Patents by Inventor Christoph Pietrala

Christoph Pietrala has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11261031
    Abstract: A conveyor pan for a chain scraper conveyor comprises a bottom plate and a pair of side profiles fixed to the bottom plate by welding. The conveyor pan has an increased wear resistance, in particular due to a specific geometry of a weld groove formed between the profile rails of the side profile and the bottom plate. The weld groove extends deeper into each profile rail, resulting in a more durable weld connection during use of the conveyor pan. In addition, a geometry of a pocket member for connecting adjacent conveyor pans and an inspection opening formed in the bottom plate have also been improved to result in an increased strength of the conveyor pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Pietrala, Uwe Tillessen, Eugen Baier
  • Publication number: 20210261345
    Abstract: A conveyor pan for a chain scraper conveyor comprises a bottom plate and a pair of side profiles fixed to the bottom plate by welding. The conveyor pan has an increased wear resistance, in particular due to a specific geometry of a weld groove formed between the profile rails of the side profile and the bottom plate. The weld groove extends deeper into each profile rail, resulting in a more durable weld connection during use of the conveyor pan. In addition, a geometry of a pocket member for connecting adjacent conveyor pans and an inspection opening formed in the bottom plate have also been improved to result in an increased strength of the conveyor pan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Applicant: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph PIETRALA, Uwe TILLESSEN, Eugen BAIER
  • Patent number: 11040833
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a flight bar clamp for connecting a flight bar to at least one chain link of at least one conveyor chain of a chain conveyor used in underground mining. The flight bar clamp comprises a clamp main body extending along a clamp longitudinal axis, and at least one chain link engaging portion disposed at the clamp main body configured to engage with one chain link. The at least one chain link engaging portion of the flight bar clamp includes a sacrificial anode reception, and a sacrificial anode body disposed in the sacrificial anode reception. The sacrificial anode body may protect the flight bar clamp, the flight bar and the chains from contact corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Pietrala, Matthias Köhler
  • Publication number: 20200262653
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a flight bar clamp for connecting a flight bar to at least one chain link of at least one conveyor chain of a chain conveyor used in underground mining. The flight bar clamp comprises a clamp main body extending along a clamp longitudinal axis, and at least one chain link engaging portion disposed at the clamp main body configured to engage with one chain link. The at least one chain link engaging portion of the flight bar clamp includes a sacrificial anode reception, and a sacrificial anode body disposed in the sacrificial anode reception. The sacrificial anode body may protect the flight bar clamp, the flight bar and the chains from contact corrosion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Christoph Pietrala, Matthias Kohler
  • Patent number: 9273552
    Abstract: A feed system, rack bar and drive sprocket for moving an underground winning machine having a travel drive with drive sprocket having symmetrically profiled teeth, and rack bars with a plurality of rack teeth being arranged between a supporting strip and a guide strip of the rack bar. The tooth flanks of the teeth are inclined in the direction of movement and diverge towards the tooth tip for the interaction with tooth surfaces of teeth of drive sprocket. In order to improve the interaction between the teeth and produce less wear, the two tooth flanks of each rack tooth are concavely arched and form a trough between guide strip and supporting strip transversely to the direction of movement, with the trough rising towards the tooth tip, and the two tooth surfaces of each drive sprocket tooth is convexly arched and forms a crown transversely to the direction of movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
    Inventor: Christoph Pietrala
  • Publication number: 20160017710
    Abstract: A coarse crusher for use at both face ends of a face conveyor in an underground mine is disclosed. The coarse crusher may have a pan module with a strand segment for guiding an endless conveying means. The strand segment may be delimited by a first pan outer longitudinal side and a second pan outer longitudinal side which lies opposite the first pan outer longitudinal side. The first pan outer longitudinal side and the second pan outer longitudinal side may have a plurality of first pan fastening apparatuses. The coarse crusher may further have a base-frame module fastened releasably via the corresponding first pan fastening apparatuses to one of the first pan outer longitudinal side and the second pan outer longitudinal side. The coarse crusher may also have a support-arm module fastened releasably to the base-frame module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Applicant: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard WLEKLINSKI, Eugen BAIER, Christoph PIETRALA
  • Patent number: 8944519
    Abstract: A rack and pinion arrangement includes rack and pinion rods having a carrier bar, a guide bar and inner rack and pinion teeth for interaction with a driving sprocket. An end tooth at both ends of the each rack and pinion rod has a change in radius of curvature, and the tooth profile of the inner rack and pinion teeth has a change in radius of curvature. The change in radius of curvature of the end teeth is lower than the change in radius of the inner rack and pinion teeth. The end tooth head of the end teeth is lower than the tooth heads of the inner rack and pinion teeth. The end tooth in the region of the change in radius of curvature has a greater tooth width than the inner rack and pinion teeth in the region of the change in radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
    Inventor: Christoph Pietrala
  • Publication number: 20120198950
    Abstract: A feed system, rack bar and drive sprocket for moving an underground winning machine having a travel drive with drive sprocket having symmetrically profiled teeth, and rack bars with a plurality of rack teeth being arranged between a supporting strip and a guide strip of the rack bar. The tooth flanks of the teeth are inclined in the direction of movement and diverge towards the tooth tip for the interaction with tooth surfaces of teeth of drive sprocket. In order to improve the interaction between the teeth and produce less wear, the two tooth flanks of each rack tooth are concavely arched and form a trough between guide strip and supporting strip transversely to the direction of movement, with the trough rising towards the tooth tip, and the two tooth surfaces of each drive sprocket tooth is convexly arched and forms a crown transversely to the direction of movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: BUCYRUS EUROPE GMBH
    Inventor: Christoph Pietrala
  • Publication number: 20120111133
    Abstract: A rack and pinion arrangement for advancing e.g. a shearer loader comprising a toothed driving sprocket, with rack and pinion rods having a plurality of lantern teeth, a respective end tooth being arranged at both ends of each rod, the end tooth profile of the end tooth differing from the tooth profile of the inner teeth arranged between the end teeth and rack and pinion rods for the same; in order to improve interaction between the teeth of the sprocket and the rods, the end teeth are formed symmetrically to a vertical end tooth center plane and the tooth head of the end teeth is positioned lower than the tooth heads of the inner rack and pinion teeth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: BUCYRUS EUROPE GMBH
    Inventor: Christoph Pietrala