Patents by Inventor Edward A. DePietro

Edward A. DePietro 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: 10060091
    Abstract: An alignment tool for use in aligning a manway cover with a manway body/flange includes an body/flange alignment tool plate having a plate opening, a tool beam support extending transversely from the body/flange alignment tool plate, a cover attachment plate having at least one cover plate opening sized and positioned to align with a corresponding manway cover opening in the manway cover, and a height adjuster extending between and connecting the tool beam support to the cover attachment plate where the cover attachment plate is vertically translated by the threaded height adjuster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 9915279
    Abstract: In combination, a manway cover and a manway flange having one or more bolt opening(s) and a pull-up bolt assembly adapted to be used for supporting a hinge component to the manway cover, the manway flange, or both, where the pull-up bolt assembly having a pull-up bolt member, a nut component, a tapered member, and an expandable friction member, where one or more structures selected from a thread, a ridge and/or a groove disposed on an outside surface of the expandable friction member and the one or more bolt opening(s) having an inside surface adapted for mating with the corresponding one or more structures of the expandable friction member whereby, when the pull-up bolt assembly is engaged within the one or more bolt opening(s), the one or more structures aligns with the corresponding inside surface of the one or more bolt opening(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL HINGE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Publication number: 20170328025
    Abstract: An alignment tool for use in aligning a manway cover with a manway body/flange includes an body/flange alignment tool plate having a plate opening, a tool beam support extending transversely from the body/flange alignment tool plate, a cover attachment plate having at least one cover plate opening sized and positioned to align with a corresponding manway cover opening in the manway cover, and a height adjuster extending between and connecting the tool beam support to the cover attachment plate where the cover attachment plate is vertically translated by the threaded height adjuster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 9764892
    Abstract: An alignment tool device for use in aligning a manway cover to a manway body/flange during installation of the manway cover includes a first plate with an L-shape has body with a pair of holes and a first tongue extending transversely from the plate. A second plate with an inverted-L shape has a body with a pair of holes and a second tongue extending transversely from the plate. The first plate is oriented substantially parallel to and opposing the second plate with the first tongue extending parallel to and overlapping the second tongue, where the first and second tongues extend in opposite directions. A height adjuster displaces the first plate relative to the second plate by adjustable engagement of the tongues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 9752296
    Abstract: An alignment tool for use in aligning a manway cover with a manway body/flange includes an alignment tool plate having a plate body, a first planar surface and a plurality of plate openings each spaced from a first edge where each of the plurality of plate openings are positioned to align with a corresponding opening in the manway body/flange, a tool beam support having a distal end portion and extending a predefined distance transversely from the tool alignment plate, a cover attachment plate having at least one through-opening sized and positioned for attachment of the cover attachment plate to the manway cover, and a height adjuster extending between and connecting the tool beam support to the cover attachment plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 9752297
    Abstract: An alignment tool device for use in aligning a manway cover to a manway body/flange during installation of the manway cover includes a body/flange plate having a flange plate body with a plurality of flange plate openings and an alignment support structure, a cover plate having a cover plate body with a plurality of cover plate openings, and a height adjuster extending through the alignment support structure where the height adjuster is adapted to change a position of the cover plate relative to the flange plate to substantially align the manway cover openings with corresponding manway flange openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Publication number: 20170198736
    Abstract: In combination, a manway cover and a manway flange having one or more bolt opening(s) and a pull-up bolt assembly adapted to be used for supporting a hinge component to the manway cover, the manway flange, or both, where the pull-up bolt assembly having a pull-up bolt member, a nut component, a tapered member, and an expandable friction member, where one or more structures selected from a thread, a ridge and/or a groove disposed on an outside surface of the expandable friction member and the one or more bolt opening(s) having an inside surface adapted for mating with the corresponding one or more structures of the expandable friction member whereby, when the pull-up bolt assembly is engaged within the one or more bolt opening(s), the one or more structures aligns with the corresponding inside surface of the one or more bolt opening(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 9631658
    Abstract: An improved pull-up bolt assembly adapted to be used for supporting a high-weight structure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure, the bolt assembly having a pull-up bolt member, a nut component, a tapered member, and an expandable friction member, where the improvement includes one or more threads helically disposed about the expandable friction member, the one or more threads each having a height, a width and a helical angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Publication number: 20160017568
    Abstract: An alignment tool device for use in aligning a manway cover to a manway body/flange during installation of the manway cover includes a body/flange plate having a flange plate body with a plurality of flange plate openings and an alignment support structure, a cover plate having a cover plate body with a plurality of cover plate openings, and a height adjuster extending through the alignment support structure where the height adjuster is adapted to change a position of the cover plate relative to the flange plate to substantially align the manway cover openings with corresponding manway flange openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Applicant: UNIVERSAL HINGE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Publication number: 20140328643
    Abstract: An improved pull-up bolt assembly adapted to be used for supporting a high-weight structure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure, the bolt assembly having a pull-up bolt member, a nut component, a tapered member, and an expandable friction member, where the improvement includes one or more threads helically disposed about the expandable friction member, the one or more threads each having a height, a width and a helical angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Publication number: 20140283359
    Abstract: An alignment tool for use in aligning a manway cover with a manway body/flange includes an alignment tool plate having a plate body, a first planar surface and a plurality of plate openings each spaced from a first edge where each of the plurality of plate openings are positioned to align with a corresponding opening in the manway body/flange, a tool beam support having a distal end portion and extending a predefined distance transversely from the tool alignment plate, a cover attachment plate having at least one through-opening sized and positioned for attachment of the cover attachment plate to the manway cover, and a height adjuster extending between and connecting the tool beam support to the cover attachment plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: UNIVERSAL HINGE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 8784024
    Abstract: A pull-up bolt assembly for frictionally supporting a high-weight structure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Inventors: Edward T. Vitone, Jr., Edward A. DePietro, Karen M. Lison
  • Publication number: 20140182112
    Abstract: An alignment tool device for use in aligning a manway cover to a manway body/flange during installation of the manway cover includes a first plate with an L-shape has body with a pair of holes and a first tongue extending transversely from the plate. A second plate with an inverted-L shape has a body with a pair of holes and a second tongue extending transversely from the plate. The first plate is oriented substantially parallel to and opposing the second plate with the first tongue extending parallel to and overlapping the second tongue, where the first and second tongues extend in opposite directions. A height adjuster displaces the first plate relative to the second plate by adjustable engagement of the tongues.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 8763850
    Abstract: A manway cover-manway flange separating kit and method for use with a manway cover handling device includes at least one extended length cover supporting rod having end stops at each end of the cover supporting rod wherein at least one of the end stops is removable and wherein the cover supporting rod is adapted for positioning within one of a plurality of manway cover bolt openings exposed by the removal of a plurality of manway cover bolts and for maintaining alignment of the manway cover and the manway flange when the manway cover is a predefined distance away from the manway flange, and a flange separator including a separator component having a threaded rod and a pair of elongated flange plates, the pair of elongated flange plates rotatably connectable on a first flange plate end to the threaded rod wherein at least one of the pair of elongated flange plates has a threaded opening at the first flange plate end transverse to the flange plate that receives the threaded rod to provide translational movement
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro
  • Patent number: 8499501
    Abstract: A method of handling the removal and installation of a manway cover to a manway flange includes removing a plurality of manway cover bolts, assembling a portable manway cover hinge device having a pair of hinge plates having a hinge aperture alignable with an existing bolt opening or a user formed bolt opening, forming one or more bolt openings in a peripheral portion of one of the manway cover and the manway flange, aligning a hinge aperture of the support member of each of the pair of hinge plates with the one or more bolt openings formed in the peripheral portion of the one of the manway cover and the manway flange or the plurality of existing bolt openings, inserting a pin into each hinge aperture of the hinge plates, and removing the remaining manway cover bolts from the manway cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventors: Edward A. DePietro, James J. Porebski
  • Publication number: 20130078051
    Abstract: A pull-up bolt assembly for frictionally supporting a high-weight structure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: UNIVERSAL HINGE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Edward T. Vitone, Jr., Edward A. DePietro, Karen A Lison
  • Publication number: 20120285975
    Abstract: A method of handling the removal and installation of a manway cover to a manway flange includes removing a plurality of manway cover bolts, assembling a portable manway cover hinge device having a pair of hinge plates having a hinge aperture alignable with an existing bolt opening or a user formed bolt opening, forming one or more bolt openings in a peripheral portion of one of the manway cover and the manway flange, aligning a hinge aperture of the support member of each of the pair of hinge plates with the one or more bolt openings formed in the peripheral portion of the one of the manway cover and the manway flange or the plurality of existing bolt openings, inserting a pin into each hinge aperture of the hinge plates, and removing the remaining manway cover bolts from the manway cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: UNIVERSAL HINGE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Edward A. DePietro, James J. Porebski
  • Patent number: 8038031
    Abstract: A portable manway hinge device has a pair of hinge plates where each hinge plate has a support member with a hinge aperture positioned for alignment with a bolt opening of a manway cover and a manway flange, a linkage member adjacent a first end of each hinge plate and extending out of the plane of the hinge plate, and a pivotal connection coupling overlapping pairs of the linkage member of the pair of hinge plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventors: Edward A. DePietro, James J. Porebski
  • Patent number: 7931168
    Abstract: A portable manway hinge device has a pair of elongated hinge members where each hinge member has a pair of longitudinally-aligned, elongated apertures, a support member slidably connected to each of the elongated apertures where the support member has a pin receiving end, and a linkage member pivotally connected to each of the pair of elongated hinge members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Universal Hinge Corporation
    Inventors: Edward A. DePietro, James J. Porebski
  • Publication number: 20110017759
    Abstract: A manway cover-manway flange separating kit and method for use with a manway cover handling device includes at least one extended length cover supporting rod having end stops at each end of the cover supporting rod wherein at least one of the end stops is removable and wherein the cover supporting rod is adapted for positioning within one of a plurality of manway cover bolt openings exposed by the removal of a plurality of manway cover bolts and for maintaining alignment of the manway cover and the manway flange when the manway cover is a predefined distance away from the manway flange, and a flange separator including a separator component having a threaded rod and a pair of elongated flange plates, the pair of elongated flange plates rotatably connectable on a first flange plate end to the threaded rod wherein at least one of the pair of elongated flange plates has a threaded opening at the first flange plate end transverse to the flange plate that receives the threaded rod to provide translational movement
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: UNIVERSAL HINGE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Edward A. DePietro