Patents by Inventor Tuan A. Nguyen

Tuan A. Nguyen 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: 4627721
    Abstract: The present invention is concerned with the automatic adjustment of the optical components in an optical scanning system after the tech rep has visually inspected sample copies with a test pattern and entered adjustment numbers at the control console. The control determines the optimum relative position of the optical components for a focus and various magnification ratios and stores these relationships as reference numbers in memory for reference at the selected magnification ratios. These reference numbers can be altered as future copies are inspected by the tech rep and appropriate evaluation numbers are entered into the control. In a specific embodiment, one sample copy is compared by the tech rep with the test pattern to adjust the magnification setting and a sequence of five set copies are produced to coarse adjust and fine adjust focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1986
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Tuan A. Nguyen, Ronald T. Sosinski, Wayne A. Buchar
  • Patent number: 4577774
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in the strength of ends used on metal beverage containers.Such ends generally comprise a central panel portion of a substantially planer character, a surrounding U-shaped sidewall having inner and outer legs, a curved intermediate portion integrally joining the inner leg to the U-shaped sidewall, and a peripheral curl extending from the outer leg for double seaming the end onto a can body.In accordance with the present invention, the intermediate portion and adjacent central panel portion are firmly supported by a die while a clamping force is placed on an annular band of the upper surface of the end at the intermediate portion. The clamping force is increased until metal flows inwardly and outwardly from the contact point resulting in a free compression doming of the center panel and an outward deflection of the inner leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: Ball Corporation
    Inventor: Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4559801
    Abstract: Metal beverage closures of increased strength may be produced by a reform process which requires the initial production of a non-standard shell having a reduced countersink radius and reduced panel height. The shell is reformed, preferably in the conversion process, to industry standard dimensions, with the reduced countersink radius being maintained. To provide adequate material in the curl portion of the closure for seaming, the initial shell is provided with a reduced chuckwall diameter which is then reformed to industry standard dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1985
    Assignee: Ball Corporation
    Inventors: Eugene F. Smith, Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4553830
    Abstract: To facilitate servicing of xerographic type reproduction machines or printers, diagnostic routines are used (1) to operate the machine in a predetermined copy run while recording the clock count on a global counter on the arrival of a copy sheet at a first selected jam station in the paper path and the count on arrival of the same copy sheet at the next jam station, and then display the clock count difference on the machine display console for comparison by the Tech Rep with a master clock count; (2) to operate the machine in a present copy run while fetching the current timing parameter of a machine subassembly from memory, displaying the timing parameter to the Tech Rep on the machine display console, and permitting the Tech Rep to use the machine control panel keyboard to reset the timing parameter while watching the effect of the timing change on the copies as they are produced; and (3) to delay the arrival of the copy sheet at the machine image transfer station so that the normally unprinted interdocumen
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1985
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4536079
    Abstract: To facilitate servicing of xerographic type reproduction machines or printers, diagnostic routines are used (1) to operate the machine in a predetermined copy run while recording the clock count on a global counter on the arrival of a copy sheet at a first selected jam station in the paper path and the count on arrival of the same copy sheet at the next jam station, and then display the clock difference on the machine display console for comparison by the Tech Rep with a master clock count; (2) to operate the machine in a preset copy run while fetching the current timing parameter of a machine subassembly from memory, displaying the timing parameter to the Tech Rep on the machine display console, and permitting the Tech Rep to use the machine control panel keyboard to reset the timing parameter while watching the effect of the timing change on the copies as they are produced; and (3) to delay the arrival of the copy sheet at the machine image transfer station so that the normally unprinted interdocument area
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1985
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Craig S. Lippolis, Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4514846
    Abstract: The present invention is monitoring the control, in particular, software crashes in a multiprocessor machine control system to prevent machine malfunctions. Benchmarks or key operations tracked include, for example, monitoring that the number of tasks to be completed by the control is not beyond the capacity of the control to respond. These recorded benchmarks enable one or both of two paths of progressively more complex analysis. In particular, there is a diagnostic path that leads first to the isolation of a particular control element in a multi-element control that contains a fault and then to a more comprehensive recording of the fault history for each individual control element. There is also a path for maintaining machine operation. In this path, a first level of response is to merely reset the various control elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1985
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony M. Federico, Ernest L. Legg, Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4499581
    Abstract: A reproduction machine incorporating self test routines to test the machine operating logic, particularly at start up, to insure the integrity and operability of the component parts of the operating logic. The tests include routines for initially checking the machine master control module logic and memory. A display panel on the master control module visually identifies any fault in the event the communication link to the machine main display has failed. Once the operability of the master control module is established, self tests of the various machine remote control modules are carried out followed by a test of the communication channel between all modules. Any fault found is visually identified to facilitate repair and servicing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1985
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Dennis E. Miazga, Tuan A. Nguyen, Michael T. Dugan
  • Patent number: 4434641
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in the strength of ends used on metal beverage containers. Such ends generally comprise a central panel portion of a substantially planer character, a surrounding U-shaped sidewall having inner and outer legs, a curved intermediate portion integrally joining the inner leg to the U-shaped sidewall, and a peripheral curl extending from the outer leg for double seaming the end onto a can body. In accordance with the present invention, the intermediate portion and adjacent central panel portion are firmly supported by a die while a clamping force is placed on an annular band of the upper surface of the end at the intermediate portion. The clamping force is increased until metal flows inwardly and outwardly from the contact point resulting in a free compression doming of the center panel and an outward deflection of the inner leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 6, 1984
    Assignee: Ball Corporation
    Inventor: Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4333246
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a way of separating and treating the covered surfaces of stacked articles in abutting face-to-face contact. It is particularly applicable to stacked planar articles, those having a relatively small width dimension and at least two substantially parallel surfaces in abutting contact, such as metal beverage container closures. The articles are pushed through a curvilinear path defined by a constant width trackwork of a herein specified design, allowed to pivot on the portions of the articles in proximity to the shorter radius whereby fan-like separation of the portions in proximity to the longer radius occurs, and treating medium, such as heated air, is directed toward the separated portions. Greater uniformity in treatment may be obtained by rotating the articles, at least once, as they traverse the curvilinear path. A preferred embodiment designed to dry the sealant on metal beverage container closures is disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1982
    Assignee: Ball Corporation
    Inventors: Richard W. Sullivan, Tuan A. Nguyen