Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Otto Engineering, Inc.

Other

John O Roeser

Russell E Blette

Bruce L Graham

Thomas J Roeser

Leland L Seghetti

A toilet system including a bowl and a tank configured to hold water and air and deliver water to the bowl. The tank includes a water inlet and outlet. A valve having a seal pivots between an open position and a closed position where the seal closes the outlet. A lever positioned outside of the tank pivots to push the valve out of the closed position and towards the open position such that the outlet is opened and water flows out of the tank into the bowl. The valve rotates to the open position as water flows from the tank until the weight of the seal causes the valve to pivot back to the closed position. A plunger extends into the tank and applies a force that pushes the valve away from the closed position to the open position.

Flushing system for pressurized toilet

A method and an assembly useful for dispensing small quantities of liquid materials onto a workpiece. The assembly includes an applicator having a pin movable along a passageway from a retracted position to an extended position. As the pin moves to the extended position, a forward end of the pin picks up a small dot of the liquid materials and carries the dot to a position external of a housing of the applicator and into contact with a selected location on the workpiece. As the pin is retracted, a portion of the dot remains on the selected location and detaches from the pin. The assembly is particularly useful for dispensing small dots of solder paste at relatively high speeds in automated fashion at selected locations on a circuit board.

Pin transfer applicator and method

A toggle switch includes a toggle lever with a spherical portion that is held against a partially spherical surface by a retaining ring or a pin to permit the toggle lever to swivel. A coil spring coaxial with the toggle lever and enclosing a portion of the lever forces a plunger against an actuator that rocks to place a blade in contact with a terminal to operate the switch. Terminals are molded into the case of the switch to maintain the terminals in a desired position. The actuator may be shaped in one of several ways to provide maintained contact, momentary contact, or a combination of these. Electrical contacts are formed by placing spherical balls or similar shapes made of a contact material into holes in the terminals and then forming the balls or other shapes to produce a contact surface.

Toggle switch

For conveying and for dispensing of degassed work liquid(s), an apparatus and a method for precision conveying and/or ratioing and/or mixing and/or dispensing of work liquids are presented using a pump of a positive displacement, high precision, piston/cylinder constant flush type with piston smaller than the chamber. The piston is programmably advanced along a stroke with tiny repeatable adjustable steps. Infinitely adjustable precision ratioing and/or programmable mixing of degassed materials may be provided downstream of the pump outlets when degassed liquids are presented to the inlets of two such pumps. The mixing occurs in a mixing chamber, the output of which is then used. The vacuum degassed work liquids may be dispensed in a system which features the creation and maintenance of a positive absolute pressure on the work liquids throughout, from the point of exiting a first degassing chamber to an end use at a dispensing outlet. This occurs whether the degassed liquid is moved along the flow path through the precision dispensing pumps or other types of pumps and prevents unwanted entrainment of gases. Available software and adjustable programmable precision hardware are used in the system, and features use of widely available personal computers. Precision relative location and/or movement of workpieces and dispensing outlet(s) are provided. Further degassing of the work liquid(s) may be provided by dispensing in a vacuum chamber.

Method and apparatus for precision pumping, ratioing, and dispensing of

Presented is a method and apparatus for precision control of work fluids in a squeezable tube that has no surge of work material during the shut off closing of the tube which is accomplished by a compensator moving simultaneously and oppositely to the shut off member movement, each of the compensator and the shut off member having different stroke lengths and tube engagable surface areas which effectively keep the internal volume of the tube the same. The method and apparatus are useful standing alone, in coordination with precision positive displacement pumping under computer control which is also presented, and as a part of sequential or simultaneous movement of a valve/pump dispensing head coordinated with a stationary or movable work piece to provide exceedingly fine control dispensing. Suckback between dispensing shots is coordinated with shut off and movements of inlet, outlet and dispensing members to afford operator programmable dispensing with precision and without drip.

Method and apparatus for precision squeeze tube valving, pumping and

Presented is a method and apparatus for precision control of work fluids in a squeezable tube that has no surge of work material during the shut off closing of the tube which is accomplished by a compensator moving simultaneously and oppositely to the shut off member movement, each of the compensator and the shut off member having different stroke lengths and tube engageable surface areas which effectively keep the internal volume of the tube the same. The method and apparatus are useful standing alone, in coordination with precision positive displacement pumping under computer control which is also presented, and as a part of sequential or simultaneous movement of a valve/pump dispensing head coordinated with a stationary or movable work piece to provide exceedingly fine control dispensing. Suckback between dispensing shots is coordinated with shut off and movements of inlet, outlet and dispensing members to afford operator programmable dispensing with precision and without drip.

A pump/dispenser, ratioing/mixer dispenser apparatus and a method and apparatus for precision vacuum degassed dispensing of work liquids are presented. The pump/dispenser is a positive displacement high precision piston/cylinder constant flush type with a piston smaller than the chamber. The piston is advanced along its stroke in tiny repeatable adjustably programmable steps, the infinitely adjustable precision ratioing programmable mixing being provided when two such pumps are used. The vacuum degassed work liquids dispensing system features the creation and maintenance of a positive absolute pressure on the work liquid(s) when exiting the degassing chamber(s) to the dispensing outlet(s) whether moved along the flow path through the precision dispensing pump(s) or other types of pump(s). Available software and adjustable programmable precision hardware of the system may be provided for use in a widely available personal computer. Further degassing is provided by dispensing in a vacuum.

Presented is a slide roller apparatus of elegant simplicity, high precision/cost ratio and few parts where the car/track/rollers are relatively movable and the only needed parts (excepting for attachment means). The car is unitary without end caps for the roller groove, the roller groove being machined or otherwise formed into the car with great precision. The ends of the rollers have a sliding engagement with a rail track surface. The tracks and cars may be made of high precision extruded aluminum hard coated and impregnated with a high lubricity material. The rollers preferably are softer than the tracks and may be made of plastic material. The slide roller apparatus has far ranging applications from sail boats to machine tools.

Roller bearing device and apparatus using same

A precision switch and a switch blade/contact formed from uniform thickness sheet stock bent into U-shaped form wherein the edge surfaces after bending become the movable contacts of the high performance rugged tiny subminiature switch. The switch per se utilizes a configuration of pivotal rigid legs of the U-shaped blade/contact arranged to be spaced apart to maximum extent to allow a large diameter long coil spring located between the legs to be used for giving the blade/contact means precision high contact force operating characteristics which will withstand high G forces and will carry relatively large currents given the absolute size of the switch.

Electrical switch component and switches formed thereby

A pump/dispenser, ratioing/mixer dispenser apparatus and a method and apparatus for precision vacuum degassed dispensing of work liquids are presented. The pump/dispenser is a positive displacement high precision piston/cylinder constant flush type with piston smaller than chamber. The piston is advanced along its stroke in tiny repeatable adjustably programmable steps, the infinitely adjustable precision ratioing programmable mixing being provided when two such pumps are used. The vacuum degassed work liquids dispensing system features the creation and maintenance of a positive absolute pressure on the work liquid(s) when exiting the degassing chamber(s) to the dispensing outlet(s) whether moved along the flow path through the precision dispensing pump(s) or other types of pump(s). Available softwear and adjustable programmable precision hardwear of the system may be provided by a widely available personal computer. Further degassing is provided by dispensing in a vacuum.

Method and apparatus for precision pumping, ratioing and dispensing of

A precision subminiature, snap action switch and an externally actuated, heavy duty, spring loaded self-return type operator therefor are enclosed within an hermetically sealed housing. The operator employs a switch actuating cam having shoulders cooperable with shoulders on the interior of the housing to define the limits of cam movement, said cam also having a shoulder cooperable with a shoulder on a switch lever to trip the switch upon movement of the externally actuated operator shaft a precise amount away from its at rest position. A connector/switch subassembly sealingly closes a housing opening, provides a rigid, precision mounting for the switch, and also provides external electrical connections for the switch. The operator has an externally projecting shaft which extends through a shaft bearing/rotary seal assembly employing a silicone rubber O-ring member and oil for lubricating a shaft bearing and the O-ring member, there being additional polytetrafluoroethylene O-ring members which prevent escape of the lubricating oil. An end cap sealingly closes another housing opening, provides a bearing for the inner end of the operator shaft, and exerts a predetermined stress on the operator spring. The structure lends itself to a simplified fabrication method.

Enclosed externally actuated switch assembly

A multiposition precision joystick type control device having a transducer mode in which an actuator button is movable in any lateral direction away from a neutral position to cause flexure of flexible bar mechanism along one or both of two orthogonally related axes, there being a set of transducers for sensing such flexure and providing a coordinate-related signal to apparatus to be controlled, the control device having a depress mode in which the actuator button is axially depressed for actuation of a switch and thereby providing an alternate controlling function. Overload mechanism including a spring loaded articulated connection between the actuator button and the flexible bar mechanism limits the degree of flexure which can be imparted to the flexible bar mechanism by movement of the actuator button in any lateral direction from its neutral position to prevent damage to the sets of transducers. A first lock-out mechanism prevents simultaneous operation of the control device in transducer and depress modes, and a second lock-out mechanism prevents inadvertent operation of the control device in the depress mode.

Joystick type control device

A compact nonsnap switch has an actuator moveable in arcuate paths from center off to actuated positions on a shaft which pivots about first shaft shoulders on outwardly discrete casing shoulders. The shaft has second pivot shoulders located in the same diametric plane as the casing shoulders for cooperation with an elongated movable contact member which is normally biased in columnar alignment with the shaft by a coil spring. Fixed contact members are aligned below the casing shoulders for contact by the end of the movable contact member. The coil spring also biases the first shaft shoulders against the casing shoulders through the movable contact member and allows double hinge action to take place whereby the movable contact member will normally pivot with the shaft until the lower end contacts a fixed contact causing the movable contact member to separately pivot on both the actuator shaft and the fixed contact to produce a wiping contact engagement and noncolumnar alignment of the shaft and movable contact member. An abutment means on the casing is engagable by the movable contact member in any of the actuated modes whereby accidental pivotal movement of the actuator upon casing overtravel stop surfaces prevents the movable contact member from breaking contact with a fixed contact. A flexible seal between the shaft and casing permits complex movement of the shaft. The geometry permits small travel rapid actuation by the thumb under high 'G' forces and stability to transient high shock conditions.

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Barrington, IL, United States of America

John O Roeser