Patents Examined by Todd J. Kilkenny
  • Patent number: 6364989
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for laminating a decorative lamination film to an extruded substrate is disclosed. The decorative lamination film may be clear, translucent, pearlescent, or opaque and it is compressed against the extruded substrate between a pair of rollers. In the context of vertical blind louvers, the rollers and the decorative lamination film are wider than the extruded substrate, the side edges of the extruded substrate being temporarily pressed upward in contact with the lamination film. The roller in contact with the lamination film is heated to a temperature sufficient to melt a central length of the lamination film that is contact with the extruded substrate, and thereby under increased pressure, but not so hot as to melt the unused side lengths of the lamination film. The unused side lengths, therefore, do not melt and naturally separate from the central length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Inventor: Harout Ohanesian
  • Patent number: 6358348
    Abstract: A method of butt welding two generally rod-shaped structures of a fluorine-containing plastic material includes the steps of placing end faces of the structures in a contacting relationship by supporting each structure in a clamping device, applying heat to the end parts of the structures that project from the clamping device, and pressing the end faces together by moving the clamping devices towards each other to apply a welding pressure of between 0.05 and 0.5 Nmm−2 perpendicular to the end faces. The heating element surrounds the end parts along a substantially closed contour, and may comprise two segments which can be hinged into an open or closed position to be removed from the completed weld.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Single Buoy Moorings Inc.
    Inventors: Jack Pollack, Robert Martin Hobson, René Perratone
  • Patent number: 6358355
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a roll top is disclosed, in which solid wood strips are arranged equidistant apart in a mold. Then glue is applied to the same side of the strips. Then a wood texture rubber sheet is covered onto strips on the side having glue. Then the mold is vacuumed, causing the rubber sheet to completely adheres to the strips. A roll top of the present invention is then fabricated in this manner, which is a simple, rapid and low cost manufacturing method for roll tops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Kenmark Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: James Hwang
  • Patent number: 6352603
    Abstract: A winding device (10) for use in the simultaneous formation and attachment of a loop (11) to an apertured implantable device (12), in which the loop is formed from a loosely structured fiber bundle of twisted yarn, and the device (12) has first and second apertures (13, 14) through which the loop can be taken, and comprising: withdrawing a leading end of yarn from a yarn supply (15, 18, 21) and feeding the leading end through the first aperture (13) in one direction, and through the second aperture (14) in an opposite direction; taking the leading end of yarn away from the device (12) and along a guide path formed by rotatable capstans (16) so as to form a basic loop; withdrawing further yarn from the supply simultaneously with applying movement of the basic loop along the guide path so as to apply successive loop turns to the basic loop and therefore from a progressively increasing loop core; and applying relative twists between the loop core and each successive loop turn so as to form a cohesive looped fibe
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Neoligaments Limited
    Inventor: Julian Bryant
  • Patent number: 6342120
    Abstract: A composite catheter stabilizing device, a catheter assembly including such a stabilizing device and a device for removing a catheter assembly are provided. The stabilizing device includes a cuff having a first and second edge which is configured to be positioned around a catheter. The device further includes a first and second end piece. The first and second end pieces have internal surfaces defining tubular openings which extend through the end pieces. The first and second end pieces are tapered from first sides which abut the edges of the cuff to second sides and the second sides of the end pieces are configured for receiving a catheter in facing engagement. The device for removing a catheter assembly includes a handle and a head having an external gripping surface which is sized for inserting into a lumen of a catheter assembly having a tissue ingrowth cuff for gripping an internal surface of the catheter assembly within the cuff and dislodging the cuff from surrounding tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Medical Components, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Ignazio Basta
  • Patent number: 6336987
    Abstract: A method of producing a flexible heat-exchange device including a body having a flexible mats and an internal passageway for heat-carrying fluid, an inlet and an outlet, including placing first and second plastic elastic mats in a mould die having supporting surfaces and recesses around the supporting surfaces, separating the first and second plastic elastic mats by a resilient counterdie, bringing the mould dies together with the first and second plastic elastic mats separated by the resilient counterdie into contact wherein the first and second plastic elastic mats are stretched down around abutment surfaces by deformation of the resilient counterdie and around the support surfaces and down into the recesses so as to obtain local plastic deformations as the mould dies are brought together, placing the second plastic elastic mat over the first plastic elastic mat, and mutually joining the first and second plastic elastic mats to form the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: Texsun Energy A.B.
    Inventor: Per Gunnar Eriksson
  • Patent number: 6332945
    Abstract: The method and apparatus of the present invention includes an alignment base for receiving a golf club head, an injector for injecting an adhesive material into a bore of the golf club head, and a rotating mechanism for holding and rotating a shaft for attachment to the golf club head. The present invention allows for greater efficiency in the amount of adhesive material that is used to attach the shaft to the golf club head, and reduces the assembly time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Konrad Lenhof, Jerry V. Blanke, Paul D. Zanolli
  • Patent number: 6331224
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a carbon sheet, particularly for an electrode of a fuel cell, includes the steps of forming a sheet by mixing carbon fibers and a bonding agent; drying the formed sheet; immersing the dried formed sheet in a water repellent material particle dispersed dilute solution; removing the formed sheet from the water repel material particle dispersed dilute solution; baking the formed sheet for fixing water repel material particles thereon contained in the water repel material particle dispersed dilute solution; and oxidizing the bonding agent for removing the same from the formed sheet during the baking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Seko, Hikaru Okamoto, Masami Ishii
  • Patent number: 6328834
    Abstract: A process for producing bodies made of fiber-reinforced composites from fiber-reinforced precursor bodies having a porous carbon matrix, in particular from C/C bodies, includes (1) mixing fibers, fiber bundles or fiber agglomerates based on carbon, nitrogen, boron and/or silicon with at least one carbonizable binder to give a pressing composition, and (2) pressing the pressing composition to form a green body. At least one metal- or silicon-containing core is added to the green body. The green body is subsequently pyrolysed to convert the binder or binders into a porous carbon matrix, and the resulting fiber-reinforced precursor body is infiltrated with molten metal or silicon from the metal- or silicon-containing core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Kolja Rebstock, Karl-Heinz Roess
  • Patent number: 6325883
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for applying glue to a fiber optic coupler composed of a plurality of contiguously extending optical fibers, the fibers extending though the bore of a tube and through a longitudinally adjacent coupling region where the tube is collapsed around the fibers, the fibers being fused together in the coupling region, the diameters of the fibers in the coupling region being smaller than the diameters thereof in the bore. The method comprises: holding the coupler, and simultaneously injecting glue into both ends of the tube bore; wherein the coupler is oriented vertically, the glue being injected into the bore ends by positioning a hollow needle at each of the bore ends, the glue flowing through the needle in the bore at the top end of the tube at a rate greater than it flows through the needle in the bore at the bottom end of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Inventors: Marcella Rose Backer, Mark Alan McDermott, William James Miller, Mark Leon Morrell
  • Patent number: 6312550
    Abstract: Method of producing a shielding casing (4) in which there is provided a sealing and shielding profile section (9) which fills a gap between first and second adjoining casing portions (1, 2) and which comprising pasty material is applied under pressure from a coordinate-controlled applicator device (5) having an applicator needle or nozzle directly on to the first casing portion and then sets there elastically adhering thereto in self-supporting relationship, wherein the sealing and shielding profile section is produced by simultaneously applying at least one first material (8a) with material properties adapted for a good sealing action and a second material (8b) with material properties adapted to a good shielding action, from the applicator needle or nozzle (6) provided with at least a first and a second passage (6a, 6b), whereby the second material firmly adheres to the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Inventors: Bernd Tiburtius, Helmut Kahl
  • Patent number: 6302985
    Abstract: The method of the present invention is capable of securely removing air from a space between a cover glass and a slide glass and securely locating a damaged part of a specimen outside of a visual field of a microscope. One end of the cover glass is held by a sucking pad, which is provided to an arm capable of rotating and vertically moving. The cover glass is obliquely held with respect to the slide glass. The one end of the cover glass is held higher than the other end of the cover glass. A position of a rotational axis of the arm is moved to a position under the slide glass. The arm is rotated to make the other end of the cover glass contact the slide glass and curve the cover glass. The one end of the cover glass is gradually moved toward the slide glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Tiyoda Seisakusho, Sakura Finetechnical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Takahashi, Kazuhisa Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6296729
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a pipe liner bag is provided for reliably sealing a seam of a resin absorbent material with simple operations without forming pin holes through the resin absorbent material. The pipe liner bag comprises a tubular resin absorbent material having an outer surface covered with a highly air-tight plastic film and a hardenable resin impregnated in the tubular resin absorbent material. A plastic film is welded on a surface of a strip-like resin absorbent material. The plastic film has a width smaller than the resin absorbent material which has sewing margins in both end portions in a width direction. The resin absorbent material is folded such that the plastic film is exposed. Both edges of the resin absorbent material in the width direction are laid one on top of the other. The overlapping portions of the resin absorbent material is lock sewed to form a tubular resin absorbent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignees: Shonan Gosei-Jushi Seisakusho K.K., Yokoshima & Company, GET Inc., OAR Company
    Inventors: Takao Kamiyama, Yasuhiro Yokoshima, Shigeru Endoh, Hiroyuki Aoki
  • Patent number: 6284088
    Abstract: A system and method for fabricating multi-layer optical compensators which includes a rigid or flexible planar guide member having reference lines thereon for aiding in alignment of successive layers and further having a vacuum producing capability which stabilizes the compensator when it is processed, along with the guide member, through a roller machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: James D. Sampica, Mel L. Campbell, Dennis M. Ternes, Paul R. Nemeth
  • Patent number: 6280560
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a plant for assembling, gluing and pressing veneer panels to be connected in a plurality of layers one above the other and one behind the other to form an endless strand of laminated veneer boards forming a continuous veneer-panel strand. The plant has a glue application machine, rolling belts, a laying device and a continuously operating press. A veneer-panel laying and interlinking device has a buffer acceleration belt with a combined reversing action. The laying device has a veneer-assembly laying belt and is embodied as a recirculating chain device with a recirculating supporting surface to form a fall-through gap, which can be moved forward and backward and raised and lowered for the front or rear veneer-panel edge and can be adjusted to the respective deposition and interleaving position on the veneer-assembly laying belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik J. Dieffenbacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Matthias Graf