Patents Examined by Michael A. Goodwin
  • Patent number: 10865529
    Abstract: A milling machine includes a primary drum drive assembly for its milling drum, and a ground-engaging drive assembly for driving the milling machine along a roadway. A lifting column is attached between the frame and the ground-engaging drive assembly. The lifting column includes a linear actuator which can raise and lower the frame of the machine with respect to the roadway. A sensor mounted to the lifting column is adapted to determine if the lifting column is not supporting at least a predetermined portion of the weight of the milling machine. A controller is operatively attached to the drive assemblies and to the sensor, and is adapted to receive from the sensor a signal indicating that the lifting column is not supporting the predetermined portion of the weight of the milling machine. Upon receipt of such signal, the controller will automatically control certain machine functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Roadtec, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Avans, James H. Bevill, David Swearingen
  • Patent number: 10830042
    Abstract: A cutter bit assembly for use in underground mining, road grading, and the like includes a water spray assembly having a water nozzle in a first chamber that discharges a water spray through an air gap and into the open end of a second chamber facing the air gap. Air is drawn into the water spray entering the second chamber from the air gap to produce a finer spray that is discharged from a second open end of the second chamber. The water spray helps clear the second chamber of any dirt or debris drawn by the air into the second chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Minnovation Limited
    Inventor: George Albert Parrott
  • Patent number: 10822754
    Abstract: An earth working machine (10), having a propelling unit (22) and a machine frame (12) carried by the propelling unit (22), comprises a working apparatus (32) for earth working; an operator's platform (24), having an operating console (26) comprising a console body (52) and an operating panel (54, 66) that is movable relative to the console body (52) and has at least one operating element (58) associated or associatable with a functional device (32, 39) for control thereof. The operating panel (54, 66) is displaceable into a stowed position in which the at least one operating element (58) is covered by a portion (56a, 72a) of the console body (52.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH
    Inventors: Cyrus Barimani, Christian Berning, Stephan Drumm
  • Patent number: 10815626
    Abstract: An earth working machine (10), for example a road milling machine (10), recycler, stabilizer, or surface miner, having a propelling unit (22) and a machine frame (12) carried by the propelling unit (22), comprises a working apparatus (32) for earth working. Provision is made that the earth working machine (10) comprises, on an underside (12a) of the machine frame (12) facing toward the supporting substrate of the machine (10), a maintenance door (52) that is movable between a raised operational readiness position and a lowered maintenance position and that comprises, on its inner side (52a) that faces away from the supporting substrate (U) in the operational readiness position, at least one functional configuration (56, 58) that assists a maintenance operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Berning, Tobias Stinner, Hardy Wilhelmi, Cyrus Barimani
  • Patent number: 10808532
    Abstract: Provided is a tunnel boring machine that can detect a wear condition of a disc cutter with a highly reliable configuration. The tunnel boring machine includes a measurement device. The measurement device is disposed behind the disc cutter mounted on a cutter head. The measurement device has a function as an acquisition unit that acquires cutting edge position data indicating a position of a cutting edge part of a cutter ring in the disc cutter. The tunnel boring machine further includes a DC discrimination unit that discriminates which one of a plurality of disc cutters is the disc cutter the cutting edge position data of which is acquired by the measurement device and a wear amount calculator that calculates a wear amount of the cutting edge part of the discriminated disc cutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Kazunari Kawai, Shinichi Terada, Eiichi Morioka
  • Patent number: 10794018
    Abstract: A milling assembly for a cold planer including a frame and an actuator assembly having a plurality of movable locking rods for mounting the milling assembly to the frame is disclosed. The milling assembly comprises a drum housing, and a plurality of mounting units fixed to the drum housing for mounting the milling assembly to the frame. The mounting units include a plurality of mounting holes configured to receive a respective end portion of one of the plurality of movable locking rods. In another embodiment, a milling assembly including an actuator assembly with movable locking rods is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Colton Hirman, Lucian Husar, Nathan L. Mashek, Jason Robert Bjorge
  • Patent number: 10794181
    Abstract: An improved diamond coated tip on a bit/holder for road milling operations has a broadened tip base that provides cutting overlap with adjacent bit/holders resulting in a micro milling type surface when utilizing a regular ? inch center-to-center drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: The Sollami Company
    Inventor: Phillip Sollami
  • Patent number: 10787775
    Abstract: A milling machine for milling a surface of a roadway includes a frame and a milling assembly having a cutter drum that is mounted for rotation with respect to the frame. The cutter drum has a drive shaft on which a sheave is mounted. A primary drum drive assembly is adapted to rotate the cutter drum with respect to the frame. The primary drum drive assembly includes a drive belt that cooperates with the sheave on an input drive shaft for the cutter drum to rotate the cutter drum. A belt lift assembly may be operated to selectively disengage the drive belt from the sheave of the input drive shaft for the cutter drum, so that an auxiliary drum drive assembly comprising an auxiliary drive motor may be operated to rotate the cutter drum independently of the primary drum drive assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Roadtec, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Avans, James H. Bevill
  • Patent number: 10787905
    Abstract: The present invention belongs to the technical field of milling machines, and mainly relates to a novel cutter holder and base system for a milling machine. The cutter holder and base system according to the present invention aims to solve the problems in the prior art that a cutter holder structure is unreasonable, the cutting force of a cutter cannot be well dispersed in the cutter holder and a base, so that the service lives of the cutter holder and the base are shortened. The base is provided with a hole-shaped inner area and two curved surface areas, where the two curved surface areas are disposed in a circumferential area of the hole-shaped inner area, the curved surface areas are arranged at an angle, and each curved surface area includes two curved surfaces. The cutter holder improves its own usage performance while a lighter weight is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: KAITO SUZHOU CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiang Miao, Pengcheng Qin
  • Patent number: 10781563
    Abstract: A hydrodemolition rig for an inclined surface comprises a frame, a carriage, and a plurality of wheel assemblies. The wheel assemblies are spaced from one another about the frame, with at least two of the wheel assemblies comprising a wheel and a hydraulic assembly for selectively adjusting the spacing between the wheel and the frame. The carriage is configured to reciprocate within the frame and to carry one or more nozzles for delivering water for hydrodemolition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Mac & Mac Hydrodemolition Inc.
    Inventors: Gerard J. MacNeil, Jesse MacNeil, Brett MacNeil, Gordon MacNeil, Vernon Bose
  • Patent number: 10774644
    Abstract: A system for forming a cavity in a backfill mixture comprising granular material and water positioned in an at least partially excavated stope. The system includes a base and a drainage tube assembly in an extended condition thereof. The drainage tube assembly extends between a lower end secured to the base and an upper end positioned above an upper surface of the backfill mixture. The extended drainage tube assembly includes a tube portion thereof with a permeable material and defining the cavity therein into which the water from the backfill mixture is drainable, through the permeable material. The system also includes a drainage pipe, for permitting the water that has drained into the cavity of the extended drainage tube assembly to exit the stope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Sturda Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Lamond
  • Patent number: 10767479
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for plasma blasting pavement comprises an apparatus having a set of diamond cutting tools for creating a boreholes, a diamond saw, and a set of blast probes comprising a high voltage electrode and a ground electrode separated by a dielectric separator, wherein the high voltage electrode and the dielectric separator constitute an adjustable probe tip, and an adjustment unit coupled to the adjustable probe tip, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to selectively extend or retract the adjustable probe tip relative to the ground electrode and a blasting media, wherein at least a portion of the high voltage electrode and the ground electrode are submerged in the blast media. The apparatus saws the pavement at the parameter of the area to be removed, drills holes in the pavement, and inserts blast probes in the holes. The plasma blast breaks up the pavement in between the saw cuts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Petram Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank A. Magnotti, Igor S. Alexandrov
  • Patent number: 10760419
    Abstract: According to embodiments described in the specification, an exemplary method is disclosed for hydraulically hoisting potash (or other evaporite ore) ‘fines’ material from an underground mine. The method includes mining an ore deposit using a boring machine to generate Run-of-Mine (ROM) material at a mine face, conveying the generated ROM material to an underground ore screening plant, screening the ROM material relative to a threshold size wherein the threshold size is a feed size of one or more flotation cells at a surface processing plant, mixing ‘fines’ material, comprising ROM material that is below the threshold size, with a saturated brine to create a slurry mixture wherein the saturated brine prevents the ‘fines’ material from dissolving into the slurry mixture, and pumping the slurry mixture to a surface location via one of a shaft and a borehole to the surface product separation plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Stantec Consulting Ltd.
    Inventors: Eric C. Dudson, Richard J. Saccany
  • Patent number: 10745869
    Abstract: The invention relates to a self-propelled construction machine, comprising a machine frame supported by a chassis having wheels or crawler tracks. The basic principle of the invention involves determining a variable ? which is characteristic of the milling profile on the basis of a functional relationship between the variable which is characteristic of the milling profile and the advance speed v and/or milling drum rotational speed n. The variable ? which is characteristic of the milling profile is a correction variable for adjusting the height of the milling drum with respect to the surface of the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Berning, Rene′ Müller, Sebastian Hofrath, Cyrus Barimani
  • Patent number: 10746020
    Abstract: A vertical lifting type drum coal-mining machine without a rocker arm includes a central control box, left and right cutting and lifting reduction gear boxes, left and right guide rail fixing box bodies, left and right traction reduction gear boxes, and left and right traveling gear boxes. The left and right cutting and lifting reduction gear boxes are provided with slideways in fit with lifting guide rails of the left and right guide rail fixing box bodies. Lifting cylinders drive the left and right cutting and lifting reduction gear boxes to make lifting motion. A cutting gear reduction mechanism adopts two-stage fixed-axle gear transmission and two-stage planetary gear transmission, is free from multiple idler pulley groups and has simple transmission chain. The fit between the lifting guide rails and the slideways enables the entire machine to be compact in structure, and the reliability and stability of operation are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Inventor: Yimin Zhang
  • Patent number: 10738612
    Abstract: A submarine shallow hydrate exploitation device, including an exploitation unit and a collection unit. The exploitation unit includes: a submarine ship working on a seabed; a drain chamber arranged on the submarine ship, wherein a pressure valve is arranged at a top of the drain chamber, one-way drain holes are formed in a bottom of the drain chamber, and water from massive hydrates is controlled to be discharged out of the drain chamber; a high-speed spiral bit configured to mine and convey sediments; a rotary ring arranged at an inlet end of the drain chamber and configured to connect the drain chamber with the high-speed spiral bit to provide rotation power for the high-speed spiral bit; a steering arm arranged on the submarine ship and configured to realize a rotation of the high-speed spiral bit; a crusher arranged on the submarine ship and configured to crush dried massive hydrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: QINGDAO INSTITUTE OF MARINE GEOLOGY
    Inventors: Nengyou Wu, Gaowei Hu, Changling Liu
  • Patent number: 10731304
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a ground milling machine, in particular a road milling machine, for removing ground material, comprising a machine frame having a chassis, a milling drum supported on a machine frame, and a transport device having at least one conveyor belt, which is configured for conveying removed ground material in a conveying direction away from the milling drum to a discharge point, as well as to a method for operating a ground milling machine. One aspect of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic precipitator, which reduces the dust pollution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: BOMAG GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Laux, Rafael Schomaker, Joachim Ponstein, Matthias Schaaf, Bernd Lubischer
  • Patent number: 10724188
    Abstract: An earth working machine includes a drive configuration and a working apparatus releasably connected together by a bolt component. A bolting moment bracing arrangement is connected or connectable in bolting moment-transferring fashion to the bolt component, and includes a bracing region that is embodied for bolting moment-bracing abutment in a bracing bolting direction against a counterpart bracing region, the drive configuration being embodied to be driven to rotate, in a rotation direction codirectional with the bracing bolting direction, while the bracing region is in abutment against the counterpart bracing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Berning, Karsten Buhr, Markus Frankemölle, Thomas Lehnert, Andreas Salz, Hardy Wilhelmi
  • Patent number: 10724369
    Abstract: An improved pick and pick holder assembly for use in mineral winning and the like. The improved pick and pick holder increases the effective life of a tool and pick holder by minimizing the shifting of the pick within the pick holder. The movement of the pick is minimized by front and rear bearing surfaces that remain positively engaged with front and rear bearing surfaces of the pick holder for loads applied to the pick that are predominantly inward and predominantly rearward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: ESCO GROUP LLC
    Inventors: Roberto de Jesus Torres Delgado, William Stephen Clapham
  • Patent number: 10697244
    Abstract: A method of drilling vertical and horizontal pathways to mine for solid natural resources involves a drill bit, at least one reamer, a first plugging material, and a second plugging material; drilling a testing wellbore to a specific vertical depth with the drill bit and identifying at least one desired mining section wherein the desired mining section is associated with a corresponding vertical depth; creating a new bottom end for the testing wellbore by filling the testing wellbore up to an offset distance with the first plugging material; drilling a horizontal access hole from the new bottom end into the desired mining section with the drill bit and enlarging it with a reamer; excavating cuttings from the desired mining section through the horizontal access hole; filling the horizontal access hole with the second plugging material; and repeating the drilling, enlarging, and filling process to create a plurality of lateral holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Inventor: Jimmy Lynn Davis