Patents Examined by Yewebdar Tadesse
  • Patent number: 8176870
    Abstract: A liquid material application device having high space utilization efficiency and having excellent maintainability. In a liquid material application device for applying a liquid material to a desired position on a surface of a workpiece in a box by relatively moving a nozzle for discharging the liquid material and a table on which the workpiece is placed to face the nozzle, the liquid material application device comprises a carrying in/out opening formed in a side surface of the box and allowing the workpiece to be carried in and carried out therethrough, a beam extending toward the carrying in/out opening, an application head movable in the extending direction of the beam, beam moving means for moving the beam above and in parallel to the table, and a control unit for controlling operations of the aforesaid components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Musashi Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Kazumasa Ikushima
  • Patent number: 8171878
    Abstract: The coating instrument is provided with a coating head which has a plurality of head members, and in which a groove-like slot is formed, an adjustment unit accommodated in a recessed groove installed on a leading end face continuing to an outer face opposite to an inner face or to the inner face in the head member to adjust the width of the slot by pressing a side wall face of the recessed groove, and a controller for controlling a pressing force to the side wall face of the recessed groove by the adjustment unit. The adjustment unit is provided with a fluid pressure chamber into which a fluid is sealed, a pressing portion for pressing the side wall face of the recessed groove by the fluid pressure of the fluid pressure chamber, and an operating portion for allowing the fluid pressure of the fluid pressure chamber to change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Hayashi, Tsutomu Fukuda, Katsuyuki Fujimura
  • Patent number: 8166911
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) for fabricating a thin-layer yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte on a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode substrate constructed of nickel-YSZ cermet. By reducing the thickness of the electrolyte, and thereby reducing the cell internal IR drop, an intermediate temperature SOFC (ITSOFC) can operate at 600-800° C. A collar positioned at a distance from a discharge end of a spray nozzle enhances a spray pattern of a precursor including the electrolyte material and thus provides a very thin electrolyte layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Illinois Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Jan Robert Selman, Hiroshi Nomura, Said Al-Hallaj
  • Patent number: 8166913
    Abstract: In the present invention, a substrate is first rotated at a first rotation speed, and a resist solution is applied to the rotated substrate. Subsequently, the rotation of the substrate is decelerated to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed so that the substrate is rotated at the low speed to smooth the resist solution on the substrate. The rotation of the substrate is then accelerated to a third rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed, and a solvent for the coating solution and/or a dry gas are/is supplied to the resist solution on the substrate. In this event, the solvent gas is supplied to a portion of the resist solution on the substrate thicker than a set thickness, and the dry gas is supplied to a portion of the coating solution on the substrate thinner than the set thickness. This thins the thicker portion of the resist solution and thickens the thinner portion to uniform the resist solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Takashi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8166912
    Abstract: A powder spray coating discharge assembly (230, 260, 216, 228, 232) for connection to an electrostatic spray coating gun (210), the gun (210) having a gun body (212), means for connecting to a supply of coating powder and means for supplying a voltage (20) at first and second potentials respectively to first (292) and second electrical connections (294) each for connection to a respective one of a discharge electrode (232) and a counter electrode (260), the means for supplying the voltage (20) comprising: a variable voltage power supply (114) having an input connected to an electrical power source (110), an output connected to each of the first and second electrical connections (292, 294), a control circuit (128) for controlling the variable voltage power supply (20) and means (120) for sensing an output load, wherein the control circuit (128) is adapted to adjust the variable voltage power supply (20) to reduce the voltage and current in proportion to a sensed increase in load, or vice-versa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Yu Tung Investment Holdings Limited
    Inventor: Man Kin Mickey Ko
  • Patent number: 8161905
    Abstract: An automatic machine for versatile and alternative application of at least two types of sealant along the perimetric rim of an insulating glazing unit, whose spacer frame is constituted preferably but not exclusively by a continuous strip of expanded synthetic material. In particular, the machine allows simple and quick switching from one sealant to another, since the path of the plurality of sealants which starts from their feed, be they of the hot and/or cold extruded type, uses a plurality of ducts which reach the extrusion nozzles that are active proximate to the perimetric rim of the insulating glazing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: For.El.Base Di Vianello Fortunato & C. S.N.C.
    Inventors: Fortunato Vianello, Dino Moschini
  • Patent number: 8156889
    Abstract: A method for dispensing a foamed material onto a substrate surface, including: generating a relative movement between the substrate surface to be coated and an exit opening of a material dispensing apparatus, mixing at least two material components in a mixing device to provide a free-flowing, foamable dispensing material, generating a pressure differential between the mixing device and the dispensing region located downstream in the direction of flow from a discharge cross-section of the exit opening, conveying the dispensing material from the mixing device for the dispensing material to the exit opening, and discharging the dispensing material from the exit opening onto the substrate surface. The dispensing material be kept under such a pressure in the region adjacent to and upstream from the discharge cross-section of the exit opening that the dispensing material in this region has a foaming rate that is less than 10% of the foaming rate which ensues at the end of the foaming process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald Burger, Frank Jones, Dirk Pannhausen
  • Patent number: 8156893
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of fabricating a color filter using an ink-jet technique includes inclining an ink-jet head having a plurality of nozzles at a predetermined angle, moving the ink-jet head in a lengthwise direction of the color filter that is divided into a plurality of working regions, ejecting color ink into a plurality of pixels, moving the ink-jet head to the other adjacent working region after a work in a predetermined working region is completed, and ejecting color ink, wherein the ink-jet head is symmetrically arranged with its mirror-image in adjacent working regions and thereby ejecting the color ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-il Kim, Seung-joo Shin, Sung-woong Kim
  • Patent number: 8146530
    Abstract: Embodiments generally provide an apparatus and method for processing substrates using a multi-chamber processing system (e.g., a cluster tool) that has an increased system throughput, increased system reliability, substrates processed in the cluster tool have a more repeatable wafer history, and also the cluster tool has a smaller system footprint. Embodiments also provide for a method and apparatus that are used to improve the coater chamber, the developer chamber, the post exposure bake chamber, the chill chamber, and the bake chamber process results. Embodiments also provide for a method and apparatus that are used to increase the reliability of the substrate transfer process to reduce system down time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Ishikawa, Rick J. Roberts, Helen R. Armer, Leon Volfovski, Jay D. Pinson, Michael Rice, David H. Quach, Mohsen S. Salek, Robert Lowrance, John A. Backer, William Tyler Weaver, Charles Carlson, Chongyang Wang, Jeffrey Hudgens, Harald Herchen, Brian Lu
  • Patent number: 8136477
    Abstract: A chemical solution is uniformly dispensed from a nozzle by N2 in spin-coating equipment. The dispensing apparatus includes a canister configured to receive a bottle containing the chemical solution, gas supply piping connecting a source of N2 to the inside of the canister, a pressure control valve disposed in the gas supply piping, a chemical supply line by which the bottle is connected to the nozzle, a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of the chemical solution supplied from the bottle, and a controller that controls the pressure control valve on the basis of the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor. The controller opens the pressure control valve further when the value of the signal output by the pressure sensor is less than a value representative of the minimum of a predetermined pressure range, and closes the pressure control valve further when the value of the signal output by the pressure sensor is greater than a value representative of the maximum of the predetermined pressure range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seung-Ki Cho
  • Patent number: 8132527
    Abstract: An electrode mixture paste (5) is applied on both sides of a strip of core material (1) as it runs along its lengthwise direction, and the coating thickness of the paste (5) is adjusted as the core material (1) coated with the paste (5) passes through a gap between a pair of scraper tools (16a, 16b). Tips (18) provided to the scraper tools (16a, 16b) scrape off the paste (5) to form a paste-coated portion of a predetermined width. The electrode mixture paste (5) scraped off with the tips (18) is returned through recesses (19) on the upstream side of the tips (18) in the running direction of the core material, so as to prevent the phenomenon where the coating thickness is increased at both side edges of the paste-coated portion. Thus, a method for applying electrode mixture paste is realized that can prevent the phenomenon where the coating thickness is increased at both side edges of the paste-coated portion and prevent process failures such as deformation of paste-coated sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kimihiro Imamura, Hiroyuki Usui, Tadakazu Seto
  • Patent number: 8127711
    Abstract: An apparatus for use with an adhesive dispenser configured to apply an adhesive to an edge of a moving substrate. The mounting system includes a support post and a main body. The main body is configured to support the adhesive dispenser and is coupled to the support post, with the main body being configured to deflect the adhesive dispenser in a first direction and in a second direction transverse to the first direction upon contact of the substrate with the adhesive dispenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Charles P. Ganzer, Scott D. Walker
  • Patent number: 8117985
    Abstract: A laser cladding device for applying a coating to a part comprising a laser which can generate laser light, which is adapted to heat the coating and the part, a main body defining a laser light channel adapted to transmit the laser light to the part, a coating channel adapted to transmit the coating to the part, and a vacuum channel and a nozzle having an exit. The nozzle comprises a delivery port at one end of the laser light channel, a coating port at one end of the coating channel, and a vacuum port at one end of the vacuum channel, wherein the vacuum port is positioned generally adjacent the delivery port. In operation the vacuum port draws a vacuum, pulling the coating towards the part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Inventor: Ronald Peter Whitfield
  • Patent number: 8117984
    Abstract: A sleeve is positioned over a radially-expandable rod assembly and a stent is positioned over the sleeve. A mandrel is inserted into the rod assembly to thereby press the sleeve against the inner surface of the stent and expand the stent. A coating (such as a solvent, a polymer and/or a therapeutic substance) is then applied to the outer (abluminal) surfaces of the stent, by spraying, for example. The sleeve advantageously prevents the coating material from being applied to inner (luminal) surfaces of the stent and also allows the coating material to be efficiently applied to the abluminal surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yung Ming Chen, Jeff H. Smith, Celenia Gutierrez
  • Patent number: 8117983
    Abstract: A micro-extrusion printhead assembly utilized in a micro-extrusion system to form parallel extruded lines of material on a substrate includes a material feed system for pushing/drawing materials out of extrusion nozzles defined in the printhead assembly, a Z-axis positioning mechanism, and a base. The micro-extrusion printhead includes a layered nozzle structure sandwiched between back and front plate structures. The layered nozzle structure includes stacked plates including top and bottom nozzle plates sandwiching a nozzle outlet plate. According to various embodiments, at least one of the nozzle structure materials of the printhead assembly, the output geometry of the printhead assembly, and the internal conduit geometry of the printhead assembly are modified to cause the bead traveling through the extrusion nozzle to be reliably directed (biased) toward the target substrate as it leaves the printhead nozzle orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Solarworld Innovations GmbH
    Inventors: David K. Fork, Scott E. Solberg
  • Patent number: 8113140
    Abstract: A powder coating apparatus is provided with: a coating booth, wherein a work to be coated is moved by a conveyer in the coating booth; and a coating gun that sprays powder coating material to the moving work. In the powder coating apparatus, the coating booth includes a movable wall on at least one of a side wall and a ceiling wall of the coating booth. The movable wall is configured to move in accordance with the work passing the coating booth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Masayuki Yamaguchi, Haruhisa Kaiju
  • Patent number: 8113144
    Abstract: A photoresist-coating apparatus includes a substrate on which a particle-detecting area and an invalid particle-detecting area are defined, a nozzle discharging photoresist to the substrate and moving along a direction, and a particle-detecting sensor controlling on and off of the nozzle in the particle-detecting area according to presence of particles, wherein in the invalid particle-detecting area, the nozzle operates independently from detection of the particle-detecting sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae-Yeol Park
  • Patent number: 8109228
    Abstract: A cartridge changer (41) is composed of a swing arm (48) with a cartridge gripper (48B) for gripping a paint cartridge (24), and an arcuate moving portion (46) for putting the swing arm (48) in swinging movements in a horizontal plane. The cartridge changer (41) is adapted to pick up a replenished paint cartridge (24) on the mount deck (42) by the cartridge gripper (48B) and transfer the swing arm (48) to a changing position “O” by the arcuate moving portion (46). By the operation, a used paint cartridge (24?) will be replaced by the replenished paint cartridge (24) between the mount deck (42) and a common body (15) which is located in the changing position “O” of the atomizing head changing and washing device (31).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: ABB K.K.
    Inventors: Tokuo Umezawa, Hidetsugu Matsuda, Masaharu Kuromoto, Yutaka Sakata
  • Patent number: 8109231
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a lining device that can be pulled through a pipe having an approximate diameter between 1 and 36 inches. The device sprays an electrically charged lining mixture 360° onto the inside pipe surface. The lining mixture is electro-statically charged to facilitate full encapsulation and adhesion to all pipe wall surfaces in a circumferentially uniform thickness. The lining device can be contained in a multipart housing having flexible rod-like components that hold the device in the center of the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The lining mixture is conveyed to the device through heated non expanding hose. The non expanding properties facilitate the delivery of the lining under pressure to the device. The device also incorporates a dwell cone having a knurled edge that atomizes the lining mixture as it is centrifugally thrown onto the pipe wall. The device may further incorporate nitrogen in mixing the lining material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Inventors: Kent Weisenberg, Dudley Primeaux, II
  • Patent number: 8104421
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a vacuum chamber and to its production. According to the invention, the vacuum chamber comprises a frame into which insert plates are placed. The insert plates form together with the frame a closed space in which a vacuum can be created. Preferably, the shell of the frame is extracted from an integrally formed metal piece, with a large portion of material being removed, leading to openings for the insert plates to be created. This has among others the advantage that no welding seams are necessary where the individual plates are inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Oerlikon Trading AG, Trubbach
    Inventors: Fredy Zünd, Marco Mayer, Siegfried Krassnitzer, Jürgen Gwehenberger