Patents by Inventor Manfred Hofmann

Manfred Hofmann 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: 4757982
    Abstract: An engine mount with hydraulic damping, includes at least one fluid-filled working chamber having a substantially conical shell-shaped rubber-elastic peripheral wall serving as a support spring, a support ring being connected to the peripheral wall and having an upper surface, a thrust element with adjustable radial stiffness in the form of a holding plate vulcanized to the upper surface of the support ring and closing the working chamber along with the support ring, the holding plate having a central cylindrical portion projecting freely into the working chamber and having an inner surface, a bell-shaped expanded ring projecting from the inner surface on the cylindrical portion toward the peripheral wall and having a free end, and a rubber-elastic membrane closing the free end of the expanded ring enclosing a volume of air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1988
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Andra, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4721288
    Abstract: A two-chamber engine mount with hydraulic damping includes an engine side to be connected to an engine, fluid-filled chambers having rubber-elastic peripheral walls including a chamber disposed closer to the engine side, an intermediate plate disposed between the chambers having a conduit disposed therein through which the chambers are interconnected, an engine support plate at the engine side having a first membrane chamber formed therein, a first membrane closing off the first membrane chamber, the intermediate plate having a second central membrane chamber formed therein, and a second membrane closing off the second membrane chamber from the fluid-filled chamber to the engine side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1988
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Andra, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4711206
    Abstract: A two-chamber engine mount with hydraulic damping includes rubber-elastic peripheral walls, a rigid intermediate plate disposed within the peripheral walls defining two chambers along with the peripheral walls being acted upon by vibrations induced in a given direction, hydraulic fluid filling the chambers, the intermediate plate having a channel formed therein interconnecting the chambers, the intermediate plate having another chamber formed therein, and a rubber-elastic membrane disc having two sides and being loosely disposed in the other chamber, both of the sides of the membrane disc being acted upon by the hydraulic fluid moving the membrane disc parallel to the given direction for combined frequency and amplitude decoupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Andra, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4681306
    Abstract: A two chamber engine mount with hydraulic damping includes rubber-elastic peripheral walls, a support housing disposed outside at least one of the walls, an orifice plate disposed between the walls defining upper and lower fluid-filled chambers above and below the orifice plate being substantially horizontally divided into an upper plate half being stationary and a lower plate half being rotatable and having a central axis, the orifice plate having an orifice canal formed at least partly in the lower plate half interconnecting the chambers and having a given open length and cross section, a centrally disposed pin integral with the lower plate half and extending through the support housing for rotating the lower plate half about the central axis relative to the upper plate half, varying at least one of the length and cross section of the canal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Hofmann, Hans Muller, Ralf Waldecker
  • Patent number: 4676489
    Abstract: 1A two chamber engine mount with hydraulic damping includes a housing having rubber-elastic walls, an intermediate plate disposed in the housing between the walls dividing the housing into fluid-filled chambers, the intermediate plate having a substantially spiral-shaped canal formed therein interconnecting the chambers, the canal having a length being a multiple of the diameter thereof, and the intermediate plate having at least one orifice vertically formed therethrough being hydraulically parallel with the canal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Hofmann, Hans Muller
  • Patent number: 4667942
    Abstract: A pretensionable and hydraulically damped mounting element with an outer mounting sleeve, an inner part, which is held by an elastomeric body in the interior of the outer mounting sleeve, the elastomeric body above and below the inner part being formed with chambers serving as a mechanical spring and being filled with hydraulic fluid and connected to one another via a channel, and end caps located at respective end faces of the mounting element and being formed of elastic, deformable elastomeric material, the elastomeric body extending from the inner part substantially radially outwardly towards opposite sides of the outer mounting sleeve, the elastomeric body and at least one of the end caps defining the channel therebetween, the channel having a variable cross section includes means defining axially extending additional chambers arranged at both sides of the inner part of the elastomer body, the additional chambers communicating with the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Horst Bitschkus, Manfred Hofmann, Uwe Nelles
  • Patent number: 4657227
    Abstract: A two-chamber engine mount with hydraulic damping, includes a housing, an intermediate plate disposed in the housing dividing the housing into an upper chamber above the intermediate plate and a lower chamber below the intermediate plate to be filled with fluid, the intermediate plate having a damping opening formed therein for fluid passage, an upper rubbery elastic peripheral wall at least partially defining the upper chamber, a lower cup-shaped rubbery elastic peripheral wall with a given hardness at least partially defining the lower chamber, an upper motor support plate disposed above the upper chamber, the upper support plate having a membrane chamber centrally formed therein to be filled with air, and a rubbery membrane having a greater hardness than the given hardness separating the membrane chamber from the upper chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4650168
    Abstract: An elastic engine mount with hydraulic damping includes a working chamber having an end, a compensating chamber, an intermediate plate disposed between the chambers having an annular channel formed therein interconnecting the chambers, a conical shell-shaped elastomer wall partially defining the working chamber, a bearing plate connected to the elastomer wall and bordering the end of the working chamber, a projecting cylindrical ring in the form of a tension and compression stop extending from the bearing plate into the working chamber and having an expanded free end in the form of an inwardly-disposed, radially-outwardly extending rim, a substantially cup-shaped stop ring gripping the expanded free end of the cylindrical ring, the stop ring having an axially-directed region with elongated radial through holes formed therein, and a rubber membrane disposed inside the cylindrical ring covering the cross section inside the cylindrical ring and closing off an air-filled membrane chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Andra, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4646421
    Abstract: In accordance with a method and an arrangement for exchanging tool holders of a variable number, only one tool holder is brought in working position, so that only small mass is to be moved, and for the tool holder movable in working position an energy supply and a drive unit is needed, whereas the remaining tool holders are located in a storage position and/or at least one magazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: Hueller Hille GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Ulrich Jaissle, Manfred Hofmann, Dietrich Geiger
  • Patent number: 4643405
    Abstract: A two-chamber engine mount with hydraulic damping, includes a housing, an intermediate plate disposed in the housing dividing the housing into an upper chamber above the intermediate plate and a lower chamber below the intermediate plate to be filled with fluid, the intermediate plate having a damping opening formed therein hydraulically interconnecting the chambers for preventing a hydraulic response upon the occurrence of high frequency and low amplitude vibrations, upper and lower rubbery elastic peripheral walls at least partially defining the upper and lower chambers, respectively, a motor support plate adjacent the upper chamber, the support plate having a membrane chamber centrally formed therein, and a rubbery membrane separating the membrane chamber from the upper chamber, the rubbery membrane including a solid central quenching mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1987
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Hofmann, Giacomo Sciortino
  • Patent number: 4638668
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measurement coupling for fluid systems, for taking working pressures or temperatures of the fluid media, consisting of a coupling bushing which is under duct pressure in the built-in state, and in the bore of which is arranged a spring-loaded and mechanically actuatable check valve, the check valve being constructed as a valve body provided with a cylindrical bore and a closed bottom face, the end of the coupling bushing facing the fluid system being prolonged beyond the valve body. A radial transverse bore or a radial slot is located in the wall of the valve body. In a further embodiment of the invention, the radial transverse bore or the transverse slot is formed in the wall of the guide part of the valve body and a flow slot channel is formed between the valve body and the coupling bushing as far as the radial transverse bore or transverse slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1984
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1987
    Assignee: Hydrotechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Siegfried Leverberg, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4613117
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an engine bearing in particular for motor vehicles which has hydraulic damping and at least one chamber which is filled with liquid and has an approximately conically-shaped, rubber elastic peripheral wall which acts as a bearing spring, the front face of which chamber is sealed by a bearing plate. The present invention provides that the bearing plate has a thrust element on its upper surface, which thrust element is rigid in the axial direction in comparison with the bearing spring and accomodates the mounting and has adjustable radial rigidity to independently set the axial and radial rigidity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1986
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Andra, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4589638
    Abstract: A decoupling device for engine mounts having upper and lower liquid chambers containing hydraulic fluid for damping vibrations, includes a diaphragm liquid-tightly fastened to an upper region of the upper liquid chamber defining a diaphragm chamber divided-off from the upper liquid chamber, the diaphragm including a circular rubber body and a vibration-cancelling mass in the form of a central, circular, metallic disc adhering to the circular rubber body, the circular rubber body having upper and lower surfaces, each of the surfaces having two concentric, conical, circular slots formed therein being inclined toward each other as seen in direction from the horizontal central plane of the circular rubber body toward the surfaces thereof, and the slots being extended to the vicinity of the horizontal central plane of the circular rubber body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Hofmann, Karl-Heinz Klockner
  • Patent number: 4572002
    Abstract: In order to determine the fatigue limit of elastic materials, especially rubber, under completely reversed stress by applying a load which alternates between zero and a maximum value and in order to determine the number of load alternations which leads to the breaking of the material, a plurality of strip-shaped rubber samples are clamped between two stationary clamping beams and a rocker. The rocker is approximately parallel to the beams and is moved at one end thereof by means of a crank mechanism. The rubber samples are each positioned parallel to one another in at least one row and are alternately stretched and relaxed to a different extent, depending on their spacing from the fulcrum of the rocker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1986
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Hartel, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4418897
    Abstract: Two-chamber motor mount with hydraulic damping, especially for vehicles, including an upper and lower chamber having rubber-elastic walls and being filled with liquid, the upper chamber being of hollow conical construction, a holding flange disposed between the walls of the upper and lower chambers, an intermediate plate formed with a throttle orifice located in vicinity of the holding flange, the upper and the lower chambers being connected to one another through the intermediate plate with the throttle orifice for preventing an hydraulic response for high frequency vibrations of small amplitude, the intermediate plate being responsive to high frequency vibrations of small amplitude and the throttle orifice being automatically closeable at high pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1983
    Assignee: Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Hartel, Manfred Hofmann
  • Patent number: 4367888
    Abstract: A hose coupling device for multiple hose connections having a tightly fitted hose fitting comprises a plug portion, hose fitting means hose fitting pins and a socket portion consisting of a flange adaptor section and a spacer section. The flange adaptor section comprises a flange adaptor means having a plurality of bores, a releasable plate means connected to the flange adaptor means with a clamping bolt having a central bore receiving a guide pin means. The spacer section comprises a shell means with a plurality of bores for registering with the flange adaptor section bores and means connecting the spacer section bores to the releasable plate means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1983
    Inventors: Siegfried Leverberg, Manfred Hofmann, Helmuth Hoffmann