Tektronix, Inc.

Warn Industries, Inc.

Gpcp IP Holdings LLC

Parker-hannifin Corporation

Westin Automotive Products, Inc.

Randy C Karambelas

Bryan M Averill

Oliver Heravi

Peter A Lines

Jeffrey J Anderson

James D Rise

Richard Schmachtenberg, Iii

Larry Eugene Hindman

Kip E Clohessy

H Erwin Grellmann

J Kirk McGlothlan

Fred L Ewer

Mark J Fogelberg

Maridana L Whitlow

Brent Rodney Jones

Darren G Fretz

Ernest I Esplin

Barry Daniel Reeves

Michael E Jones

John B Gilbert

Clark W Crawford

Steven W Shuyler

Gerard H Rousseau

Bryan Yoder

Edward F Burke

Robert Carl Tidrick

Ron Dennis

Roger Paul Gray

James B Jensen

Scott J Pugliese

Evan R Baker

Thomas W Giacomini

Michael L McMorris

Timothy Frazier

Mark Edward Schoening

Jeffery Burle Kennedy

John M McCalla

Stephen H Skidmore

Mike C Gordon

Terry A Smith

Kirk Ayres Lola

Tod Alan Kinsley

Michael J Wilmink

Mark D Schuster

Richard L Rickert

Nicholas E Juenemann

James Paul Baker

Alexander Milanese

John R Dupree

Ronald P Middendorf

Peter J Pugliese

Anthony J Wroblewski

Thomas J Larson

Robert W Logston

Brently L Cooper

Dale R Peterson

William B Weaver

Gerald K Hein

Brian A Ohlemeier

Utensil dispensers and methods for making and using same. In some examples, the utensil dispensers can include a housing configured to contain a stack of utensils. A stack gauge comprising a gauge arm can be configured to indicate a quantity of utensils in the stack of the utensils in the housing and is visible from outside the housing and the dispenser.

Utensil dispensers with stack gauge

Utensil dispensers and methods for making and using same. In some examples, the utensil dispensers can include a housing. A dispense chassis can be configured to fit within the housing. At least one post can be disposed on an outer surface of the dispense chassis, and at least one glide mechanism can be disposed within the housing. The glide mechanism is configured to engage the dispense chassis post. The glide mechanism can include a slot configured to guide the dispense chassis between a dispensing position in which the dispense chassis is configured to dispense utensils from the housing and a loading position in which the dispense chassis is configured to be loaded with utensils.

Utensil dispensers with glide mechanism for loading

Auto-engaging winch clutches, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative winch can include a frame, a cable drum, a drive motor supported by the frame, a gear train, and an auto-engaging clutch mechanism. The gear train can include a ring gear and a gear set engaged with the ring gear, the drive motor, and the drum. The auto-engaging clutch mechanism can include a locking element movable from a disengaged position to an engaged position, wherein in the engaged position the ring gear is grounded to the frame, and the gear set is coupled to transfer torque between the drive motor and the cable drum. An engagement mechanism can be coupled between the locking element and the drive motor to automatically move the locking element from the disengaged position to the engaged position and to automatically decouple the locking element from the drive motor when the motor is rotated.

Auto-engaging winch clutches, and associated systems and methods

A constant pulling force winch control system includes a sensor that senses a degree of winding of a winch cable around a winch drum, and a control system configured to control a winch motor to achieve a constant pulling force on the winch cable based on the degree of winding sensed by the sensor. The sensor may be a position sensor that measures a position of the winch cable relative to a centerline of the winch drum as the degree of winding. The position sensor may sense an angular position of a tension plate relative to a tensioner shaft to measure the degree of winding. The winch motor may be a hydraulic winch motor or an electric motor, and the control system is configured to control the power applied to the hydraulic winch motor to achieve the constant pulling force based on the degree of winding sensed by the sensor.

Constant pull winch controls

A pulling tool is provided with a rotatable drum having a cable wound thereon. A motor is drivingly connected to the rotatable drum and the rotatable drum and motor are disposed within a unique housing structure. The rotatable drum is driven by a planetary gear system that is disposed within the rotatable drum to provide a compact assembly. A belt and pulley system is provided for delivering torque from the motor to the planetary gear system. The rotatable drum is provided with a two-piece stepped construction that allows the planetary gear system to be assembled within the drum and allows for the initial wraps of a cable around the smaller diameter portion of the stepped drum.

Pulling tool

An assembly for converting a vehicle between two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The assembly includes a bell form of a constant velocity joint being supported by a bearing mounted to one of the vehicle knuckle and the wheel hub. The bell form further includes a collar that has a connector, and a spindle of the wheel hub has a connector in close proximity to the bell form connector. A clutch ring actuated by an actuator is moved by the actuator between engagement with one of the connectors and engagement with both of the connectors.

Hub lock for two-wheel/four-wheel drive vehicle

A clutch control for shifting a vehicle drive system as between automatic four-wheel drive, locked four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive. An engagement system for engaging drive and driven components of the drive system may include roller clutch engagement or pawl clutch engagement. The clutch system is provided with a coupling mechanism for coupling the engagement member to ground or to the driven member to thereby achieve automatic four-wheel drive and locked four-wheel drive, respectively. The engagement member is decoupled from both ground and the driven member to achieve two-wheel drive.

Vehicle drive clutch control

A wheel end assembly including a live spindle secured to a wheel hub at an outboard end. A bearing surrounding the spindle and abutted against a shoulder on the spindle. Said bearing preloaded by a retention structure that slidably engages the bearing to compress the bearing against the shoulder. A clutch ring slidably engages splines associated with the live spindle and with an axle portion to connect and disconnect the axle to the live spindle and accordingly the wheel hub.

Retention mechanism for vehicle wheel assembly

A solid ink stick supply system and related method for delivering solid ink sticks to an ink jet print head reservoir is disclosed. The supply system includes a housing with a keyed plate that guides the ink sticks into the proper loading position in a supply channel. A pusher rod in the supply channel transfers an ink stick onto an endless belt for delivery to the print head reservoir. A push device on the endless belt engages and delivers the ink stick to the print head reservoir. A second ink stick is transferred from the supply channel to the endless belt and is retained on the belt by a stop device. A method for efficiently loading ink sticks into the supply system is also provided.

Solid ink stick supply apparatus and method

The present invention provides an ink jet print head capable of fast, efficient and consistent printing. Such ink jet print heads include an ink ejecting component which incorporates electropolished surfaces. Electropolishing techniques useful in the production of such ink ejecting components are also discussed.

Ink jet print heads

An apparatus and method are described for applying an intermediate transfer surface, in the form of a liquid layer, on a support surface as may be used in a phase change ink printing system. The apparatus includes an applicator assembly for distributing the liquid layer onto the support surface to produce the intermediate transfer surface and an apparatus for metering the liquid layer uniformly on the support surface. The applicator assembly has a contact medium for removing foreign matter from and delivering the liquid onto the support surface. Preferably the contact medium is a liquid impregnated web that is periodically incremented to present a clean web surface in contact with the support surface. The metering apparatus is a hydrodynamic blade that uniformly distributes the liquid intermediate transfer layer over the support surface. The apparatus provides for sequencing of the applicator, then the applicator and the blade together, and finally the blade only to ensure proper application of the intermediate transfer layer and cleaning of the support surface.

Intermediate transfer surface application system

A phase change ink transfer printing apparatus (10) applies a liquid intermediate transfer surface (12) to a heated drum (14, 28). Because the intermediate transfer surface is a thin liquid layer, molten ink drops (122) striking it flatten and spread out (110, 112, 114, 130) prior to cooling and solidifying as an ink image (26, 130) at the drum temperature. After the ink image is deposited, a print medium (21, 132), such as a transparency film, is fed into a nip (22) formed between the heated drum and an elastomeric transfer roller (23). As the drum turns, the print medium is pulled through the nip to transfer the ink image to the print medium. When in the nip, heat from the drum and print medium combine to heat the ink in accordance with a process window (90), making the ink sufficiently soft and tacky to adhere to the print medium but not to the drum. The ink drops comprising the ink image have a desired diameter to height ratio of from about 1.5:1 to greater than about 4:1 using the apparatus and method of printing disclosed. When the print medium leaves the nip, stripper fingers (24) peel it from the drum and direct it into a media exit path. No image post processing or fusing is necessary to achieve a high-quality print suitable for transparency projection.

Method and apparatus for controlling phase-change ink-jet print quality

A print head (216) tilt angle positioner (258) includes a scroll cam (344), a tilt arm (332), a flexure (334), a tilt angle adjuster (336), and a biasing spring (338). The tilt arm and the print head are attached to a shaft (220) that rotates the tilt arm and the print head together between printing, maintenance, and shipping tilt angle positions to control the distance of the print head from the image receiving drum.

Printer print head positioning apparatus and method

Ink jet print heads and methos for preparing them

A method and an apparatus (10) for cleaning an ink jet print head (12) draws contaminates from orifices (20) in the print head onto an orifice plate (14) and then wipes the orifice plate. The maintenance apparatus includes a purge cap (24) that has a recessed region (40) with an open end (36). The top side margins (42) of the open end define a periphery (44) around which a seal (60) is positioned. A positioning system (30) urges the orifice plate against the seal. A heating system (128) and a vacuum system (74) cooperate to create a differential pressure across the orifices to draw contaminates carried by liquid ink out of them and onto the orifice plate. A resilient wiper assembly (26) including a spring-mounted wiper blade (78) is positioned in and nominally extends outwardly of the recessed region of the purge cap. The positioning system moves the purge cap downwardly against the orifice plate so that the wiper blade engages and wipes the contamination from the orifice plate.

Print head maintenance method and apparatus with retractable wiper

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Milwaukie, OR, United States of America

Randy C Karambelas