert
  • Patent number: 8882562
    Abstract: A scratch removal tool that includes a motor, a housing, a rotatable shaft operably coupled to the motor and movable in an axial direction along a length of the shaft, and a head assembly. The head assembly includes a shroud member having an open end, a pad member, a slurry input, a slurry output, and a seal member. The pad member is positioned within the shroud and mounted to the shaft. Rotation of the shaft rotates the pad member. Axial movement of the shaft moves the pad member relative to the open end of the shroud. The slurry input and slurry are in fluid communication with the pad member. The seal member is positioned at the open end of the shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: TCG International Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Thomas, Keith A. Beveridge, Chad J. Olson
  • Patent number: 8882566
    Abstract: A method of efficiently cutting and machining opposite ends of rod members in sequence is provided, which comprises steps of: abutting a grinding wheel (5) against the periphery of a long rod material (10a) placed at a predetermined work position; moving the grinding wheel towards and along the axis of a first portion of the long rod material (10a) in rotation to taper the tail end of the first portion (to be provided as a rod member); and then moving the grinding wheel (5) further towards the axis of the rod material (10a) to cut the first portion off the long rod material and at the same time chamfer the leading end of a second portion of the long rod material in contact with the rear side of the grinding wheel. After removing the first rod member cut off, the sequence of these steps is repeated as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Nittan Valve Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Okamura, Yosuke Makino
  • Patent number: 8882568
    Abstract: An impact absorbing mechanism for absorbing impact generated upon meshing of gears by starting or stopping an electric motor, for example, in a speed reduction gear train of a disk grinder, has the problem that its ease of manufacture and the durability are lowered because small elastic components are located between a driven gear and a driven shaft when an impact absorbing action occurs in the rotational direction in the related art. The present invention is aimed to improve the ease of manufacture and the durability of the impact absorbing mechanism. It is configured to absorb impact by displacing steel balls in a diameter expanding direction by relative rotation of a driven gear and a driven shaft due to rotational power generated upon meshing and by displacing an axial displacement member in an axial direction against an axial elastic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Makita Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Ikuta
  • Patent number: 8870628
    Abstract: The invention discloses a device (10) for clamping particularly an eye glass lens blocked on a block piece for processing and/or coating said eye glass lens, comprising a receiving space (34) having a center line (M) for a clamping section of the block piece, and a plurality of clamping surfaces (36) provided in a boundary region of the receiving space, which may optionally be engaged in the clamping section of the block piece in order to clamp the block piece. In order to avoid excessive deformation of the clamped block piece, the clamping surfaces are positioned opposite of each other in pairs at a radial distance to the center line and can be displaced optionally toward or away from each other by a clamping piece (38) in order to clamp the clamping section of the block piece by way of clamping forces (F), which are substantially oriented in a tangential direction at a radial distance to the center line, or in order to release the block piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Satisloh AG
    Inventors: Holger Schäfer, Herbert Wagner, Edward McPherson, Marc Savoie
  • Patent number: 8858299
    Abstract: A blade processing (e.g., sharpening) device includes two sets of overlapping edge processing rings. Inner diameter surfaces of the edge processing rings define a notch suitable for effectively processing a blade with a convex cutting edge profile. Certain types of edge processing rings are movable relative to one another to adjust an edge processing angle of the notch. Certain types of blade processing devices also can also process blades with concave cutting edge profiles. The rings may be contained at least partially within a protective housing. A blade can be processed by inserting a blade through a blade insertion opening in the housing and into the notch while a handle of the blade remains outside the housing. By grasping the handle, the blade can be manually reciprocated within the notch during edge processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Inventor: Thomas Benjamin Boelter
  • Patent number: 8851957
    Abstract: A grinding method includes the steps of holding a workpiece by a pair of centering members of a pair of spindle equipment, shifting two centering members to one side of a spindle rotational axis, facing a grinding wheel at the other side to the other end portion of the workpiece, grinding the other end portion of the workpiece by the grinding wheel at the other side by rotating a driving pin of the spindle equipment at one side, retracting the grinding wheel at other side and stopping the rotation of the driving pin at one side and also shifting two centering members to the other side of the spindle rotational axis, facing a grinding wheel at one side to one end portion of the workpiece, and grinding one end portion of the workpiece by the grinding wheel at one side by rotating a driving pin of the spindle equipment at the other side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Naya, Kikutoshi Okada
  • Patent number: 8845391
    Abstract: An apparatus for polishing a substrate includes a rotatable polishing table supporting a polishing pad, a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate and press the substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad on the rotating polishing table so as to polish the substrate, and a pad-temperature detector configured to measure a temperature of the polishing surface of the polishing pad. The apparatus also includes a pad-temperature regulator configured to contact the polishing surface to regulate the temperature of the polishing surface, and a temperature controller configured to control the temperature of the polishing surface by controlling the pad-temperature regulator based on information on the temperature of the polishing surface detected by the pad-temperature detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Tadakazu Sone, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Toru Maruyama, Katsutoshi Ono, Yoichi Shiokawa