Patents by Inventor Michael Lloyd McClaran

Michael Lloyd McClaran 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: 7669839
    Abstract: A vacuum cup is made from rubber to resist damage and providing a vacuum seal without a separate gasket or O-ring. The vacuum cup may be one of several configurations suitable for different CNC machines and includes a rubber body comprising a bottom surface for mounting, a top surface including a vacuum area for holding a work piece, and a raised edge around the perimeter of the top surface for sealing against the work piece. The bottom surface may have any one of a variety of machine interfaces to cooperate with various machines. A vacuum passage connects the bottom surface with the vacuum area and a check valve may reside in the vacuum passage. The rubber body is sufficiently strong to resist flexing due to vacuum or work piece weight and the vacuum area includes work piece supports for contacting a work piece held on the vacuum cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Inventor: Michael Lloyd McClaran
  • Publication number: 20080006975
    Abstract: A vacuum cup is made from rubber to resist damage and providing a vacuum seal without a separate gasket or O-ring. The vacuum cup may be one of several configurations suitable for different CNC machines and includes a rubber body comprising a bottom surface for mounting, a top surface including a vacuum area for holding a work piece, and a raised edge around the perimeter of the top surface for sealing against the work piece. The bottom surface may have any one of a variety of machine interfaces to cooperate with various machines. A vacuum passage connects the bottom surface with the vacuum area and a check valve may reside in the vacuum passage. The rubber body is sufficiently strong to resist flexing due to vacuum or work piece weight and the vacuum area includes work piece supports for contacting a work piece held on the vacuum cup.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventor: Michael Lloyd McClaran