Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Kraus

Thomas A. Kraus 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: 20070266734
    Abstract: In order to provide glass ceramic articles with an improved surface with regard to roughness, the invention relates to a method for producing glass ceramic panels (40) in which a green glass panel (10) is produced by hot forming and the green glass panel (10) is subsequently ceramized to form a glass ceramic, wherein the green glass panel (10) is fire-polished on at least one surface (11, 12) before or during the ceramizing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Applicant: SCHOTT AG
    Inventors: Bernd Woelfing, Ralf Biertuempfel, Ralf Bonitz, Wolfgang Semar, Martin Schaefer, Michael Hahn, Nicole Surges, Reiner Best, Thomas Kraus
  • Publication number: 20070250145
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1) for transcutaneous stimulation of a nerve of the human body, which device (1) comprises at least one stimulation electrode (2) and at least one reference electrode (3) for transcutaneous nerve stimulation, the at least one stimulation electrode (2) and the at least one reference electrode (3) being connected to a control unit (4) and being able to be supplied with an electrical current from the latter, and the at least one stimulation electrode (2) and the at least one reference electrode (3) being arranged in or on a housing (5) which is designed to be fitted on or in the human ear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Publication date: October 25, 2007
    Applicant: CERBOMED GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas KRAUS, Stefan DIETRICH
  • Publication number: 20070101412
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for conducting secured communications with a client device in a network are disclosed. The method includes receiving at the server a request message from the client device, wherein the request message comprises a nonce, a nonce count and an encrypted request, determining whether the client device has permission to access the server using the nonce and the nonce count, forming an encrypted server response message in response to the encrypted request and the client device has permission to access the server, and issuing the encrypted server response message from the server to the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2005
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Lie Yang, Thomas Kraus, Markus Meyer, Venkatachary Srinivasan
  • Publication number: 20070007312
    Abstract: A clothing hanger for engaging the waist portion of a t-shirt or other shirt garment and suspending the shirt from a horizontal support in a closet to prevent wrinkling and other distortions in the shape of a shirt that are often caused by conventional hangers. The t-shirt hanger comprises a pair of rigid, horizontal clamp members having a manually actuated tab attached to a top portion of each member, a C-shaped hook attached to the tab of one of the clamp members, and a spring for engaging both clamp members and for providing the force to clamp and support the waist portion of a shirt across the entire width of the clamp members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Publication date: January 11, 2007
    Inventor: Thomas Kraus
  • Patent number: 7000429
    Abstract: A roller table for supporting and transporting a hot glass strand. A plurality of rollers arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to the transport direction of the glass strand are capable of being selectively rotated in the direction of transport of the glass strand. At least some of the rollers are sleeves, the casings of which are which are gas-permeable on at least a portion of their surfaces and the casings are provided with a supply of pressurized gas which is emitted through the openings of the gas-permeable surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Schott AG
    Inventors: Andreas Langsdorf, Thomas Kraus, Hans-Joachim Witte
  • Patent number: 6977458
    Abstract: A drive device for moving the sliding roof of a motor vehicle is provided which includes an electric motor including an armature, a pole shaft and a brush system, gearing driven by the electric motor, and a circuit arrangement for triggering the electric motor. The electric motor is accommodated in a motor housing while the gearing and at least parts of the circuit arrangement are accommodated in a gear housing connected to the motor housing. The brush system is accommodated directly in the gear housing independently of the circuit arrangement and without the interposition of additional support elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Kraus, Bernhard Meier
  • Patent number: 6938511
    Abstract: In a drive device, especially for a sunroof of a motor vehicle, with an electric motor (10) which has a pole shaft (16) located in a shaft housing (32), and a magnet (30) which is mounted on the pole shaft so as to rotate with it, and at least one Hall sensor (28) which is located outside the shaft housing for detecting the rotary position of the magnet and thus of the pole shaft, in the area of the Hall sensor (28), the wall (38) of the shaft housing (32) is, at the same time, part of the electronics housing (34) in which there is a board (26) which bears the circuitry of the electronic circuit for triggering the electric motor and at least one Hall sensor, such that the side of the board equipped with the Hall sensor faces the pole shaft (16) and the at least one Hall sensor is located directly adjacent to the magnet (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Meier, Thomas Kraus
  • Publication number: 20050129959
    Abstract: A transparent, colorless glass or glass-ceramic panel has a visually dense, high-temperature-stable coating having an organic/inorganic network structure containing filling material particles and a color-imparting pigment. The mechanically stable, visually dense coating has no melt-reaction zone at the surface of the panel, which is coated with the coating, so that it does not impair the panel strength. The inorganic network structure can be made from a SiO2-based sol. The coating is made by introducing the color-imparting pigment and the filling material particles into a reactive organic/inorganic network structure; applying the resulting organic/inorganic network structure containing the pigment and the filling material particles to the panel to coat the panel and then burning-in the organic/inorganic network structure with the pigment and the filling material particles under thermal conditions to form the coating with no melt-reaction zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Inventors: Gabriele Roemer-Scheuermann, Andrea Anton, Harald Striegler, Thomas Kraus, Gerhard Weber, Lutz Klippe, Veit Luther, Petra Grewer
  • Patent number: 6742413
    Abstract: In a drive device, especially for a sliding roof of a motor vehicle, with an electric motor (10), gearing (24) which is driven by the electric motor, and a circuit (22) for triggering the electric motor, the gearing (24) is accommodated in a gear casing (42) with at least one casing wall (50) of high thermal conductivity and at least part of the circuit (22) is located adjacent to this casing wall (50) outside of the gear casing (42). Furthermore, contact (36) is made between the components (44) of the circuit (22) and the casing wall (50) in order to dissipate the heat which forms during operation of the circuit (22) to the casing wall (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Schwital, Bernhard Meier, Thomas Kraus
  • Publication number: 20030188490
    Abstract: A drive device for moving the sliding roof of a motor vehicle is provided which includes an electric motor including an armature, a pole shaft and a brush system, gearing driven by the electric motor, and a circuit arrangement for triggering the electric motor. The electric motor is accommodated in a motor housing while the gearing and at least parts of the circuit arrangement are accommodated in a gear housing connected to the motor housing. The brush system is accommodated directly in the gear housing independently of the circuit arrangement and without the interposition of additional support elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Applicant: Webasto Vehicle Systems Inernational GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Kraus, Bernhard Meier
  • Publication number: 20030037573
    Abstract: The invention concerns a roller table for carrying and transporting a hot glass band.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventors: Andreas Langsdorf, Thomas Kraus, Hans-Joachim Witte
  • Publication number: 20030015059
    Abstract: In a drive device, especially for a sliding roof of a motor vehicle, with an electric motor (10), gearing (24) which is driven by the electric motor, and a circuit (22) for triggering the electric motor, the gearing (24) is accommodated in a gear casing (42) with at least one casing wall (50) of high thermal conductivity and at least part of the circuit (22) is located adjacent to this casing wall (50) outside of the gear casing (42). Furthermore, contact (36) is made between the components (44) of the circuit (22) and the casing wall (50) in order to dissipate the heat which forms during operation of the circuit (22) to the casing wall (50).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Applicant: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Schwital, Bernhard Meier, Thomas Kraus
  • Publication number: 20030008746
    Abstract: In a drive device, especially for a sunroof of a motor vehicle, with an electric motor (10) which has a pole shaft (16) located in a shaft housing (32), and a magnet (30) which is mounted on the pole shaft so as to rotate with it, and at least one Hall sensor (28) which is located outside the shaft housing for detecting the rotary position of the magnet and thus of the pole shaft, in the area of the Hall sensor (28), the wall (38) of the shaft housing (32) is, at the same time, part of the electronics housing (34) in which there is a board (26) which bears the circuitry of the electronic circuit for triggering the electric motor and at least one Hall sensor, such that the side of the board equipped with the Hall sensor faces the pole shaft (16) and the at least one Hall sensor is located directly adjacent to the magnet (30).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Applicant: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Meier, Thomas Kraus
  • Patent number: 6481787
    Abstract: A sliding motor vehicle roof with two rigid covers (10, 11) for closing and at least partially exposing a roof opening (12) which is bordered by the roof frame in the fixed roof surface (13), with an displacement means for the ventilation position of the two covers (10, 11), and with a head liner which has a front and a rear headliner part (14, 15) and which can be moved at least partially independently of the cover position in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the motor vehicle by the displacement means. It is provided that, in order to produce the front horizontal ventilation gap (16) in front of the front edge of the front headliner part (14) and the rear horizontal ventilation gap (17) between the two headliner parts (14, 15), the front headliner part (14) is coupled to the rear headliner part (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Philip Laux, Bernd Schleicher, Thomas Kraus, Matthias Katzmeier
  • Publication number: 20020121151
    Abstract: The invention relates to a drive for an adjustable motor vehicle part which has an electric motor (10), a worm drive which has a worm wheel (28) surrounded by a gearbox (36, 38; 136, 148), and electronic components (32, 34) for operation of the electric motor. At least the important part of the electronic components (32, 34) is located between the worm wheel (28) and the gearbox (38; 138).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Publication date: September 5, 2002
    Inventors: Thomas Kraus, Rudolf Engl, Joachim Klesing, Bernhard Meier
  • Patent number: 6283543
    Abstract: An improved motor vehicle roof is provided which includes a roof opening provided in a fixed roof surface, at least one closing element for selectively at least partially closing the roof opening, an electrical adjusting drive for driving the closing element and a sensor engineering system for detecting a situation which adversely affects the safety of the passengers and for producing a corresponding danger signal. Importantly, the roof includes a quick-action closing device coupled to the sensor engineering system which causes the closing element to close from its open or partially open position when a danger signal is present. The closing device includes means for producing an electrical voltage which exceeds the normal feed voltage (rated voltage) of the adjusting drive by several times, and for applying the voltage to the electric adjusting drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Ferdinand Hahn, Thomas Ganz, Thomas Kraus, Horst Schulz
  • Patent number: 5390933
    Abstract: A game apparatus is disclosed herein having a board with a baseball field layout providing a track over which player tokens are moved in response to the position of spinners with respect to indicia carried on cards. The cards are insertably carried in holders and the indicia relates to information of existing "at bats" averages and of existing "pitchers" averages. Cards are provided with stolen base and pick-off information as well. A pair of "batter's results" and "pitcher's results" index cards are provided in spaces on the field layout. Tokens are employed for game player representation on the field layout while a game opener "toss" token is used to determine who will commence play and a score card is utilized to keep a score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Inventor: Thomas A. Kraus