Patents by Inventor Mark D. Knerr

Mark D. Knerr 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: 8327916
    Abstract: An apparatus for core gas removal in a low-pressure cylinder head die casting operation includes an upper die, a lower die, an ejector plate disposed above the upper die to eject a part that has been cast, a plurality of tight plugs fastened into cavities formed in the upper die, and a plurality of clean pins attached to the ejector plate, each clean pin corresponding to a location of one of the tight plugs. The clean pins and the tight plugs have matching geometries. The ejector plate lowers to eject a casted cylinder head from the upper die such that a portion of the clean pins extend axially into the tight plugs to clean core gas residue formed on inner walls of the tight plugs during the casting cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA)
    Inventor: Mark D. Knerr
  • Publication number: 20110168347
    Abstract: An apparatus for core gas removal in a low-pressure cylinder head die casting operation includes an upper die, a lower die, an ejector plate disposed above the upper die to eject a part that has been cast, a plurality of tight plugs fastened into cavities formed in the upper die, and a plurality of clean pins attached to the ejector plate, each clean pin corresponding to a location of one of the tight plugs. The clean pins and the tight plugs have matching geometries. The ejector plate lowers to eject a casted cylinder head from the upper die such that a portion of the clean pins extend axially into the tight plugs to clean core gas residue formed on inner walls of the tight plugs during the casting cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: Toyota Motor Engin. & Manufact. N.A.(TEMA)
    Inventor: Mark D. Knerr