Patents Examined by Timothy V. Eley
  • Patent number: 9908218
    Abstract: A media-bearing polisher and restorer removes surface and subsurface contaminants from a vehicle, household or other surface. The media-bearing polisher and restorer comprises an ovoid body with a planar bottom. The body comprises a resilient or rigid material and one or more flutes for receiving one or more user fingers. A permeable elastic medium is removably attached to the planar bottom of the body, which absorbs and extracts contaminants from the surface. A variety of media can be used with the media-bearing polisher and restorer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Inventor: Timothy D. Miller
  • Patent number: 9908213
    Abstract: A method of using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)apparatus that includes a apparatus is provided. The method includes providing a conditioning disc for conditioning the polishing pad, where the conditioning disc includes a plurality of portions of subsystem discs. The portions may be regions of the disc that are concentric. Each portion of the disc is operable to rotate at a different angular velocity. In some embodiments, a different applied loading is provided to each of the portions of the disc in addition to or in lieu of the different angular velocities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hsiu-Ming Yeh, Feng-Inn Wu
  • Patent number: 9902047
    Abstract: A small and portable apparatus for sharpening the blades of a pair of scissors is provided according to the invention. The scissors sharpener comprises a main body; a vertically-oriented, stationary sharpening steel having opposed surfaces that is securely attached to the main body; a pivotable sharpening steel that rotates with respect to the main body; and a U-shaped return spring positioned between the main body and the pivotable sharpening steel. A user inserts a pair of scissors so that the inside surfaces of the two blades abut the opposed surfaces of the stationary sharpening steel for stable alignment, and closes the blades against the pivotable sharpening steel to cause it to travel along the blade cutting edges to sharpen them. When the scissors blades are disengaged from the scissors sharpening apparatus, the return spring will bias the pivotable sharpening steel back to its standby position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Razor Edge Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph C. Juranitch, John R. Juranitch
  • Patent number: 9895787
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for adding surface features to grinding wheels. A laser may be directed substantially perpendicular to a grinding surface of a grinding wheel. The laser may be pulsed and may ablate material from the grinding surface. The laser may move relative to the grinding wheel in order to ablate shaped surface features into the grinding surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John P. Rizzo, Gordon M. Reed
  • Patent number: 9895788
    Abstract: Device for mixing solid particles of dry ice and the flow of gaseous medium including a feeding element (2) rotatively placed within the fixed housing (1) having openings (12, 13) for the flow of gaseous medium and/or the flow of gaseous medium with solid particles. Between the fixed housing (1) and rotatively placed feeding element (2) the immovable elastic membrane (3) is placed. The fixed housing (1) is at the side of the elastic membrane (3) provided by at least one sealed pressure chamber (14) connected with the opening (13) for the flow of gaseous medium and/or the opening (12) for the flow of gaseous medium with solid particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: ICS ICE CLEANING SYSTEMS S.R.O.
    Inventors: Ivan Kubi{hacek over (s)}, L'udovit Bakala, Peter Gabri{hacek over (s)}
  • Patent number: 9889533
    Abstract: The invention provides a cloth taking-up device including: a platform, on which glue/cloth to be taken-up are disposed; and a clamp part movable with respect to the platform, which can clamp a roller and roll the glue/cloth to be taken-up successively onto the roller. An outside surface of the platform has an included angle of 0°-180° with respect to the horizontal plane, on which the glue/cloth to be taken-up are disposed, and the clamp part can keep the roller in parallel with the outside surface. The cloth taking-up device can avoid uneven pressure applied to the glue/cloth to be taken-up in the down-press manner, improving uniformity of taken-up glue/cloth. Meanwhile, the foreign matters on the glue/cloth to be taken-up can easily fall off, and the foreign matters on the rollers cannot drop onto the glue/cloth to be taken-up with the rotation, thereby ensuring glue/cloth taking-up quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hui Jing, Zhubing Huang, Xiaofeng Wang
  • Patent number: 9884403
    Abstract: A machining arrangement for drilling a hole into a front wall section of a workpiece by way of a machining jet, the front wall section being located in front of a rear wall section of the workpiece, as seen looking in a drilling direction, the rear wall section being disposed with an intermediate space at a distance from the front wall section, the machining arrangement being switchable between a continuous mode, in which the machining jet formed from liquid and abrasive material continuously impinges on the workpiece, and a pulsed mode, in which the machining jet is pulsed, so that the impingement of at least on of said liquid and said abrasive material on the workpiece is recurrently interrupted, the machining arrangement including a controller which is programmed and configured so that the hole is drilled at least partially in the pulsed mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: MICROWATERJET AG
    Inventor: Walter Maurer
  • Patent number: 9878421
    Abstract: A retaining ring for a chemical mechanical polishing carrier head having a mounting surface for a substrate is provided herein. In some embodiments, the retaining ring may include an annular body have a central opening, a channel formed in the body, wherein a first end of the channel is proximate the central opening, and a sensor disposed within the channel and proximate the first end, wherein the sensor is configured to detect acoustic and/or vibration emissions from processes performed on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventor: Simon Yavelberg
  • Patent number: 9878415
    Abstract: A portable ski and/or snowboard edge sharpener and method. The edge sharpener includes an abrasive grinding wheel, a belt driven drive train that connects the electric motor and the grinding wheel drive mechanism and decreases the grinding wheel's speed of rotation relative to the rotational speed of the motor, a grinding wheel mount allowing the operator to select and use grinding wheels of different grits and materials and grinding wheel control mechanisms allowing the operator to control the cut depth and the grinding wheel angles relative to the longitudinal and transverse planes of the ski edge surface to be sharpened. This configuration allows the operator to repeatedly sharpen a ski edge at a specific and chosen angle with a specific and chosen surface finish. Other features include, position lockdown devices being part of each of the control mechanisms and a vacuum system to capture residue from the grinding operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Durell Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. Durell, Thomas E. Durell
  • Patent number: 9878422
    Abstract: A multi-angle automated polishing system comprises a workbench, a holding unit, a polishing unit, and a control unit. The holding unit comprises a holding component for holding an object, a transverse drive configured to drive the holding component to move transversely along the plane of the workbench, a translational drive configured to drive the holding component to move translationally along the plane of the workbench, and a rotary drive configured to drive the holding component to rotate transversely along the plane of the workbench. The holding unit further comprises a rotating unit and a rotating drive configured to drive the rotating unit to rotate. The polishing unit comprises a polishing component and a polishing drive configured to drive the polishing unit in operation. The control unit is connected to the transverse drive, the rotary drive, the rotating drive, and the polishing drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Guangdong Institute of Intelligent Manufacturing
    Inventors: Xuefeng Zhou, Kaige Li, Dan Huang, Xiaoming Jiang, Xiaoguang Liu, Taobo Cheng
  • Patent number: 9873180
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide polishing pads includes a composite pad body and methods for forming the polishing pads. One embodiment provides a polishing pad including a composite pad body. The composite pad body includes one or more first features formed from a first material or a first composition of materials, and one or more second features formed from a second material or a second composition of materials, wherein the one or more first features and the one or more second features are formed by depositing a plurality of layers comprising the first material or first composition of materials and second material or second composition of materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Rajeev Bajaj, Kasiraman Krishnan, Mahendra C. Orilall, Daniel Redfield, Fred C. Redeker, Nag B. Patibandla, Gregory E. Menk, Jason G. Fung, Russell Edward Perry, Robert E. Davenport
  • Patent number: 9868100
    Abstract: Superabrasive tools and methods for the making thereof are disclosed and described. In one aspect, superabrasive particles are chemically bonded to a matrix support material according to a predetermined pattern by a braze alloy. The brazing alloy may be provided as a powder, thin sheet, or sheet of amorphous alloy. A template having a plurality of apertures arranged in a predetermined pattern may be used to place the superabrasive particles on a given substrate or matrix support material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Inventor: Chien-Min Sung
  • Patent number: 9868661
    Abstract: A glass lens blank for polishing in which a thickness of a defect-containing layer is suppressed to a minimum and thus it is possible to shorten the processing time required for grinding and polishing the glass lens blank for polishing after press-molding, a method of manufacturing the same, and a method of manufacturing an optical lens. A glass lens blank for polishing of which at least a main surface is a press-molding surface, wherein a defect-containing layer formed on the main surface has a thickness of 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: HOYA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mikio Ikenishi, Akihiro Shoji, Yoshitake Tanno, Isao Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9862067
    Abstract: A grinding or polishing machine (10) may include a working assembly (20) and a foldable cart (30). The working assembly (20) may include a grinding head (26) rotatable to engage a surface for grinding or polishing. The foldable cart (30) may be releasably coupled to the working assembly (20). The foldable cart (30) may include a mobility assembly (100) including at least one wheel (102) and a frame (104), and a handle assembly (110) operably coupled to the frame (104). The handle assembly (110) may include a first frame portion (112) and a second frame portion (114). The first frame portion (112) and the second frame portion (114) may be operably coupled to each other via a folding joint (120).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: HUSQVARNA AB
    Inventors: Olof Winterfjord, Robert Gustafsson
  • Patent number: 9862863
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a polishing composition including colloidal silica having an average particle size of 5 to 200 nm and pulverized wet-process silica particles having an average particle size of 0.1 to 1.0 ?m, wherein a value of the ratio of the average particle size of the wet-process silica particles to that of the colloidal silica is from 2.0 to 30.0. The polishing composition, according to various embodiments, achieves a high polishing rate and has a good surface smoothness, without the use of alumina particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAGUCHI SEIKEN KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Iwata, Akira Sugawa
  • Patent number: 9856401
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a polishing composition including colloidal silica, pulverized wet-process silica particles, and a water-soluble polymer compound, wherein the water-soluble polymer compound is a polymer or copolymer having a constituent unit derived from an unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acid. Various embodiments achieve a high polishing rate and obtain a good surface smoothness and end-face shape without the use of alumina particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAGUCHI SEIKEN KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Iwata, Akira Sugawa
  • Patent number: 9855633
    Abstract: A blade sharpening system may include a sharpening tool for sharpening a workpiece. The system may also include a sharpening fixture having a mounting surface for mounting a workpiece to be sharpened by the sharpening tool. The mounting surface may be disposed on a sled that is movable along a sharpening path that passes under a sharpening implement that may be mounted to a movable arm of the sharpening tool when the arm is in an engaged position. The movement of the sled may be coupled to the movement of the arm such that moving the arm from a disengaged position to the engaged position initiates the sled to move in a first direction along the sharpening path and moving the arm from the engaged position to the disengaged position initiates the sled to move along the sharpening path in a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Inventor: Monte Warne
  • Patent number: 9855636
    Abstract: A robot-supported grinding method is described. In accordance with one example of the invention, the grinding method includes contacting a surface of a workpiece with a rotating grinding tool, whereby either the grinding tool or the workpiece is mechanically coupled to the tool center point (TCP) of a manipulator. The method further includes controlling an actuator that influences the grinding tool or the workpiece to produce a grinding force between the grinding tool and the workpiece, as well as measuring an actual deflection of the actuator. The rotational velocity of the grinding tool is adjusted depending on the measured actual deflection of the actuator and a reference deflection of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: FerRobotics Compliant Robot Technology GmbH
    Inventor: Ronald Naderer
  • Patent number: 9855637
    Abstract: A method and system for observing and monitoring thermal characteristics of a machining operation, such as a surface finishing operation, performed on a workpiece is disclosed. The surface finishing operation can be performed on the workpiece in order to remove a surface defect, e.g. a parting line, on a surface of the workpiece and/or to provide a mirror-like finish to the workpiece. In one embodiment, an emissive layer is applied to the workpiece to increase a thermal emissivity of the workpiece. In some embodiments, a finishing surface, such as a polishing or buffing wheel, and/or a lubricant used in a finishing operation is monitored. A thermal profile of the surface of the workpiece, finishing surface and/or lubricant can be obtained. The finishing operation can be modified in response to the monitored thermal characteristics to prevent the occurrence of defects and improve the efficacy of the finishing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Lucas Allen Whipple, Simon Regis Louis Lancaster-Larocque, Collin D. Chan, Christopher R. Fagan, Vincent Yan, Ian S. Theilacker, Brian K. Miehm, Shravan Bharadwaj
  • Patent number: 9855615
    Abstract: A disclosed method utilizes virtual representations of gear profiles produced in view of accuracies and capabilities of specific machine and tool combinations to validate profile finishing parameters. The virtual representations are utilized to identify modifications needed to account for process capability and are implemented into the process to change the nominal profile utilized for producing the finished gear profiles. The resulting nominal gear profile accounts for process variations and thereby provides a more accurate and repeatable gear tooth profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Changsheng Guo