Patents Examined by Sam Heinrich
  • Patent number: 5000371
    Abstract: A method for producing a metallic interface suitable for overlaying consists of exposing the area of an alloy combination to be overlayed to a temperature above its lower critical until an element reduced zone arises. This element reduced zone more easily accepts element diffusion that takes place during overlaying. Accordingly, an improved interface, one that is more ductile and less prone to cracking, is produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Cooper Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: James W. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5000367
    Abstract: This invention is directed to a novel method of removably securing a sight glass member to a refrigeration vessel in hermetically sealed relation therewith. In accordance with the method concept, a ferrule or like tubular mounting means is fixedly attached to the vessel through an opening therein, and one end of the sight glass is located within the ferrule. Brazing metal is then positioned in contact with the sight glass member and ferrule, and the metal, member and ferrule are heated by electromagnetic induction to melt the brazing metal and form a hermetic bond between the ferrule and sight glass member. By this method, leakage associated with threaded connections, and damage to the sight glass and extreme difficulty of removing the sight glass member when resistance or arc welding methods are used, are herein substantially entirely eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Inventor: Edward W. Bottum
  • Patent number: 5000366
    Abstract: A welder system that uses two pressure cylinders operating in series to control the movement of a spacer rod, thereby eliminating inaccuracies due to variations in pressure and resulting in precision welding of torque converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Inventor: James C. Beattie
  • Patent number: 5000369
    Abstract: Method for continuously manufacturing plastic-lined metallic pipe. The method includes an extruder having an output providing a plastic sleeve and further includes a continuous roll-forming tubing mill production line. This production line includes a series of forming rolls which progressively deform a substantially flat steel strip to a generally tubular configuration as the strip moves along a straight-line longitudinal path. The production line further includes an electrical resistance or high frequency welder which continuously welds the lateral edges of the moving strip to complete the pipe. The method also includes a feed for the plastic sleeve into the incipient metal pipe upstream of the welder. The plastic sleeve has an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the metallic pipe in its as-formed condition. Furthermore, the plastic sleeve maintains a generally tubular configuration from the time it enters the pipe until the manufacture of the plastic-lined pipe is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Allied Tube & Conduit Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Shotts, Raffaele Basile
  • Patent number: 4998663
    Abstract: A friction welding apparatus for preparing weldments by fictional contact of the weld members which includes sensors for measuring torque, axial forces, and other variables important to the control of the welding process, and for facilitating the obtainment of process information useful in correlating process conditions with weld quality. The apparatus includes means for the substantially frictionless coupling of the component providing the axial normal force on the aligned shafts upon which the weld pieces are mounted. The coupling, which contributes to accurate torque measurements, comprises a substantially frictionless, single-contact-point coupling provided by the point of contact between two adjacent spherical surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Edison Polymer Innovation Corporation
    Inventors: Mukerrem Cakmak, Kenneth Keuchel
  • Patent number: 4998665
    Abstract: First and second substrates are provided with a projection of a high melting point conductive material and an aperture filled at the bottom plane with a low melting point conductive material, respectively. The projection of the first substrate is plunged into the low melting point conductive material which is molten in the aperture by heating, so that the projection and the low melting point conductive material are bonded mechanically and electrically by cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 4998664
    Abstract: A feedback signal of an ultrasonic generator (13) employed in a ball bonder (11) is sampled by an analog-to-digital converter (23) under control of a microprocessor (25) to provide a "bond signature" indicative of bond quality. The microprocessor (25) then compares the bond signature to limits representing a good quality bond to provide an indication of a good or failed bond. The indication may be visually provided by projecting the bond signature and limits on a display (27), as well as automatically provided by a programmed comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Owen E. Gibson, William J. Gleeson, Larry D. Burkholder, Bradley K. Benton
  • Patent number: 4997123
    Abstract: A flexural pivot is configured as a multi-piece device which is specifically configured to tolerate vibration and shock loading. The flex pivot described uses pre-formed unitary (one-piece) support structures which have integral undercut areas, diametrically opposed slots for flexural member placement and key ways and the like, and near net shape geometry. The flexural members are pre-brazed to facilitate the assembly process. The design of the pre-formed support structures eliminates brazed joints which are common locations of fracture due to vibration and shock loading, resulting in a significantly strengthened pivot. The overall configuration and method described provides an economical flex pivot, whereby the flex pivots are accessible for applications which have not heretofore been feasible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Lucas Aerospace Power Transmission Corp.
    Inventors: Robert O. Backus, Daniel J. Salerno, Richard R. Rhymestine, Subhash C. Gupta
  • Patent number: 4997122
    Abstract: A process for treating the surface of solid fusible solder supported on a substrate, comprises a heated tool having a treatment surface with a selected shape. The heated tool is brought into contact with the solder for fusing the solder to reshape the surface of the solder. The tool is allowed to cool to permit the solder to resolidify, and when withdrawn from the solder, leaving the imprinted shape. The treatment surface is made of material which is not wettable by the solder. Stops may be utilized for limiting movement between the tool and the substrate to a specified gap for the treatment surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Productech Inc.
    Inventor: Gero Zimmer
  • Patent number: 4997124
    Abstract: A vacuum-insulated, double-walled metal structure comprises inner and outer shells made of a metal and seamed together to form a double-walled structure with a space between them, the space being exhausted of air. At least one of the inner and outer shells is provided with at least one activated foil of a metal selected from the group consisting of copper, titanium and zirconium. The inner shell may be wound with an activated titanium or zirconium foil, and covered by another metal foil selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, titanium and zirconium, except for a part of its bottom. The metal foil wound on the metal structure is activated by preliminarily exhausting air from the space so that a pressure therein becomes reduced to a low vacuum of the order of 10.sup.-2 Torr, and then heating the double-walled structure at not less than about 400.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Zojirushi Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Kitabatake, Akihiro Kamata, Kazuhiro Nishikawa, Mamoru Fujiyama, Ikuo Kawamoto
  • Patent number: 4995546
    Abstract: A technique for assembling semiconductor devices in which semiconductor elements, especially lasers or LEDs, are mounted on a first packaging element such as a heat spreader that is mounted on a second packaging element such as a heat sink. Handling of solder preforms is avoided by coating at least one of each of the pairs of surfaces to be brought into contact with a layer of solder and heating the assembly to melt both solder layers in a single operation. In a preferred embodiment a heat spreader is coated in solder on both sides and interposed between a semiconductor element and a heat sink and the assembly is heated. Molybdenum may be used as a layer to aid wetting and adhesion and gold/tin solder may be used. Slightly different solidification temperatures and compositons for the layers may result from different take up of metallization layers from the components into the solder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: BT&D Technologies Limited
    Inventor: John C. Regnault
  • Patent number: 4995551
    Abstract: Bonding a plurality of TAB tape leads to electrical pads in and aligned with the surface of a die by covering the pads with a plurality of electrically conductive particles, aligning the electrical leads with the particles and the pads, and simultaneously bonding the particles to the pads and the electrical leads to the particles. Preferably the particles are solid spheres and may be applied in various ways such as covering the entire surface with the spheres, covering the pads with an adhesive material prior to the spheres, or covering the pads with a mixture of adhesive and spheres. The method is particularly well suited for flip chip bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Colin A. MacKay
  • Patent number: 4995550
    Abstract: A composite electrode based on a valve metal with a layer of a platinum foil securely adhering thereto is produced by hot isostatic pressing of the valve metal base and platinum foil between separating sheets; the separating sheet which comes in contact with the platinum foil during hot isostatic pressing is a metal with a melting point of at least 100.degree. C. above the hot isostatic pressing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Peroxid-Chemie GmbH
    Inventors: Herbert Appl, Michael Gnann, Wolfgang Jahr, Erwin Rossberger
  • Patent number: 4995547
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for brazing a metal object to a ceramic surface defining a recess for receiving the metal object where the space between the metal object and the ceramic surface defining the recess inhibits the establishment of the oxygen depleted environment necessary to establish a reliable braze joint. The present invention includes the use of a material having a high affinity for oxygen that is positioned adjacent to the space between the metal object and the ceramic surface defining the recess and serves to pull or draw oxygen from the space to establish the oxygen depleted environment required to produce a reliable braze joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Paradygm Science & Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Peter Schubert, Thomas A. Wilke
  • Patent number: 4995549
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming thin-wall tubing in a funnel die or with a series of sets of forming rollers. The tubing is then welded by a method and apparatus which includes simultaneous guiding of the both the inner and outer peripheries of the tubing during the welding operation by a mandrel and a sleeve, respectively, so that lack of rigidity of the tubing is not a limitation. The edges of the tubing are not clamped, but are allowed to "float" during welding in one embodiment, a water-cooled heat sink is used to remove the heat of welding. The resulting tubing is highly uniform. A wide range of tubing materials can be welded and thin-wall tubing of nearly any desired length or wall thickness can be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Inventor: Robert R. Hellman, Sr.
  • Patent number: 4996025
    Abstract: An engine bearing having an aluminum-lead bearing alloy and a method of casting such aluminum-lead alloys in which the bimetal lining after bonding of the alloy has no lead gradient and contains no lead ribbons of significant size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul Corporation
    Inventors: George C. Pratt, Warren J. Whitney, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4993622
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an electrical connection between a bonding pad on a semiconductor chip and a wire wherein the bonding pad is formed of copper doped aluminum and the wire is formed of copper doped gold. The wire has from about 100 to about 10,000 parts per million copper and the pad has from about 5000 to about 50,000 parts per million copper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard M. Brook, Thomas H. Ramsey
  • Patent number: 4993617
    Abstract: A welding apparatus that includes a welding rod pliers connected to a portable head shield by an elongated flexible articulated tube. The person can hold the pliers in one hand, with the flexible tube acting to position the shield in a proper location for viewing the weld connection. This feature leaves the person's other hand free to manipulate a clamp or other tool for holding the work pieces in place during the welding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: Liso, Su-Land
    Inventor: Chin-Pou Yang
  • Patent number: 4993621
    Abstract: A method of applying corrosion resistant liners to the structural steel walls of flue gas lines, flue gas treating apparatus, scrubbers and the like. The wall to be protected is provided with spaced apart bores and the liner sheets are applied to the inner surface of the structural steel wall. The studs are joined to the sheets by stud welding and the sheets are then drawn tightly against the wall by the application of tensile forces to the studs. The studs are subsequently gas tightly joined to the wall, e.g. by welds. An alternative method of attachment uses a screw thread on the stud and the nut which is threaded onto the stud and bears against a washer and a sealing ring which is pressed against the wall around the stud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hermann Koy, Rainer Reuffurth
  • Patent number: 4993620
    Abstract: The face plates of a drift tube have their joints with a central cylindrical body sealed by utilizating two metallurgical techniques. The first technique involves the soldering of interface surfaces at the joints between the face plates and the body. The soldered joint prevents the entry of electroplating solution into the interior of the drift tube during a second metallurgical procedure involving the electroformation of a copper strap around the joint which provides a permanent seal against leakage of coolant from the drift tube while offering excellent electrical and thermal conductivity across the surface of the drift tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: Grumman Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. Kornely, Jr., Robert G. Micich, Douglas S. Holmes