Patents by Inventor Leo Kurtis Thiessen

Leo Kurtis Thiessen 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: 5778492
    Abstract: An apparatus for refeeding scrap fibers into a gaseous stream of virgin fibers and mixing the scrap fibers with the virgin fibers to form a fibrous mat includes a fiber opener for opening up and substantially eliminating scrap fiber clumps and nodules from a supply of scrap fibers by releasing scrap fibers from the clumps and nodules. The scrap fibers are conveyed by a laminar airstream from the fiber opener to a virgin fiber containing gaseous stream where the scrap fibers are mixed with the virgin fibers and the mixture of fibers is collected to form a fibrous mat. The laminar airstream for conveying the scrap fibers is preferably formed by passing the airstream through a venturi eductor to reduce turbulence and impart a more laminar flow to the airstream to reduce scrap fiber entanglement in the conveying airstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Leo Kurtis Thiessen, James Sheldon Graham