Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Christopher Thomas Schaafsma

Shant Bedros Alexanian

Saman Bagheri Farahani

Jesse Darley

Robert W Hitchcock

Mark Owen Lepper

Edward F Bulgajewski

Dennis Matthew Mark

Tracy Kucaba

Justin L Ruzich

Dana Pulvino

David B Pivonka

Robert F Hitchcock

Marc C Piscitello

Christopher J Sobaszek

Alexander Max Kerstein

Karly R Miller

Samuel Peterson

Christopher Williamson

Gerald L Voegele

Paul Merryweather

Prasun K Majumdar

Sigi Knappik

A control system is provided for a refuel or recharge door of a vehicle, which includes a vehicle controller. The system has a housing with a port, a door removably attached to the housing, a system controller, and at least one module. The system controller is communicably connected to a vehicle controller of the vehicle. Further, the system controller is configured to control the at least one module.

Electromechanical control system for vehicle housing and door systems

A vehicle port door includes a housing and an interlocking linkage assembly. The interlocking linkage assembly is pivotably connected to the housing.

Articulating vehicle energy source door

A bracket assembly for mounting a camera to a vehicle includes a bracket body and a glare shield that extends along the bracket body. A longitudinal axis is centrally disposed between a first sidewall and a second sidewall of the glare shield. At least one slit extends through the glare shield and spans between the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

Camera bracket assembly

An assembly includes a movable door assembly and a heating element. The movable door assembly is configured to be disposed on an exterior of a vehicle. The heating element is coupled to the movable door assembly, and is configured to receive energy from a battery disposed on the vehicle and to heat at least a portion of the movable door assembly.

Charging port heater

A nozzle-receiving assembly includes a housing including a fuel inlet that is configured to receive a first nozzle of a fuel dispenser in order to dispense fuel into a fuel fill pipe coupled to the fuel inlet. A door is moveably secured to the housing. The door is configured to be moved between an open position and a closed position. An additive inlet is secured to the door. The additive inlet is configured to receive a second nozzle of an additive dispenser to dispense additive into an additive conduit coupled to the additive inlet.

Dual nozzle-receiving assembly

A digital clich&#xe9; pad printing system includes a conveyor for conveying a substantially non-elastic support medium, a material deposition jetting device for depositing a curable material onto the support in a desired pattern, the desired pattern having at least one void space, means for curing the material in the desired pattern, the cured material defining a clich&#xe9; having a top surface, an ink delivery system for depositing ink in the at least one void space and for wiping ink from the top surface and a pad configured to contact the clich&#xe9; to transfer ink from the void space to the pad the pad also configured to move into contact with an object to which the ink is transferred. A digital clich&#xe9; media and method are also disclosed.

Digital cliche pad printing system and method

A doctor assembly for a pad printing system includes a body and a doctor blade. The body has an outer surface and an opposite inner surface that defines a passageway through the body. The inner surface engages a removable pre-filled ink cup to secure the ink cup to the body. The inner surface directs ink from the ink cup through the passageway toward an ink-receiving surface of a clich&#xe9; device. The doctor blade is coupled with the body and engages the clich&#xe9; device. The doctor blade wipes the ink along the clich&#xe9; device as the body laterally moves relative to the clich&#xe9; device. The doctor blade is coupled with the body such that the doctor blade is laterally spaced apart from the inner surface of the body.

Method and system for pad printing with removable pre-filled ink cup

A rotating clich&#xe9; pad printer includes a frame, a flat clich&#xe9; operably mounted to the frame, an ink cup configured to reside on the clich&#xe9; and a pad applicator. The clich&#xe9; includes at least one etched region and is adapted to receive ink thereon in the etched region. The ink cup is configured to reside on the clich&#xe9; and to deposit ink into the at least one etched region. The clich&#xe9; and ink cup are rotatably movable relative to one another. The pad applicator includes at least one pad adapted to move into and out of contact with the at least one etched region to receive ink from the etched region. The pad is further configured to contact an associated object to transfer the received ink to the associated object.

Rotating clich&#xe9; pad printer

A method for aligning a sphere to a desired orientation includes imaging a non-surface alignment feature of the sphere and calculating a current orientation of the sphere based on an image of the non-surface alignment feature. Using these calculations, a relationship between the current orientation of the sphere and the desired orientation of the sphere is calculated and communicated to a motion control device, and aligning the sphere into the desired orientation using the motion control device.

Method to orient a sphere or ball

An auto alignment pad printer for transferring print to an associated object includes a frame, a fixture for supporting the associated object and a clich&#xe9; operably mounted to the frame. The clich&#xe9; includes at least one etched region and is adapted to receive ink in the etched region. An ink cup is configured to deposit ink into the etched region. A pad applicator includes a pad support having at least one pad thereon. The pad is adapted to move into and out of contact with the etched region to receive ink from the etched region and to contact an object to transfer the received ink to the object. A pad applicator alignment assembly includes a first set of cooperating projections and receivers mounted to the pad applicator and to the clich&#xe9; and/or the frame near to the clich&#xe9;, and a second set of cooperating projections and receivers mounted to the pad applicator and to the fixture for supporting the object. The first set of cooperating projections and receivers are configured to position the pad for precise movement into contact with the clich&#xe9; to receive ink from the clich&#xe9;. The second set of cooperating projections and receivers are configured to position the pad for precise movement into contact with the object to transfer the received ink to the associated object.

Growing community of inventors

Wheaton, IL, United States of America

Christopher Thomas Schaafsma