Patents by Inventor John A. Hoefer

John A. Hoefer 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: 4787956
    Abstract: Apparatus for holding and spinning a plastic part during a friction welding operation to join the plastic part to work piece. There is included in the apparatus a driver to impact rotational movement, a vacuum chamber, and a rotatable part driver assembly. The part driver assembly is connected to the driver for rotational movement and has air ports in air flow communication with the vacuum chamber. The part driver assembly rotates the plastic part to be friction welded to a work piece. The part driver assembly also includes a vacuum head member with a hollow body rotatable independent of the part driver assembly, one end of the vacuum head member being adapted to receive a plastic part for friction welding to a work piece and the other end of the vacuum head being in air flow communication with the air ports in the part driver assembly to hold the plastic part on the vacuum head member by vacuum pressure during the friction welding operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1988
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John A. Hoefer, David S. Perry, Edward J. Schelmbauer