Patents by Inventor Peter D. McCowin
Peter D. McCowin 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).
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Patent number: 6851635Abstract: A device for grinding spices such as salt, pepper, cinnamon, etc. has a grinder rotor which has a removable keeper member which facilitates the ready removal of the rotor for cleaning or replacement. The grinder elements are made of ceramic material such as alumina silicate which eliminates the possibility of corrosion or rusting as with metal parts. The mill provides dual grinding action by utilizing separate grinding elements to provide either coarse grinding or fine grinding, as may be desired. For coarse grinding, the condiment only passes through the coarse grinding element while for fine grinding, the condiment first passes through the coarse grinding element and then passes through the fine grinding element.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2002Date of Patent: February 8, 2005Assignee: William Bounds, Ltd.Inventor: Peter D. McCowin
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Publication number: 20020145065Abstract: A device for grinding spices such as salt, pepper, cinnamon, etc. has a grinder rotor which has a removable keeper member which facilitates the ready removal of the rotor for cleaning or replacement. The grinder elements are made of ceramic material such as alumina silicate which eliminates the possibility of corrosion or rusting as with metal parts. The mill provides dual grinding action by utilizing separate grinding elements to provide either coarse grinding or fine grinding, as may be desired. For coarse grinding, the condiment only passes through the coarse grinding element while for fine grinding, the condiment first passes through the coarse grinding element and then passes through the fine grinding element.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2002Publication date: October 10, 2002Inventor: Peter D. McCowin
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Patent number: 6012877Abstract: An end effector (30) adap ttachment to and accurate positioning by a robot is provided for positioning a channel-shaped workpiece (10) at a desired position and drilling an accurately located positioning hole in the work piece, even if the workpiece is curved or has a compound contour. The end effector (30) includes a conventional speeder assembly (68) with a taper that can be grasped by the robot and rotated for transfer of torque to the speeder assembly. A flange base (54) is attached to the speeder assembly (68) and has a central opening to accommodate a drill bit (67). A housing assembly (50) is slidably mounted around the flange base (54) through a linear bearing (109). An index shaft (32) is slidably mounted partially within the housing assembly (50) through a second linear bearing (110). A collet (36) is concentrically mounted slidably about the index shaft (32). The collet (36) is adapted to expand radially when it is forced over a wider portion (34) of the index shaft (32).Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 1996Date of Patent: January 11, 2000Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Peter D. McCowin, Dennis M. Cordy, Ronald J. Smith, David L. Wagner
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Patent number: 5700347Abstract: A thermoplastic head for laying down a plurality of thermoplastic resin-impregnated tapes to form a composite. The head includes a clutch, of substantially equal static and dynamic friction coefficients, coupled to the tape spools to maintain the tapes under controlled tension; a tape guide assembly of unique design to align the tapes and prevent gaps between adjacent tapes; a guillotine-type shear cutter to cut off the tapes and a set of rethread rollers to hold the cut tapes to obviate the need for rethreading at the end of each tape lay down cycle; a heating assembly to provide high temperature heat on demand; and that provides cooler gas to avoid heat damage when the head is not laying down tape; unique compression rollers that are able to withstand high temperature operating conditions; and an actively cooled post-compression foot, with cooling fins, for cooling and consolidating laid down tape. The head has a tiltable roller assembly to accommodate edge misalignment and edge-stepdown.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 1996Date of Patent: December 23, 1997Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Peter D. McCowin
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Patent number: 5299894Abstract: An end effector adapted for attachment to and accurate positioning by a robot is provided for positioning a channel-shaped workpiece at a desired position and drilling an accurately located positioning hole in the workpiece. The end effector includes a conventional speeder unit with a Morris taper that can be grasped by the robot and rotated for transfer of torque to the speeder unit. A top plate is attached to the speeder unit and has a central opening to receive a drill collet extending downward from said speeder unit for drilling the holes in the workpiece. A base plate is connected to the top plate by guide rods which are pressed into bores in the base plate and extend through linear bearings in the top plate for self-parallel movement relative to the top plate. A pair of nuts mounted on the top plate is threadedly engaged with a pair of lead screws connected to the base plate so that vertical movement of the base plate will push the lead screws through the nuts and rotate the lead screws.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1992Date of Patent: April 5, 1994Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Peter D. McCowin
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Patent number: 5127139Abstract: A stringer clip end effector (21) suitable for use with a computer-controlled (CC) machine tool is disclosed. The stringer clip end effector (21) includes a pair of jaws (45,47) for picking up a clip (23) at a presentation location. After being moved by the CC machine tool to an insertion location adjacent to a hat-shaped stringer (31), a pair of cams (60a, 60b) located on opposite sides of the clip (23) are extended into the stringer cavity (25) and rotated to spread the stringer walls (27,29). Thereafter, the clip (23) is positioned in the stringer cavity (25). Then, the cams (60a, 60b) are rotated to a nonspread position, and clamp elements (49a, 49b, 51a, 51b) are actuated to press the walls (27, 29) of the stringer (31) against the clip (23). Next, drill bits (57a, 57b, 59a, 59b) that face the outer surface of the stringer walls (27, 29) are energized and moved toward the stringer walls. After holes are drilled through the stringer walls and the clip, the drill bits are withdrawn.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 1991Date of Patent: July 7, 1992Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Peter D. McCowin, Hugh R. Schlosstein
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Patent number: 4932094Abstract: An applicator tool includes a housing for holding a disposable cartridge containing liquid such as glue, caulk or sealant. The cartridge has a flexible nozzle at one end and a plunger at another end. To dispense liquid from the cartridge, the applicator tool supplies air pressure behind the plunger to drive the plunger toward the nozzle, thereby forcing the liquid through the nozzle. To stop dispensing liquid from the cartridge, the applicator tool removes driving pressure on the plunger and clamps the nozzle between two pistons so that the liquid cannot flow through the nozzle. The applicator tool also includes a rotatable brush mounted on the housing and a pneumatic motor within the housing for rotating the brush. The tip of the cartridge nozzle extends out of the housing and into the brush, and as liquid flows out of the nozzle the rotating brush spreads the liquid onto a surface.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 1988Date of Patent: June 12, 1990Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Peter D. McCowin
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Patent number: 4886442Abstract: An apparatus for forming composite members has a frame assembly which is lowered onto a table. A sheet of vacuum bagging material, supported by the frame, covers a tooling surface on the table. Attached to the sheet is a downwardly depending seal which continuously extends around the sheet's periphery. This seal inserts into an upwardly opening channel that surrounds the perimeter of the table's tooling surface as the frame is lowered. The seal is inflated while in the channel and this provides in airtight seal between the sheet and tooling surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 1988Date of Patent: December 12, 1989Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Peter D. McCowin, Paul E. Nelson
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Patent number: 4879875Abstract: A fastener driving tool for driving remotely located fasteners through preformed openings in a structure. The tool (10) comprises a housing (12) having a pneumatic-hydraulic intensifier (14) mounted thereon and a remotely located second hydraulic cylinder assembly (20) attached to the housing (12) by means of an extension tube (110). Pressurized air is provided to the tool (10) through a cartridge regulator (36) that is controlled by a trigger assembly (41). A pneumatic piston (72), connected to a first hydraulic piston (76) by a piston rod (80), moves from a first position located away from a nose portion (66) to a second position located toward a nose portion (66). The pressurizing valve (56) admits air to the pneumatic piston (72) to cause the first hydraulic piston (76) to move to the second position, thereby pressurizing hydraulic fluid (92) and causing the second hydraulic piston (102) to extend from the second cylinder housing (104).Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 1988Date of Patent: November 14, 1989Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Edward J. Davert, Peter D. McCowin
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Patent number: 4877471Abstract: Each of a plurality of multifilament, resin-impregnated rovings (18) is routed through orthogonally disposed guide rollers (222, 224; 242,244) for compaction to a predetermined width and thickness between the radial faces of a compaction backup roller (250) and a compaction roller (254). The force applied to the compaction roller (254) is varied to assure the dimensions of each compacted roving. The compacted rovings (18) are then routed through a bandwidth adjustment assembly (290) that controls the spacing between adjacent rovings such that they emerge in a side-by-side alignment forming a band (90). The band (90) then passes over the surface of a final deliver roller (296) before being wound onto a rotating mandrel (92) in a band edge-to-edge configuration to form a filament-aligned structure. The structure is then cured, causing the flow of the resin impregnation and forming a unified structure.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 1984Date of Patent: October 31, 1989Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Peter D. McCowin, Brent R. Meredith
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Patent number: 4699683Abstract: A fiber laminator for simultaneously laying down a strip of parallel, flat fiber rovings is disclosed. A head (53) for dispensing the rovings to be laid down is supported by a gantry (51). The gantry (51) includes mechanisms for moving the dispensing head longitudinally along three orthogonal axes (X, Y, Z) and rotationally about a vertical axis(c). Further, the dispensing head is designed for rotational movement about a horizontal axis(a). Thus, the dispensing head is movable along a complex path-of-travel as the fiber rovings are laid down. Each fiber roving is supplied by a spool (30) mounted on one side of the head. After leaving the spools (301), the fiber rovings pass through nip rollers (305) that apply a slight pressure to the already flat rovings to remove any remaining thickness irregularities. Thereafter, the rovings are directed to individual modules each of which includes a separately controlled rethreading mechanism (713) and a separate shear mechanism (741).Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 1986Date of Patent: October 13, 1987Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Peter D. McCowin