Patents Examined by Maurina T. Rachuba
  • Patent number: 5839339
    Abstract: A miter saw includes a support mechanism for supporting a miter saw unit relative to a base in such a manner that the miter saw unit is both vertically and laterally pivotable. A position determining mechanism serves to selectively determine the position of the saw unit at any of positions including a vertical position where a saw blade is positioned substantially vertically relative to the base, and leftward and rightward pivoted positions where the saw blade is inclined laterally leftwardly and laterally rightwardly from the vertical position by a predetermined angle, respectively. The position determining mechanism includes movable side stopper members and fixed side stopper members on which the movable side stopper members abut, respectively. The movable side stopper members are mounted on a movable member which pivots laterally with the miter saw unit. The fixed side stopper members are mounted on a fixed member which is non-laterally pivotally movably mounted on the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Makita Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Mitsuyoshi Niinomi, Yoshinori Shibata
  • Patent number: 5839340
    Abstract: A machine for cutting a tube having a frame encompassing the tube on which supports are conducted and moveable in two vertically stacked axial directions on a plane running at a right angle to the tube longitudinal axis. At least two supports are driven exclusively in a single axial direction during the cutting process. A cutting head is mounted on each support, each cutting head having a disk milling cutter attached thereto. The disk milling cutters, which are rotary driven on a common cutting plane, simultaneously cut through the tube as the result of controlled movement of the supports in their axial directions. The disk milling cutters, moving in the same direction relative to the circumference of the tube, i.e. clockwise or counter-clockwise, simultaneously cut a section of the wall cross-sectional area of the tube. The machine also has clamping devices arranged in the vicinity of the disk milling cutters to secure the tube in place during the cutting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Karl-Josef Esser
  • Patent number: 5839634
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improved blades for severing sheet materials such as polymeric sheets, metallic foils, and other sheet materials, particularly those suitable for use in the containment and protection of various items including perishable materials. The present invention provides an improved blade for severing sheet materials wherein design parameters for the design of the blade teeth have been tailored for improved severing performance. The blade comprises a blade body and a plurality of individual teeth extending outwardly from the blade body. The teeth each have a finite tooth radius and at least one tooth parameter selected from the group of optimized tooth parameters consisting of a tooth radius less than about 0.005 inches, a tooth pitch of less than about 0.050 inches, and a tooth thickness of less than about 0.006 inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Co.
    Inventors: Ricky Alan Pollard, Randy Allen Eyre, Charles John Berg, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5836227
    Abstract: A head suitable for use on any weed cutter, regardless of whether it has a left-hand or right-hand threaded shaft. The head includes, in order from top to bottom, an arbor enclosing an elongated hexagonal nut with internal threads to engage the shaft of a weed cutter, a line holding plate, two cutting lines, a tension plate, a tightening knob and a bolt held by the knob and threaded into the hexagonal nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Inventors: John M. Dees, Jr., Earl O. Highsmith
  • Patent number: 5836226
    Abstract: A progressively feeding and machining apparatus has a die for placing a sheet material thereon, the die having a machining pattern for machining the sheet material, an upper punch base or a machining head movable toward and away from the die and having a plurality of punches for machining the sheet material in coaction with the die in a predetermined number of machining cycles according to the machining pattern, a feed mechanism for moving the die, with the sheet material placed thereon, and the punches relatively to each other to align a machining position on the sheet material with the punches each time the sheet material is machined by the die and the punches, a suction chamber communicating with the machining pattern, and a closure mechanism for isolating a machined region of the machining pattern from the suction chamber to maintain the suction chamber under a vacuum when the suction chamber is evacuated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tsuji, Kazumasa Kitamura, Motoo Noritake
  • Patent number: 5832799
    Abstract: A device is provided for trimming an edge of printed products which are fed continuously at regular distances to a conveying arrangement. The conveying arrangement includes circulating, pocket-like conveying units that are loaded from above with printed products. The edges of the printed products project at the conveying units so that the edges extend through a cutting arrangement laterally disposed at the conveying arrangement and including a blade. A support arrangement includes a shoulder disposed on a rear side of the printed product relative to the blade. The support arrangement is set back from the projecting edge of the printed product and is disposed opposite the blade during the cutting process. The support arrangement is movable into position at least approximately over a length of a cut by the blade and is driven in the same direction and at the same cadence as the printed products that are fed to the cutting arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Grapha-Holding AG
    Inventors: Ernst Luthi, Kurt Heutschi
  • Patent number: 5832800
    Abstract: A cutter for manually cutting club sandwiches into four wedge or triangular sections. The cutter has a flat base and a cutting blade assembly mounted to the base. The cutting blade assembly comprises four blades arranged in cruciform pattern, a handle, and a shaft connecting the blades to the handle. A cover guard preventing direct contact with the blades from above is slidably mounted on the shaft, and urged into proximity with the blades by a spring. The cover guard has holes enabling decorative toothpicks to be inserted into the center of each section of a cut sandwich. A guide constrains the cutting blade assembly to move only vertically and reciprocatably relative to the base, and prevents rotation about the longitudinal axis of the shaft. A resilient member holds the cutting blade assembly in an elevated "ready" position above the base. Stops are selectively mounted on the base to enable centering sandwiches made from different standard bread loaf dimensions on the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Inventor: Terence Donoghue
  • Patent number: 5833104
    Abstract: A ticket dispensing device having a braking system for preventing unauthorized removal of tickets. A drive roller advancing the ticket strip through the device is connected to a brake wheel. Pulling on the ticket moves the brake wheel into a braking member to impede the rotation of the drive roller, and thereby prevent removal of tickets. The ticket dispensing device also includes a face plate which can be easily and quickly removed to eliminate ticket jams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Stephen Horniak
    Inventors: Stephen Horniak, John Wingeron, Jr., John Colin Horniak
  • Patent number: 5832611
    Abstract: A hand-held reciprocating power tool, such as a reciprocating saw, wherein the angle of the reciprocation motion axis with reference to the longitudinal axis of the power tool motor housing is adjustable. Within a motor housing there is a motor driving a motor shaft which rotates on a motor shaft axis generally along the longitudinal axis. A nosepiece includes a nosepiece base portion fixed to the motor housing, and a nosepiece movable portion rotably mounted to the nosepiece base portion. The nosepiece moveable portion can be positionally adjusted relative to the nosepiece base portion over an angle of at least 180.degree. by rotation on a nosepiece axis which is perpendicular to the motor shaft axis. A reciprocating element is supported by the nosepiece moveable portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Inventor: Jeffrey F. Schmitz
  • Patent number: 5832798
    Abstract: The punch unit comprises a punch driver connected with a punch which on its back end has a base. Furthermore, safeguarding members which keep the punch and the punch driver free of relative rotation during the stroke of the punch, and a pre-loaded compression spring which during the stroke of the punch can be compressed between the base and a guide bushing receiving the punch so that it cannot be rotated, but is axially displaceable, are part of it. To obtain a simpler and quicker assembly and disassembly of the punch it is provided that the pressure spring is maintained under pre-load in the guide bushing which is embodied as one or several pieces. A catch releasably supported on the rear end of the guide bushing and releasably engaging a recess, open toward the back, in the circumferential surface of the punch driver head prevents the punch driver head from jumping toward the back out of the guide bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Mate Precision Tooling Inc.
    Inventors: Albrecht Schneider, Gary E. Johnson, Gerd Simon
  • Patent number: 5829142
    Abstract: A motorized tool allows one or more operations to be performed on a workpiece, such as cutting and/or conditioning a surface of a pipe or a pipe fitting or receptacle. The motorized tool includes a cutter and/or one or more rotatably driven accessories, such as workpiece surface conditioners or brushes. The motorized tool further includes a drive mechanism used to rotate the workpiece against the cutter and to rotate the rotatably driven accessories. In one example, the drive mechanism rotates drive rollers that contact a workpiece and rotates the workpiece against a cutting element or edge of the cutter. In another example, the motorized tool includes an internal workpiece surface conditioner and an external workpiece surface conditioner that are also rotated by the drive mechanism to clean, debur or otherwise condition internal and external workpiece surfaces. The motorized tool can be hand-held or hand-operated and includes opposing pivotable members having handle portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Inventor: Timothy John Rieser
  • Patent number: 5829659
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for curved-angle cleaving of optical fibers is presented. The method requires the introduction of a flaw in an optical fiber to be cleaved, and the application of predetermined stress and strain to the optical fiber in the vicinity of the flaw to cause curved-angle cleaving of the optical fiber at the flaw. More particularly, one embodiment of the method requires fixing first and second portions of the optical fiber, for example, by clamping, and introducing a flaw into the optical fiber between the first and second portions. Then, a substantially concentrated force is applied to the optical fiber between the flaw and the first portion of the optical fiber, on a side of the optical fiber opposite the flaw, in order to cause the optical fiber to cleave with a curved-angle cleave. Another embodiment of the method applies a substantially concentrated force to the fiber before introduction of the flaw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Charles M. Mansfield, Gordon Wiegand
  • Patent number: 5829334
    Abstract: A hand-operated punch with adjustable assembly punch units and a slipper to receive punched out discs in which the assembly units are adjustable from the bottom through an opening in the slipper. The punch includes a strengthening flap configuration and the assembly units slide but do not turn during adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Acco Brands, Inc.
    Inventors: Alfred J. Evans, Balaji Kandasamy
  • Patent number: 5826481
    Abstract: A knife assembly for a veneer cutting apparatus, which includes at least two cutting blades mounted on a shaft. The cutting blades are independently rotatable to permit cutting of the veneer across its entire length or across a portion thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Inventor: Kari Sintonen
  • Patent number: 5826480
    Abstract: A cassette (10) includes a sliding knife (52) having a slot (70) which slides past a driven pinion (72). Slot (70) includes a curved trailing edge (76) with a latch tooth (74) which engages and prevents rotation of the driven pinion when the knife has cut a web material extended from an exit slit (42) of the cassette and then closed the exit slit. Openings (86, 88) in a knife cover (56) permit external access to the knife and driven pinion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Jeffrey Charles Robertson
  • Patent number: 5826772
    Abstract: A system for breaking large sheets of brittle material such as glass into smaller sheets, in which at least one laser is moved across a sheet of brittle material having two major surfaces to form two vent cracks in the sheet, a first vent crack in a first path on one side of the sheet and a second vent crack in a second path on the other side of the sheet. The sheet is broken into smaller sheets by applying a bending moment under the vent cracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: James A. Ariglio, Harry Menegus
  • Patent number: 5826472
    Abstract: A wire processing apparatus is provided with a prefeeder 120, a feeding unit 12 and an accumulator 110 therebetween. A detector is provided to determine if there is a cause for stopping the prefeeder 120. In response to such a detected cause, a controller stops the prefeeder 120 while simultaneously permitting the feeding unit 12 to draw a wire from the accumulator to permit continued operation of the wire processing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Tamura, Yoshinori Yamashita
  • Patent number: 5826478
    Abstract: A nozzle for supplying a liquid to a rotating tool of a cutter has a nozzle body and a hose connector connected to the nozzle body for supplying a liquid to the nozzle. The nozzle body has a fastening portion for mounting the nozzle body in a receiving openining of a protective cover wall. A radially expandable clamping member is positioned on the fastening portion for engaging the receiving opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Andreas Stihl AG & Co.
    Inventor: Gerhard Zerrer
  • Patent number: 5826473
    Abstract: A continuous strand of wire is laid in a wire groove or between pairs of guides on a substrate and is cut at desired locations to form individual circuits. At least one recess below the level of the wire laying plane is positioned to correspond to a scrap wire portion to be cut off. The recess is wide enough to allow insertion of cutters. The cutters include pairs of first and second cutting blades located at opposite sides of the wire which are moved toward the wire so that both ends of the scrap wire portion are cut by the first cutting blades and by the second cutting blades, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuji Saka, Nori Inoue, Takahiro Onizuka, Yoshito Oka, Hideo Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 5823086
    Abstract: An improved system for cutting a quilting piece from fabric, which quilting piece has a constant width sewing expanse around the exposed area of the quilting piece for sewing quilting pieces together. The system includes a template conforming to the shape of the exposed area of the quilting piece and a cutter guide having a rail positioned along one edge of the cutter guide. The width of the rail is selected to correspond to the desired sewing expanse. The template is first positioned on the fabric to be cut and a cutter guide is positioned on top of the template with the inner guide edge of the rail positioned in abutting relation with an edge of the template. The fabric is then cut with a cutter along an outside cutting edge of the rail of the cutter guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Inventor: Carolyn D. McCormick