Patents Examined by Michael Knick
  • Patent number: 4492000
    Abstract: A horizontal mount is provided having opposite side portions and central structure for attaching the lower end of an elongated upstanding support member thereto disposed generally normal to a plane extending between and along the mount opposite side portions. A pair of depending arms are provided and pivot structure pivotally supports the upper end portions of the support arms from corresponding opposite side portions of the mount for independent swinging of the arms about generally parallel axes extending along the mount opposite side portions between extended downwardly and outwardly divergent positons and retracted generally parallel positions disposed generally normal to the aforementioned plane. The free end portions of the arms have fluted rollers journaled therefrom for rotation about axes generally paralleling the first mentioned axes and spring structure is operatively connected between the arms independent of the mount yieldingly biasing the arms toward the extended positions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1985
    Inventor: Kermit J. Skogen
  • Patent number: 4491067
    Abstract: A bark press including a frame and supporting rollers rotatably carried on the frame. These rollers support a rotatable dewatering drum, within which is eccentrically located a press roll, the outside surface of this press roll and the inner surface of the dewatering drum defining a press gap therebetween. The outside surface of the dewatering drum carries at least one ratchet circle with which at least one pressure cylinder cooperates. One end of this pressure cylinder is supported by the frame of the press and the opposite end rotating the dewatering drum step by step through the ratchet circle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1985
    Assignee: Enso-Gutzeit Oy
    Inventors: Ossi Kipelainen, Antti Kuhasalo, Juhani Kyytsonen
  • Patent number: 4490045
    Abstract: The invention relates to a concrete mixer, in particular a free-fall mixer, in which the components of the concrete, in particular initially without water, can be intermixed by mixing elements by means of the rotation of a drum, wherein a vibrator is provided.The object of the invention is to make the mixing process easier and to save energy. This object is attained in that a vibrator which is switched on during the mixing process in order to reinforce it is disposed in the drum in the vicinity of the material to be mixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1984
    Assignee: Ingrid Hudelmaier
    Inventor: Gerhard Hudelmaier
  • Patent number: 4490046
    Abstract: An automatic dough-producing system including a controllable mixing stage into which are fed flour and a dough-forming solution to produce a paste which is then supplied to a development stage yielding dough. In the development stage, the incoming paste is fed through a lateral inlet to a screw rotating within an elongated tube at a variable speed, the inlet position being adjustable along the screw to vary the length of that portion of the screw which acts to knead and develop the paste to produce the dough, this adjustment being independent of the mixing stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1984
    Inventor: Raul Guibert
  • Patent number: 4485519
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for ozone cleaning of surfaces on carpets, furniture, drapery and the like. The system comprises an ozone producing unit and a portable cleaning unit having a cleaning head. The ozone produced in the system is directed past the cleaning head onto the surface to be cleaned while the cleaning head is in operation for maximizing the cleaning effects of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1984
    Assignee: Carpet Clinic Ltd.
    Inventor: David S. Collier
  • Patent number: 4484371
    Abstract: A floor-sweeping machine consisting of a housing with a revolving brush which is mounted rotatably therein and is driven by means of running wheels and which is located between two dirt-collecting spaces, the two dirt-collecting spaces being formed by dirt-collecting containers which can be taken out of the housing upwards, and the dirt-collecting container having a resilient locking device which secures it in its operating position and which can be transferred by hand into its release position, and in which, to make it substantially easier to operate and especially to take out and empty the dirt-collecting containers, the two dirt-collecting containers 24, 25 are connected to one another and have a common top side 27 in which, approximately centrally, there is a part 35 which is to be grasped by the operator and is to be moved to a limited extent in the lifting-out direction and which, when moved in the lifting-out direction, transfers the resilient locking device 36 into the release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1984
    Assignee: ITT Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Dieter Patzold, Alfons Schreiber, Peter Tiwi
  • Patent number: 4483623
    Abstract: An improved magnetic stirring apparatus capable of suspending solids in a liquid medium comprising: a vessel for containing fluids and solids, having walls, a bottom, and an opening; a stirrer having a magnetic impeller and a shaft, a means for rotating the magnetic impeller; and a closure; wherein the improvement is characterized by:(a) the shaft having;(i) an upper portion; and(ii) a narrower lower portion; an upper bearing surface being formed where the lower portion extends outwardly to the upper portion;(b) an elongated shaft support member which(i) is attached to the closure; and(ii) has an aperture dimensioned and configured to receive the lower shaft portion and allow free rotation, opposed aperture margins forming a lower bearing surface; and(c) a sling bearing formed by the upper bearing surface engaging the lower bearing surface in the direction of the vessel bottom, thereby suspending the stirrer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1984
    Assignee: Corning Glass Works
    Inventors: David L. Eaton, William P. Vann
  • Patent number: 4480924
    Abstract: To stir up and mix the substances held inside a retort, a blade is used, of a shape corresponding to that of the retort itself. Inside the blade there is a conduit, connected to outer devices for the admission of gas, and provided with a series of apertures, directed towards the inner part of the retort, for the discharge of the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1984
    Inventor: Stefano Preda
  • Patent number: 4479421
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a coffee-brew percolator. The percolator comprises an outer vessel, a bottomless boiler slidably and removably arranged in the vessel, and one or more filters designed to confine in the vessel a space above the boiler for accommodating coffee powder. The boiler has one or more calibrated openings or holes through which steam or vapor can be discharged in use. The boiler is free to slightly move towards and away from the space containing coffee powder so that the latter is packed and amounts of water calibrated in accordance with the pressure level in the boiler are released from the bottom of the boiler towards the coffee powder in the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1984
    Inventor: Salvatore Sanvitale
  • Patent number: 4478519
    Abstract: An automatic paste-producing apparatus which includes a vertical assembly constituted by a tubular chamber whose upper end communicates with a metering tube of enlarged diameter to which flour or other powder is supplied. Coaxially mounted within the assembly is a rotating shaft having a main screw section of uniform diameter operating within the chamber and a conical screw section operating within the metering tube. Slidable within the metering tube is a ring which surrounds the conical screw section to define an annular valve orifice, the ring being axially shiftable to set the size of the orifice. The flour admitted into the chamber by the metering tube is hurled by the main screw section against the inner wall of the chamber to create a thin powder film thereon which is then intermixed with a liquid to form a paste, air being drawn from the chamber through the main screw section to control the entrainment of air within the paste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1984
    Inventor: Raul Guibert
  • Patent number: 4477227
    Abstract: A turbine rotor structure is disclosed in which shrink-fitted turbine wheels are keyed to the turbine shaft to prevent rotation of the wheels with respect to the shaft in the event of any loosening of the shrink fit. In a preferred arrangement, the rotatable shaft of the turbine is provided with an integral flange, near one end, having two diametrically opposed, notched keyways formed at peripheral locations thereon. Each wheel of the set of wheels used to carry the turbine buckets includes an integral, central hub which extends axially to both sides of the wheel. Further, each hub has pairs of complementary keys and keyways whose members are axially opposite each other at peripheral locations on the wheel hubs. Thus, the key of the first wheel on the shaft mates with the keyway of the integral flange of the shaft and subsequently added wheels mate with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Oleg Klufas
  • Patent number: 4476686
    Abstract: A product such as ground meat is efficiently chilled in a blender device having an open top. Liquid carbon dioxide is introduced into the blender at a location below the surface of the product to thereby form solid and gaseous CO.sub.2. Mixing elements such as a ribbon screw or the like are operated to pass the product in a countercurrent relation to the carbon dioxide introduced into the blender thereby chilling the product and causing the resulting CO.sub.2 gas to rise along one wall of the blender. Deflector means are provided along such wall to direct the rising vapor toward an exhaust plenum located above the open top of the blender.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: The BOC Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott T. Madsen, Ralph E. Johanson
  • Patent number: 4473299
    Abstract: A system for producing gluten continuously at a rapid rate, the system including a vertical tube having an inlet at its upper end to receive a flour paste, the lower end of the tube being perforated to define a separation zone surrounded by a water jacket. A rotating shaft coaxially disposed in the tube acts to drive a conveyor screw within the separation zone, the screw having nozzles therein to eject water toward the inner wall of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 25, 1984
    Inventor: Raul Guibert
  • Patent number: 4472980
    Abstract: This invention pertains to unidirectional vibration apparatus using resilient shock absorber mounting means to change multidirectional vibration into unidirectional vibration forces. Two embodiments are directed to a motor means, usually electric, which drive one or more eccentric weights at the desired speed. In each embodiment the motor is carried by a ring mounted and secured to a resilient disk. One or more weights are carried on a shaft in axial alignment with the motor shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 25, 1984
    Inventor: Theodore S. Wadensten
  • Patent number: 4468125
    Abstract: In such batchwise production of a paving mix of mineral particles and bituminous binder, in which a coarse-grained portion of the mineral aggregate batch is first introduced in measured quantity into a container and then discharged through a discharge opening in the container, controlled by a discharge door into an asphalt mixer where the coarse-grained portion of the mineral aggregate batch is mixed with a batch of binder, whereupon the remaining, fine-grained portion of the mineral aggregate batch is introduced in measured quantity into the container and then discharged through the discharge opening into the mixer the time needed to discharge the fine-grained portion of the mineral material batch is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Inventor: Karl G. Ohlson
  • Patent number: 4468126
    Abstract: Screw feeder or Archimedian screw for pasty materials, such as soap, wherein the winding angle of the screw ranges between 15.degree. and 25.degree., and the screw height, diameter and thrust length depend on the section of bar extrusion and/or free passage area of the refining holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Assignee: Costruzioni Meccaniche G. Mazzoni S.p.A
    Inventor: Guido Mazzoni
  • Patent number: 4467533
    Abstract: The device comprises a tubular container having a closed end and an opening at the opposite end. The roller is inserted in the container by way of this opening. The container has internally spacer elements capable of receiving the roller in a position spaced from the inner surface of the tubular wall of the container and rendering the container connected to the roller for rotation with the latter. There is at least one outer cylindrical rolling surface on the container. For removing liquid from the roller, the latter is placed in the container and the assembly comprising the container and the roller is rapidly rolled on a surface so that the mixture of water and paint is ejected from the roller by centrifugal force and received in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Inventor: Michel Sica
  • Patent number: 4464163
    Abstract: A centrifuge rotor includes a dynamically balanced casing assembly having upper and lower parts that define a hollow bowl with a continuous peripheral gap between such casing parts. The casing parts are held in position by a series of bolt assemblies which maintain the axial spacing. Each bolt assembly has a pair of portions respectively, rigidly secured to the casing parts, such bolt assembly portions having concentric interfitting surfaces, with a screw extending through one of said bolt assembly portions into the other. The concentric interfitting surfaces preferably include a step whereby precise location of the casing parts with respect to each other is achieved, even upon reassembly, thereby facilitating disassembly and reassembly as well as assuring maintenance of dynamic balance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1984
    Assignee: Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Heckmann, Karl Koslowski
  • Patent number: 4461579
    Abstract: A motionless mixer combination is provided comprising modules made up of basic mixer components formed from flat stock and having an isosceles triangular base plate and a pair of vanes connected at equal and opposite angles to the legs of the triangle of the base plate. Modules are made up of combinations of the basic mixer components to provide equal and oppositely directed helical flow paths with the fluid flowing substantially longitudinally of the line of all included angles and transverse to the line of all reflex angles. The modules are also provided with means for subjecting the fluid to a strong mixing action by intersecting fluid streams along a transverse line in the vicinity of where the fluid flows into a downstream module from an adjacent upstream module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1984
    Assignee: Statiflo, Inc.
    Inventor: Henry McCallum
  • Patent number: 4457227
    Abstract: An extraction device for separating liquid from a liquid-solid mixture such as sludge or beet slices comprising a screw rotatably driveable in a barrel. The screw has a helical flight formed thereon defining a screw thread. The depth of the thread, in the axial direction of the screw, decreases in a direction opposite to the direction of conveyance of the material.A secondary helical flight formed on the screw defines a second thread for conveying extracted liquid in a direction to the direction of conveyance of the mixture. The two threads are adjacent one another. The second thread is closed at each of its ends, upstream, in the direction of conveyance of the mixture, of an outlet in the barrel for the solid components and downstream of an inlet for the mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: Hermann Berstorff Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Klaus Koch