Patents by Inventor William C. Sturkey

William C. Sturkey 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: 5577282
    Abstract: A jet-type textile wet processing machine is equipped with a pivotable inner wall assembly within the entrance end of the fabric chamber in the processing vessel for selective pivotal disposition to control definition of the plug form of the fabric advancing through the chamber and has an internally segmented jet nozzle structure for creating annularly differentiated impinging streams of processing liquid on the traveling fabric rope. Unique processing applications enabled by the machine include simultaneously treating within a single chamber two independent disconnected endless fabric ropes or a single fabric rope or a single fabric rope in doubled form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company
    Inventors: James K. Turner, William C. Sturkey, Thomas W. Van Scyoc
  • Patent number: 5235828
    Abstract: Apparatus for low liquid wet treatment of a textile material in various forms, such as lengths of fabric in rope form or yarn in skein form, through a treating chamber in the presence of a treatment liquid with the textile material being circulated through a predetermined path of treatment on oscillating support members in the form of parallel beams arranged in rows and caused to oscillate in an alternate manner in which alternate support members are driven through a raised support and movement path wherein the textile material is supported and moved forward thereon while intermediate support members are moved through a lowered return path out of supporting engagement with the textile material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1993
    Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Co.
    Inventors: Christoph W. Aurich, Charles R. Hornbuckle, William C. Sturkey
  • Patent number: 5129242
    Abstract: A wet processing jet machine for treating textile piece goods in rope form at a low liquid ratio. A plug supporting tube is provided as a vertical extension of a U-shaped processing chamber. The sides of the chamber are perforated and the bottom is imperforate for enhanced movement of the plug through the chamber. The tube extension is perforated to allow flow of liquid therefrom for enhanced plaiting. The amount of liquid with the rope in the plug is minimized for low liquid requirements and the head of the plug causes the plug to progress through the chamber above the low level of the liquid in the bottom of the vessel, which liquid level is below the bottom of the chamber or at least at a level that does not cause substantial floatation of the plug. The rope entering the tube is plaited by passing through an inverted frusto-conical plaiting nozzle that is oscillated and reciprocated to provide effective plaiting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1992
    Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Co.
    Inventors: William C. Sturkey, Charles R. Hornbuckle, Christoph W. Aurich, James K. Turner, Paul L. Abernathy
  • Patent number: 4716744
    Abstract: Apparatus for wet treatment of cloth in endless rope form through a treating chamber in the presence of a treating liquid, with the cloth rope being circulated through a cloth return tube that communicates with the ends of the treating chamber. A front venturi introduces treating liquid into the cloth return tube to apply impetus to the cloth rope to draw it from the treating chamber and circulate it back through the cloth return tube into the other end of the treating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company
    Inventors: James K. Turner, William C. Sturkey, Charles R. Hornbuckle
  • Patent number: 4340986
    Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for wet processing an endless rope of material wherein a modified J-box arrangement is provided for storing an accumulation of rope in a treating bath and a combined overflow chamber and liquid jet assembly is provided for circulating the rope to and from the bath in an entraining liquid stream. The storage arrangement includes a partially perforate outer wall and an imperforate partial inner wall spaced inwardly therefrom forming a confinement area therebetween for rope and liquid returning from the circulatory system. The confinement is sufficient to maintain therein a column of the returning liquid extending above the level of the bath whereby gravitational forces acting thereon hydraulically move the rope accumulation through the bath, the rope in the confinement being released to expand as it moves past the terminating end of the inner wall whereby movement of the rope through the bath is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1982
    Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company
    Inventor: William C. Sturkey
  • Patent number: 4318286
    Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for wet processing an endless rope of material wherein a modified J-box arrangement is provided for storing an accumulation of rope in a treating bath and a combined overflow chamber and liquid jet assembly is provided for circulating the rope to and from the bath in an entraining liquid stream. The storage arrangement includes a partially perforate outer wall and an imperforate partial inner wall spaced inwardly therefrom forming a confinement area therebetween for rope and liquid returning from the circulatory system. The confinement is sufficient to maintain therein a column of the returning liquid extending above the level of the bath whereby gravitational forces acting thereon hydraulically move the rope accumulation through the bath, the rope in the confinement being released to expand as it moves past the terminating end of the inner wall whereby movement of the rope through the bath is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1982
    Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company
    Inventor: William C. Sturkey