Patents by Inventor Michael A. Mayer

Michael A. Mayer 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: 20110220827
    Abstract: A faucet handle connector that securely attaches a grip of a faucet handle to a valve apparatus for regulating the flow rate and/or temperature of water through a faucet spout. The faucet handle connector provides a structure for convenient attachment of the faucet handle to the valve apparatus. In addition, the faucet handle connector attaches the faucet handle to the valve apparatus in a manner that conceals the faucet handle connector from a user to improve the aesthetic characteristics of the faucet and to reduce the number of parts required for assembly. Thus, the faucet handle connector attaches the faucet handle to the valve apparatus without the use of a screw or any other observable fastener, and a separate cover or similar structure is not required to hide the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: Elkay Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Tortorello, Michael A. Mayer
  • Patent number: 6077352
    Abstract: An assembly having at least three coaters or separate doctor or blade units, all arranged at a single backing roll coating station is provided. At least two of the coater or blade units can be movably positioned for easy operation and servicing of all three units. Additionally, one or more of the coater units may have doctors or blades, and the coater units with blades or blade unit may each be angularly positioned through a range of blade angles to optimize coating operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Damrau, Michael A. Mayer, Martin Friedrich Kustermann, Richard Christian Bernert
  • Patent number: 5702765
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for applying coating liquid to a web of paper traveling over a web supporting surface at speeds of 3,000 or more feet per minute to produce a coated web free of streaking and other imperfections includes the steps and structural elements for distributing coating liquid onto the supported web through a limited application zone within a short dwell time of the liquid on the web, the web moving through the application zone at a speed that is sufficiently high to create turbulence in the coating liquid being applied to the web, doctoring the coating liquid on the web by biasing a primary doctor against the coated web at the rear edge of the application zone so as to form a layer of coating liquid on the web as the web leaves the application zone, the turbulence in the coating liquid causing machine direction streaks in the layer of the coating liquid as the web leaves the application zone; and, at a location downstream and isolated from the application zone, performing a successive doctorin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Damrau, Michael A. Mayer
  • Patent number: 5681618
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for applying coating liquid to a web of paper traveling over a web supporting surface at speeds of 3,000, 4,000 and more feet per minute to produce a coated web free of streaking and other imperfections comprises apparatus for and the sequential steps of distributing coating liquid in a turbulent state over the supported web through a limited application zone within a very short dwell time of the turbulent liquid on the web; subjecting the coating liquid on the supported web to an initial doctoring by means of a primary doctor blade biased under pressure against the coated web at the rear edge of the application zone to form on the web downstream from the zone a relatively quiescent layer of coating liquid having a wet film thickness sufficiently in excess of the final wet film thickness to accommodate a subsequent final wet film doctoring of the coating liquid on the web; and, at a location downstream and isolated from the application zone, subjecting the relatively quiescent layer
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Damrau, Michael A. Mayer
  • Patent number: 5647909
    Abstract: Apparatus for applying coating liquid to a web of paper traveling over a web supporting surface at speeds of 3,000 or more feet per minute to produce a coated web free of streaking and other imperfections includes the structural elements for distributing coating liquid onto the supported web through a limited application zone within a short dwell time of the liquid on the web, the web moving through the application zone at a speed that is sufficiently high to create turbulence in the coating liquid being applied to the web, doctoring the coating liquid on the web by biasing a primary doctor against the coated web at the rear edge of the application zone so as to form a layer of coating liquid on the web as the web leaves the application zone, the turbulence in the coating liquid causing machine direction streaks in the layer of the coating liquid as the web leaves the application zone; and, at a location downstream and isolated from the application zone, performing a successive doctoring of excess coating liq
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Damrau, Michael A. Mayer
  • Patent number: 5632815
    Abstract: A method for coating a web with a coating material by applying a metered coating material onto the web and smoothing the applied coating material evenly onto the web with a flexible predoctoring blade. The coating material is applied to the web by the predoctoring blade in the form of a high velocity laminar flow in advance of the predoctoring blade. The coating mix is fed to a stem part of the flexible blade via an exit channel having a narrow opening. The loading of the flexible blade, acting as a smoothing device, is controlled in a cross direction of the web in order to control the cross directional profile of the applied coating web. The feed velocity of the laminar flow is at least one small m/sec.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Damrau, Michael A. Mayer
  • Patent number: 5112653
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for applying coating liquid to a web of paper traveling over a web supporting surface at speeds of 3,000, 4,000 and more feet per minute to produce a coated web free of streaking and other imperfections comprises apparatus for and the sequential steps of distributing coating liquid in a turbulent state over the supported web through a limited application zone within a very short dwell time of the turbulent liquid on the web; subjecting the coating liquid on the supported web to an initial doctoring by means of a primary doctor blade biased under pressure against the coated web at the rear edge of the application zone to form on the web downstream from the zone a relatively quiescent layer of coating liquid having a wet film thickness sufficiently in excess of the final wet film thickness to accommodate a subsequent final wet film doctoring of the coating liquid on the web; and, a a location downstream and isolated from the application zone, subjecting the relatively quiescent layer o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1992
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Damrau, Michael A. Mayer
  • Patent number: 5076200
    Abstract: A paper coating system is characterized by an upstream dip roll applicator that applies an excess layer of liquid coating material onto a surface of a paper web, and an improved downstream doctor assembly for metering and leveling the coating on the web. The doctor assembly includes a doctor blade having a tip extended against and across the web and a shear plate, upstream of the blade, having a surface extending across and defining a gap with the web. An elongate chamber defined between the shear plate and blade extends across the web, and excess coating removed from the web by the blade flows into the chamber. Coating is drained from and uniformly along a lower end of the chamber at a rate to maintain an eddy current pool of coating in an upper end of the chamber immediately upstream of the blade/web nip, but to prevent formation of a liquid seal in the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Inventors: Michael A. Mayer, Lucien L. Mason, Leonard C. Olson, Keith H. Riemer
  • Patent number: 4963397
    Abstract: A paper coating system is characterized by an upstream dip roll applicator that applies an excess layer of liquid coating material onto a surface of a paper web, and an improved downstream doctor assembly for metering and leveling the coating on the web. The doctor assembly includes a doctor blade having a tip extended against and across the web and a shear plate, upstream of the blade, having a surfaces extending across and defining a gap with the web. An elongate chamber defined between the shear plate and blade extends across the web, and excess coating removed from the web by the blade flows into the chamber. Coating is drained from and uniformly along a lower end of the chamber at a rate to maintain an eddy current pool of coating in an upper end of the chamber immediately upstream of the blade/web nip, but to prevent formation of a liquid seal in the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1990
    Assignee: Consolidated Papers, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Mayer, Lucien L. Mason, Leonard C. Olson, Keith H. Riemer
  • Patent number: D552718
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Michael A. Mayer, Lisa Hood