Patents Examined by Suzanne E. McDowell
  • Patent number: 7670544
    Abstract: The invention relates to the use of a biaxially oriented microporous film, which contains a propylene polymer and at least one ?-nucleating agent and whose microporosity is produced by converting ?-crystalline polypropylene when drawing the film, in order to label containers during blow molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Treofan Germany GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Detlef D. Busch, Karl-Heinz Kochem, Bertram Schmitz, Wilfrid Tews
  • Patent number: 7563403
    Abstract: A method of reheat blow molding a container includes the step of positioning a preform in a blow mold cavity with at least one of the walls having an opening with an anvil received therein for movement between a first position outside the cavity and a second position at least partially within the cavity. Further, expanding the preform within the cavity while moving the anvil from its first position to its second position so that the expanding preform forms a pocket for receiving a handle therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Graham Packaging PET Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas E. Nahill
  • Patent number: 7531125
    Abstract: A method of making a wide mouth, blow molded PET plastic container having an externally threaded neck, the diameter and wall thickness of the neck and threads have a critical relationship to the diameter and wall thickness of the preform used to blow the intermediate article of which the container is a part. A PET plastic container having a threaded neck with a wall thickness of within the range of 0.032 to 0.038 inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: RING Container Technologies
    Inventors: Douglas M. Dygert, David A. Brunson
  • Patent number: 7504061
    Abstract: A method of decorating a three-dimensional object, which performs a thermal transfer by causing a flat thermal transfer foil to adhere favorably to a molded article of a comparatively tall shape. Providing a planar heater (17) at the side of a support jig (5) to partially heat and extend a thermal transfer foil (71) and fixing a shape cutter (19) to the side of a molded rubber mold (3) and mounting a cutting mechanism which cuts the thermal transfer coil immediately before the molded rubber mold reaches the drop point, so that the thermal transfer foil is favorably caused to favorably adhere to the molded article (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co., KG
    Inventor: Hiroko Kondo
  • Patent number: 7491358
    Abstract: A method and device serve the tempering preforms of a thermoplastic material. The preforms are modeled subsequent to tempering into a container inside a blow-molding mold by the action of a medium under pressure. During tempering, the preforms are heated by being acted upon by a heat radiation as well as cooled by being blown upon with cooling air, at least in the surface region. For compensation of a change in the surface temperature of the preforms due to operating ambient parameters, a change in the intensity in the subjecting of the preforms to cooling air is conducted. This takes place such that with simultaneous heating and cooling a basically constant surface temperature of the preform is attained. In addition, the intensity of heat radiation can be regulated for adaptation to at least one operating parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: SIG Corpoplast GmbH & Co. KG.
    Inventors: Matthias Gernhuber, Dirk Reimer, Klaus Vogel
  • Patent number: 7491359
    Abstract: A plastic container, preform or article includes a multilayer wall having at least one layer of matrix resin, at least one layer of barrier resin, and an adhesion-promoting material blended with the barrier resin and/or the matrix resin to promote bonding between the barrier and matrix layers. The matrix resin preferably is an ester-containing resin, most preferably a polyester such as PET. The adhesion-promoting material includes an amine polymer, preferably an imine polymer having a plurality of available primary, secondary or tertiary amine groups. An alkylene imine polymer is preferred, particularly a polyethyleneimine polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Graham Packaging PET Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Philip D. Bourgeois
  • Patent number: 7485251
    Abstract: A method for producing a bottle-shaped container that is highly thermally resistant and shows an excellent shaping/shape-keeping property in a short period of time is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Yoshino Kogyosho Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromi Yaguchi, Tomohiko Ishizuka, Daisuke Uesugi
  • Patent number: 7485252
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for making a molded plastic article having a stretched and crystallized neck finish. In one embodiment, a series of platforms are carried by a conveying apparatus for transporting a series of molded plastic articles along a predetermined path of travel through one or more treatment stations. At a finish widening station, the molded article, having a relatively wide and thin-walled blow-molded body portion, and a relatively narrow and thick-walled unexpanded neck finish portion, is positioned to enable insertion of a mandrel into an open top aperture of the finish portion to widen the finish. The mandrel may include a lower heated tapered portion for expanding the finish, and an upper cooled body portion on which the expanded finish may be cooled. The article may then be sent to a finish crystallizing station having a heating device that heats the widened finish portion for a time and temperature selected to crystallize at least a portion of the widened finish.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Graham Packaging Company, LP
    Inventors: Keith Barker, Brian Lynch, Thomas E. Nahill
  • Patent number: 7479003
    Abstract: A method and a device for producing a film made of a thermoplastic material, wherein a plastic melt is blown up into a film bubble and is shaped into a desired film by a calibrating arrangement, and a downstream arranged flattening device. For providing as contactless as possible a guidance, calibration and flattening, film guidance elements are used with a laminar uniform air cushion between the film guidance element and the surface of the film bubble, without contact between the surface of the film bubble and the film guidance element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Eike Wedell, Helmut Meyer
  • Patent number: 7479248
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vessel prosthesis or patch, made from a biocompatible polymer with microporous, finely-fibrillated structure and a method for improving the e-modulus of said vessel prostheses or patches. According to the invention, the vessel prostheses or patches are subjected to a full stretching (extension) with a degree of extension between 30% and 250% and subsequent restoration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Adiam Life Science AG
    Inventors: Josef Jansen, Engin Kocaman
  • Patent number: 7476355
    Abstract: An injection blow molding apparatus has a rotatable turret with three laterally facing faces. The turret is rotatable between an injection position, a blow position and an ejection position that are angularly spaced from each other around an axis of rotation of the turret. A mold core holder is mounted on each face of the turret. Each core holder has a track, a wing pivotally mounted on each end of the track for movement between folded positions overlying the track at the injection position, and unfolded positions extending from the ends of the track at the blow and ejection positions. Mold cores are mounted on each track at a reduced spacing. The spacing can be increased by moving the wings to the extended positions and spreading out the mold cores on the track and the two wings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Rexam Healthcare Packaging Inc.
    Inventor: Tasadduq Hussain
  • Patent number: 7476354
    Abstract: A mold assembly includes a collapsible mount for releasably holding an insert within a mold cavity of the assembly in order to integrally form the insert with a molded article such as a tank liner. The collapsible mount includes a number of fingers secured to the mount and capable of being inserted through and expanded to engage the insert. The fingers are expanded after insertion through the insert by a core engageable with the fingers in order to securely hold the insert in position on the fingers of the mount and within the mold cavity. After formation of the article around the insert, the core can be disengaged from the fingers, which then move to a collapsed position such that the mount can be quickly withdrawn from within the insert and the mold cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Clack Corporation
    Inventor: Robert A. Clack
  • Patent number: 7473388
    Abstract: Method of producing a polyester resin container, such as a PET bottle, from a preform (10) includes a step whereby the preform (10) is heated to a temperature above a glass-transition temperature and a drawing step which is performed in a cavity (101). According to the invention, during the drawing step, an incompressible fluid and not a gaseous fluid is injected through the opening in the preform (10?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Nestle Waters Management & Technology
    Inventors: Christophe Desanaux, Alain Contal, Gerard Denis
  • Patent number: 7473389
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to a device which is used to blow-form containers (2). A preform (1) is stretched inside a blow form (4) by a horizontal bar (11) after thermal conditioning and is shaped in the container by means of blow pressure effects. At least one part of the pressurised gas is guided towards the base area of the container (2). One particular advantage of said invention is that the flow path ends in the vicinity of the base area. At least one part of the pressurised gas (2) is guided into the container by the horizontal bar (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: SIG Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Wolf Jaksztat, Michael Linke, Rolf Baumgarte, Michael Litzenberg, Klaus Vogel, Günther Godau
  • Patent number: 7465420
    Abstract: The method of manufacturing a film of thermotropic liquid crystal polymer includes extruding a thermotropic liquid crystal polymer of a kind in which any one of activation energies Ea1 and Ea2 of a melt viscosity is within the range of 30 to 90 kcal/mol, with the ratio (Ea1/Ea2) of the activation energy Ea1 relative to the activation energy Ea2 being within the range of 1 to 1.7. The activation energies Ea1 and Ea2 are measured by means of a capillary rheometer, including a nozzle of 1 mm in inner diameter and 10 mm in length disposed at an angle of introduction of 90° and a barrel of 9.55 mm in inner diameter, at respective shear rates of 243 seconds?1 and 2432 seconds?1 under a temperature ranging from the temperature [(Tm?10)° C.], which is lower by 10° C. than the melting point [(Tm)° C.] of the thermotropic liquid crystal polymer, to the temperature [(Tm+20)° C.], which is higher by 20° C. than the melting point [(Tm)° C.] of the thermotropic liquid crystal polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadao Yoshikawa, Tatsuya Sunamoto
  • Patent number: 7459119
    Abstract: A multiplayer perform having at least a medium or intermediate gas barrier layer is prepared in advance by the injection molding of this perform in a predetermined shape that corresponds to the shape of a finished molded product. The body portion of this perform is heated to a blow moldable temperature. The heated perform is set in a primary blow mold (12), and is blow molded in the biaxial orientation to give a primary molded intermediate (5). The primary intermediate (5) is then heated to deform it forcibly by thermal shrinkage and thereby to give the secondary molded intermediate (6). The shrunken secondary intermediate (6) is set in a secondary blow mold (13), and is subjected to the secondary blow molding in the biaxial orientation to obtain a finished molded product, which is fixed thermally to give heat history to the PET resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Yoshino Kogyosho Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akiho Ota, Daisuke Uesugi, Masato Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7459107
    Abstract: A process of reinforcing a closed sectional portion of a vehicle body with a two-pack urethane foam composition. The process including the operations of injecting a two-pack urethane foam composition into the closed sectional portion of a vehicular body member; foaming and curing the two-pack urethane foam composition within said closed sectional portion; and then viewing the cured urethane foam-filling confirming opening to confirm whether the closed sectional portion has been sufficiently filled by the two-pack urethane foam composition. The closed sectional portion has a cured urethane foam-filling confirming opening, which is a hole extending through a wall of the closed sectional portion, The opening dimension of the cured urethane foam-filling confirming opening is 10 mm or less in order to assure rigidity of the vehicular body member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Sunstar Suisse SA
    Inventors: Kiichi Yamashita, Tatsuya Wakamori, Masahito Mori, Mutsuhisa Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 7455806
    Abstract: A mould assembly (60) and a method of use in injection moulding of a part having a functional cavity therein. The mould assembly has a recess (72) to receive a hollow tubular insert (48) intended to be placed in the mould assembly before the injection of a mouldable material into the cavity and to remain in the part after moulding. A gas supply arrangement supplies pressurised gas to the hollow tubular insert at a selected stage during the injection process whereby to form the functional cavity in the part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignees: William A. Cook Australia Pty. Ltd., Cook Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael Carl Junger, David Sean O'Brien, Allan Joseph Hilling Smith
  • Patent number: 7455808
    Abstract: A method of making a container preform includes providing a mold core having at least one surface recess in the form of negative-mold indicia, and molding a preform around the core such that the preform has internal raised indicia formed by the at least one recess in the core. The preform preferably subsequently is blow-molded to form a container having the raised indicia on an inside surface of the container. This raised indicia on the inside surface of the container may be viewed from outside of the container to confirm that the container is genuine. In accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, the raised internal indicia may be on the bottom wall, sidewall, shoulder and/or neck of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Rexam Healthcare Packaging Inc.
    Inventors: Todd W. Meyer, Donald P. Delagrange
  • Patent number: RE40941
    Abstract: The present invention includes processes and resulting structures for producing a modified polymer having interconnecting channels. The interconnecting channels act as controlled transmission passages through the polymer. A hydrophilic agent is blended into the polymer so that it is distributed within the polymer. In one embodiment, a releasing material is blended into the polymer so that the releasing material is distributed within the product. The product is solidified so that the hydrophilic agent forms passages in the product through which a desired composition is communicable to the releasing material that is entrained within the product. The solidified product may be used to form a desired shaped article such as plug type inserts and liners for closed containers, or it may be formed into a film, sheet, bead or pellet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: CSP Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ihab Hekal