Patents by Inventor Michael E. Harmer

Michael E. Harmer 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: 6502447
    Abstract: A progressive die for forming a turbulator having multiple rows of axial corrugations. The corrugations are slit and offset such that artificial turbulence is generated as it passes through the corrugations. The device includes a plurality of dies disposed along an axial material direction. A flat strip of material enters the dies and is folded about its longitudinal axis in a relatively wide V-fold. As the strip of material moves forward, it is intermittently stamped in the series of dies. The initial dies create a central V-shaped fold that gradually narrows into a U-shaped channel with straight walls. Once the first corrugation is formed, a series of progressive dies form the remaining corrugations in alternating fashion. Next, the material moves through a slitting station that provides apertures and an axial offset such that adjacent sections of the corrugation are slit and offset in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Voss Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Adams, Michael E. Harmer, Robert L. Carlo
  • Publication number: 20010029767
    Abstract: A progressive die for forming a turbulator having multiple rows of axial corrugations. The corrugations are slit and offset such that artificial turbulence is generated as it passes through the corrugations. The device includes a plurality of dies disposed along an axial material direction. A flat strip of material enters the dies and is folded about its longitudinal axis in a relatively wide V-fold. As the strip of material moves forward, it is intermittently stamped in the series of dies. The initial dies create a central V-shaped fold that gradually narrows into a U-shaped channel with straight walls. Once the first corrugation is formed, a series of progressive dies form the remaining corrugations in alternating fashion. Next, the material moves through a slitting station that provides apertures and an axial offset such that adjacent sections of the corrugation are slit and offset in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2000
    Publication date: October 18, 2001
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Adams, Michael E. Harmer, Robert L. Carlo