Patents Examined by William E. Dondero
  • Patent number: 10906771
    Abstract: A kit of separate components for assembly of a cable reel apparatus that includes a pre-wound coil of cable, a bag, first and second frames having a geometry configured to fit inside of the base of the bag, and first and second flanges. The first flange is configured for engaging the first frame and has a first hub portion on the inner surface of the first flange. The second flange is configured for engaging the second frame has a second hub portion on the inner surface of the second flange. The first and second hub portions are sized to fit within the inner diameter of the coil of cable and are configured to releasably couple with one another to form a hub member for supporting the coil of cable between the first and second flanges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
    Inventors: Rakesh Thakare, Caichun Song, Phillip S. Bowen, Marvin Bryant, Paul R. Boucher, Barry Holt
  • Patent number: 10907285
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for automatic edge positioning and guiding of a moving web, such as a textile fabric or carpet, onto a conveyor system comprising manufacturing operations such as sewing, for example. More in particular an apparatus is provided including mechanics, optics and control for steering and positioning the side edges of the moving web in order to correct for misalignment, and hence sewing can occur appropriately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Motiv NV
    Inventors: Geert Oktaaf Maurice Beyaert, Stefaan René Vierstraete, Steven Goegebeur, Wim Jan George Matthys, Steve Guy Robert Jacob
  • Patent number: 10906768
    Abstract: Technology is provided for a cable management spool assembly. The cable management spool assembly includes a spool and one or more arcuate covers. The spool includes a flange portion having a first side configured to confront a mounting surface and a second side opposite the first side. A drum portion extends from the second side of the flange portion and one or more latches extend away from the first side of the flange portion. The latches are positioned to engage one or more corresponding mounting features of the mounting surface. The arcuate covers are coupled to the spool and are pivotable between an open position where a cable may be wound on the drum portion and a closed position where the cable is retained on the drum portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Jon Brian Ehlen
  • Patent number: 10906770
    Abstract: Methods of installing a cable reel or a coil of cable in a bag. The methods can include one or more steps such as releasably coupling a hub portion of a first flange with a second flange of the cable reel, and the hub portion is configured to support a coil of cable, placing the first flange on a first support frame secured to a base of the bag; and placing a coil of cable on the hub portion for dispensing the cable from the bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
    Inventors: Rakesh Thakare, Caichun Song, Phillip S. Bowen, Marvin Bryant, Paul R. Boucher, Barry Holt
  • Patent number: 10899569
    Abstract: A conveying apparatus can achieve high-speed conveyance of a molded body for flattened tube fins, prevent generation of noise during conveyance, and have a smaller size. A conveying apparatus conveys a molded body for flattened tube fins obtained by providing a metal thin plate with cutaway portions, before the metal thin plate is cut into a predetermined length. The conveying apparatus includes a rotary conveying body including a plurality of protrusions that are tapered and able to enter the cutaway portions, and including a rotation shaft in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the molded body for flattened tube fins in a horizontal plane, and a rotary conveying body driving unit that rotates and drives the rotary conveying body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: HIDAKA SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi Nishizawa, Keiichi Morishita
  • Patent number: 10894691
    Abstract: An apparatus for installing cable that includes an outer box. Some embodiments include a reel, the cable, multiple components for installing the cable, and an inner packaging component that holds the components. Some embodiments include tie holes (e.g., two that line up) for passage of a zip tie for attachment of the apparatus to an identical box or anchoring object when pulling the cable. Boxes may include a left side with side flaps connected to front and back sides and cable holes in each flap line up when the box is assembled for passage of cable from the apparatus. The reel may be loose inside the box, which acts as a brake to keep the reel from over spinning when (e.g., communications) cable is pulled. Some outer boxes include certain sides, bends, flaps, tabs, or slots. The inner packaging component may be held in position by an elongated member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Automated Systems Design, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin R. Kiziah
  • Patent number: 10875738
    Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing wire or cable, the apparatus including an enclosure with a top and a bottom portion and at least three side portions of a first height, a plurality of holes located in both the top and bottom portions of the enclosure, and a core of a second height located within the enclosure, wherein the core forms an area, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes has a first hole diameter and is located in the top and bottom of the enclosure and is located within the area formed by the core, and wherein the wire or cable is placed around the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Encore Wire Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin L. Weatherford, William T. Bigbee, Jr., Clifton S. Thompson
  • Patent number: 10875737
    Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing wire or cable, the apparatus including an enclosure with a top and a bottom portion and at least three side portions of a first height, a plurality of holes located in both the top and bottom portions of the enclosure, and a core of a second height located within the enclosure, wherein the core forms an area, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes has a first hole diameter and is located in the top and bottom of the enclosure and is located within the area formed by the core, and wherein the wire or cable is placed around the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Encore Wire Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin L. Weatherford, William T. Bigbee, Jr., Clifton S. Thompson
  • Patent number: 10870553
    Abstract: Disclosed is a first creel bobbin brake, a creel bobbin assembly, a creel and a creel method. The first creel bobbin brake is arranged for applying a braking torque to a first shaft of a first creel bobbin. The first creel bobbin brake includes a strap that is provided with a first end, a second end and a strap body extending in a longitudinal direction between the first end and the second end, wherein the strap further includes an opening in the strap body, wherein the strap body and the opening are arranged to taper from the first end towards the second end, wherein the strap is arranged to be wound around the first shaft of the first creel bobbin over at least two revolutions, and wherein the second end is insertable through the opening with each revolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Inventor: Marcel Smits
  • Patent number: 10858214
    Abstract: A method for sequentially coiling a rope by segments, comprising the steps of attaching a first grab in a rope to the lower rim of a cylindrical mandrel; rotating the mandrel about a vertical axis and forming a plurality of coils including a last coil on the mandrel; stopping a rotation of the mandrel; releasing the first grab and the plurality of coils from the mandrel into a basket rotating under the mandrel. While releasing the first grab, holding a second or subsequent grab along a tail end of the last coil on the mandrel, and repeating the above steps of attaching; rotating; forming; stopping; releasing; holding and repeating, with the second or subsequent grab, until an entire length of the rope has been coiled in the basket. In another aspect, a step of working the rope is carried out between the step of stopping and the step of releasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventor: Christian D'Entremont
  • Patent number: 10857609
    Abstract: The present invention provides a non-contact wire array tension control device for controlling a plurality of tension respectively corresponding to a plurality of electrical discharge wires, including delivering spools and electromagnets. The delivering spool has a magnetic end and a wire outputting end, the wire outputting end is coupled with an electrical discharge wire for outputting the electrical discharge wire. A plurality of electromagnets are coupled to the corresponding magnetic end for controlling a spin rate of the corresponding delivering spool, wherein the spin rate of the corresponding delivering spool is controlled by adjusting a magnetic force generated by the electromagnet. Moreover, a magnetic direction of the electromagnet is parallel to an axial direction of the delivering spool. The invention uses the electromagnets to control the magnetic damping force of the delivering spools for simultaneously controlling the tension of the electrical discharge wires by non-contact method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: NATIONAL TAIWAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Shun-Tong Chen, Li-Wen Huang, Jin-Ping Guo, Ting-Cheng Bai
  • Patent number: 10836598
    Abstract: To form a web conveying path that bends and conveys a web, a web conveying device has: a plurality of foil supporting members that are disposed at prescribed intervals in a conveying direction of the web and that support a surface of the web that is being conveyed; a foil extending member stretched between the foil supporting members, which pulls an end of the web downstream in the conveying direction of the web such that the web extends from a starting point to an end point of the web conveying path that is formed by the foil supporting members; and a moving mechanism that moves the foil extending member from the starting point to the end point of the web conveying path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tsubasa Matsuda
  • Patent number: 10829340
    Abstract: An apparatus for the dispensing and retraction of wire or cable. The apparatus including a first and second plate, at least one shaft attached to the first plate and the second plate, a spool gear attached to the shaft, a power gear shaft attached to the first or second plate, and a power gear attached to the power gear shaft and in mesh with the spool gear, wherein when the power gear is rotated, the spool gear is rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Encore Wire Corporation
    Inventors: William T. Bigbee, Jr., John L. Rhoads, Andrew P. Hull
  • Patent number: 10822193
    Abstract: A reel includes a first flange, a second flange, and a plurality of segmented structures each including a plurality of links pivotably coupled to a bracket of the first flange by a first end pivot rod and to the a bracket of the second flange by a second end pivot rod. The plurality of links is configured to have a first stable arrangement and a second stable arrangement different from the first stable arrangement. In the first stable arrangement, the first flange and the second flange are separated by a first distance with the reel being configured to support a first maximum load of cable, while in the second stable arrangement, the first flange and the second flange are separated by a second distance less than the first distance with the reel being configured to support a second maximum load of cable less than the first maximum load of cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: PRYSMIAN S.P.A.
    Inventor: Andrew Norouzian
  • Patent number: 10815725
    Abstract: A unidirectional wire take-up mechanism includes a fixing seat, a reel, a spindle, a unidirectional bearing, a bearing sleeve, a damping bounce member, and a positioning shaft. When the curtain is pulled down, the unidirectional bearing is locked, and the reel links the spindle through the bearing sleeve to rotate counterclockwise. When the spindle is rotated, the spindle and the damping bounce member generate a frictional force to form a damping effect, thereby providing a reaction force when the wire is released and offsetting part of the gravity of the curtain and effectively slowing down the speed and impact force when the curtain falls. When the curtain is rolled up, the reel links the bearing sleeve to rotate clockwise relative to the spindle, and the spindle and the damping bounce member have no relative movement, and the rotation has no resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Inventor: Zheng Bang Lei
  • Patent number: 10815097
    Abstract: A payout tube has an inner end and an outer end. The inner end is disposable in an interior of a coil of filamentary material wound in a figure-eight configuration defining a payout hole. The outer end is configured to extend outwardly from the payout hole of the coil. The payout tube has a flange at the outer end and has a rounded edge at the inner end. The rounded edge has a radius between 0.20 and 0.30 inch. In some embodiments, the payout tube includes a tubular body that extends between the flange and the rounded edge. In other embodiments, the payout tube includes an outer ring having the flange, an inner ring having the rounded edge with the inner and outer rings aligned coaxially about a longitudinal axis in spaced relation, and a plurality of pillars extending longitudinally from the outer ring to the inner ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Moore, Timothy Copp
  • Patent number: 10806306
    Abstract: A rolled product dispenser for dispensing a web of rolled product, comprising: a housing; and a dispensing assembly at least partially housed in the housing and interacting with the web of rolled product and including a dispensing roller having a rotation center and a peripheral wall with an upper section. The dispensing assembly can comprise an upper tensioning assembly and/or a lower tensioning assembly and/or a variable tension return assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: CASCADES CANADA ULC
    Inventor: Michel Morand
  • Patent number: 10800627
    Abstract: Process for the production of paper rolls, including a step of producing logs (L) of paper material by winding a predetermined amount of paper web (W) about a respective longitudinal axis, a step of transverse cutting of the logs (L) to obtain rolls (RO) of predetermined length, and an intermediate step of transporting the logs (L) from a rewinder (R) that produces the logs (L) toward a cutting-off machine (CM) that cuts them transversely. The intermediate transporting step involves the handling of the logs (L) along a path comprising a lateral deviation, so that, as they advance, the logs (L) are subjected to the lateral deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: FUTURA S.P.A.
    Inventor: Fabio Perini
  • Patent number: 10793391
    Abstract: The invention relates to a machine (100) for manufacturing an optical fibre (200), characterised in that the machine comprises: at least one capstan (20, 21) and at least one pulley (22), which define a run of the optical fibre in a main area (2) of the machine, an optical fibre guiding system comprising a transmission member (25) and a clamping element (26) that is rigidly connected to the transmission member (25) and is able to retain an end of the optical fibre (200), the transmission member (25) being arranged parallel to the run of the optical fibre, a device (5) for having the clamping element (26) automatically grip the optical fibre (200), said device comprising: means (53) for placing the optical fibre in a starting position in which the optical fibre runs at a distance from the clamping element in a direction extending substantially perpendicularly to the clamping element (26), a fibre-spacing finger (51), that can move between a neutral position at a distance from the optical fibre located in t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Conductix Wampfler France
    Inventor: Michel Grillet
  • Patent number: 10793385
    Abstract: The problem of providing an apparatus for conveying a molded body for heat exchanger fins that is capable of realizing high speed conveying of the molded body for heat exchanger fins, preventing the generation of noise during conveying, and miniaturization is provided. An apparatus conveys a metal strip in a predetermined direction after tube insertion portions are formed in a thin metal plate, and has a plurality of conveying units disposed along a conveying direction of the molded body for heat exchanger fins, each conveying unit including: a rotating conveyor that has a plurality of tapered protrusions that are capable of advancing into the tube insertion portions and a rotating shaft in a direction that is perpendicular to a conveying direction of the metal strip on a horizontal plane; and a rotating conveyor driving unit that rotationally drives the rotating conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: HIDAKA SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi Nishizawa, Keiichi Morishita