Patents Examined by Todd J. Burns
  • Patent number: 5051168
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for screening and treating pulp. In the invention, the pulp is screened in a screen into an accepted fraction and a rejected fraction, the rejected fraction being treated after the screening by removing water from it. In order to reduce the energy consumption of the refining process, the rejected pulp fraction is screened by means of a means (13) rotating rapidly in a reject space (12) of a screen (1) in such a manner that the rapidly rotating means (13) effects a radial flow of the fine-grained material contained in the rejected fraction outwards through a perforated wall (14) surrounding the rotating means (13) into a space (15, 15a) from where the fine-grained material is discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Oy Tampella AB
    Inventor: Jouko Hautala
  • Patent number: 5050528
    Abstract: A granulating and coating method featuring that a coating liquid and a binder liquid are fed into a rotary drum so as to carry out granulating and coating of a powdery and/or granular material, wherein the coating is performed while a gas is blown out to the rear of the rotating direction of the drum relative to a nozzle unit for feeding the coating liquid of an aqueous type including an emulsion and a suspension into the drum. A granulating and coating apparatus featuring that a nozzle unit for feeding at least one of a coating liquid and a binder liquid into a rotary drum is provided, wherein a gas blow-out portion of a duct is provided near the nozzle unit and the direction of the blow-out is adjustable relative to the nozzle unit. Further the apparatus is provided with a perforated ventilating member over a gas blow-out opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Freund Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuri Yamada, Goro Nagami
  • Patent number: 5050533
    Abstract: A system for applying one-part thermal-cure material, such as structural epoxy, includes apparatus for heating or cooling the epoxy to a temperature above or below ambient. A spirally coiled tube is suspended within a hollow enclosure by tube end fittings extending from axially opposed ends of the tube. An electrical heater and temperature sensor extend from opposed enclosure ends into the tube coils approximately centrally of the enclosure. The enclosure is filled with a heat transfer fluid that surrounds the coiled tubing. The fluid is connected through an inlet and outlet in the enclosure endwalls for circulation externally of the enclosure through a fluid chiller. A microprocessor-based controller receives input signals from the temperature sensor and a temperature adjustment mechanism, and provides outputs to the heater, chiller and heater-exchange fluid pump and circulation valve, and to alarm mechanisms for indicating a high-temperature or low-temperature alarm condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Technadyne Engineering Corporation
    Inventor: Robert J. Zaber
  • Patent number: 5044312
    Abstract: A mask for protecting edge conductors of printed circuit boards from the spray coating which is sprayed on the board. The mask is molded from a soft silicone-based-elastomer material in a configuration which presents a sharp sealing edge and a large interior angle adjacent the seal which effectively limits migration due to capillary action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Bryan W. Guenther, Eric M. Frey
  • Patent number: 5043141
    Abstract: An injection system for use with a luminometer, which includes a carrier movable between a liquid loading station and a liquid dispensing station and a dispenser assembly mounted on the carrier and including an injector needle arranged, when at the liquid loading station, to pass through an aperture in a part of the luminometer aligned with a test sample container therein, the container being in a test chamber with which a photomultiplier device communicates. The system also includes a sealing arrangement which prevents light from passing through the aperture in the luminometer, both when the needle extends through the aperture and when the needle has been withdrawn from the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Cardiff Laboratories for Energy & Resources Limited
    Inventors: Stuart Wilson, Clive Goodfield, David A. Stafford, Ian R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5041179
    Abstract: A method for controlling the tape affixing direction of an automatic tape affixing apparatus including a tape affixing head movable in X axis, Y axis, Z axis, A axis and C axis and a control device for moving the tape affixing head on an adhesion form, the tape affixing head carrying a tape supply reel, a tape-take-up reel, a tape presser roller and a tape drive roller includes the steps of; calculating a normal vector of each fine section of a surface of the adhesion form and a vector of a ridge between fine sections based on X-, Y- and Z- coordinate values of points in fine sections, the fine section being formed by dividing the surface of the adhesion form in the form of a lattice; calculating the affixing direction vector of a control point of a tape from the normal vector and the ridge vector; and controlling the moving course of the tape affixing head in accordance with the affixing direction vector. Accordingly, the tape affixing direction can be controlled with high accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1991
    Assignees: Shinnippon Koki Kabushiki Kaisha, Shinnippon Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Shinno, Toshikazu Shigematsu
  • Patent number: 5037508
    Abstract: Kaolin clay treated with 0.5 to 1.5 wt. % of aluminum chlorohydrate or a double hydroxide of aluminum and magnesium are an effective pitch adsorption agent for use in paper making processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1991
    Assignee: J. M. Huber Corporation
    Inventors: Walter J. Hyder, Albert C. Kunkle, Robert M. Weaver
  • Patent number: 5032202
    Abstract: A plasma generating apparatus for plasma processing applications is based on a permanent magnet line-cusp plasma confinement chamber coupled to a compact single-coil microwave waveguide launcher. The device creates an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma in the launcher and a second ECR plasma is created in the line cusps due to a 0.0875 tesla magnetic field in that region. Additional special magnetic field configuring reduces the magnetic field at the substrate to below 0.001 tesla. The resulting plasma source is capable of producing large-area (20-cm diam), highly uniform (.+-.5%) ion beams with current densities above 5 mA/cm.sup.2. The source has been used to etch photoresist on 5-inch diam silicon wafers with good uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1991
    Assignee: Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Chin-Chi Tsai, Steven M. Gorbatkin, Lee A. Berry
  • Patent number: 5025749
    Abstract: An assembly for speeding the process of finishing doughnuts with icings and condiments, the table being elongated and having a horizontal upper surface and an elongated opening therein providing opposed parallel ledges lengthwise of the table and, having below the table upper surface and within the elongated opening, opposed horizontal ledges of reduced spacing therebetween, and including a plurality of rectangular shallow depth pans for receiving doughnuts thereon, the pans having, at the opposed end walls, outwardly extending lip portions, the length of the pan between the end walls being such that the lip portions slide upon the spacing between the table parallel upper surface ledges, and a plurality of pans having end walls of spacing less than that of the trays and having outwardly extending lip portions which engage the lower horizontal ledges of the table so that the trays may be slid upon the table within the opening and over the icings and condiments containing pans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Assignee: Daylight Corporation
    Inventor: Jackie R. Sutherland
  • Patent number: 5026415
    Abstract: This specification discloses a mold for use for press-molding an optical element, characterized in that at least the molding surface of a mold base material is coated with an a-C:H film containing 5-40 atom % of hydrogen therein and having a film density of 1.5 g/cm.sup.3 or more. Other mold coating films also disclosed are a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film with an intermediate carbide layer between the film and the molding surface, and a hard carbon film containing 0-5 atom % of hydrogen therein and having a spin density of 1.times.10.sup.18 spin/cm.sup.3 or less and a film densisy of 1.5 g/cm.sup.3 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Keiji Hirabayashi, Noriko Kurihara, Yasushi Taniguchi, Keiko Ikoma
  • Patent number: 5024726
    Abstract: A method for producing a .lambda./4 shift type diffraction grating by producing a diffraction grating pattern on a substrate with a material capable of being selectively etched relative to the substrate, depositing a resist to bury the diffraction grating pattern, removing a portion of the resist to expose at least a portion of the surface of the diffraction grating pattern, removing the diffraction grating pattern on a first portion of the substrate, etching the first portion of the substrate using the remaining resist pattern as a mask, and etching a second portion of the substrate adjacent to the first portion using the remaining diffraction grating pattern on the second portion of the substrate, thereby producing a .lambda./4 shift type diffraction grating having a .lambda./4 phase shift region at the junction of the first and second portions of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1991
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masatoshi Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 5019205
    Abstract: An apparatus for wet etching of thin films with which etching rate differences as between various regions of a respective thin film down to only 5% can be achieved. The apparatus includes a housing (10) providing a liquid treatment chamber in which at least one rotational-symmetrical basket (12; 14) is arranged for accommodating semiconductor slices (16) having the thin films to be etched. The basket (12, 14) rests on two rollers (18, 20; 22), one of which is driven. Longitudinally above the basket (12; 14), flat jet nozzles (24) are arranged in such a manner that the jets of etching solution sprayed out of the nozzles form a homogeneous flat jet (26). The flat jet (26) is directed laterally in the direction of the axis of symmetry of the basket (12; 14). With this apparatus, overflow conditions on the surfaces of the slices (16) to be processed are obtained which are so uniform that the apparatus is suitable for use in the wet etching of aluminium layers in device fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Endl, Helmut Rinck
  • Patent number: 5011562
    Abstract: Plastics coated metal tube produced by folding a strip of metal into a tubular form, seaming the tube and immediately extruding layers of plastics material onto the inner and outer surfaces of the metal tube, and cooling the plastics layers by passing the tube through a water bath, contains air injected under pressure to assist adhering the extruded plastics coating onto the inner surface of the metal tube and to test the integrity of the tube. The invention provides apparatus comprising jaws which clamp the tube within the water bath in order to seal the tube while the inner coating is still plastic so that when the tube is cut into lengths at the seals the internal pressure is retained until the tube is eventually used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1991
    Assignee: Kitechnology B.V.
    Inventor: Itzhak Barnoach
  • Patent number: 5007983
    Abstract: A method for etching or removing polymers, photoresists, and organic contaminants from a substrate is disclosed. The method includes creating a more reactive gas species by producing a plasma discharge in a reactive gas such as oxygen and contacting the resulting gas species with a sacrificial solid organic material (13A) such as polyethylene or poly(vinyl fluoride), producing a highly reactive gas species, which in turn etches the starting polymer, organic contaminant, or photoresist (13). The sample to be etched is located away from the plasma glow discharge region (11) so as to avoid damaging the substrate by exposure to high-energy particles and electric fields encountered in that region. Greatly increased etching rates are obtained. This method is highly effective for etching polymers such as polyimides and photoresists that are otherwise difficult or slow to etch downstream from an electric discharge in a reactive gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1991
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Narcinda R. Lerner, Theodore J. Wydeven, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5006192
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating wafers utilizing the plasma produced by a gas discharge and a method of cleaning such apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus is equipped with a device for forming a high voltage electric field in a space outside of the discharge space in which the wafer treating plasma is generated. The cleaning of the inner surfaces of the vacuum vessel of the apparatus is effected during the periods between the treatments by means of the plasma generated by the gas discharge started and sustained by the electric field device as well as by a main electrode for maintaining the treating discharge. The device for forming a high voltage electric field as mentioned above may comprise a limiter electrode surrounding the treating discharge space; alternatively, it may comprise an auxiliary electrode disposed in the space outside the treating discharge space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1991
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mikio Deguchi
  • Patent number: 5002627
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method of etching an etch material consisting at least partly of metal and an arrangement for implementing that method. According to the invention, the etchant is applied through jet assemblies arranged perpendicularly to each other on the top and the bottom side of the etch material. During the passage of the etch material, the spray pressure at the jet assemblies or the jets may be set to constant values and/or by individually controlled as a function of the quantity of metal to be etched off the top and the bottom side. The invention is particularly suitable for etching circuit boards, whose conductors on the top and the bottom side are arranged perpendicularly to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1991
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alfred Scheithauer, Wolfgang Alberth, Gert Pohl, Herbert Ziegler
  • Patent number: 4999079
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for chemically treating articles, often with a liquid treatment fluid that is corrosive, while the articles are being delivered along a path through a substantially closed chamber. During treatment, the articles pass through a nip formed between opposed rollers. Because of the thin flexible nature of the articles, they may tend to wrap around a roller after passing through the nip. The articles are engaged as they pass downstream of the nip and are urged away from the surface of the roller, to continue to follow a predetermined path of travel. In engaging the articles to urge them away from the nip, they are preferably contacted by eccentrically mounted rings, carried by the roller. The rings have portions that protrude away from the surface of the roller that enables them to engage the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Chemcut Corporation
    Inventor: James J. Ash
  • Patent number: 4999084
    Abstract: To remove disturbing wax particles and for increasing the specific volume the short fiber fraction is subjected to a thermal treatment, especially by application of water vapor or steam, in a heater, such as a worm heater throughout a defined residence time and a defined temperature. With relatively low energy expenditure the distrubing wax particles are eliminated in such a manner that no wax spots or speckles can be discerned in the finished product. The specific volume of the short fiber fraction is appreciably increased while obtaining a predetermined strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Sulzer-Escher Wyss GmbH
    Inventors: Heinrich Lang, Harald Selder
  • Patent number: 4994142
    Abstract: It has been determined that etchants which are used in forming the topography of a semiconductor device act to etch very quickly semiconductor oxides as compared to the action on the semiconductor material itself. If the oxides are immediately below the surface of the etchant mask, undercutting of the mask will occur and etched grooves will vary in width and shape. Thus, it is imperative in order to obtain consistent and repeatable etching action, that all native oxides be removed from the surface of the semiconductor to be etched, and that they be prevented from forming between the semiconductor material and the mask. This is accomplished by making sure that after removing the native oxide material from the surface to be masked and etched, the body is placed in an oxygen free environment before its temperature is raised to a temperature at which further native oxides may form. Thus, undercutting or underetching of the mask is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventor: Ami Appelbaum
  • Patent number: 4992134
    Abstract: A plasma etching process is provided which etches n-type, p-type, and intrinsic polysilicon on the same wafer at substantially the same rate. Native oxide is first removed by etching in a conventional oxide etchant, such as SiCl.sub.4 /Cl.sub.2, BCl.sub.3 /Cl.sub.2, CCl.sub.4, other mixtures of fluorinated or chlorinated gases, and mixtures of Freon-based gases. The polysilicon is then etched in an etchant comprising at least about 75% hydrogen and the balance a halogen-containing fluid, such as chloride. The silicon etchant etches at a rate of about 300 to 500 .ANG. for a batch of 10 wafers, depending on hydrogen concentration, power, flow rate of gas mixture, and gas pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1991
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Subhash Gupta, Kashmir Sahota