Patents Examined by Vanessa Luk
  • Patent number: 8268100
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a porous or partially porous three-dimensional metal article for use as a tissue ingrowth surface on a prosthesis. The porous article is formed using direct laser remelting in a cross section of a layer of metallic powder on a build platform without fusing thereto. The power, speed, spot size and beam overlap of the scanning laser is coordinated so that a predetermined porosity of the metallic powder can be achieved. Laser factors also vary depending from the thickness of the powder layer, type of metallic powder and size and size distribution of the powder particles. Successive depositing and remelting of individual layers are repeated until the article is fully formed by a layer-by-layer fashion. In an additional embodiment, a first layer of metallic powder may be deposited on a solid base or core and fused thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp.
    Inventors: William O'Neill, Christopher J. Sutcliffe, Eric Jones
  • Patent number: 8268099
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a porous or partially porous three-dimensional metal article for use as a tissue ingrowth surface on a prosthesis. The porous article is formed using direct laser remelting in a cross section of a layer of metallic powder on a build platform without fusing thereto. The power, speed, spot size and beam overlap of the scanning laser is coordinated so that a predetermined porosity of the metallic powder can be achieved. Laser factors also vary depending from the thickness of the powder layer, type of metallic powder and size and size distribution of the powder particles. Successive depositing and remelting of individual layers are repeated until the article is fully formed by a layer-by-layer fashion. In an additional embodiment, a first layer of metallic powder may be deposited on a solid base or core and fused thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp.
    Inventors: William O'Neill, Christopher J. Sutcliffe, Eric Jones
  • Patent number: 8257513
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high strength steel sheet with 780 MPa class tensile strength excellent in bending workability and fatigue strength. The high strength steel sheet is (1) a steel sheet whose steel composition contains: C: 0.05-0.20%; Si: 0.6-2.0%; Mn: 1.6-3.0%; P: 0.05% or below; S: 0.01% or below; Al: 0.1% or below; and N: 0.01% or below, the balance comprising iron and inevitable impurities, in which (2) a microstructure comprises a polygonal ferrite structure and a structure formed by low-temperature transformation, in which, when a sheet plane located at a depth of 0.1 mm from a surface of the steel sheet is in the observation under a scanning electron microscope with respect to twenty sights in total in different positions in the sheet-width direction, the maximum value of the areal proportion of the polygonal ferrite (Fmax) and the minimum value of the areal proportion of the ferrite (Fmin) in a 50 ?m×50 ?m area in each sight satisfy Fmax?80%, Fmin?10%, and Fmax?Fmin?40%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michiharu Nakaya, Tetsuji Hoshika
  • Patent number: 8257462
    Abstract: A powder metal material comprises pre-alloyed iron-based powder including carbon present in an amount of 0.25 to 1.50% by weight of the pre-alloyed iron-based powder. Graphite is admixed in an amount of 0.25 to 1.50% by weight of the powder metal material. The admixed graphite includes particles finer than 200 mesh in an amount greater than 90.0% by weight of the admixed graphite. Molybdenum disulfide is admixed in an amount of 0.1 to 4.0% by weight of the powder metal material, copper is admixed in an amount of 1.0 to 5.0% by weight of the powder metal material, and the material is free of phosphorous. The powder metal material is then compacted and sintered at a temperature of 1030 to 1150° C. At least 50% of the admixed graphite of the starting powder metal material remains as free graphite after sintering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul Corporation
    Inventors: Denis Boyd Christopherson, Jr., Leslie John Farthing, Jeremy Raymond Koth
  • Patent number: 8246716
    Abstract: A method of producing a fluxing agent that can be used in production of steel, preferably stainless steel, employs as a raw material a hydroxide sludge that results from neutralization of metal-contaminated pickling liquid from a pickling step for a steel and contains at least one fluoride-containing compound. The hydroxide sludge is calcined. Steel, preferably stainless steel, is produced by decarburizing a steel heat, whereby a slag is formed on top of the steel heat, and adding a fluxing agent to the slag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Outokumpu Oyj
    Inventors: Sven-Eric Lunner, Ye Guozhu
  • Patent number: 8202283
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a clip manufactured according to a method which can be used to engage body tissue for the purpose of closing wounds. Such clips are generally annular in shape and have radially inwardly extending tines. The present disclosure first forms a precursor which, in one embodiment, has the tines extending radially outwardly from the annular body and then forms the clip by inverting the precursor such that the tines extend radially inwardly. In an alternate embodiment, the precursor is formed with an over-sized lateral dimension and then compressed inwardly to bring the tines closer together and to reduce the lateral dimension of the precursor. Such clips may be manufactured from a superelastic alloy such as nickel-titanium, in which case the inverted or compressed precursor must be heated and quenched to heat set the clip in its final shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Integrated Vascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael T. Carley, Richard S. Ginn
  • Patent number: 8202376
    Abstract: A structural motor-vehicle element is made by hot-shaping and press-hardening a steel workpiece into the element and thereafter heating the hot-shaped and press-hardened workpiece to between 320° C. and 400° C. The steel workpiece constitutes in weight percent, Carbon (C) 0.18% to 0.3% Silicon (Si) 0.1% to 0.7% Manganese (Mn) 1.0% to 2.5% Phosphorus (P) max. 0.025% Chromium (Cr) up to 0.8% Molybdenum (Mo) up to 0.5% Sulfur (S) max. 0.01% Titanium (Ti) 0.02% to 0.05% Boron (B) 0.002% to 0.005% Aluminum (Al) 0.01% to 0.06% the rest iron including impurities caused by the smelting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Benteler Automobiltechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Ludger Gehringhoff, Dirk Kröger, Elisabeth Danger
  • Patent number: 8192562
    Abstract: An object of the preset invention is to provide a spring steel wire that: shows excellent wire drawability not only when it is used as a spring steel wire for cold-winding formed into a steel spring by applying quenching and tempering treatment after wiredrawing but also when it is used as a spring steel wire for cold-winding formed into a steel spring as it is wiredrawn; and secures a spring having an excellent fatigue characteristic after the spring steel wire is formed into the spring. The spring steel wire according to the present invention is a spring steel wire excellent in fatigue characteristic and wire drawability, wherein: the contents of C, Si, Mn, Cr, Ti, B, and other elements are specified; the contents (mass %) of B, Ti, and N satisfy the expression (1) below; the amount of solid solute B is in the range of 0.0005% to 0.0040%; the remainder in the spring steel wire is composed of Fe and unavoidable impurities; and the solid solute B concentrates at the grain boundaries of pearlite nodules, 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventor: Nao Yoshihara
  • Patent number: 8187357
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing a metal melt containing at least one base metal and at least one further alloy constituent, wherein the production takes place in a melting vessel with slag covering the melt. In accordance with the invention, for increasing the content of the alloy constituent of the melt, an additive is fed to the melt which contains said alloy constituent at a content of ?5-10 percent by weight of the alloy constituent, ?5-10 percent by weight of melting metallurgically harmless volatile matter, ?5 percent by weight of sulfur and possibly fractions of further alloy constituents and/or slag formers. The additive is obtainable by ore leaching and by precipitation in the form of hydroxides and/or carbonates. The invention also relates to such an additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: M.K.N. Technologies GmbH
    Inventor: Ulrich Meyn
  • Patent number: 8168117
    Abstract: A powder metallurgy method includes the steps of forming a member, such as a work piece or an aerospace component, from a titanium alloy powder. The average size of a carbide phase in the titanium alloy powder is controlled in order to control an average size of a carbide phase in the member. In one example, an amount of carbon within the titanium alloy and size of the carbide phase are selected to provide a desirable balance of good hot workability, resisting formation of an alpha-titanium phase within the member and a desired level of fatigue performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: James O. Hansen
  • Patent number: 8163107
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high-strength steel material capable of suppressing formation of blowholes during welding even if the strength thereof is improved by nitriding, and a method of manufacturing such a high-strength steel material by using a low rolling force. A high-strength steel of the present invention contains 0.05% (percent by mass unless otherwise specified in describing chemical composition) or below C, 1% or below Si, 1.5% or below Mn, 0.05% or below P, 0.05% or below S, 0.05% or below Al, 0.02 to 0.3% Ti, and 0.020% or below N. The high-strength steel material has metallographic structure of a single phase of ferrite and contains Ti nitride grains having a maximum size of 20 nm or below and coherently precipitated in a density of 250 grains/?m2 or above. In the high-strength steel material, the ratio of the number of Ti nitride grains having a maximum size of 6 nm or below to that of Ti nitride grains having a maximum size of 20 nm or below is 80% or above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Soshiroda, Tetsuji Hoshika
  • Patent number: 8163108
    Abstract: This cold-rolled steel sheet includes, in terms of mass %, C: not less than 0.05% and not more than 0.095%, Cr: not less than 0.15% and not more than 2.0%, B: not less than 0.0003% and not more than 0.01%, Si: not less than 0.3% and not more than 2.0%, Mn: not less than 1.7% and not more than 2.6%, Ti: not less than 0.005% and not more than 0.14%, P: not more than 0.03%, S: not more than 0.01%, Al: not more than 0.1%, N: less than 0.005%, O: not less than 0.0005% and not more than 0.005%, and contains as the remainder, iron and unavoidable impurities, wherein the microstructure of the steel sheet includes mainly polygonal ferrite having a crystal grain size of not more than 4 ?m, and hard microstructures of bainite and martensite, the block size of the martensite is not more than 0.9 ?m, the Cr content within the martensite is 1.1 to 1.5 times the Cr content within the polygonal ferrite, and the tensile strength is at least 880 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Masafumi Azuma, Naoki Yoshinaga, Naoki Maruyama, Noriyuki Suzuki, Yasuharu Sakuma
  • Patent number: 8152939
    Abstract: A non-heat treated connecting rod which comprises, by mass %, C: 0.25-0.35%, Si: 0.50-0.70%, Mn: 0.60-0.90%, P: 0.040-0.070%, S: 0.040-0.130%, Cr: 0.10-0.20%, V: 0.15-0.20%, Ti: 0.15-0.20% and N: 0.002-0.020%, and the balance Fe and impurities, with chemical compositions being less than 0.80 in the value of C+(Si/10)+(Mn/5)+(5Cr/22)+1.65 V?(5S/7) using the symbol of the element as its content, the microstructure of the Big end of the said connecting rod being ferrite-pearlite, all-region hardness of the said big end being 255 to 320 in Vickers hardness, the ferrite-region hardness in the said ferrite-pearlite of the Big end being 250 or more in Vickers hardness and the ratio of the said ferrite-region hardness to the said all-region hardness of the said Big end being 0.80 or more, is excellent in machinability, fracture splitting ability, and fatigue resistance, although no Pb at all is added.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignees: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., Hondo Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Hasegawa, Zenji Iida, Kentaro Takada
  • Patent number: 8128867
    Abstract: A method for producing a cemented carbide material includes producing an M3C type double carbide (wherein M comprises M1 and M2; M1 represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W; and M2 represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co and Ni) as a main component of the surface portion; reducing heat treating the compact at a vacuum atmosphere; carburizing the resulting WC—Co compact at a temperature of 800 to 1100° C.; subjecting the carburized compact to liquid phase sintering at a temperature of more than 1350° C. to form a sintered body; and coating a surface layer of the sintered body with a compound containing boron and/or silicon and subjecting the coated sintered body to a diffusion heat treatment at a temperature within a range from 1200 to 1350° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sanalloy Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Iwasaki, Hidefumi Yanagita, Masaaki Ikebe
  • Patent number: 8114186
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing of iron—respectively micro-alloyed steel powders, starting from fluffy spray roasted iron oxides exhibiting a specific surface area in excess of 2.0 m2/g and residual chloride contents over 440 ppm Cl?, decrease the chloride content in two steps to less than 100 ppm, the specific surface area (BET) of to a pre-selected value of less than 10.0 m2/g, preferably between 0.1 and 2.0 m2/g and reduce the pre-sintered granules exhibiting a bulk density in excess of 1.200 g/dm3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Inventor: Michael J. Ruthner
  • Patent number: 8114187
    Abstract: A method for synthesizing noble metal nanostructures is disclosed. The method involves reacting under heat a noble metal precursor, a polyol reducing agent, and a stabilizing polymer. Morphological control is achieved by controlling the reduction rate of the noble metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: University of Washington through its Center for Commercialization
    Inventors: Younan Xia, Jingyi Chen, Thurston Edwin Herricks