Patents by Inventor Thomas M Sep

Thomas M Sep 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: 9029805
    Abstract: A method for inspecting contact between mating gears that includes applying a mixture to teeth of a first gear, teeth of a second gear, or the teeth of both the first and second gears. The mixture includes a lubricating oil and a fluorescing dye. The first gear is rotated to drive the second gear. While the second gear is being driven by the first gear, electromagnetic radiation, such as ultra-violet radiation, is applied to the teeth of at least one of the first and second gears to cause the teeth to fluoresce. The fluorescing teeth of the second gear are inspected to identify a tooth inspection zone that approximates a zone of contact between the teeth of the first and second gears.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Holly A. Giangrande, Ryan M. Trevino, Thomas M. Sep, Lee Holloway
  • Publication number: 20140239194
    Abstract: A method for inspecting contact between mating gears that includes applying a mixture to teeth of a first gear, teeth of a second gear, or the teeth of both the first and second gears. The mixture includes a lubricating oil and a fluorescing dye. The first gear is rotated to drive the second gear. While the second gear is being driven by the first gear, electromagnetic radiation, such as ultra-violet radiation, is applied to the teeth of at least one of the first and second gears to cause the teeth to fluoresce. The fluorescing teeth of the second gear are inspected to identify a tooth inspection zone that approximates a zone of contact between the teeth of the first and second gears.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: AMERICAN AXLE & MANUFACTURING, INC.
    Inventors: Holly A. Giangrande, Ryan M. Trevino, Thomas M. Sep, Lee Holloway
  • Patent number: 6205879
    Abstract: Helical or spur gear drive comprising a driven gear and driving gear wherein the driving gear has double crowned teeth defined as (i) an envelope to a family of surfaces generated by a skew or straight rack-cutter having a parabolic tooth profile in normal section and then (ii) as an envelope to a family of tool surfaces that are generated while the tool performs a plunging motion with respect to the driving gear in the direction of the shortest distance between the axes of rotation of the tool and the driving gear and tool plunging motion is varied by a parabolic function, whose variable is displacement of the tool in a direction parallel to the rotational axis of the driving gear. The driven gear has a tooth surface defined as the envelope to a family of surfaces generated by a rack-cutter which surface is parabolic cylinder or a plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignees: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc., The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Faydor L. Litvin, Pin Hao Feng, Sergey A Lagutin, Dennis P Townsend, Thomas M Sep