Patents by Inventor Joseph C. Kahr

Joseph C. Kahr 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: 8365884
    Abstract: A brake shoe without a metal backing has a metal insert (9) comprising a main body (10), two wing-like extensions (12/13) integral with, on opposite sides of and extending away from the main body having back faces adjacent to the back surface of the brake shoe, two generally parallel radially extending flanges (15/16) integral with the main body and/or the wing-like extensions. The parallel extension defines a keyway (17), wherein when the brake shoe is emplaced on the brake head, the keyway extends through an opening provided in the brake head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: RPFC Holding Corp.
    Inventors: Joseph C. Kahr, Timothy A. Rumph
  • Patent number: 8267229
    Abstract: A brake shoe without a metal backing has a metal insert comprising two spaced apart bodies, a connecting portion having a back face adjacent to the back surface of the brake shoe, and two generally parallel radially extending flanges integral with the connecting portion. The parallel extensions define a keyway, wherein when the brake shoe is emplaced on the brake head, the keyway extends through an opening provided in the brake head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: RFPC Holding Corp.
    Inventors: Joseph C. Kahr, Timothy A. Rumph
  • Publication number: 20100224453
    Abstract: A brake shoe without a metal backing has a metal insert (9) comprising a main body (10), two wing-like extensions (12/13) integral with, on opposite sides of and extending away from the main body having back faces adjacent to the back surface of the brake shoe, two generally parallel radially extending flanges (15/16) integral with the main body and/or the wing-like extensions. The parallel extension defines a keyway (17), wherein when the brake shoe is emplaced on the brake head, the keyway extends through an opening provided in the brake head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: RFPC HOLDING CORP.
    Inventors: Joseph C. Kahr, Timothy A. Rumph
  • Publication number: 20090127037
    Abstract: A brake shoe without a metal backing has a metal insert comprising two spaced apart bodies, a connecting portion having a back face adjacent to the back surface of the brake shoe, and two generally parallel radially extending flanges integral with the connecting portion. The parallel extensions define a keyway, wherein when the brake shoe is emplaced on the brake head, the keyway extends through an opening provided in the brake head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: RFPC HOLDING CORP.
    Inventors: Joseph C. Kahr, Timothy A. Rumph
  • Patent number: 6302247
    Abstract: A brake shoe mounting system for railway vehicles includes a composition type brake shoe having a recessed center portion and two bracket-style backing plates integrally molded into the composition type brake shoe. There is one bracket style backing plate per each half of the brake shoe. Each bracket style backing plate further includes at least two projections extending outwardly from the convex surface of the composition brake shoe. The two projections extending outwardly are closely adjacent a first end of the brake shoe and at least one projection extends outwardly from the convex surface of the brake shoe closely adjacent the recessed center portion of the composition type brake shoe. The mounting system further includes a brakehead having a concave surface with a central projection for engaging the recessed center portion of the convex surface of the brake shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Joseph C. Kahr, Thomas W. McCabe
  • Patent number: 6241058
    Abstract: A composition brake shoe for use on a railway vehicle for reconditioning a wheel tread surface during a normal braking application on such railway vehicle is provided. The composition brake shoe includes a backing plate having a stirrup and a brake surface having a predetermined configuration and a predetermined surface area. It further includes a first friction type composition material extending over the surface area of such brake surface of such composition brake shoe. The composition brake shoe further contains a second friction type material, formed as at least one discrete insert, having a predetermined shape and molded into such first friction type composition material. Such second friction type material initially being completely embedded within such first friction type composition material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Bruce W. Shute, Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 6135249
    Abstract: A brake shoe for a railway vehicle having a three-piece backing plate formed of a longitudinal main plate portion having a front surface to which a friction material is attached, and an end-plate portion attached to each end of the longitudinal main plate portion. Each of the end plate portions having, a pair of wall members extending generally perpendicularly therefrom adapted to engage not only the edge surface of a the main plate portion but also the edge surfaces of the brakehead to which the three-piece backing plate is attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 5704454
    Abstract: A bonded composition type railroad brake shoe is disclosed in which the keybridge cavity of the brake shoe backing plate is filled with composition brake lining material for reinforcement and dampening of the keybridge. An insert located in the keybridge cavity comprises a pair of spaced-apart ribs that are upturned from a base plate such that the insert partitions the keybridge cavity. The insert is bonded in place by the composition brake lining material, which is formed with a keyway by the insert. The insert further serves to reinforce the keybridge in conjunction with the composition brake lining material therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 5657839
    Abstract: An improved railway brake shoe member characterized by logitudinally tapered sidewalls of the brake shoe that provide adaptive response to braking under conditions of mis-alignment between the brake shoe member and the tread of a railway car wheel by facilitating wear-in of the mis-aligned brake shoe, thereby assuring brake shoe/wheel tread engagement and accordingly alleviating degradation of braking efficiency and undesirable thermal inputs to the wheel flange that otherwise results from such brake shoe mis-alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 5595267
    Abstract: A composition type brake shoe for a railroad car in which the backing plate keybridge is filled with composition brake lining material to reinforce the keybridge. A recess formed in the braking face of the brake lining extends beyond the keybridge so that a relatively thin area of brake lining is formed between the recess and backing plate outboard of the keybridge opening, and to which thin section area cracks that may develop in the brake lining are encouraged to migrate in order to redirect backing plate flexure away from the critical keybridge area to a stronger area of the backing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 5566793
    Abstract: An improved railway brake shoe member characterized by longitudinally tapered sidewalls of the brake shoe that provide adaptive response to braking under conditions of mis-alignment between the brake shoe member and the tread of a railway car wheel by facilitating wear-in of the mis-aligned brake shoe, thereby assuring brake shoe/wheel tread engagement and accordingly alleviating degradation of braking efficiency and undesirable thermal inputs to the wheel flange that otherwise results from such brake shoe mis-alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 5429216
    Abstract: A disc brake shoe in which a relatively thin gage, low-cost metal backing plate has bonded to one face a friction brake lining and is formed on the opposite face with a plurality of straps that are adapted to engage corresponding recesses formed in a complementary thick gage metal backing plate to interlock the respective backing plates into a unitary brake shoe assembly which can be easily disassembled to permit change-out of a worn brake shoe by simply substituting a newly lined, low cost backing plate for the existing backing plate having worn lining without the need to re-claim the backing plate for re-use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1995
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr
  • Patent number: 5388675
    Abstract: An improved disc brake pad backing plate assemblage of the dovetail type wherein dovetail end strength for resisting deformation is increased by the use of a special secondary backing plate member in conjunction with a primary backing plate member having a dovetail for mating engagement with the dovetail groove in a disc brake holder. The resultant absence of dovetail end deformation facilitates removal of the disc brake pad from the mating dovetail groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Joseph C. Kahr, Keith D. Conrad
  • Patent number: RE36313
    Abstract: A disc brake shoe in which a relatively thin gage, low-cost metal backing plate has bonded to one face a friction brake lining and is formed on the opposite face with a plurality of straps that are adapted to engage corresponding recesses formed in a complementary thick gage metal backing plate to interlock the respective backing plates into a unitary brake shoe assembly which can be easily disassembled to permit change-out of a worn brake shoe by simply substituting a newly lined, low cost backing plate for the existing backing plate having worn lining without the need to re-claim the backing plate for re-use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: Joseph C. Kahr