Patents by Inventor Flaviu V. Dinca

Flaviu V. Dinca 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: 11353092
    Abstract: In an aspect, a tensioner is provided for an endless drive member, and includes a shaft-and-base unit, a tensioner arm, a pulley, and a tensioner spring. The shaft-and-base unit is mountable to be stationary relative to an engine, and includes a fastener aperture for a fastener. The tensioner arm is pivotable relative to the shaft-and-base unit about a tensioner arm axis. The pulley is rotatably mounted to the tensioner arm for rotation and is engageable with an endless drive member. The tensioner spring is positioned to urge the tensioner arm in a first direction relative to the shaft-and-base unit. The tensioner spring includes a plurality of coils that are arranged generally helically about a longitudinal axis and are spaced radially from one another and generally increase in distance away from the axis in a longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: LITENS AUTOMOTIVE PARTNERSHIP
    Inventors: Milos Baljozovic, Rares I. Comsa, Flaviu V. Dinca
  • Publication number: 20210140518
    Abstract: In an aspect, a tensioner is provided for an endless drive member, and includes a shaft-and-base unit, a tensioner arm, a pulley, and a tensioner spring. The shaft-and-base unit is mountable to be stationary relative to an engine, and includes a fastener aperture for a fastener. The tensioner arm is pivotable relative to the shaft-and-base unit about a tensioner arm axis. The pulley is rotatably mounted to the tensioner arm for rotation and is engageable with an endless drive member. The tensioner spring is positioned to urge the tensioner arm in a first direction relative to the shaft-and-base unit. The tensioner spring includes a plurality of coils that are arranged generally helically about a longitudinal axis and are spaced radially from one another and generally increase in distance away from the axis in a longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Milos BALJOZOVIC, Rares I. COMSA, Flaviu V. DINCA
  • Patent number: 8840495
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention is directed to a belt tensioner for tensioning a belt, comprising a pivot shaft that is fixedly mountable with respect to an engine block of an engine, a tensioner arm rotatably mounted to the pivot shaft for pivoting about a tensioner arm axis in a first direction and in an opposing second direction, a pulley rotatably mounted to the tensioner arm for rotation about a pulley axis, and a tensioner spring positioned to bias the tensioner arm in the first direction, wherein the tensioner spring has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is engaged with the tensioner arm, and a micro adjustment mechanism that is operatively connected to control the position of the second end of the tensioner spring so as to control the tension in the tensioner spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Litens Automotive Partnership
    Inventors: Rares I. Comsa, Flaviu V. Dinca, Jacek Stepniak, Gary J. Spicer
  • Patent number: 8627935
    Abstract: A clutch assembly having a driver, an output member, a clutch spring, an armature and an actuator. The clutch spring includes a plurality of coils that are configured to be drivingly engaged with the driver. The clutch spring further includes first and second ends. The first end is configured to drivingly engage the output member to facilitate the transmission of rotary power from the driver, through the clutch spring and into the output member. The second end is engaged to the armature. The actuator is selectively operable for rotating the armature relative to the driver in a rotational direction opposite a predetermined rotational direction in which the driver is driven to thereby initiate at least partial disengagement of the coils of the clutch spring from the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Litens Automotive Partnership
    Inventors: John Danciu, Jacek Stepniak, Flaviu V. Dinca
  • Patent number: 6165091
    Abstract: Disclosed is a tensioner for use in an engine. The tensioner comprises a fixed structure that fixes to the engine. A movable structure is mounted for movement relative to the fixed structure in a belt tensioning and opposite directions. A pulley member has a belt engaging surface that engages with the belt. One of the fixed and movable structures has an interior surface defining a fluid chamber containing fluid and the other includes a chamber dividing structure. The chamber dividing structure defines first and second chamber portions on opposing sides thereof. A biasing element biases the movable structure in the tensioning direction to tension the belt. Relative movement of the movable structure in the tensioning direction displaces fluid from the first to the second chamber portion and increases fluid pressure in the first chamber portion and decreases fluid pressure in the second chamber portion, and the reverse occurs during movement of the movable structure in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Litens Automotive Partnership
    Inventors: Flaviu V. Dinca, Daryl D. Musselman, Larry J. Ferriman, Klaus K. Bytzek