Patents Examined by W. Donald Bray
  • Patent number: 6681820
    Abstract: A process for the manufacturing of longitudinal profiles such and tongue and groove on boards wherein the process includes the steps; a) Moulding a substantial part of the profile cross-section by means of milling with a milling tool. b) Fine moulding undercuts in at least the groove of the board by means of broaching utilising at least one broaching tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Pergo (Europe) AB
    Inventor: Ola Olofsson
  • Patent number: 6682286
    Abstract: A system and process is disclosed for use in forming lift-tab can ends. A press is employed to form lift tabs in a strip of stock material. The strip of material with the lift tabs formed therein is passed through a conversion press where the tabs are removed from the strip and attached to a can end. The tab press which forms the lift tabs in the stock material is capable of receiving strips of stock material having varying widths. If the strip of the stock material is of such width that more than one lane of tabs is formed in the material, then tooling may be provided, either in the press or as a separate device, such that the strip of stock material having tabs formed therein may be separated in such a manner that a plurality of strips may be formed, each having a lane of lift tabs therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Inventor: Donald Jason Artrip
  • Patent number: 6681818
    Abstract: The two boom members and hydraulic cylinders of a knuckle boom tree harvesting machine are so arranged and proportioned that with a single control movement during reaching and retracting actions the working tool head is made to travel in an approximately horizontal path. The cylinders and control valve are so connected that during horizontal reaching action load-supporting pressurized oil from a collapsing cylinder is not required to be dumped to the reservoir in the conventional heat generating manner, but is rather shunted directly to an extending cylinder where it continues to do useful load support work. Energy waste to hydraulic oil heat and fuel consumption is significantly reduced. Although these advances have been particularly developed for disc saw felling and stroke delimbing of trees they can also be applied to other knuckle boom applications where horizontal reaching is a major function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Tigercat Industries Inc
    Inventor: John Kurelek
  • Patent number: 6675849
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and method for making tenons using an adjustable shim placed between cutting blades. The adjustable shim has a plate with a recess capable of accepting spacers of varied thicknesses and a cover that encloses any of the spacers placed in the recess. The thickness of the adjustable shim is adjusted by placing spacers in the recess to shim apart the cutting blades leaving between them a distance approximately equal to the desired tenon thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Inventor: Mark Lackley
  • Patent number: 6675846
    Abstract: The invention discloses a lineal log peeler and debarker that debarks logs for use in home construction automatically by, an operator in a protected control booth. The machine is electronically controlled and replaces the difficult, dangerous and time-consuming operation of hand-peeling such logs with a drawknife. The logs debarked by the machine of this invention can range in length from about 6 to over 50 feet. They can range from about 7 to about 21 inches in diameter and weigh up to about 3000 pounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Inventor: James D. Hoffman
  • Patent number: 6672346
    Abstract: The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a tree trimming apparatus comprising a resilient frame, upright assemblies, drive assemblies, resilient alignment bar assemblies, spring tensioner assemblies, a buss assembly, and saw assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Inventor: Rainer F. Heckmaier
  • Patent number: 6672347
    Abstract: A tree delimber includes a hollow tube having opposite upper and lower ends, the upper end adapted for mounted below an aerial hoist, the lower end having an anti-rotation device mounted thereto for coupling with, mating into and temporarily entangling with the branches of a tree as the trunk of the tree is journalled upwardly through the hollow tube as the tube is lowered onto the tree and down the trunk of the tree. The anti-rotation device inhibits rotation of the tube about a longitudinal axis of symmetry of the tube. A collar is rotatably mounted to the lower end of the tube. An annular saw blade having a lower cutting edge is mounted to the collar so as to dispose the cutting edge downwardly. The cutting edge of the saw rotates in a circle contained in a plane generally perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the tube. A prime mover is mounted to the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Inventor: Ervin Ralph Tingstad
  • Patent number: 6669123
    Abstract: A crushing device which is suitable, in particular, for chips, including a hopper for filling the chips therein, a tearing arm serving as a coarse breaking mechanism, and a fine breaking mechanism. The fine breaking mechanism has a grinding mechanism with at least one centrally arranged, rotating blade head, which operatively interacts with the stationary teeth arranged around the periphery of the grinding mechanism. The stationary teeth are disposed on at least two support segments, and the two segments are movably arranged in such a way that if a coarse piece enters the crushing device, the segments can be separated from the blade head so that the coarse piece can then be discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Inventor: Thomas Spyra
  • Patent number: 6667429
    Abstract: Wood such as spruce, maple, and hornbeam are retained in high pressure steam of pressure 0.2 to 1.6 MPa at 120 to 200° C. for 1 to 60 minutes, and subsequently, cooled and dried to obtain a modified wood having superior acoustic properties and old wood-like appearance due to a change to a deep color tone. Since the conventional modification methods by chemical treatment using chemicals such as resorcin and formaldehyde are not used, the treatment steps are simple and a modified wood used as a material for musical instruments is obtained at low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Abe, Junji Fujii
  • Patent number: 6666135
    Abstract: The invention concerns a calender which comprises a vertical stack of interlinked rollers driven individually by regulated electric motors. The regulation process acts on the distribution of the delivered power to the individual rollers such that the forces acting on the rollers in the horizontal direction and measured in the roller bearings are minimized, so enabling slimmer rollers to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Eduard Küsters Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Bernhard Brendel, Peter Svenka
  • Patent number: 6666246
    Abstract: An automated planer machine for planing a piece of lumber. The planer machine has a feed table for slidably receiving the bottom surface of the piece of lumber along a traveling course. One or more planing heads extend on sides of the traveling course to plane the surfaces of the piece of lumber. A linebar laterally guides the piece of lumber. Feed rolls along the traveling course move the piece of lumber. Positioning devices responsive to respective control signals are provided for adjusting a height of the feed table and planing levels of the planing heads as much when the planer machine is idle as during operation. Position encoders coupled to the feed table and the planing heads produce positional signals usable to accurately position them using the positioning devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Les Produits Gilbert, Inc.
    Inventor: Sylvain Gilbert
  • Patent number: 6666245
    Abstract: A tree trimming apparatus is provided for preparing a tree, such as a Christmas tree, for attachment to a tree stand. The tree trimming apparatus includes a raised platform supported by a plurality of legs. The platform also includes an opening for receiving the trunk of a tree. Below the platform is positioned a jaws assembly for affixing the tree in place. Meanwhile, the tree trimming apparatus includes a saw assembly for severing the base of the tree, and a drill assembly for drilling a recess into the bottom of the tree for receipt of the spike of a tree stand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: LeisureMore Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. LaBahn, Douglas W. LaBahn
  • Patent number: 6666243
    Abstract: In a height-adjustable workpiece feeding device for a wood planing machine, two rollers are journalled on two cam follower units which are respectively slidable along two guideways in a support carriage between upper and lower positions. A connecting rod unit has two cam units secured thereon, and is rotatable transverse to the rollers so as to synchronously rotate the cam units between first and second positions, where first and second regions of cam surfaces of the cam units abut against the cam follower units, respectively, thereby placing the cam follower units, as well as the rollers, in the upper and lower positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Inventor: Pei-Lieh Chiang
  • Patent number: 6666242
    Abstract: A wood planing machine includes a base, screw rods mounted rotatably on and extending from the base, a cutter carriage mounted movably on the screw rods, and a detecting unit including a light transmitter and a light receiver that cooperates with the light transmitter to define a gap therebetween and that generates an electrical signal upon receiving light from the light transmitter. An optical encoder wheel is fixed to one of the screw rods, and is formed with a plurality of angularly spaced apart holes. The optical encoder wheel extends into the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Inventor: Juei-Seng Liao
  • Patent number: 6666241
    Abstract: A wood planing device includes a support carriage movably mounted on a wood planing machine, and a rotatable shaft rotatably mounted on the carriage and having a coupling segment. A coupling sleeve surrounds the shaft and is movable between engaging and disengaging positions to engage and disengage the shaft. A rolling member is driven to rotate by a rotational force from the coupling sleeve to feed-in a workpiece supported on the machine. A clutch member is disposed to connect the coupling sleeve and a reduction gear train when the coupling sleeve is in the disengaging position. As such, the rolling member can be rotated by a first rotational drive delivered by the shaft through the coupling sleeve at a high speed, or by a second rotational drive through the clutch member and the reduction gear train at a low speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: P & F Brother Industrial Corporation
    Inventor: Yu-Shu Lee
  • Patent number: 6662837
    Abstract: Single-edged wood chipper blades which can be repeatedly removed from a wood chipper and sharpened, as needed, to prevent the need for disposing of multiple conventional blades over a prolonged period of repeated use. Each of the replaceable blades typically includes a blade mount base for engaging a rotary chipping head of the chipper, a clamp plate for engaging the blade mount base, and a blade body interposed between the blade mount base and the clamp plate. A blade edge is shaped in the front end of the blade body, and extends from between the blade mount base and the clamp plate. A blade babbitt is provided in the rear end of the blade body. Accordingly, the blade body can easily and repeatedly be removed from between the blade mount base and the clamp plate and sharpened, and again secured in place between the blade mount base and the clamp plate, as needed for optimum and economical operation of the chipper over a prolonged period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Inventor: Paul M. Smith
  • Patent number: 6662834
    Abstract: A felled tree delimbing system which is skid mounted, having; a steel, horizontal chute with vertical cutting bars at one end where an overhead locking and cutting arm cooperates with the cutting bars. The operator engages the device by placing a bundle of cut trees horizontally on the chute, the tree's weight forcing down a trigger, causing the counter-weighted cutting arm to close over the trees forcing them into rectangular openings formed thereby. The bundle of trees is in the grasp of a logger's knuckle boom crane or similar piece of equipment at the lower portion of the tree trunks. The trees are then pulled along the chute through the edged rectangles, thus shearing off and removing limbs and branches from the upper part of the tree trunks. Upon removal of delimbed trunks from the chute, the unweighted trigger is released, allowing the cutting arm to return to an open position through action of pulleys and a counter weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Inventors: William N. Harrington, William B. Hendry
  • Patent number: 6662836
    Abstract: A tree shear attachment is, in one preferred embodiment, designed to replace the shovel at the outermost end of the boom assembly of a backhoe to provide remarkable maneuverability and an extensive range of motion for the shear. One of the severing jaws is fixed, presenting a stationary anvil, while the other is moveable and is provided with a shear blade that moves into engagement with the stationary anvil to complete the severance. Retainers at the forwardmost ends of the jaws help grip and stabilize the butt end of the tree following severance. An upstanding stabilizing rack on the frame of the shear has a pair of laterally spaced, forwardly projecting arms that generally overlie the two jaws to embrace and stabilize upper portions of the tree during and after severance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Inventor: Eugene C. Andersen
  • Patent number: 6662838
    Abstract: A bench slide mount is provided, comprising a flat rectangular plate with roller slides connected to its sides, and two hinges connecting the plate to an L-shaped bench mount bracket. The bench slide mount has particular utility in connection with coupling tools to a workbench for operational use of the tools, with a unique capability to extend, pivot, and rotate for storing the tools below the workbench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Inventor: Frank L. Graham, III
  • Patent number: 6655429
    Abstract: A saw mill includes a base frame having a front and a rear and being sized and configured to support a log; saw apparatus having a cutting blade and being connected with the base frame for horizontal movement in a cutting stroke from a start position near the front of the base frame to an end position near the rear of the base frame and in a return stroke back to the front of the base frame and being for cutting in a generally horizontal plane a board from the log; power apparatus for powering the saw apparatus; at least one pushback arm connected to the saw apparatus and being sized and configured to engage and eject the board from atop the log during the return stroke; and, a board guide apparatus extending generally forwardly from the saw apparatus and including a crossbar and plurality of fingers connected with the crossbar and positioned to engage and guide the board in a desired path as it is being ejected from the log, each finger including an upper link connected to the crossbar and a lower link hinge
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Wood-Mizer Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel R. Tekulve, Scott Laskowski