Patents by Inventor Larry I. Kufahl

Larry I. Kufahl 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: 6139378
    Abstract: A pontoon boat has a deck and laterally spaced supporting pontoons. A drive coupling assembly is secured to the aft end of the deck between the pontoons, and includes a vessel coupling unit. For a water propulsion drive such as an outboard motor, the coupling assembly includes an outboard motor coupling unit complementing that vessel coupling unit, and engagement therewith includes a transom, an outboard motor secured appropriately having a propeller drive for propelling of the vessel. A traction drive unit for ground support include a traction coupling unit complementing the vessel coupling unit. The traction coupling unit replaces the motor drive coupling unit and provides for releasable interconnection of a traction drive unit. A typical coupling assembly would provide for releasable sliding and intercoupling members between the vessel coupling unit and the respective drive units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Inventor: Larry I. Kufahl
  • Patent number: 5919508
    Abstract: To facilitate baking a frozen dough product in an oven having a rack formed of aligned bars, the dough product is formed over an oven-safe paper sheet which has a plurality of die-cut holes. This sheet serves as a baking substrate and obviates the need for a baking pan. The paper sheet is formed with the dough product, and the dough extends through the holes and locks the sheet to the dough. The end user may thus remove the frozen dough product together with the sheet from a backing preform and place the assembly on an oven rack for baking. As the dough thaws the crust will loose its stiffness. The sheet however, will prevent the more pliable crust from distending through the oven rack before the dough has become baked and rigid. The sheet forms a backing which restrains flow of the dough, while at the same time the holes permit the escape of gases from the bottom of the crust and ensure uniform baking. Furthermore, the holes allow direct radiant heating of the dough product through the paper sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Inventors: Davis A. Donnelly, Harry K. Kralkow, Larry I. Kufahl, Thomas W. Fester
  • Patent number: 5797306
    Abstract: A lamination notching apparatus for forming dynamoelectric core laminations with winding slots includes a sprocket and drive belt system connecting an indexer to the drive table shaft of a lamination table. The indexer is driven from a punch drive and has an output sprocket. A coupling unit has a first sprocket and a second sprocket mounted on a common same shaft and connected by a passive clamp unit to produce a one-to-one rotation. Drive belts connect the indexer sprocket to the first sprocket and the second sprocket to the drive sprocket table shaft. The sprockets are formed with a special tooth profile to eliminate tooth-to-belt clearance and backlash with a standard HTD profile belt for precise rotary motion. The indexer is movably mounted for tension adjustment of the drive belt. The passive clamp unit includes telescoped tapered sprocket hubs on a tubular shaft, with a spring-loaded clamp nut and bolt passing therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: Marathon Electric Mfg. Corp.
    Inventor: Larry I. Kufahl
  • Patent number: 5716658
    Abstract: To facilitate baking a frozen dough product in an oven having a rack formed of aligned bars, the dough product is formed over an oven-safe paper sheet which has a plurality of die-cut holes. This sheet serves as a baking substrate and obviates the need for a baking pan. The paper sheet is formed with the dough product, and the dough extends through the holes and locks the sheet to the dough. The end user may thus remove the frozen dough product together with the sheet from a backing preform and place the assembly on an oven rack for baking. As the dough thaws the crust will loose its stiffness. The sheet however, will prevent the more pliable crust from distending through the oven rack before the dough has become baked and rigid. The sheet forms a backing which restrains flow of the dough, while at the same time the holes permit the escape of gases from the bottom of the crust and ensure uniform baking. Furthermore, the holes allow direct radiant heating of the dough product through the paper sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1998
    Assignee: Dadco Diversified, Inc.
    Inventors: Davis A. Donnelly, Harry K. Kralkow, Larry I. Kufahl, Thomas W. Fester
  • Patent number: 5503860
    Abstract: Proofed dough is formed into pizza crusts which am formed and frozen without baking. The dough is positioned on corrugated paperboard preforms within a tray having multiple circular openings. The preforms have sidewardly opening corrugations. The trays are conveyed through the forming apparatus in a continuous process, with formed crusts being removed and fresh preforms being inserted. The preforms are positioned in a rectangular array within the openings in the conveyed tray. A quantity of raw dough is positioned on each preform within the tray. The dough is conveyed on the preforms beneath a bank of high pressure forming dies. The dies are pressed into the openings within the tray and over the dough to form the dough into the desired pizza crust shape. Each die extends between the preform and the tray within the opening to force portions of the dough into the preform corrugations to thereby secure the formed dough to the preform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Dadco, Inc.
    Inventors: Davis A. Donnelly, Larry I. Kufahl, Harry K. Kralkow