Patents Examined by Michael P. Gilday
  • Patent number: 4605103
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multi-disc brake comprising a stationary rotary disc (1) and a movable rotary disc (2) which is mounted on a splined sleeve (5) sliding on a splined part (3a) of a hub (3) which has an axis (4) and with which the disc (1) is solid. An assembly of friction blocks (6 to 9) can interact with the discs (1, 2) under the action of a hydraulic jack (13). These blocks occupy a limited angular sector over the periphery of the discs. The splines (23, 25) of the hub and of the sleeve have shaped flanks. A ring (30) for guiding the sleeve (5) radially relative to the hub (3) is provided at each of its ends, so as to prevent any jamming of the sleeve (5) because of the tendency of the disc (2) to rock under the action of the jack (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1986
    Assignee: Societe Anonyme D.B.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Carre, Ghislain Escarabajal
  • Patent number: 4601461
    Abstract: A lading protection device in the form of a shock absorber for a railway car including a cylinder containing a piston and a body of hydraulic fluid normally captive between the front face of the piston and the closed end of the cylinder. A flow control valve assembly, centered in the piston, mounts an orifice bushing defining a constricted circular orifice. The assembly includes a valve stem slidable in the piston with a spring at its inner end for pressing the stem in a direction to seal the orifice. The piston has a fluid passage extending therethrough and an annular separator piston defines, with the main piston, a receiving space into which the fluid flows upon impact. The space in back of the separator piston is filled with a charge of gas under high pressure so that when the impact has been dissipated the gas pressure acting upon the separator piston restores the fluid to its normal position in readiness for a succeeding impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1986
    Assignee: Keystone Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Steve A. Brough, Mark P. Scott
  • Patent number: 4598799
    Abstract: Multi-disc brake, of the type incorporating at least one first rotary disc firmly fixed to the wheel of the vehicle and a second rotary disc mounted so as to slide on a support component itself firmly fixed to the wheel, the driving in rotation of the second disc by the said support component being effected by the intermediary of complementary splines having a gear tooth profile. To overcome the undersirable effects of the tilting moment exerted on the sliding disc (2) by the thrust of the actuating cylinder (12), the invention is arranged to provide this disc with axial guiding projections (14) engaging in openings of corresponding shape (15) arranged in the other disc (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1986
    Assignee: Societe Anonyme D.B.A.
    Inventor: Alain Thioux
  • Patent number: 4598801
    Abstract: A brake is provided with a wear compensator designed to maintain the stroke of the clamping element constant; the clamping element incorporating an extendable part which is gradually extended as a result of wear of the friction pads of the brake. The extendable part comprises a nut which is extended by rotation of a screw; the screw being driven via a ratchet wheel connected to the control lever by which the brake is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1986
    Assignee: Valeo
    Inventor: Gino Villata
  • Patent number: 4597475
    Abstract: The invention relates to a universally movable suspension member for a direction indicating display system, especially for a gyro system (2), in which a bellows unit (1) is provided between a revolving disk (3) and the gyro system (2). The suspension member is designed as a double-bellows unit including two oppositely folded bellows (5, 6) so that, while a reliable and accurate indication is obtained, the volume of construction is decreased and the manufacturing costs are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1986
    Assignee: Anschutz & Co. GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Lassig, Ulf Bey
  • Patent number: 4596318
    Abstract: A radially resilient caliper pin assembly for slideably mounting a disc brake caliper to a torque member comprises an elastomeric core and two preferably metal shell members bonded to the elastomeric core to form a split-shell case about the elastomeric core. The shell members each provide substantially flat outer surfaces adapted to lie against corresponding surfaces of the caliper pin receiving way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Michael K. Bidol
  • Patent number: 4596383
    Abstract: A mechanical locking device for restraining the piston rod of a gas spring n an extended position comprises a lock tube mounted on the piston rod coaxially with the cylinder and adapted to ride telescopingly over the cylinder during normal inward and outward movement of the piston rod. Apparatus is provided on the piston rod whereby the piston rod can be overextended, beyond its normal fully extended position, to permit the lock tube to move out of coaxial alignment with the cylinder; the end of the lock tube thereby abuts the end face of the cylinder and prevents inward movement of the piston rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Assignee: Gas Spring Company, Division of Fichtel & Sachs Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy L. Howard
  • Patent number: 4596319
    Abstract: A slack adjuster for a cam actuated brake system is disclosed in which the change of angularity of the brake applying push rod relative to the actuating arm during brake application is used for sensing stroke length and effecting adjustment to compensate for brake wear. The adjusting mechanism comprises a pull rod and a gear rack coupled together by a lost motion connection. The lost motion distance corresponds with the normal stroke length of the brake applying push rod when the brake linings have the normal clearance. A pinion meshes with the gear rack and is coupled to an adjusting shaft through a one-way clutch. The adjusting shaft carries a worm which drives a worm gear to reposition the actuating shaft of the brake system to compensate for brake wear. When the brake is applied, any overtravel of the lost motion represents brake wear and the overtravel is memorized by the position of the gear rack. This movement of the gear rack causes the one-way clutch to overrun the shaft and the shaft is not rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Inventor: James C. Cumming
  • Patent number: 4595084
    Abstract: The invention concerns the construction of a blank with a view to manufacturing a handbrake control lever (34) for a drum brake. The blank defines two fingers situated essentially at the extension of the body of the blank, one of the fingers is to be folded back to form a trough (62) to accept a cable, the other finger is to be positioned relative to the trough (62) so as to prevent the cable from escaping from the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1986
    Assignee: Societe Anonyme D.B.A.
    Inventor: Gerard Le Deit
  • Patent number: 4593796
    Abstract: An automatic brake operating device to be used on a motor chain saw provided with a clutch drum around which there is a pretensioned brake band. By use of a spring and a toggle joint the band can be switched between a free position and a braking position. The toggle joint is operated between two corresponding positions by an inertia mass for releasing and a stirrup for resetting. The mass and the stirrup are individually movable and capable of triggering the brake independent of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Emab Electrolux Motor Aktiebolag
    Inventor: George N. Farquhar
  • Patent number: 4592597
    Abstract: Hydraulic vehicle brake comprising a hydraulic accumulator (1), a brake valve adjustment device (4) supplied thereby, and a brake pressure line section (7) to the brake cylinders attached to the latter via an emergency brake valve (6). In the emergency braking position of the emergency brake valve, this connection is broken, and the brake pressure line section is directly connected to the hydraulic accumulator via a nozzle (10) which is bridged by a cylinder (13) in which a piston is sealingly displaceable. A spring (17) biases the piston in the displacement direction to the accumulator side end connection (11) of the cylinder. During emergency braking, the piston (14) first forces an amount of hydraulic medium sufficient for brake application out of the brake cylinder side chamber (16) of the cylinder (13). This is followed by a damped increase in brake pressure through additional supply of hydraulic medium from the hydraulic accumulator (1) through the nozzle (10) into the brake cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hommen, Georg Stauble, Tiberius Wieser
  • Patent number: 4592451
    Abstract: Brake linkage for vehicle friction brakes is actuated by a brake power motor (6) and comprises a vent play regulator (10) having an adjustment element driven by an auxiliary motor (14). At the start of braking, the auxiliary motor (14) is actuated in advance of the brake power motor (6), causing application of the vehicle friction brake through the adjustment element. The brake power motor is then activated and tightly clamps shut the friction brake. The brake linkage is particularly suitable as a brake clamp (5) for disc brakes, the vent play regulator then being integrated into the pull rod (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse GmbH
    Inventor: Erling R. Persson
  • Patent number: 4591027
    Abstract: A band brake assembly for a bicycle includes a brake band having a brake lining and a brake drum to which the brake lining is urged by a brake operating cable in braking. According to the invention, the band brake assembly comprises a wire guide whose front half is in the form of an arc and fixed to an operative end of the brake band and whose rear half extends in a tangential direction of the brake band. An inner wire of the brake operating cable extends rearward along an outer surface of the wire guide and is fixed to a rear end of the wire guide. With this arrangement, the lining, brake band, wire guide and inner wire form a multiple or laminated connection to permit these members to shift slightly with each other when braking, thereby preventing resonance and absorbing or damping vibration caused in braking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1986
    Assignee: Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuzo Takamiya, Yoshitaka Tamura
  • Patent number: 4591136
    Abstract: The disclosed spring mechanism is useful, for example, as a counterbalance or as a spring suspension. The preferred form of mechanism has opposite output parts for connection to the external apparatus. One output part is fixed to two side-by-side torsion-spring columns--two bundles of rods--and the side-by-side opposite ends of the columns bear diametrically opposite cam followers. The second output part is unified with complementary cam tracks for the cam followers of both columns. The spring mechanism has varied characteristics, depending on the shapes of the cam tracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1986
    Inventor: George H. Leonard
  • Patent number: 4591213
    Abstract: There is disclosed herein a braking system for use in safely reducing the speed and stopping movement of vehicles, such as cars or trucks, or airplanes, by minimizing brake failure due to heat build-up and by providing auxiliary braking capacity. The system includes primary and secondary brake sections associated with weight-supporting and braking wheels, temperature sensors for sensing the temperature in each brake section, friction force sensors for sensing frictional forces in each section and pressure sensors for sensing hydraulic or pneumatic pressure. Controls receive the sensed temperature, friction forces and pressures and selectively activate, individually or in combination, the primary and secondary brake sections. The controls include an apparatus for comparing the measured pressure, friction forces and brake temperatures with predetermined values and automatically operating the braking system in response to those comparisons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1986
    Assignee: LandAire DynaBrake, Inc.
    Inventor: Uri Rapoport
  • Patent number: 4588050
    Abstract: Disclosed is a brake shoe assembly (40) for frictionally braking a moveable member such as a wheel of a motor vehicle. Assembly (40) includes a frictional liner (8) that is removeably secured to a support member (2) that is adapted to move liner (8) towards and away from the member to be braked. Liner (8) is removeably secured to member (2) by means of at least one retainer (34) having a base portion (10) in embedded securement in liner (8) from which at least one pair of spaced-apart legs (12) extend towards support member (2) and through corresponding openings (4) therethrough to respective ends (14) thereof that are adapted to facilitate removal of liner (8) for replacement or repair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1986
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: John A. Urban
  • Patent number: 4588172
    Abstract: In order to soften or stiffen the support offered by an elastic sheet, and in particular a vehicle seat back, the device comprises a flat spring (1) which is at each of its ends connected to the sheet (38), and fixed to a case (2, 3) containing an inclined disc (10, 12). Two discs are fixed to a control rod (24) which is mounted in the frame (36) of the seat and, when this rod is rotated, they cause the cases to be pivoted symmetrically, so that the spring is extended and stiffens the sheet or is shortened and renders the seat more soft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1986
    Assignee: Cycles Peugeot
    Inventors: Francois Fourrey, Patrice Ciciliani
  • Patent number: 4586589
    Abstract: An automatic braking gap adjustor system for mechanical type drum brakes, including a cam member for expanding brake shoes by turning of a brake arm, a cam collar axially slidingly fitted into the cam member, the cam collar abutting onto the free ends of shoe webs, an adjusting bolt axially and threadedly inserted through the cam member to move the cam collar, an adjusting gear disposed so as to be rotatable in unison with the adjusting bolt, and a stopper lever engaged with the adjusting gear in such a manner that the gear is kept from turning in the actuation direction of the cam member, whereby, when the abrasion of the linings reaches a predetermined value, the adjusting lever is engaged in another place with the adjusting gear for adjustment, and further a support pin extending parallel to the cam member, to which is attached the stopper lever in such a manner that it is movable in the actuation direction of the cam member, and a spring member whereby the stopper lever is biased in the counter-actuation
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1986
    Assignee: Nisshin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Isao Idesawa
  • Patent number: 4585098
    Abstract: A friction band comprising an arcuate band or strap made of a filament-reinforced plastic material. The plastic material is preferably a thermosetting epoxy which provides a matrix in which are embedded or encapsulated a plurality of long-strand continuous filaments of glass or the like. The band is lined with a friction lining, and is reinforced by a fibrous bleeder cloth between the band and the friction lining. A special fixture applies tension to the band assembly to hold the filaments in tension during the curing of the plastic material forming the matrix of the band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1986
    Assignee: D.A.B. Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald J. Pike
  • Patent number: 4576255
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multi-disc brake comprising a stationary rotary disc (1) and a movable rotary disc (2) which is mounted on a splined sleeve (5) sliding on the hub (3) of axis (14) and with which the disc (1) is solid. An assembly of friction pads (6-9) can interact with the discs (1, 2) under the action of a hydraulic jack (13). To prevent any rattling at the start of each braking operation, elastic blocks (50) are inserted inside housings provided in the system of splines of the sleeve (5) and of the hub (3) and, when expanded, draw the flanks of the splines against one another in working contact during a braking operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Societe Anonyme D.B.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Mery, Jean-Jacques Carre, Alain Thioux