Martin Automatic, Inc.

Other

James K Ward

Roger Cederholm

Timothy J Searles

Emil G Borys

Daniel S Kelly

A customizable garage door screen is disclosed that requires few components to deploy and store. Four elastic straps with hooks at each end are used with six grommets strategically placed on the screen for stability, and approximately one dozen screw and snap fasteners are installed around the perimeter of the screen and garage door frame for a tight enclosure to keep out pests. A partially oversized screen that can fit the average American garage door frame and requires little pre-fabrication effort is now possible with so few components. To open the garage door screen for egress and ingress, one simply unhooks one or both of the lower elastic straps, after unsnapping the desired number of end-caps, and latching upon the upper elastic straps or guide rails on either side. The elastic straps are also used to store the folded screen inside the top, backside of the garage door.

Customizable snap-on garage door screen and method

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for splicing a web of layered material so that a new roll of material may be joined to an expiring web via a butt joint. A shear wheel is driven to ensure that the shear wheel positively rotates as it cuts across web material that is held against the side of an anvil. In the illustrated embodiment, a drive cable and shear wheel assembly are operably connected to a splicing apparatus, a portion of the drive cable being threaded through the splicing apparatus and wrapped around at least a portion of the shear wheel, the threaded drive cable being maintained under tension. The rapid movement of the shear wheel assembly, and the wrapping engagement between the taut threaded drive cable and shear wheel, forces the shear wheel to positively spin, thereby improving the cutting capabilities of the attached rotary cutter.

Apparatus and method for forming a butt splice

A low inertia, low friction roller ( ), which is particularly adapted for handling relatively high speed, relatively fragile running webs, comprises an inner tube ( ) and an outer tube ( ). The outer tube ( ) is disposed substantially coaxially about the inner tube ( ) and is rotatable with respect to the inner tube ( ). An annular gap ( ) is defined between the inner and outer tubes and has a first portion that is supplied with a restricted flow of a pressurized compressible fluid and that is adjacent the portion of the outer tube about which the web passes. A second portion of the annular gap is circumferentially spaced from the first portion of the annular gap and communicates with a fluid exhaust passage ( ) in the inner tube. The dimensions of the annular gap are selected so that the fluid pressure in the first portion is greater than the fluid pressure in the second portion and so that the pressure of the fluid in the first portion of the annular gap will substantially balance the force exerted by the web on the outer tube as the web passes about the outer tube. The Figure shows an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view.

Web-handling roller

A method and apparatus for heat-seal splicing a trailing end of a first plastic web and a leading end of a second web. The apparatus includes a traverse cylinder actuated pulley system that is disposed transverse to the longitudinal axes of the web ends. The pulley system moves a shuttle that is attached to and that carries a spring biased wheel. In operation, the wheel is moved in either direction across the web ends and between the two ramps. The wheel is spring biased into contact with a heated sealing wire that, in turn, is brought into web sealing contact with sequential portions of web ends as the wheel is moved transversely across the web ends from one webs' side edges to the other webs' side edges and along the sealing wire so as to heat-seal splice the web ends.

Heat splicer and heat-seal splicing method

A system and method for controlling the speed and tension of a web being unwound from a rotating roll and being run through an inertia-compensated festoon and then to a web-using production process which requires the web to run at a preselected relatively high speed and a preselected relatively low tension. Based on sensing the amount of web stored in the festoon, a brake applies a decreasing braking-force to the running roll as the diameter of the roll decreases. When the roll has decreased to an intermediate diameter, where the decreasing tension torque is inadequate to continue to accelerate the roll, a motor engages the roll and adds assisting web-unwinding torque to the roll as the diameter of the roll continues to decrease. The brake is also used to brake the roll to a stop before a subsequent zero-speed web-splice. The motor is also used to rotate the roll to line speed after splicing.

System and method for controlling the speed and tension of an unwinding

A method and web splicing assembly for heat-seal splicing together a trailing end of running first, two-sided plastic material web and a leading end of a second, two-sided plastic material web, and then for heat-seal splicing together a leading end of third, two-side plastic material web and the trailing of the then running, second web so that after the webs have been spliced and are running, like surfaces of the webs face the same direction. The web splicing assembly includes first and second splicing sub-assemblies. The first sub-assembly has a first, relatively movable slide bar and a first, relatively fixed nip bar. The second sub-assembly has a second, relatively movable slide bar and a second, relatively fixed nip bar. The sub-assemblies are each movable between a first position and a second position. In their first positions, the sub-assemblies are disposed so that portions of the webs to be heat-seal spliced are clamped between the first slide bar and the second nip bar. In their second positions, the sub-assemblies are disposed so that the portions of the webs to be heat-seal spliced are clamped between the second slide bar and the first nip bar. Each slide bar carries a heated wire that heat severs the clamped web portions along a localized area that extends across the web portion and heat-seals parts of the clamped web portions together adjacent to the area.

Heat-seal splicing assembly and method

A Sensory Stimulation Apparatus is disclosed with 9 stimulator beam which fits across the forehead and contains a stimulator belt with stimulator elements such as fingers. A rotating lever on one side of the forehead pulls the stimulator belt across the forehead; a return spring on the other side of the forehead pulls the stimulator belt back across the forehead. The strip onto which the stimulator fingers are formed can be attached by a hook and loop fastener which permits the user to replace the finger strip and thereby change the configuration of the stimulator fingers. The amount of contact pressure may be changed by an adjustable strap which supports the apparatus from the head. A voltage control permits user to alter the speed of the stimulation action. The apparatus may be easily reconfigured to stimulate other body parts by altering the shape of the stimulator beam and modifying the support strap to support the apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Rockton, IL, United States of America

James K Ward