Patents Examined by Ronald S. Wallace
  • Patent number: 4719679
    Abstract: A muffler for use on an internal combustion engine includes an enclosure generally cylindrical and having end plates for closing the internal volume of the enclosure, at least one partition plate for dividing the internal volume of the enclosure into at least two chambers, an inlet tube, supported by one of said end plates and at least one partition plate, for conducting combustion gases supplied from the engine to one of the chambers; an outlet tube, supported by the other of the end plates and at least one partition plate, for blowing out the gases from remaining one of the chambers; and a connecting tube supported by said at least one partition plate for interconnecting the volume of adjacent ones of the chambers. At least two of the inlet, outlet and connecting tubes are integrally made of a single sheet of metal shaped to form a combination tube including the at least two tubes. A method of manufacturing such a combination tube is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: Sankei Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masuo Fukuda
  • Patent number: 4719678
    Abstract: A pipe fitting for attachment to a hydrotherapy pump has an inlet and outlet having parallel offset axes, with a separate small hollow nipple extending from and communicating with the inlet. The nipple attaches to the pump at a location normally occupied by the pump freeze plug. The fitting permits complete drainage of the hydrotherapy pump after pump is shut off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: Albert R. Weaver
    Inventor: Donald Lindberg
  • Patent number: 4719677
    Abstract: An improved crankcase structure for engine blocks and the like, may be fabricated wherein the crankcase is initially cast or otherwise formed with bearing caps integral therewith. The caps are preferably secured by severable connecting portions unidirectionally longitudinally adjacent their associated bearing receiving portions in the transverse webs of the cylinder block. The complete crankcase is then machined and the bearing caps are separated for subsequent assembly to the crankcase in conventional fashion. Consequently, the invention reduces the amount of tooling and machining time and equipment required for manufacturing crankcases for engine blocks and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Philip D. Arnold
  • Patent number: 4719681
    Abstract: A valve assembly and the manner of making the same of the character which embodies a hollow cylindrical body having fluid inlet and outlet ports and a slide member, or spool, slidable within the body to control fluid flow through the valve. Sealing elements are carried by the valve body for sealable engagement with the slide member as it reciprocates within the valve body. The fluid passageways which carry the fluid between the inlet and outlet ports of the valve body are uniquely formed internally of the slide member. Because the slide member is precision ground to a uniform diameter over its entire length, there exists no differing diameters or steps which might abrade the sealing means or tend to cause an inadvertant shifting of the spool within the valve body due to fluid pressures exerted thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: Futurecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Meyer Piet
  • Patent number: 4719687
    Abstract: A multi-purpose pipe and seal/alignment device is provided for sealing pipe ends against internal or external pressure while protecting the pipe end preparation from damage to facilitate a permanent pipe joining process at a remote location in an adverse environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Walter C. Nanny
  • Patent number: 4719684
    Abstract: The apparatus is for manually inserting an O-ring in a selected annular groove of a bored valve body. A valve body is placed with one end of the body's bore over a plug. A thin walled tube is placed in the other end of the bore so a gap exists between the plug and tube, adjacent the selected annular groove. Two ends of a probe are then used to urge the O-ring through the tube, passing other blocked annular grooves or air passages in the valve body, toward and into the selected annular groove. Plugs and tubes of different lengths are used to insert O-rings in annular grooves at different positions in the bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1988
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Harry P. Mutter
  • Patent number: 4718156
    Abstract: A filter assembly for an exhaust stack having a housing defining an interior chamber and an inlet and an outlet which are connected in series with the exhaust stack. A mounting frame is secured diagonally within the interior of the housing so that the mounting frame is interposed between the inlet and outlet of the housing. A plurality of filter elements are detachably secured to the mounting frame so that influent into the housing inlet passes through the filter elements prior to exhaust out through the housing outlet and to the atmosphere. The filter assembly is easily retrofitted to existing systems by severing and removing a portion of the stack and installing the filter assembly in its place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1988
    Assignee: Dee Cramer, Inc.
    Inventor: James Cole
  • Patent number: 4716639
    Abstract: A single-piece thermally isolated multi-point injector for a hydrazine fuel catalytic gas generator having a series of integral feed tubes each with a fuel passage and with the fuel inlet ends thereof spaced apart for ease of manufacture and inspection and associated with a distribution manifold. The feed tubes are arranged in spaced-apart circular arrays to facilitate formation thereof from an investment casting or by radial electrochemical machining cuts. The fuel injector retains the thermal isolation features of a welded or brazed capillary tube injector, but eliminates leakage points encountered in such a structure. The outlet end of each feed tube has a porous member associated therewith to obtain a uniform flow path of hydrazine fuel in all directions onto a catalyst bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: John Readman, Brian G. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4716640
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a composite material burner ring made wholly of a composite material. The burner ring is manufactured by winding a carbon or ceramic type refractory material about a toroidal form until a specific material thickness is obtained. The burner ring elements, such as radial arms, fastening clips or fuel feed tubes are then fastened onto the winding. Each of the elements may be formed in mirror-image halves and may be assembled onto the burner ring body in adjacent pairs, each one of the pairs facing in an opposite direction. The winding of the composite material is continued until a final thickness is obtained, thereby integrally attaching the burner ring elements to the burner ring body. The assembly is then subjected to a carbonization or ceramization head treating process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation-S.N.E.C.M.A.
    Inventors: Gerard E. A. Jourdain, Francois, M. B. Marlin
  • Patent number: 4716650
    Abstract: A magnetic recording disk cartridge comprises a magnetic disk unit rotatably accommodated in a casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Utsui, Makoto Shimizu, Noriyuki Hoshina, Nobuyuki Adachi, Takashi Kurihara, Tatsuo Shiino
  • Patent number: 4717277
    Abstract: A method for the production of a writing point for liquid ink by utilizing a tube (5) of small internal diameter and a writing point which is produced thereby are proposed. In such a case, axially extending ink channels (3) are provided in the internal wall of the fixed tube (5) having an internal diameter which substantially corresponds to the diameter of a ball (1), said channels (3) extending to the free end of the tube (5) and being spaced from one another. A circumferential, annular recess (9) is formed in the tube (5) at a distance from the free end of said tube, and the ball (1) is inserted into the free end until it abuts against the recess (9). Subsequently, the free edge of the tube (5) is inwardly flanged, and a substantially cylindrical ink conductor (4) is inserted into the remote end of the tube and partially overlapped by the ink channels (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Inventor: Rudi Hutt
  • Patent number: 4716638
    Abstract: A method for aligning bearing covers at bearing sections of a crankcase in which bearing covers of a crankshaft bearing are aligned by way of fastening bolts and subsequently machined-in fitting pins and wherein the bearing bore for the crankshaft is subsequently machined. Thereafter, the crankshaft is assembled whereby the bearing cover is at first aligned by the fitting pins and is then fixed by means of the fastening bolts. Not only a secure support of the bearing cover at the bearing sections is assured thereby, but also narrow tolerances which favorably influence the bearing support of the crankshaft, can be maintained without problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Herbert Ampferer
  • Patent number: 4715404
    Abstract: There is disclosed a loading arm for transfering liquids, gases, and particulate solids, in which the loading arm comprises a riser, inner and outer arm sections, and a rotary pipe joint pivotally interconnected and removably attached to both the inner and outer arm sections for rigidly interconnecting and supporting the arm sections in an arm-assembled position while the rotary pipe joint is being serviced or repaired. The arrangement is particularly advantageous for servicing sealing and bearing means located in the rotary pipe joint. Such joints are used in loading arms employed in transfer apparatus used to conduct cargo between transport and storage containers, for example, a marine transport vessel and wharf, pipeline, or other stationary facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventor: Joel Fusy
  • Patent number: 4715113
    Abstract: A machine component installer for installing bearings, pins, bushings, and the like into a machine casting or similar component includes a reloadable carousel for accepting plural component stacks, a pivotally mounted claw-arm for grasping a bearing presented by the carousel and for swinging the grasped bearing into a pre-installation position, and a press for determining that all components are properly positioned and for pressing the bearing into a bore. The carousel includes a rotatably mounted turntable with guides for accepting plural stacks of bearings. The bearings drop, on a one-by-one basis, through an opening in the turntable plate to a presentation position. The claw-arm includes opposed spring biased fingers for grasping each bearing presented by the carousel and for swinging the bearing into position above a ram. The claw-arm is designed to self-tighten about the grasped bearing as the arm is rotated to present the bearing to the ram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Assignee: The J. L. Wickham Company, Inc.
    Inventor: John L. Wickham
  • Patent number: 4715111
    Abstract: A system for remotely repairing nuclear fuel rod assemblies is disclosed herein. Generally, the system comprises a rod handler for gripping, lifting, lowering and ungripping a selected fuel rod, a work station for securing the nuclear fuel rod assembly to be repaired into a desired location, and a positioner device for laterally positioning the rod handler over a selected rod in the fuel assembly secured within the work station. The rod handler includes a contractable collet for gripping and ungripping a desired fuel rod, and a rod sensor concentrically disposed within the collet for sensing when a rod is in a grippable position. The positioner includes a movable carriage which is slidably mounted onto a frame assembly by means of a pair of rail and bearing mechanisms. The system also includes a microcomputer for controlling the manner in which the positioner positions the rod handler, as well as gripping, lifting, lowering and ungripping motions of the handler itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Anoop Kapoor, Edward J. Choby, Thomas J. Kramer, James E. Ranieri, Charles H. Roth, Jr., Donald E. Scheffer, John E. Spehar, Jr., Csaba Bessko, Robert M. Blumstein
  • Patent number: 4712295
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus for forming an air gap pipe are provided. Inner and outer pipes are bent or deformed into comparable configurations such that the inner pipe can be mounted within the outer pipe. The outer pipe then is split longitudinally by a preprogrammed cutting apparatus. The cutting of the outer pipe terminates just short of the complete longitudinal length of the pipe to facilitate rematching later in the process. The cutter includes a follower to trace the actual configuration of the pipe and thereby to offset differences from one pipe to the next. An array of clamps are provided to align the outer pipe halves relative to one another and to facilitate the reattachment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1987
    Assignee: AP Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Camille Peele, Jon W. Harwood, Peter L. Resuggan
  • Patent number: 4711008
    Abstract: A method of producing propeller shafts for jet-propelled small-sized boats comprises the steps of preparing a main shaft in the form of a hollow round bar, which is a finished part and a pair of auxiliary shafts shorter in length than the main shaft, in the form of solid round bars, which are roughly shaped parts, connecting and integrating the pair of auxiliary shafts with the opposite cut ends of the main shaft by the friction welding process utilizing heat of friction produced by relative pressurized rubbing movement between the parts, and, with the main shaft, which is a finished part, used as a standard, machining the surfaces of the auxiliary shafts, which are roughly shaped parts, to form mount surfaces for fitting thereon such parts as oils seals, bearings, and a propeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Inventor: Yukio Nakamura
  • Patent number: 4711009
    Abstract: There is provided a process and apparatus for making, preferably continuously, a catalytic converter element or core especially adapted for the treatment of exhaust from an internal combustion engine, whether spark or compression ignited. The converter element may be a fan-folded or accordion folded thin metal strip or a spirally wound element which carries strongly adhered to the surface thereof a catalyst, e.g. a noble or precious metal catalyst such as platinum and/or palladium and/or rhodium. The metal strip entering the process is an aluminum coated ferritic ribbon between 0.001 and 0.003 inches thick, and 1 inch to 30 inches wide. The strip is preferably annealed and perforated at predetermined intervals. Thereafter, the strip is corrugated and given a washcoat of a refractory metal oxide which is calcined onto the surface. One or more precious metal catalysts are supplied and dried.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: W. R. Grace & Co.
    Inventors: Richard C. Cornelison, William B. Retallick
  • Patent number: 4711006
    Abstract: A downhole motor includes a bearing unit connected to a moving section incorporating successively arranged working members--a stator and a rotor interacting with each other along profile surfaces. The like pairs of the adjacent working members are rigidly connected to each other by means of solid threaded bushings. A mounting fixture includes two mounting elements each made as two bushings interconnected by a coupling, the bushings having their profile surfaces located on the same longitudinal axis. One of the bushings is rigidly connected to the coupling, while the other bushing is mounted with the possibility of moving with respect to the longitudinal axis. A method of assembling the downhole motor is effected with the use of a pre-adjusted mounting fixture and resides in interconnecting the like working members by thread bushings ensuring the arrangement of the profile surfaces of the working members analogously to the profile surface of the single monolithic rotor and stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: Vsesojuzny Nauchnoissledovatelsky Institut Burovoi Tekhniki
    Inventors: Dmitry F. Baldenko, Nikolai P. Bezlepkin, Jury V. Vadetsky, Moisei T. Gusman, Jury F. Potapov, Valery I. Semenets
  • Patent number: 4711007
    Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for installing rotatable, free standing turbine blades upon a rotor, includes coupling a locking device which substantially conforms to the curved arcuate surfaces of the blade to the bottom of the blade, and thereafter inserting the blade and locking device within a serration formed in the surface with the rotor, the combination being inserted from an inlet side thereof. A tapered shim is then inserted between the locking device at a relieved portion thereof and the bottom of the serration from an exit side thereof. The shim is tapped into place until no root movement occurs, thereby securing the blade within the serration, and preventng galling of the blade root portion or damage to the blade by eliminating the necessity for tapping the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Kenneth C. Conrad