Patents Examined by Monica Carter
  • Patent number: 9573253
    Abstract: A ratchet wrench structure includes a main body provided therein with a ratchet wheel, an actuating member and a restraining block positioned between the ratchet wheel and the actuating member. The restraining member has one side provided with two recessed portions, and the actuating member is provided with a position-limiting groove corresponding with the recessed portion, and an elastic member. When the actuating member is rotated, the elastic member will be actuated to push the recessed portion to have its front edge longitudinally and evenly pressing the recessed portion to enable the elastic member to support the restraining block in its entirety. Further, when the restraining block is stressed by rotation of the ratchet wheel, the restraining block can carry out reciprocating movement because of extension and contraction of the elastic member. Thus, the ratchet wrench structure can be simplified in number of components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Inventor: Chia-Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 9568073
    Abstract: A belt attachment jig includes a jig body (10) located along a side surface of a pulley (1), and a belt guide portion (15) which protrudes forward in the pulley rotational direction from a contact portion (11) near one end of the jig body (10). The belt (B) is held between the twisting preventing plate (12) which forms the other end of the jig body (10) and the side surface of the jig-attached pulley (1) such that an inner circumferential surface of the belt (B) faces the jig-attached pulley (1). As the pulley (1) is rotated, the belt attachment jig is moved in the pulley rotational direction together with the belt (B) in a manner that makes the belt (B) fitted in the pulley groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: BANDO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Kunisada, Takemasa Yoshimi
  • Patent number: 9565925
    Abstract: A flexible strip brush element is constructed from multiple monofiliments arranged in a parallel fashion and attached at one end to a flexible base. The monofiliments are attached to the base by intermingling material from the base with material from the monofiliments. The free ends of the monofiliments collectively form a bristle end zone. A plurality of flexible strip brush elements may be bonded side-by-side so the free ends of the monofiliments form a common bristle end zone. The bonded flexible strip brush elements may take the form of a linear section or may be fashioned into an endless loop or jointless spiral.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Felton, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald James Marler, III, Marc Godin, Lawrence Nieder, Matt Gorham, Roy Wirth
  • Patent number: 9568807
    Abstract: In a submersible camera housed within a spherical, transparent enclosure with instrumentation for driving the camera to different positions in photographing underwater activity, a cleaning arm is mounted on the external surface of the enclosure and is magnetically driven either by single or multiple drive magnets driven around an interior circular wall of the enclosure; and in the case of multiple drive magnets the cleaning arm has slave magnets in alignment with one or more drive magnets of opposite polarity to cause the cleaning arm to traverse the external surface of the enclosure at periodic intervals one or more cycles each time that the drive magnets are activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Inventors: Jeffrey Kent Aldred, Alexis Stuart Foreman, Trevor Mendelow, Michael Park
  • Patent number: 9570311
    Abstract: Methods of thinning a plurality of semiconductor wafers and apparatuses for carrying out the same are disclosed. A grinding module within a set of grinding modules receives and grinds a semiconductor wafer. A polishing module receives the semiconductor wafer from the grinding module and polishes the wafer. The polishing module is configured to polish the semiconductor wafer in less time than the grinding module is configured to grind the corresponding wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Chun-Ting Kuo, Kei-Wei Chen, Ying-Lang Wang, Kuo-Hsiu Wei
  • Patent number: 9567662
    Abstract: Provided is a split mask including a stick main body in which a deposition pattern is formed, a clamping portion extending from opposing ends of the stick main body away from the stick main body, wherein the clamping portion includes a first clamping portion extending horizontally from the stick main body, and a second clamping portion extending diagonally from the stick main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yong-Hwan Kim
  • Patent number: 9561943
    Abstract: A load-carrying truck has a fork lift mechanism mounted on a chassis, a pair of front wheels (24, 26) and a single rear wheel (30). At least one front wheel (26) and the rear wheel (30) are driven wheels whose speed is varied relative to one another differently depending on whether the truck is being driven in a forward reverse mode with the front wheels (24, 26) aligned generally parallel to the front-rear axis of the chassis and with steering controlled by steering the rear wheel (30), or a sideways mode with the rear wheel (30) aligned generally perpendicular to the front-rear axis of the chassis and with steering controlled by steering the at least one of the front wheels (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Inventors: Martin McVicar, Robert Moffett
  • Patent number: 9561580
    Abstract: A grinding-disc device for power tools has an outer cover, a grinding tray and a grinding element. The outer cover has a casing and a mounting tube. The casing has a chamber, a connecting tube, at least one engaging hole and at least one engaging arm. The mounting tube is connected to the connecting tube. The grinding tray is detachably connected to the outer cover and has a body and at least one engaging element. The body is mounted below the casing and has a tube seat and a connecting board. The at least one engaging element is formed on the body, engages the at least one engaging arm to hold the grinding tray with the outer cover, and each one of the at least one engaging element has an engaging hook. The grinding element is detachably connected to the grinding tray below the outer cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Prime Supply Inc.
    Inventor: Wen-Pin Chen
  • Patent number: 9561566
    Abstract: An XY translation stage includes a primary drive mechanism and a stage drive assembly. The primary drive mechanism rotates the stage drive assembly about an axis of rotation. The XY translation stage also includes an object stage that orbits freely in a defined plane without rotation of the object stage out of that defined plane. A stage pin associates the stage drive assembly with the object stage such that rotational movement of the stage drive assembly yields orbital movement of the object stage within the defined plane. The positioning of the stage pin relative to the axis of rotation is adjustable such that the diameter of the orbital movement of the object stage is adjustable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Nanotronics Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Putman, John B. Putman
  • Patent number: 9561574
    Abstract: A wheeled mount for handheld tools with a frame having an upper and lower region, a pair of handles attached to and projecting away from the upper frame region, an 5 axle attached to the lower frame region, a pair of wheels in contact with a generally horizontal surface and further fixed to the axle and a handheld tool positioned on or within and secured to the lower frame to position the attachment of the handheld tool in contact with the generally horizontal surface thereby creating a stable three point contact for the wheeled mount for handheld tools. An operator can safely operate and move the wheeled 10 mount for handheld tools in a manner similar to using a hand dolly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Inventor: Brian Lynn Wisenbaker
  • Patent number: 9555533
    Abstract: The invention described herein generally relates to a pliers welding multi-tool including welding pliers and a plurality of welding tools that can be stowed in one or both handles of the pliers welding multi-tool. The pliers welding multi-tool handles can include rotating, sliding, or other interfaces to store or take out the pliers or other tools. Other tools integrated in the pliers portion or stored within the handles can include a welding fillet gauge, a welding thickness gauge, a welding tip remover, a welding nozzle remover, a bevel-angle tool, a root gap gauge, a plate and rod gauge, and others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Jason Karl Leach, Jamy Edward Bulan
  • Patent number: 9550262
    Abstract: In an electric clamp apparatus, a drive unit including a motor is disposed on an end of a body on which a clamp arm is rotatably supported. The drive unit includes a hollow housing connected to the body, and a motor unit, which is configured to be accommodated in the interior of the housing. After the motor unit has been inserted into the interior of the housing from one end side thereof, two lock plates, which are disposed on a frame of the motor unit, are rotated, whereby holes of the lock plates are made to engage with projections of the housing. As a result, the motor unit is fixed in a state of being accommodated in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: SMC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Fukano, Noriyuki Miyazaki, Takeshi Seo
  • Patent number: 9550268
    Abstract: A substrate holding apparatus holds a substrate and presses the substrate against a polishing pad. The substrate holding apparatus includes a top ring configured to hold the substrate and press the substrate against the polishing pad, a vertical movement mechanism configured to vertically move the top ring, a torque detector configured to detect a torque of the vertical movement mechanism when the top ring is being lowered or being lifted by the vertical movement mechanism, and a controller in which a torque of the vertical movement mechanism when the top ring is brought into contact with a surface of the polishing pad at the time of a pad search is preset as a torque limit value. The controller calculates a torque correction amount from the torque detected by the torque detector and a preset reference value, and corrects the torque limit value by using the torque correction amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Shinozaki
  • Patent number: 9550270
    Abstract: Among other things, one or more systems and techniques for increasing temperature for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) are provided. For example, a liquid heater component is configured to supply heated liquid to a polishing pad upon which a semiconductor wafer is to be polished, resulting in a heated polishing pad having a heated polishing pad temperature. The increased temperature of the heated polishing pad increases oxidation of the semiconductor wafer, which improves a CMP removal rate of material from the semiconductor wafer due to a decreased oxidation timespan and a stabilization timespan for reaching a stable CMP removal rate during CMP. In this way, the semiconductor wafer is polished utilizing the heated polishing pad, such as by a tungsten CMP process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
    Inventors: Jung-Lung Hung, Rong-June Hsiao, Chi-Hao Huang, Hong-Hsing Chou, Yeh-Chieh Wang
  • Patent number: 9550287
    Abstract: An installation tool for inserting a helical threaded insert into a tapped hole includes a driving mechanism, a series of mandrels and a series of head tubes. When a user wants to rebuild a broken tapped hole, the user can choose one mandrel and a related head tube with suitable size for rebuilding the broken tapped hole. Furthermore, a special threaded hole is defined in the head tube to reduce the size of the helical threaded insert for matching the broken tapped hole so that the user can rebuild the tapped hole easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Inventor: Yu-Hsin Li
  • Patent number: 9545897
    Abstract: A windscreen wiper device of the flat blade type, particularly for automobiles, comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein the oscillating arm can be pivotally connected to the connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof The connecting device is connected to the wiper blade at at least two locations spaced-apart in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade in order to evenly distribute a force exerted by the oscillating arm onto the wiper blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
    Inventor: Xavier Boland
  • Patent number: 9545698
    Abstract: A treatment machine for containers, in particular bottles, having a rotatable container table; a lift guard cover formed laterally on the container table; and a rail guide, which is stationarily fixed in position above the container table and which has the lift guard cover secured thereto such that it is displaceable in a vertical direction. The lift guard cover includes a carrier for fastening to the rail guide, the carrier extending in a circumferential direction. The lift guard cover can be mounted in a suspended fashion. Access to the container table in the raised condition of the lift guard cover is not impaired by guide rails extending down to the container table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Tobias Eichhammer, Dieter Hafner
  • Patent number: 9539987
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an adapter for use in releasably attaching a windshield wiper assembly to a wiper arm having an attachment member including a track defined by a base and walls depending therefrom, a bent tab extending outwardly from the base, and fins that extend from the walls. The wiper adapter includes a body having first and second ends, a pair of opposing sidewalls extending longitudinally therebetween and having an inside and outside surface each, a nose connecting the sidewalls at the first end for receiving the bent tab of the wiper arm, a strap connecting the sidewalls for engaging the base of the wiper arm, and at least one resilient locking tab disposed adjacent to the second end and extending from at least one of the inside surfaces of the sidewalls for engaging at least one of the fins of the wiper arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Trico Products Corporation
    Inventors: Mitica Polocoser, Kyle Moll
  • Patent number: 9533655
    Abstract: A wiper coupler adaptor for use in releasably attaching a wiper assembly to a bayonet style wiper arm having an attachment end includes a pair of sidewalls each including a post that extends transversely toward the other to operatively engage structure of a wiper assembly and a deck disposed between the sidewalls that cooperates with a portion of the sidewalls to define a rest adapted to operatively receive the attachment end of the wiper arm. The sidewalls each include a ledge that extends transversely toward the other to operatively engage the attachment end of the wiper arm. The wiper coupler adaptor also includes a locking mechanism including a cantilevered body and a head disposed at a terminal end of the cantilevered body. The head includes a lip depending therefrom that is adapted to extend through an aperture in the base of the attachment end and receive a portion of the base of the attachment end to prevent undesired release of the wiper coupler adaptor from the attachment end of the wiper arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Trico Products Corporation
    Inventor: Valentin Avasiloaie
  • Patent number: 9533658
    Abstract: A wiper connector for a vehicle may be provided which connects a wiper arm to a wiper blade 10 and includes: a body 320 including a pair of elastic moving pieces 362 which is formed on one end thereof and faces each other, and one or more coupling parts 330 and 340 which are formed on both sides thereof and by which the wiper arm is caught; and a cover 310 movable to a fixing position for fixing the wiper arm which is caught by the body 320 and to a release position for releasing the fixed wiper arm. The pair of the elastic moving pieces 362 elastically restrains the movement of the cover 310 at the fixing position and allows the cover 310 to move to the release position when a releasing force for removing the elastic restraint is applied to the elastic moving piece 362.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: KBWS Corporation
    Inventors: Jae Hyuck An, Woo Sung Lee