General Manufacturing Systems, Inc.

Houdaille Industries, Inc.

Bad River, Inc.

Hougen, Everett Douglas

Gerald E Mueller

Gene B Slachta

Leon O Kern

James G Zeilinger

Douglas W King

William Arno Mossner

An apparatus for controlling relative movement between two interconnected bodies includes a first end cap, a second end cap having an opening, a sleeve interconnecting the end caps to define a chamber between the sleeve and the end caps, a piston assembly including a piston rod extending through the opening of the second end cap, a piston connected to the piston rod, received in the chamber to define at least two fluid chambers on opposed sides of the piston, and a plurality of rollers carried by the piston for rolling engagement with the sleeve. A fluid flow path provides communication between the fluid chambers and provides a restricted fluid flow rate therethrough to control the rate of fluid transfer between the fluid chambers and permit fluid pressure to increase in a chamber into which the piston is being moved to provide a force on the piston opposing its movement.

Industrial shock absorber for use in a conveyor system

A step assembly in combination with a vehicle having a frame and a rear bumper, with an upper surface and a generally vertical outer face, attached to the vehicle frame has an attachment leg with a generally perpendicularly extending step portion. A step bracket supported on the outer face of the bumper mounts the step for swinging movement from a first operative position in which one side of the attachment leg is disposed generally vertically adjacent the bumper face and the step portion extends generally perpendicularly to a retracted second position in which the opposite side of the attachment leg lies vertically adjacent the bumper and the step portion is inversely disposed and extends along the upper surface of the bumper. A lock device is automatically operative between the mount and step under the influence of gravity for releasably locking the step in both positions.

Step system on vehicle bumper for accessing truck beds and methods of making and operating the step system

An accessing step, mounted on a vehicle having a bumper attached to the vehicle frame, comprises a step part and a mount assembly fixedly supported on the bumper and frame, mounting the step part for swinging movement from a first operative position in which the step part extends generally horizontally to a retracted second position pivoted upwardly to lie generally vertically adjacent the bumper. The mount assembly incorporates a lock device automatically operative between the mount assembly and step part for releasably locking the step part in the second position and automatically locking up to block the step part from downwardly swinging beyond a substantially horizontal position, while permitting the step part to be swung upwardly.

Accessing step construction on downwardly curved vehicle bumpers and methods of operating and constructing it

Workpiece chucking apparatus includes a chuck body mounting a first plurality of prepositioning lock-up fingers and a second plurality of gripping fingers. The lock-up fingers are biased together radially outwardly or inwardly into engagement with a peripheral wall of a workpiece to initially locate and support the wall of the workpiece in a centered position with respect to a central axis of the chucking apparatus. An inflatable bladder flexes the remaining gripping fingers into gripping engagement with the peripheral wall to further radially support the wall in preparation for machining, without disturbing the prepositioning of the workpiece.

Fluid operated chuck and methods of operation

Workpiece chucking apparatus includes a chuck body mounting a first plurality of lock-up fingers and a second plurality of gripping fingers. The lock-up fingers are individually biased radially outward into engagement with a peripheral wall of a workpiece to initially support the workpiece in a predetermined position irrespective of the eccentricity of the peripheral wall with respect to other portions of the workpiece which are first located concentrically with the chuck axis. An inflatable bladder flexes the remaining gripping fingers into gripping engagement with the peripheral wall to further radially support the wall in preparation for machining, without disturbing the prepositioning of the workpiece.

Fluid actuated chuck with lock-up fingers for eccentric workpiece walls

A chuck for gripping workpieces to be machined has a chuck body with a workpiece support surface for supporting a workpiece to be machined. Generally radially movable centering and gripping collet fingers are concentrically supported by the chuck body. An inflatable bladder is further mounted on the chuck body in generally concentric relationship with the fingers. Control mechanism is provided for initially radially moving the centering fingers to cause them to move radially and center said workpiece, and then supplies a fluid under pressure to inflate the bladder and move the gripping fingers generally radially to fully grip the centered workpiece.

Fluid-operated collet chuck with centering fingers

A rotary cutting tool is described which includes a motor for moving the tool vertically into a surface to be cut. The motor is connected to the tool by a clutch which is most preferably a ball clutch selectively engageable to transmit drive. The clutch further moves out of engagement should a force between two clutch members exceed a predetermined slip force. This predetermined slip force is adjustable by adjusting a spring force which is applied to maintain the clutch members in the engaged position.

Power feed mechanism for rotary cutting tool

A tool holder assembly is provided with a spindle adapter socket member having a threaded end with a nut threaded thereon, the nut having a clamping configuration at a bottom thereof for clamping a tool adapter to the socket. The socket member is provided with an outer diameter toothed ring and the nut is provided with a mating toothed member movable between toothed ring engaging and tooth ring disengaged positions to lock the nut in fixed rotational position to the socket member.

Tool holder with clamped position latch

A Floating Tool Holder includes a shank having an annular sleeve secured to one end thereof, there being a tool chuck assembly retained between the end of the shank and a flange on the sleeve, driver means for transmitting rotary motion from the shank to the tool chuck assembly, there being a pair of annular bearings which engage the tool chuck assembly and enable slight relative radial movement, the bearings having flat surfaces which constitute a thermal diffusion of a metal boride, such as di-iron boride. There is a seal between the tool chuck assembly and the sleeve, and centering means acting between the shank and the tool chuck assembly and constructed to enable the conducting of a coolant through the shank into the tool chuck assembly, certain components being further constructed to enable length of the device to be minimized. The tool chuck assembly has a deep hole receptive of a substantial portion of a tool.

Growing community of inventors

Frankenmuth, MI, United States of America

Gerald E Mueller