Patents by Inventor Michael J. Denk

Michael J. Denk 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: 20140061522
    Abstract: An actuator for a gate valve having a gate has a stem coupled to a gate. A spring is coupled to the stem and has an extended length position while the gate is in a closed position and a contracted length position while the gate is in an open position. The spring has a degressive characteristic such that a graph of a force required to move the gate from the closed position to the open position versus a deflection of the spring is a nonlinear curve with a positive slope that decreases when moving from the closed to the open position. The spring may be an array of wavy springs arranged in nested and in valley-to-crest combinations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: VETCO GRAY INC.
    Inventors: Mihirkumar Pravinbhai Patel, David D. Comeaux, Michael J. Denk, Chau Hoang