Patents Examined by Steven A Blount
  • Patent number: 6505396
    Abstract: An apparatus and a process produce a honeycomb body from at least one stack having a multiplicity of at least partially structured sheets which form a multiplicity of passages through which a fluid can flow. The apparatus includes a fork-shaped winding device which is rotatable about an axis and which engages each stack, as well as former segments which close to constitute a former. The former is formed from at least two former segments. Each former segment is pivotable in opposite relationship to the direction of rotation of the winding device about a respective pivot axis which respectively extends parallel to the axis of the winding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Emitec Gesellschaft fuer Emissionstechnologie mbH
    Inventor: Ludwig Wieres
  • Patent number: 6505393
    Abstract: An apparatus for riveting shell components to form a barrel-shaped structure such as an aircraft fuselage includes an outer part and an inner part that operate coordinated with each other under computer control. The outer apparatus part includes a riveting machine system movably carried on an annular machine guide that is supported on a stand that is movable in a length-wise X-direction. The inner apparatus part includes a multi-axis riveting robot mounted on a mounting frame that is movable along the X-direction. Instead of moving the inner and outer apparatus parts in the X-direction, it is alternatively possible to move the fuselage while keeping the apparatus parts stationary. A computer control unit provides control signals to achieve a coordinated and concurrent positioning of the inner and outer apparatus parts, and to carry out a coordinated sequence of riveting steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Udo Stoewer, Bernd Koehler, Norbert Kosuch
  • Patent number: 6499206
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for manufacturing pallets. The apparatus and method incorporates an assembly table that alternates between an inclined position where the components of the pallet are fastened and a lower, horizontal position where the assembled pallet is transferred to an conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Inventors: Karl Matthew Eure, Robert Maryland Wiggins, Burt Anthony Eure
  • Patent number: 6494425
    Abstract: A security alarm sensor for mounting between two corner walls is described comprising a housing unit having a housing base for attachment to the corner walls and a selectively detachable housing cover; a circuit board sized for engagement within the housing unit; first and second openings on opposite sides of the housing base; first and second mounting pins selectively movable within the first and second openings wherein said mounting pins have a length and a range of movement so as to have a first position wherein the mounting pins are totally retracted within the housing unit and a second position wherein said mounting pins extend outwardly from the housing unit sufficiently to pierce the corner walls and securely hold the security alarm sensor in place. The installation of the alarm sensor is usually accomplished by first removing the housing cover from the housing base and detaching the printed circuit board prior to mounting the housing base to the corner of the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Napco Security Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard L. Soloway, Frank J. Ioco
  • Patent number: 6490782
    Abstract: An automated filter changing system comprises a rotatable filter dispensing assembly and a filter clamping assembly. The filter dispensing device receives filter storage magazines in which a plurality of filters are initially stored in the form of connected stacks. The filter dispensing assembly includes a filter separating device having a stationary portion. The filter separating device separates one or more stacks of filters into discrete filter units, such that individual filters are transported sequentially from the filter dispensing device. The filter clamping assembly operates in conjunction with the filter dispensing device to receive one or more individual filter units dispensed therefrom, and provides one or more coupling sites which can fluidly communicate with one or more fluid lines. The filter clamping device couples unused filters to fittings associated with the fluid lines by applying an evenly distributed force to the filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Varian, Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory S. Duckett
  • Patent number: 6490781
    Abstract: The safety device includes an opening/closing cover which isolates a takeout part and an accommodating part of a component feeder unit from each other and which has a sensor for detecting a closed state. The component feeder unit includes the component accommodating part, a feed-out part and the takeout part, and sensors for transmission through voids common to the plurality of set component feeder units. Upon a detection by any one of the sensors during the operation of the machine, the machine is halted. For replacement of the component feeder units, a changeover switch is pressed, by which the detecting function is paused for a specified time period. Thus, a safety device which allows the component feeder units to be replaced even during the operation of the machine can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazunori Kanai, Naoto Mimura, Yuji Miyata, Akira Kabeshita
  • Patent number: 6490792
    Abstract: An ink-jet ink cartridge having an ink containing portion for containing the ink to be supplied to an ink-jet head, and a lid for covering the ink containing portion, characterized in that a wall of the ink containing portion and one face of the lid are welded together owing to frictional heat by vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ishinaga, Kazuaki Masuda, Hajime Kaneko, Yuji Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 6490775
    Abstract: A system for verifying the quality of a pressing operation of a press-fit part onto a receiving portion of a receiving assembly. The system is applicable to the installation of a bearing cup onto a shaft, or a valve seat into a cylinder head. A probe measures a predetermined dimension of the press-fit part to establish a first measurement value. In the case of a valve seat installed a receiving pocket of a cylinder head, a measuring probe is inserted into the receiving pocket of the cylinder head to measure its depth. The depth is recorded as a second measurement value. The valve seat is then pressed into the pocket, and the residual depth is measured to determine the distance between the outermost surface of the pressed in valve seat and the outer surface of the receiving pocket. A computation compares the depth of the pocket against the thickness of the valve seat to determine a difference which is then compared to the residual depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Veri-Tek Inc.
    Inventors: James C. Juranitch, Robert D. Olschefski
  • Patent number: 6487765
    Abstract: The tool comprises a body having a top portion within which is formed a generally U-shaped notch with a width and depth that are much larger than the diameter of the wire to be handled. The sides of the notch are outwardly tapered so that the notch is wider at its top. All edges of the notch are smoothed and have a radius such that there is no binding of the wire onto the tool. The design of the tool allows the wire to easily slip across the bottom of the notch without binding. The lower portion of the cylinder comprises a concentric bore for receiving a pole or other lifting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Inventor: Jerome L. Brekken
  • Patent number: 6481075
    Abstract: A peeling machine through which a rod workpiece is moved along a workpiece axis has upstream and downstream guides centering the workpiece on the axis is and axially flanking a rotary scraper engaging the workpiece and carried on an upstream end of a scraper tube coaxially surrounding the downstream guide and rotatable about the workpiece axis. The downstream guide has a stationary tubular housing extending coaxially in the rotatable scraper tube, a plurality of shafts pivotal in the tubular housing about respective guide axes angularly spaced about the workpiece axis, and respective axially elongated guide bars fixed on the shafts, extending axially therealong generally a full length of the scraper tube, and projecting radially of the guide axes therefrom. Guide elements—rollers or blocks—carried on the bars are engageable radially of the workpiece axis with the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: SMS Eumuco GmbH
    Inventor: Friedrich Heider
  • Patent number: 6481088
    Abstract: A golf club which has a clubface of desired shape comprising an alloy metal is provided. The golf club has excellent strength properties as well as excellent ball hitting properties. The clubface is free from casting defects such as cold shuts, and preferably, free from the crystalline phase formed from crystal nuclei through nonuniform nucleation since the club face is produced in a simple, highly reproducible, one-step process by selectively cooling the molten metal at a temperature above the melting point at a rate higher than the critical cooling rate, and the product comprises a single amorphous phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Makabe Giken, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Inoue, Eiichi Makabe, Masahide Onuki
  • Patent number: 6481079
    Abstract: A kit and method for raising the static height of the front end of a vehicle having independent front wheel suspension while substantially retaining the suspension geometry of the front wheels. Pairs of bracket adaptors and modified upper control arms of a length shorter than the factory control arms are used. The bracket adaptors interfit with factory brackets and facilitate the attachment of the inboard ends of an A-frame upper control arm with a pivot axis at least about one inch lower and at least about one inch outboard of the factory location. The inboard ends of each modified upper control arm are suitably pivotally linked to the bracket adaptors, and the outboard end is conventionally attached via the upper ball joint to the spindle plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Inventor: Mark Newhan
  • Patent number: 6481083
    Abstract: In an automated method for mounting a valve stem to the rim of an automotive vehicle wheel, rims are supplied in series by a conveyor to a gauging station where the location and alignment of a hole for receiving the valve stem is determined by a machine vision system. An electronic control system directs a robotic manipulator to grasp the rim, move it to a mounting station where a valve stem is retained, position the rim such that the hole is in alignment with the valve stem, and urge the rim toward the valve stem to insert the valve stem through the hole in the rim. If necessary, a power-actuated nut runner, mounted on the robotic manipulator or adjacent the mounting station, is used to tighten a nut over the valve stem to secure. As an alternative to the machine vision system, the gauging station may utilize a rotating table which rotates the wheel about its central axis, and an “electric eye” optical sensor which directs a beam of infrared light onto the rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Burke E. Porter Machinery Company
    Inventors: Lawrence Lawson, Karl D. Sachs
  • Patent number: 6470554
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method and a device for mounting a MacPherson strut suspension radius rod, comprising steps which consist in: inserting the elements forming the control rod beneath a mounting head having at least a tilting degree of liberty; bringing the control rod top end alongside a portion of the mounting head; compressing the spring by the relative movement of the mounting head with respect a locking member engaged in its prestressed spring, when the mounting head portion comes to a stop and when the shock-absorber rod moves beyond the upper spring retainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Establissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventors: Francis Aubarede, Antoine Ducloux
  • Patent number: 6467143
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically producing door panels in a single line in order to enable continuous production are provided. In the apparatus, a first uncoiler supplies the wound inner plate material. A first leveler regulates a flatness of the inner plate material. A press forms a pattern on the inner plate material. A marking device marks a cutting position on the inner plate material from the presser. A bend controller controls a bend of the inner plate material from the marking device. A second uncoiler supplies an outer plate material. A second leveler regulates a flatness of the outer plate material supplied from the second uncoiler. A roll forming device roll-forms both edges of the inner and outer plate materials. A heater preheats the inner and the outer plate materials. An injector injects insulated material between the inner and outer plate materials. A marking sensor senses the mark on the inner plate material and outputs a sensing signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Nam & Nam
    Inventor: Hong-Guil Kim
  • Patent number: 6463648
    Abstract: In the installation and removal of a cylinder of a printing machine, in which the cylinder has a middle drum and two lateral bearing, stubs which are capable of being secured releasably to the drum and of being connected to one another by means of a central spindle which passes through the drum and which at least at one end, can be screwed, by means of a screw connection provided within the outer circumference of the spindle, to the adjacent bearing stub which, with the screw connection released, can be removed, together with its bearing housing, at least to all extent such that the drum is accessible from the side, a high degree of safety and a time saving can be achieved in that, for the change, the drum of a cylinder is released from the bearing stubs and one bearing stub is removed, after which the consequently exposed end of the spindle of the cylinder has connected to it, in the same way as the removable bearing stub, a spindle extension, onto which the drum is pushed and which is then released from the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: MAY Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Josef Göttling, Godber Petersen
  • Patent number: 6457231
    Abstract: An assembly line (14) having particular utility for use in assembling sheet metal parts includes a work station (18) having one or more production part trays (32, 34), a pilot part tray (36) and an indexer (38) that indexes these part trays in a transverse direction to a direction of conveyance (C) of the assembly line to permit one of the two production part trays (32, 34) to be used for production or the pilot part tray (36) to be used for a future pilot test. Detachable couplings (56) allow the production and pilot part trays to be moved to a maintenance station (42, 44) that is outside of the assembly line work area (25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Utica Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Carter, Rudolph A. Gansler
  • Patent number: 6453539
    Abstract: An arrangement for locking a metal tube to a hose fitting in which the end of the metal tube is flared to form a generally conical tube end, and the conical tube end is inserted into a fitting to seat against an opposing conical shoulder. The portion of the fitting surrounding the tube is then plastically deformed around the tube firmly and sealingly to grasp the tube, but without scarring a corrosion resistant coating on the tube. A plurality of barbs preferably are formed on the radially outer surface of the flared end of the tube for engaging the fitting when the fitting is crimped over the flared end of the tube and thereby preventing rotation of the tube with respect to the body of the fitting. The other end of the fitting may be crimped or otherwise secured to a constituent part such as a fluid hose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Dana Corporation
    Inventor: Donald Howard Brugmann, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6446330
    Abstract: The system includes means for moving a rivet or a collar from a storage bin to an initial position for the respective gripping assemblies. The presence of the rivet and/or collar is recognized as it moves through a feeding mechanism. After the rivet or collar is gripped, they are moved either into an opening in the workpiece, in the case of a rivet, or onto the tail of a lockbolt, in the case of a collar. The gripping assembly is then released from the rivet or the collar, with the gripping means moving back to an initial position. Further operations can then be carried out on the rivet or collar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Electroimpact, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter B. Zieve, Carter L. Boad, Sam O. Smith, Scott E. Neel, Brent W. Huffer
  • Patent number: 6446806
    Abstract: A transportation container comprises: a container body for housing a plurality of semiconductor wafers; a detachable lid adapted to engage in and cover an open front face of the container body via a seal gasket; and a locking mechanism adapted to fix the lid engaged into the open front face of the container body. The locking mechanism has a pair of protrusions formed at the opposing sides of a rim of the open end face of the container body. The locking mechanism also has a pair of clamp plates which are pivotally supported on the opposing sides of the lid to clamp the protrusions. Each protrusion has, on the back thereof, a groove with a semi-circular cross-section to be clamped. Each clamp plate has attachment shafts for the lid formed in one end of the clamp plate. The clamp plate also has operated parts for automatized operation formed in the other end of the clamp plate. The operated part has a Y-shape in cross-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Ohori, Hideaki Aoki