Patents by Inventor Ralph A. Graf

Ralph A. Graf 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: 7743470
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing sawtooth card clothings and all-steel card clothings for processing textile fibers in a carding process, a sawtooth wire is produced by generating teeth on a wire blank sequentially behind one another in a longitudinal direction of the wire blank, wherein the teeth extend transversely to the longitudinal direction away from a base area. The sawtooth wire is subjected at least in the area of the teeth to a hardening process under exclusion of oxygen in the area of the sawtooth wire. A device for performing the method has a heating chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening for the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber. An arrangement for generating an inert gas atmosphere in the area of the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20070204438
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to a combing device for a combing machine exhibiting at least a circular comb and at least a top comb, with a number of comb teeth serving to engage in a fiber fleece and arranged side by side in a direction approximately vertical to the direction of combing, with the combing device exhibiting at least one comb element with at least two, three, or more comb teeth made in one piece and arranged side by side in the direction extending vertically to the direction of combing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20070028423
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing sawtooth card clothings and all-steel card clothings for processing textile fibers in a carding process, a sawtooth wire is produced by generating teeth on a wire blank sequentially behind one another in a longitudinal direction of the wire blank, wherein the teeth extend transversely to the longitudinal direction away from a base area. The sawtooth wire is subjected at least in the area of the teeth to a hardening process under exclusion of oxygen in the area of the sawtooth wire. A device for performing the method has a heating chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening for the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber. An arrangement for generating an inert gas atmosphere in the area of the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Publication date: February 8, 2007
    Inventor: Ralph Graf
  • Patent number: 6920671
    Abstract: A sawtooth wire for producing all-steel sawtooth clothing for the doffer and/or doffing cylinder of a carding machine with a plurality of teeth successively arranged in the longitudinal direction of the wire. Each tooth has a tooth breast beginning at the tooth bottom and extending in the direction toward the tooth tip and a tooth back that is connected with the tooth breast by two tooth flanks extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wire and that extends from the tooth tip in the direction of the following tooth bottom. At least one tooth flank has at least one profile segment that is located between the tooth tip and the tooth bottom and is provided with profiling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6863591
    Abstract: A device for dressing a card clothing, especially an all-steel sawtooth clothing, drawn over a preferably cylindrical drum, with a dressing system that can be moved along a path predetermined by a guide element, so that at least one element of the dressing system can be advanced in a direction that runs transversely, especially perpendicularly, to the predetermined path. The device has a remote-controlled advancing mechanism for advancing the one or more elements of the dressing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20040166775
    Abstract: A device for dressing a card clothing, especially an all-steel sawtooth clothing, drawn over a preferably cylindrical drum, with a dressing system that can be moved along a path predetermined by a guide element, so that at least one element of the dressing system can be advanced in a direction that runs transversely, especially perpendicularly, to the predetermined path. The device has a remote-controlled advancing mechanism for advancing the one or more elements of the dressing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2003
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20040128800
    Abstract: A sawtooth wire for producing all-steel sawtooth clothing for the doffer and/or doffing cylinder of a carding machine with a plurality of teeth successively arranged in the longitudinal direction of the wire. Each tooth has a tooth breast beginning at the tooth bottom and extending in the direction toward the tooth tip and a tooth back that is connected with the tooth breast by two tooth flanks extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wire and that extends from the tooth tip in the direction of the following tooth bottom. At least one tooth flank has at least one profile segment that is located between the tooth tip and the tooth bottom and is provided with profiling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20030116006
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sawtooth wire for manufacturing an all-steel sawtooth wire arrangement for the swift of a card. The sawtooth wire has a foot section and a blade section adjoining the foot section at a foot shoulder, wherein the blade section has sawteeth formed by tooth cutouts extending from the edge of the blade section facing away from the foot section. The ratio of the foot width to the blade width at the location of the deepest tooth cutout is greater than 2 and preferably greater than 2.5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2003
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6564430
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for processing textile fibers, comprising a processing element having a first working surface substantially in the form of a regular cylinder surface and rotatable preferably around the axis of the cylinder, like a take-in roller of a card., and at least one carding element having a further working surface facing the first working surface, wherein the form of the further working surface approximates that of the first working surface on a plane vertically intersecting the axis of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6557215
    Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning an all-steel sawtooth arrangement of a swift of a card has adjacently arranged sawtooth wire sections, wherein between two adjacent sawtooth wire sections a groove of the all-steel sawtooth arrangement is formed, respectively. The grooves extend from the tooth tips of the sawtooth wire sections to the groove bottom. The cleaning device has one or more cleaning elements for removing foreign particles from the grooves, wherein the cleaning element comprises a cleaning portion that is placed against the groove bottom of a groove and follows the groove when the all-steel sawtooth arrangement is moved in rotation to thereby remove foreign particles from the groove bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6544402
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a wire, particularly a sawtooth wire for all-steel sawtooth wire card clothings, wherein the surface of a wire-shaped intermediate product, such as a wire already provided with sawteeth, is smoothened in an electropolishing process in an electrolyte bath containing an electrolyte. A relative movement is produced between the electrolyte and the intermediate product during the electropolishing process. The apparatus includes a device for producing a relative movement between the electrolyte and the intermediate product contained in the electrolyte bath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6523226
    Abstract: A sawtooth wire for producing an all-steel sawtooth arrangement for processing textile fibers has a wire body having a plurality of teeth arranged successively in the longitudinal direction of the wire body. Each tooth has a tooth bottom and a tooth tip, wherein a tooth breast extends from the tooth bottom toward the tooth tip and a tooth back starts at the tooth tip and extends toward a successive tooth bottom of the successive tooth. The tooth back of at least one of the teeth has one or more convex portions passing over into a concave portion, respectively, in a direction toward the tooth bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6494973
    Abstract: In a method for producing fine wire, in particular, card wire, an optionally already treated wire blank is transformed by a heat treatment process into a drawable state, the wire blank is drawn to a drawn wire, and, subsequently, the drawn wire is subjected to a hardening and tempering process in order to obtain predetermined mechanical properties by passing the drawn wire through at least one of a furnace device and a cooling device having previously already been employed for performing the heat treatment process. The furnace device has a furnace chamber, receiving at least one wire portion, with a heat distribution block arranged in the area where the wire portion is received. The heat distribution block is designed to uniformly heat the wire portion. The cooling device has a fluidized chamber containing a flowable material. A fluid introduction arrangement is provided to introduce a fluidizing fluid into the fluidized chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20020157216
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for processing textile fibers, comprising a processing element having a first working surface substantially in the form of a regular cylinder surface and rotatable preferably around the axis of the cylinder, like a take-in roller of a card., and at least one carding element having a further working surface facing the first working surface, wherein the form of the further working surface approximates that of the first working surface on a plane vertically intersecting the axis of the cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2002
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6425814
    Abstract: A device for processing a card clothing mounted on a card clothing carrier, particularly an all-steel sawtooth card clothing carrier, has at least one processing tool and a guiding device for guiding the processing tool along a predetermined path. The guiding device has at least two guiding elements which can be adjusted between a work position and a transport position. The guiding elements extend in the work position along a longer portion of the predetermined path than in the transport position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6416707
    Abstract: In a method for producing fine wire, a wire blank is transformed by a heat treatment process into a drawable state, the wire blank is drawn to a drawn wire, and, subsequently, the drawn wire is subjected, to a hardening and tempering process in order to obtain predetermined mechanical properties by passing the drawn wire through at least one of a furnace device and a cooling device having previously already been employed for performing the heat treatment process. The furnace device has a furnace chamber, receiving at least one wire portion, with a heat distribution block arranged in the area where the wire portion is received. The heat distribution block is designed to uniformly heat the wire portion. The cooling device has a fluidized chamber containing a flowable material. A fluid introduction arrangement is provided to introduce a fluidizing fluid into the fluidized chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Patent number: 6353974
    Abstract: An arrangement for a rotatable circular comb for processing fibers supplied in the form of a fiber band has arrangement sections fastened on a circular cylindrical mantle surface that is rotatable about an axis of rotation in a direction of rotation. The arrangement sections are arranged behind one another in a circumferential direction of the circular cylindrical mantle surface such that the arrangement sections successively engage the fiber band in an engagement sequence when the arrangement is rotated in the direction of rotation. A first one of the arrangement sections that engages the fiber band first in the engagement sequence upon rotation of the arrangement is an engagement section and the arrangement sections arranged successively behind the engagement section are follower sections. The engagement section has a lesser combing effect than at least one of the follower sections. At least one of the follower sections has a greater length in the circumferential direction than the engagement section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20020026968
    Abstract: In a method for producing fine wire, in particular, card wire, an optionally already treated wire blank is transformed by a heat treatment process into a drawable state, the wire blank is drawn to a drawn wire, and, subsequently, the drawn wire is subjected to a hardening and tempering process in order to obtain predetermined mechanical properties by passing the drawn wire through at least one of a furnace device and a cooling device having previously already been employed for performing the heat treatment process. The furnace device has a furnace chamber, receiving at least one wire portion, with a heat distribution block arranged in the area where the wire portion is received. The heat distribution block is designed to uniformly heat the wire portion. The cooling device has a fluidized chamber containing a flowable material. A fluid introduction arrangement is provided to introduce a fluidizing fluid into the fluidized chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20010037541
    Abstract: A sawtooth wire for producing an all-steel sawtooth arrangement for processing textile fibers has a wire body having a plurality of teeth arranged successively in the longitudinal direction of the wire body. Each tooth has a tooth bottom and a tooth tip, wherein a tooth breast extends from the tooth bottom toward the tooth tip and a tooth back starts at the tooth tip and extends toward a successive tooth bottom of the successive tooth. The tooth back of at least one of the teeth has one or more convex portions passing over into a concave portion, respectively, in a direction toward the tooth bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2001
    Publication date: November 8, 2001
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf
  • Publication number: 20010015323
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a wire, particularly a sawtooth wire for all-steel sawtooth wire card clothings, wherein the surface of a wire-shaped intermediate product, such as a wire already provided with sawteeth, is smoothened in an electropolishing process in an electrolyte bath containing an electrolyte. A relative movement is produced between the electrolyte and the intermediate product during the electropolishing process. The apparatus includes a device for producing a relative movement between the electrolyte and the intermediate product contained in the electrolyte bath.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Publication date: August 23, 2001
    Applicant: Graf + Cie AG
    Inventor: Ralph A. Graf