Patents by Inventor Ray R. Miller

Ray R. Miller 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: 20170001487
    Abstract: A method of mounting a vehicle tire chain on a vehicle tire by draping the chain on the tire and connecting the free ends of the chain with suitable temporary straps to form temporary loops on the tire and rolling the wheel a quarter to a half of a revolution to complete the mounting of the chain, and producing a high quality mounting using special tension sources and stabilizers to migrate residual chain slack to the side chain closure device during a short travel to a stop to re-hook the chain to a suitable operating chain tension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Publication number: 20140190609
    Abstract: Tire chain elastic tension sources and non elastic stabilizer components for providing sources of tension for returning deflected cross chains to their natural operating positions during chain mounting and for combined action of the two devices for stabilizing a tire chain on the wheel, in operation, and acting in combination with suitably constructed tire chains to optimize chain mounting and operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 8162017
    Abstract: Revised tire chain attachments and mounting methods, for use on an otherwise typical, presently marketed link construction, ladder pattern, truck tire chain, to reduce chain slack and increase chain tension, from mounting, and increase the feasibility of one stop mounting for a broader range of tire sizes and truck loading conditions, by providing a better fit of the chain to the tire footprint, as affected by the specific tire size and truck loading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventor: Ray R Miller
  • Publication number: 20100170604
    Abstract: Highly interactive configurations, methods of supply, and techniques of installation on the vehicle, to enable mounting of tire chains in one stop of the vehicle, and improve operating performance of the chains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 7398806
    Abstract: Configurations and mounting procedures for vehicle tire chains, which enable easier mounting of the chain upon the wheel, including performing the complete installation in one stop of the vehicle, while providing strong stabilization against random high operating forces on the chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Inventor: Ray R Miller
  • Patent number: 7174933
    Abstract: Configurations and installation methods for vehicle tire chains which provide tire chains especially easy to mount, and provide improvements in performance and vendor supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 5895545
    Abstract: A method of preparing a starch adhesive ready for use in which a starch bearing compound is fed to a pressurized system in which the starch is heated, melted, cooled and removed from the pressurized system to comprise an adhesive ready for use. The invention is also directed to the products made by the method. The adhesive product is especially useful for use in manufacturing corrugated paperboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 5609711
    Abstract: A method whereby a significantly pregelatinized starch bearing adhesive composition may be used for bonding two laminae such as corrugated board or other panel products. A feed stream of essentially ungelatinized starch is sent to an application device. There it is significantly gelatinized within the application device and applied to the substrate laminae. The adhesive at the time of application is no longer a liquid, but is a partial gel, a gel, or a thermally melted composition. The adhesive is extruded onto the substrate as a multiplicity of parallel beads or as a full width ribbon. Temperature of the melted starch composition may be reduced prior to extrusion to limit puffing or expansion of the extrudate. The resulting laminae may be pressed tightly face to face or they may remain somewhat spaced apart by the beads of adhesive. The method allows the use of both refined and unrefined starch bearing materials to be used in the adhesive composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 5419796
    Abstract: The invention is a method of fluting corrugating medium which can be formed in conventional or unconventional flute configurations. The method employs at least one additional corrugating roll in addition to the usual two. The first pair of rolls create initial flutes in the medium. Initially fluted medium is then transferred to a third roll of lesser flute pitch than the first rolls. In this manner the initially created flutes can be reformed into configurations not possible using conventional systems. A fourth roll can be used to achieve additional flute pitch reduction. Using this method flutes with very sharply angled tips can be formed. Other embodiments enable formation of less conventional cross sectional configurations such as flutes with asymmetric patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 5316828
    Abstract: Fluted corrugating media of unconventional configuration and the methods for their manufacture for use in corrugated fiberboard are described. These media may be asymmetrical in configuration or have very sharply angled flute tips. The new configurations are formed using at least one secondary corrugating stage to prevent tearing during formation. The flat crush strength of the medium may be enhanced by applying parallel lines of adhesive transversely to the flutes on at least one side. These adhesive lines at least partially fill the valleys of the flutes along the lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 31, 1994
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 5083374
    Abstract: The invention is a method of prestressing a heat transfer cylinder by thermal means to create residual stresses which act to reduce the operating thermal stresses in the cylinder wall. The invention also includes a cylinder prestressed by the method. An example might be a cylindrical drum having a heat source adjacent its inner surface to be used for heating a material on its outer surface. The drum would be thermally prestressed to have residual compression stresses at its outer surface and residual tension stresses at its inner surface under conditions of no heat flow. These stresses are opposite in direction to those induced by heat flow through through the drum wall during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1992
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 4889048
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a drum or roll which may be heated to high operating temperatures and is particularly useful in situations where a high heat flux is required under conditions of high nip and distributed loads on the drum. It consists of a relatively thin rotating shell supported on an axially located stationary inner core. The core has a plurality of shell support bearings. These have close radial clearances with the inner surface of the shell at each location where an extrnal nip roll would be engaged. The spaces between the shell support bearings form pressurizable chambers. These chambers can be filled with a hot pressurized fluid for supporting the shell between the supports located at the nip positions. In one application the roll would be used as the drum in a belt and drum press having high nip loads at several locations and high distributed loads applied by a tensioned belt. The fluid support system for the rotatable shell enables a very thin shell to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1989
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 4877487
    Abstract: A belt on drum-type press which provides for utilization of a maximum amount of the drum circumference and provides a wide latitude of choice in the relationship between belt tension and press roll nip forces on the drum. In the preferred embodiments the press has a central drum free of axial bending moments and stresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1989
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 4781795
    Abstract: The invention is a fluid heated drum especially well adapted for use with a drum press in which high press roll nip loading and high heat flux to a pressed web are both encountered. A press of this type is disclosed in detail. However, the drum is more broadly useful in any application combining heavy mechanical drum loading and high heat flux through the drum surface. The drum is constructed with a thin outer shell spaced radially apart from an inner cylindrical body. Radial supports provide load bearing connections between the two. The annulus between the shell and inner body may be arranged in various patterns as a conduit for the flow of heating fluid. By using a thin outer shell which does not have to sustain high bending stresses a high rate of heat transfer is permitted. The outer shell may be made of copper or other high thermal flux but lower strength metal to obtain additional heat transfer advantages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignees: Ray R. Miller, Weyerhaeuser Co.
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 4758310
    Abstract: A press belt arrangement in which none of the compressive forces on the central drum are transmitted to the supporting frame. It provides a method in which a greater compressive force in relationship to belt tension is applied to the drum. The invention makes it possible to construct the central drum so that large quantities of heat can be fluxed through it for purposes of achieving the fast drying rates long sought in the industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1988
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 4740305
    Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for treating a permeable web with a fluid. The apparatus has a rotatable drum with a fluid permeable endless belt reeved about at least a portion of the drum circumference. Two or more spaced-apart press rolls bear against the outer surface of the belt, pressing it against the drum with sufficient force to form nip zones. A belt position control mechanism gives the belt limited freedom of radial movement away from the drum in the area between the nip zones. This permits a gap of controllable dimension to form between the drum and the belt. The gapped region defines a volume which creates a permeable web treating zone. The drum surface has at least one row of spaced apertures located entirely around its circumference. These apertures communicate with a fluid supply system which can supply treating fluid under pressure outwardly through the surface apertures into the treating zones between the press rolls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1988
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller
  • Patent number: 4710271
    Abstract: A press belt arrangement in which none of the compressive forces on the central drum are transmitted to the supporting frame. It provides a method in which a greater compressive force in relationship to belt tension is applied to the drum. The invention makes it possible to construct the central drum so that large quantities of heat can be fluxed through it for purposes of achieving the fast drying rates long sought in the industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Assignees: Ray R. Miller, Weyerhaeuser Co.
    Inventor: Ray R. Miller