Patents by Inventor Robert Gordon Smith

Robert Gordon Smith 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: 8917478
    Abstract: A bearing device has two or more bearings each having an inner ring and an outer ring disposed on the same axis. A ring-shaped holder is disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring and has circumferentially spaced-apart rolling element pockets with a concave grease pocket between each two adjacent rolling element pockets. Rolling elements are disposed in a rollable manner in respective ones of the rolling element pockets and a grease is stored in the grease pockets, the grease serving as a lubricant of the rolling element. The grease consists of at least a base oil comprised of aromatic carbon and a thickener, the content of the aromatic hydrocarbon being 70 weight % or more of the grease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Suzuki, Tsuyoshi Kashiwada, Robert Gordon Smith, Virat Sornsiri
  • Publication number: 20140126085
    Abstract: A bearing device has two or more bearings each having an inner ring and an outer ring disposed on the same axis. A plurality of rolling elements are arranged in a ring-shaped region between the inner ring and the outer ring with a gap in a circumferential direction, and a plurality of rolling element pockets hold the rolling elements in a rollable manner at regular intervals from one another. A holder having a grease pocket of concave shape is placed between the rolling element pockets and stores grease serving as a lubricant of the rolling elements. The grease consists of at least a base oil comprised of aromatic carbon and a thickener, the content of the aromatic hydrocarbon being 70 weight % or more of the grease.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Kenji SUZUKI, Tsuyoshi Kashiwada, Robert Gordon Smith, Virat Sornsiri
  • Patent number: 8630062
    Abstract: An inner race of a first rolling bearing is fixed to a shaft, and an outer race thereof is fixed to an inner race of a second rolling bearing. In the first bearing, the outer race and rolling elements contact each other on the side of a center of the rolling elements closer to one end side in an axial direction, and the inner race and the rolling elements contact each other on the side of the center of the rolling elements closer to the other end side in the axial direction. In the second bearing, an outer race and rolling elements contact each other on the side of a center of the rolling elements closer to the one end side, and the inner race and the rolling elements contact each other on the side of the center of the rolling elements closer to the other end side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignees: Seiko Instruments Inc., Seiko Instruments (Thailand) Ltd.
    Inventors: Sumio Shimizu, Robert Gordon Smith
  • Publication number: 20130057984
    Abstract: An inner race of a first rolling bearing is fixed to a shaft, and an outer race thereof is fixed to an inner race of a second rolling bearing. In the first bearing, the outer race and a rolling element contact each other on the side of a center of the rolling element closer to one end side in an axial direction, and the inner race and the rolling element contact each other on the side of the center of the rolling element closer to the other end side in the axial direction. In the second bearing, an outer race and a rolling element contact each other on the side of a center of the rolling element closer to the one end side, and the inner race and the rolling element contact each other on the side of the center of the rolling element closer to the other end side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventors: Sumio SHIMIZU, Robert Gordon Smith
  • Patent number: 8345386
    Abstract: A bearing device has a sleeve that encircles a shaft, and two side-by-side roller bearings rotatably support the sleeve coaxially on the shaft. A spacer portion protrudes radially inwardly from the sleeve and extends between the two roller bearings. The sleeve axially overlaps a minor portion of one roller bearing but does not overlap a race surface thereof, and the sleeve axially overlaps a major portion of the other roller bearing including a race surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments (Thailand) Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Gordon Smith, Virat Sornsiri
  • Patent number: 8221003
    Abstract: A bearing unit has four rolling bearings adjacently disposed in an axial direction, each rolling bearing including an inner race, and outer race, and rolling elements interposed between the inner and outer races. A shaft is fitted to the inner races, and a sleeve has a fitting hole into which is fitted the outer races. The inner races or the outer races are brought into contract with each other in the axial direction to preload the rolling bearings. The inner races or the outer races of the rolling bearings at both axial ends, which are brought into contact with the inner races or the outer races of adjacent rolling bearings, are fixed to the sleeve, and the outer races of the central two rolling bearings form a radial gap between confronting surfaces of the sleeve and the outer races or between confronting surfaces of the shaft and the inner surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments (Thailand) Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Gordon Smith, Virat Sornsiri
  • Publication number: 20100226043
    Abstract: Provided is a bearing device (10) capable of achieving weight reduction of a sleeve (40), and capable of suppressing distortion of the roller bearings (30a and 30b). The bearing device includes: a shaft (20); the sleeve (40) arranged on an outside of the shaft (20) while a central axis thereof coincides with a central axis of the shaft (20); a first roller bearing (30a) and a second roller bearing (30b), which are arranged side by side in a direction of the central axes, for supporting the shaft (20) and the sleeve (40) so that the shaft (20) and the sleeve (40) are capable of freely moving rotationally relative to each other; and a spacer portion (44) formed between the first roller bearing (30a) and the second roller bearing (30b) so as to protrude from an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve (40), in which the sleeve (40) is formed so as not to overlap in the direction of the central axes a center portion (35) on which a race surface (34a) of the first roller bearing (30a) is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Inventors: Robert Gordon Smith, Virat Sornsiri
  • Publication number: 20090245712
    Abstract: To extend a life and to stabilize torque and resonance, provided is a bearing unit, including four rolling bearings adjacently disposed in an axial direction, each of the four rolling bearings including an inner race, an outer race, and rolling elements, a shaft fitted to the inner race of each of the rolling bearings, and a sleeve including a fitting hole into which the outer race of each of the rolling bearings is fitted, in which: the four rolling bearings are alternately disposed in the axial direction so that the inner races or the outer races thereof are brought into contact with each other in the axial direction while being disposed in the axial direction with intervals; the outer races of the rolling bearings at both axial ends, which are brought into contact with the inner races or the outer races of the adjacent rolling bearings, are fixed to the sleeve; and the outer races of the central two rolling bearings, which are disposed in the axial direction with intervals, are disposed so as to form a rad
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Robert Gordon Smith, Virat Sornsiri