Patents by Inventor Karla J. Bier
Karla J. Bier 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: 11828349Abstract: A banded frictional power transmission belt with a satin-weave, band fabric wrapped around the outside of the belt. The band fabric may be a satin weave of warp and weft yarns and may include a high-strength, wear-resistant yarn such as aramid fibers, and may include a high-adhesive yarn such as nylon and/or cotton. The aramid and/or nylon fibers may be staple or filament fibers. The band fabric may be treated. The band fabric may have a 4×1 satin weave. The band fabric may be wrapped on a bias. The high-adhesive yarn may predominantly reside on the inside of the fabric contacting said V-belt, and the high-strength, wear-resistant yarn may predominantly reside on the outside of the fabric which is the outer, pulley-contacting surface of the belt. The banded belt may be a V-belt, round belt, dual-V-belt, or multiple V-belts, or have another friction belt profile.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2021Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Karla J. Bier, Douglas R. Sedlacek, Cynthia Decker, William Buchholz, Daniel Beal
-
Publication number: 20230099380Abstract: belts and methods of manufacturing the same are described herein. The belt generally includes a base layer having a plurality of surface features (e.g., ribs or teeth) formed on a front surface of the base layer, and a stretched surface layer disposed on and conforming to the surface features. The stretched surface layer may comprise a knit fabric material that is from about 3 to about 10 wt. % elastomeric fiber or yarn and from about 90 to about 97 wt. % non-elastomeric yarn or fiber. The stretched surface layer is stretched over the front surface of the base layer such that the surface density of the stretched surface layer on the front surface is from about 100 to about 150 g/m2. Manufacturing methods for producing the belt with stretched surface layer generally includes disposing the surface layer on a planar front surface of the base layer and pressing a mold into the front surface of the base layer to thereby form a plurality of surface features in the front surface of the base layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2022Publication date: March 30, 2023Inventors: Douglas G. Gerring, Young W. Desanti, Karla J. Bier, Shawn Xiang Wu
-
Publication number: 20220316553Abstract: A cover fabric for power transmission belts having two or more alternating stripes or bands of different frictional properties. The stripes may be different fabric constructions. The fabric may be woven or knit with stripes of different area or yarn densities, different permeabilities, or different openness. The fabric may cover a surface of a V-ribbed-belt, V-belt, toothed belt, flat belt, round belt or other drive belt, resulting in stripes having different amounts of rubber strike through or different coefficients of friction. The stripes may be different rubber compositions or flocking or other materials.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2020Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Karla J. Bier, Lidia Garcia Saez, David Tornero Garcia, Vega Colom Martinez, Jordi Graner, Brett Bertrand
-
Publication number: 20210364061Abstract: A banded frictional power transmission belt with a satin-weave, band fabric wrapped around the outside of the belt. The band fabric may be a satin weave of warp and weft yarns and may include a high-strength, wear-resistant yarn such as aramid fibers, and may include a high-adhesive yarn such as nylon and/or cotton. The aramid and/or nylon fibers may be staple or filament fibers. The band fabric may be treated. The band fabric may have a 4×1 satin weave. The band fabric may be wrapped on a bias. The high-adhesive yarn may predominantly reside on the inside of the fabric contacting said V-belt, and the high-strength, wear-resistant yarn may predominantly reside on the outside of the fabric which is the outer, pulley-contacting surface of the belt. The banded belt may be a V-belt, round belt, dual-V-belt, or multiple V-belts, or have another friction belt profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2021Publication date: November 25, 2021Inventors: Karla J. Bier, Douglas R. Sedlacek, Cynthia Decker, William Buchholz, Daniel Beal
-
Patent number: 11028900Abstract: A banded frictional power transmission belt with a satin-weave, band fabric wrapped around the outside of the belt. The band fabric may be a satin weave of warp and weft yarns and may include a high-strength, wear-resistant yarn such as aramid fibers, and may include a high-adhesive yarn such as nylon and/or cotton. The aramid and/or nylon fibers may be staple or filament fibers. The band fabric may be treated. The band fabric may have a 4×1 satin weave. The band fabric may be wrapped on a bias. The high-adhesive yarn may predominantly reside on the inside of the fabric contacting said V-belt, and the high-strength, wear-resistant yarn may predominantly reside on the outside of the fabric which is the outer, pulley-contacting surface of the belt. The banded belt may be a V-belt, round belt, dual-V-belt, or multiple V-belts, or have another friction belt profile.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2017Date of Patent: June 8, 2021Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Karla J. Bier, Douglas R. Sedlacek, Cynthia Decker, William Buchholz, Daniel Beal
-
Patent number: 10989274Abstract: A synchronous belt with a tensile member layer having a tensile member embedded in an elastomeric body; a toothed surface with a plurality of regularly spaced, transverse teeth protruding from the body; and a jacket covering the toothed surface; wherein the teeth comprise a plurality of fabric insert layers that increase the stiffness of the tooth, the insert layers separated from each other by layers of an elastomer composition. The layers may be oriented parallel to the tensile member layer, perpendicular to the tensile member, or following the contour of the tooth. The layers may be a single piece of fabric folded into layers, or separate pieces of fabric.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2018Date of Patent: April 27, 2021Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Charles F. Ochoa, Cynthia Decker, Karla J. Bier, Jennifer E. Pease, Patrick Joseph McNamee
-
Patent number: 10731726Abstract: A belt made up of an elastomeric belt body, an electrically conductive tensile cord such as carbon fiber cord in a cord layer reinforcing the belt body, an outer layer of electrically conductive thermoplastic material such as polypropylene film, and an electrically conductive fabric layer residing between the tensile cord layer and the outer layer and providing electrical continuity between the outer layer and the tensile cord. An electrically conductive thread may be woven in the fabric and may present at both surfaces of the fabric and contact both the outer layer and the tensile cord to provide the electrical continuity there between.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2017Date of Patent: August 4, 2020Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Christopher M. Thomas, Joseph R. Duke, Jr., Karla J. Bier, Cathy Peake Wilson
-
Publication number: 20190178340Abstract: A banded frictional power transmission belt with a satin-weave, band fabric wrapped around the outside of the belt. The band fabric may be a satin weave of warp and weft yarns and may include a high-strength, wear-resistant yarn such as aramid fibers, and may include a high-adhesive yarn such as nylon and/or cotton. The aramid and/or nylon fibers may be staple or filament fibers. The band fabric may be treated. The band fabric may have a 4×1 satin weave. The band fabric may be wrapped on a bias. The high-adhesive yarn may predominantly reside on the inside of the fabric contacting said V-belt, and the high-strength, wear-resistant yarn may predominantly reside on the outside of the fabric which is the outer, pulley-contacting surface of the belt. The banded belt may be a V-belt, round belt, dual-V-belt, or multiple V-belts, or have another friction belt profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2017Publication date: June 13, 2019Inventors: Karla J. Bier, Douglas R. Sedlacek, Cynthia Decker, William Buchholz, Daniel Beal
-
Publication number: 20180313430Abstract: A synchronous belt with a tensile member layer having a tensile member embedded in an elastomeric body; a toothed surface with a plurality of regularly spaced, transverse teeth protruding from the body; and a jacket covering the toothed surface; wherein the teeth comprise a plurality of fabric insert layers that increase the stiffness of the tooth, the insert layers separated from each other by layers of an elastomer composition. The layers may be oriented parallel to the tensile member layer, perpendicular to the tensile member, or following the contour of the tooth. The layers may be a single piece of fabric folded into layers, or separate pieces of fabric.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2018Publication date: November 1, 2018Inventors: Charles F. Ochoa, Cynthia Decker, Karla J. Bier, Jennifer E. Pease, Patrick Joseph McNamee
-
Patent number: 10018248Abstract: A belt having an elastomeric body, a tensile cord embedded therein, and a tooth fabric having an increased value of Fabric Tensile Toughness as defined herein. The Fabric Tensile Toughness may be derived from properties of the yarns making up the fabric, such as yarn linear density, yarn ultimate elongation, yarn tensile strength, yarn packing density and weave ratio. The Fabric Tensile Toughness may be greater than 60 mJ/mm2. The belt may be a toothed belt of cast polyurethane with carbon fiber tensile cord. Also disclosed is a method of improving a known tooth cover fabric for a toothed power transmission belt involving selecting a different fabric having a higher Fabric Tensile Toughness than the known fabric and orienting the different fabric so the direction of highest Fabric Tensile Toughness is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the belt.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2016Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Joseph R. Duke, Jr., Xinjian Fan, Karla J. Bier, Shawn Xiang Wu, Leslee Brown
-
Publication number: 20170343077Abstract: A belt made up of an elastomeric belt body, an electrically conductive tensile cord such as carbon fiber cord in a cord layer reinforcing the belt body, an outer layer of electrically conductive thermoplastic material such as polypropylene film, and an electrically conductive fabric layer residing between the tensile cord layer and the outer layer and providing electrical continuity between the outer layer and the tensile cord. An electrically conductive thread may be woven in the fabric and may present at both surfaces of the fabric and contact both the outer layer and the tensile cord to provide the electrical continuity there between.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2017Publication date: November 30, 2017Inventors: Christopher M. Thomas, Joseph R. Duke, JR., Karla J. Bier, Cathy Peake Wilson
-
Patent number: 9829066Abstract: A belt made up of an elastomeric belt body, an electrically conductive tensile cord such as carbon fiber cord in a cord layer reinforcing the belt body, an outer layer of electrically conductive thermoplastic material such as polypropylene film, and an electrically conductive fabric layer residing between the tensile cord layer and the outer layer and providing electrical continuity between the outer layer and the tensile cord. An electrically conductive thread may be woven in the fabric and may present at both surfaces of the fabric and contact both the outer layer and the tensile cord to provide the electrical continuity there between.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2014Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Christopher M. Thomas, Joseph R. Duke, Jr., Karla J. Bier, Cathy Peake Wilson
-
Patent number: 9784337Abstract: A belt made up of an elastomeric belt body, an electrically conductive tensile cord such as carbon fiber cord in a cord layer reinforcing the belt body, an outer layer of electrically conductive thermoplastic material such as polypropylene film, and an electrically conductive fabric layer residing between the tensile cord layer and the outer layer and providing electrical continuity between the outer layer and the tensile cord. An electrically conductive thread may be woven in the fabric and may present at both surfaces of the fabric and contact both the outer layer and the tensile cord to provide the electrical continuity there between.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2014Date of Patent: October 10, 2017Assignee: Gates CorporationInventors: Christopher M. Thomas, Joseph R. Duke, Jr., Karla J. Bier, Cathy Peake Wilson
-
Publication number: 20170030431Abstract: A belt having an elastomeric body, a tensile cord embedded therein, and a tooth fabric having an increased value of Fabric Tensile Toughness as defined herein. The Fabric Tensile Toughness may be derived from properties of the yarns making up the fabric, such as yarn linear density, yarn ultimate elongation, yarn tensile strength, yarn packing density and weave ratio. The Fabric Tensile Toughness may be greater than 60 mJ/mm2. The belt may be a toothed belt of cast polyurethane with carbon fiber tensile cord. Also disclosed is a method of improving a known tooth cover fabric for a toothed power transmission belt involving selecting a different fabric having a higher Fabric Tensile Toughness than the known fabric and orienting the different fabric so the direction of highest Fabric Tensile Toughness is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the belt.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2016Publication date: February 2, 2017Inventors: Joseph R. Duke, JR., Xinjian Fan, Karla J. Bier, Shawn Xiang Wu, Leslee Brown
-
Publication number: 20150285334Abstract: A belt made up of an elastomeric belt body, an electrically conductive tensile cord such as carbon fiber cord in a cord layer reinforcing the belt body, an outer layer of electrically conductive thermoplastic material such as polypropylene film, and an electrically conductive fabric layer residing between the tensile cord layer and the outer layer and providing electrical continuity between the outer layer and the tensile cord. An electrically conductive thread may be woven in the fabric and may present at both surfaces of the fabric and contact both the outer layer and the tensile cord to provide the electrical continuity there between.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2014Publication date: October 8, 2015Applicant: THE GATES CORPORATIONInventors: Christopher M. Thomas, Joseph R. Duke, JR., Karla J. Bier, Cathy Peake Wilson