Patents by Inventor Michael A. Hofmann

Michael A. 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).

  • Publication number: 20210169171
    Abstract: A method for forming a molded article having an insert includes temporarily protecting features of the insert during a molding process using a malleable plugging material. In one step, the method includes disposing a plug including the plugging material within a receptacle of the insert, where each receptacle includes an engagement feature. The insert and the plugging material are placed into a mold, and a liquid molding material is applied to an exterior surface of the insert. The liquid molding material is solidified, forming the molded article including the insert embedded in the solidified molding material. The molded article is removed from the mold, and the plugging material is removed from the receptacle of the insert that is embedded in the molded article to expose the engagement feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Michael A. Hofmann, Sam Lacey, Geun Rok Park, Manki Park
  • Publication number: 20210080028
    Abstract: According to various aspects of the disclosure, a valve assembly for a vacuum chamber housing may have: a valve housing, which has a substrate transfer gap; a valve flap, which is mounted so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, thus enabling said flap to be rotated into a first position and into a second position, wherein the axis of rotation is arranged in the substrate transfer gap, and wherein the substrate transfer gap is extended longitudinally along the axis of rotation; wherein the valve flap closes the substrate transfer gap in the first position and is arranged adjacent to the substrate transfer gap in the second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Torsten DSAAK, Michael HOFMANN, Thomas MEYER
  • Patent number: 10910550
    Abstract: The invention relates to a piezoceramic material with reduced lead content, based on potassium sodium niobate (PSN) and having a defined parent composition. According to the invention the manner of addition of a mixture of Pb, Nb and optionally Ag and optionally Mn gives a wide sintering range together with reproducible electrical and mechanical properties of the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: PI CERAMIC GMBH
    Inventors: Eberhard Hennig, Antje Kynast, Michael Töpfer, Michael Hofmann
  • Patent number: 10882627
    Abstract: An aircraft drive device (10) for creating propulsion and/or lift of an aircraft, the drive device comprising a rotating shaft (12), a rotating shaft bearing (14, 16), a rotating shaft drive machine (18) for rotationally driving the rotating shaft (12), and a housing (20), wherein the rotating shaft bearing (14,16) and the rotating shaft drive device (18) are arranged in an interior of the housing (44) and the rotating shaft (12) protrudes to the outside of the housing (20) through a housing opening (42) of the housing (20), wherein in the region of the housing opening (42) an overvoltage arrester device (52) is arranged which is designed for diverting an overvoltage present at the rotating shaft (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBH
    Inventors: Jürgen Steinwandel, Michael Hofmann, Michael Judas
  • Patent number: 10710809
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a transporting device may comprise: a plurality of transporting rollers, of which at least two transporting rollers comprises: a glass tube mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation; the glass tube being joined together from a plurality of tube segments, a first tube segment of which is arranged between two second tube segments; and the first tube segment having a plurality of portions, the circumferential surfaces of which are surfaces of rotation with respect to the axis of rotation and/or are arranged coaxially; the plurality of transporting rollers providing by means of the circumferential surfaces a transporting surface for transporting a substrate in plate form and/or in strip form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: VON ARDENNE Asset GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Torsten Dsaak, Thomas Meyer, Michael Hofmann, Matthias Smolke, Jan Kircheis
  • Publication number: 20200198795
    Abstract: A device for providing power or thrust to an aerospace vehicle with a control system providing two different mechanical power outputs deriving their power from one common mechanical power source unit includes: a common mechanical power source unit an adjustable mechanical load unit driven by the common mechanical power source unit, an electrical machine unit with a mechanical power interface connected to the common mechanical power source unit and configured to receive mechanical power from the common mechanical power source unit to provide electrical power at an electrical power interface, and a control system configured to receive a mechanical power or thrust demand and standard air data from the aerospace vehicle. Only based on the mechanical power or thrust demand and standard air data, the control system is configured to control the device to provide mechanical power or thrust as well as electrical power to the aerospace vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Herwig Hosaeus, Michael Hofmann, Michael Cooper
  • Publication number: 20200136204
    Abstract: A battery comprising a fluid electrolyte, a casing configured to contain the electrolyte, an anode placed in contact with the electrolyte in the casing, and a cathode placed in contact with the electrolyte in the casing. The battery comprises a temperature control device configured to modify the temperature of the electrolyte, a circulating device configured to circulate the electrolyte in the casing and between the casing and the temperature control device. Also, a method for regulating the temperature of a battery in which a fluid electrolyte is circulated in a battery casing comprising an anode and a cathode, and through a temperature control device configured to modify the temperature of the electrolyte.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Michael PILAWA, Alexander OHNESORGE, Michael HOFMANN, Jürgen STEINWANDEL
  • Publication number: 20200098135
    Abstract: A method and system for determining a geographical location and orientation of a vehicle (200, 300) travelling through a road network is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining, from one or more cameras (202, 302) associated with the vehicle (200, 300) travelling through the road network, a sequence of images (500) reflecting the environment of the road network on which the vehicle (200, 300) is travelling, wherein each of the images has an associated camera location at which the image was recorded. A local map representation representing an area of the road network on which the vehicle (200, 300) is travelling is then generated using at least some of the obtained images and the associated camera locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Tinosch Ganjineh, Philipp Holzchneider, Dimitri Schachmann, Sergej Mann, Sebastian Ihlefeld, Michael Hofmann, Olaf Booij, Nicolau Leal Werneck
  • Publication number: 20190322589
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lead-free piezoceramic material based on bismuth sodium titanate (BST) having the following parent composition: x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-yBaTiO3-zSrTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z?0.07 or x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-yBaTiO3-zCaTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z?0.05 or x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-y(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3-zBaTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z<1, characterized by addition of a phosphorus-containing material in a quantity that gives a phosphorus concentration of from 100 to 2000 ppm in the piezoceramic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Inventors: Eberhard Hennig, Antje Kynast, Michael Töpfer, Michael Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20190185273
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a transporting device may comprise: a plurality of transporting rollers, of which at least two transporting rollers comprises: a glass tube mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation; the glass tube being joined together from a plurality of tube segments, a first tube segment of which is arranged between two second tube segments; and the first tube segment having a plurality of portions, the circumferential surfaces of which are surfaces of rotation with respect to the axis of rotation and/or are arranged coaxially; the plurality of transporting rollers providing by means of the circumferential surfaces a transporting surface for transporting a substrate in plate form and/or in strip form.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Torsten Dsaak, Thomas Meyer, Michael Hofmann, Matthias Smolke, Jan Kircheis
  • Publication number: 20190168422
    Abstract: A device for jointly delivering plastic particles and a liquid to a cleaning device to remove impurities from the plastic particles comprises a delivery funnel comprising an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is configured to connect to a supply for the plastic particles, and the outlet is configured to connect to the cleaning device. At least one delivery nozzle is positioned on the delivery funnel and is configure to connect to a liquid supply. The at least one delivery nozzle is configured to discharge at least one liquid jet into the delivery funnel, wherein a position of the at least one delivery nozzle promotes mixing of the supplied plastic particles and the liquid in the delivery funnel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: CVP Clean Value Plastics GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Hofmann, Dirk Schneider
  • Patent number: 10297939
    Abstract: An electrical contact includes a plurality of electrically conductive contact laminations which form a sleeve-like receptacle for a contact bolt. The contact laminations are pressed by a spring force in the direction of a center axis of the sleeve-like receptacle. In a first position of the pin, the pin supports the contact laminations against the spring force; in a second position of the pin, support of the contact laminations by the pin is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Michael Hofmann, Michael Reif
  • Patent number: 10269024
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention can provide systems and methods for identifying and measuring trends in consumer content demand within a vertical network of websites and related content. In one embodiment, a method can include receiving content from webpages in at least one vertical; receiving data associated with a plurality of selected keywords associated with the at least one vertical, wherein one or more associations between at least a portion of the plurality of selected keywords can be generated; receiving session data associated with a plurality of consumers accessing content in webpages in the at least one vertical; determining third party data associated with the plurality of consumers accessing at least a portion of webpages comprising at least one of the selected keywords; and aggregating, based at least in part on the third party data, session data associated with visits to the webpages comprising at least one of the selected keywords.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Outbrain Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Edward Kaib, Brent Allen Walker, Joshua Michael Hofmann, Gregg Freishtat
  • Patent number: 10246376
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lead-free piezoceramic material based on bismuth sodium titanate (BST) having the following parent composition: x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-yBaTiO3-zSrTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z?0.07 or x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-yBaTiO3-zCaTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z?0.05 or x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-y(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3-zBaTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z<1, characterized by addition of a phosphorus-containing material in a quantity that gives a phosphorus concentration of from 100 to 2000 ppm in the piezoceramic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: PI CERAMIC GMBH
    Inventors: Eberhard Hennig, Antje Kynast, Michael Töpfer, Michael Hofmann
  • Patent number: 10211002
    Abstract: A locking apparatus for a circuit breaker includes a locking pin including a main body; a rotatably or displaceably mounted definition tip; and a guide including a mating contour. In an embodiment, the locking pin is movably mounted within the guide. The definition tip is in alignment with the locking pin in a first position, such that the locking pin together, with the definition tip, is movable through the guide. Further, the definition tip cannot be moved through the guide in a second position, owing to the deflection of the rotatably and displaceably mounted definition tip of the locking pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Michael Hofmann
  • Patent number: 10140513
    Abstract: Method and systems for generating reference features sets for slices of a reference image. The reference features sets generated from slices enables better object recognition and/or tracking when a camera image only shows a portion of the reference image. Metadata is used to link the reference features set of the original image and of the slices together as belonging to the same object, providing hierarchical relationship information and/or spatial relationship information. An image processing function may be dynamically configured on the basis of whether an object has been successfully detected and the metadata associated with the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: LAYAR B.V.
    Inventors: Klaus Michael Hofmann, Dirk Groten, Raimo Juhani Van Der Klein
  • Patent number: 10116011
    Abstract: The embodiments relate to a switch device for an electrochemical energy store having: a film transistor device that comprises at least one organic transistor, can be mounted in a planar manner on at least one electrode of the electrochemical energy store, can be controlled by an external voltage source, and is designed in the form of a controllable electrical resistor that is connected, in series, to an internal resistor of said electrochemical energy store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Kaiser, Alexander Ohnesorge, Michael Hofmann, Jürgen Steinwandel, Michael Pilawa
  • Patent number: 10102679
    Abstract: A method for improving the placement of virtual content in augmented reality is disclosed. A reference image of the object to be augmented is analyzed for feature density information. The placement of content is based on the at least one location adjacent to where features are concentrated. Accordingly, the chance of the content interfering with an important part of the object is lowered, and object recognition and/or tracking ability is maintained because there are sufficient features nearby the content to enable object recognition and/or tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: LAYAR B.V.
    Inventors: Dirk Groten, Klaus Michael Hofmann
  • Patent number: 10058898
    Abstract: A device for removing impurities from shredded plastic includes at least one first cleaning body having a sectionally tapered and/or cylindrical outer surface forming a first cleaning surface, and at least one second cleaning body having a sectionally tapered and/or cylindrical inner surface forming a second cleaning surface. The second cleaning body accommodates the first cleaning body such that the cleaning surfaces oppose each other and delimit a cleaning gap between each other. A drive apparatus can rotate at least one of the cleaning bodies about its longitudinal axis, and a feed apparatus feeds the shredded plastic into the cleaning gap. The cleaning surfaces each have cleaning ribs, wherein at least one flank of the cleaning ribs is inclined or curved. Cleaning bars running transversally to the direction of extension of the cleaning ribs are arranged between at least some neighboring cleaning ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: CVP Clean Value Plastics GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Gercke, Michael Hofmann, Carsten Wermter
  • Publication number: 20180170565
    Abstract: An aircraft drive device (10) for creating propulsion and/or lift of an aircraft, the drive device comprising a rotating shaft (12), a rotating shaft bearing (14, 16), a rotating shaft drive machine (18) for rotationally driving the rotating shaft (12), and a housing (20), wherein the rotating shaft bearing (14,16) and the rotating shaft drive device (18) are arranged in an interior of the housing (44) and the rotating shaft (12) protrudes to the outside of the housing (20) through a housing opening (42) of the housing (20), wherein in the region of the housing opening (42) an overvoltage arrester device (52) is arranged which is designed for diverting an overvoltage present at the rotating shaft (12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Jürgen STEINWANDEL, Michael HOFMANN, Michael JUDAS