Xolox Corporation

Other

Flossrite Corporation

Robert J Loubier

Lawrence P Zepp

Eugene L Dellinger

William F Bleeke

Kevin E Heimann

Robert A Muhn

A pump assembly which includes a pump head which is driven by a rotor that is located in a housing to which the pump head is attached. The pump head includes a drive gear and a driven gear. The drive gear is coupled to the rotor by a shaft which is received at opposite ends by a bearing located in a closed end of the rotor housing and a bearing which is located in the pump head.

Pump assembly

A pump assembly which includes a prop head which is driven by a rotor that is located in a housing to which the pump head is attached. The pump head includes a drive gear and a driven gear. The drive gear is coupled to the rotor by a shaft which is received at opposite ends by a bearing located in a closed end of the rotor housing and a bearing which is located in the pump head.

A swing-type actuator (10) includes a coil (20), at least one arm (40) and a thermoplastic body (50) joining the coil (20) and arm (40). The arm (40) is preferably a planar stamping having an opening (43) to which the read/write head is mounted. A body (50) is molded around portions of the arm (40) and coil (20). A journal (52) is formed in the body (50) for receiving a shaft and bearing on which the actuator (10) pivots. A grounding pin (40B) extending through the arm (40) prevents static charge build-up. Alternatively, a portion of the arm (40) may extend into the journal (50) to contact the a bearing. In another embodiment, the arm (140) includes a plastic portion (70) and a metal mounting pad (80). The plastic portion (70) may be formed of electrically conductive material to prevent static charge buildup.

Swing-type actuator and method of making same

A device for locating terminal pins relative to a swing-type actuator coil includes a body, a pair of terminal pin sleeves and a bridge member joining the body and the sleeves. The body has an outer circumference less than the inner circumference of the coil, so as to allow the body to be press-fit within the coil. The body has a thickness less than the thickness of the coil. The body has an opening for locating the device in a mold while joining the body and coil to an actuator arm by injection molding a hold member about a portion of the coil, device and arm. The body further includes features for preventing the device from assuming a skewed orientation in the mold. The thickness of the projections is equal to the difference in thickness between the body and the coil. During the molding process, a portion of the hold member is formed adjacent the body on the interior of the coil and is flush with the projections. In this manner, the coil is secured to the body and the arm.

Swing-type actuator and device for locating terminal pins relative to

A swing-type actuator includes a coil, at least one arm and a thermoplastic body joining the coil and the arm. In one embodiment, the arm is preferably a generally planar aluminum stamping having an opening to which the read/write head may be mounted at one end thereof. A feature is located in the opposite end of the arm to facilitate attachment to the thermoplastic body. The arm also includes at least one flat side perpendicular to its plane at the end including the notch. The body is molded around a portion of the arm and cooperates with the feature to secure the arm thereto. The body also overlaps part of the coil and surrounds the outer circumference thereof. A journal is formed in the body for receiving a shaft on which the actuator pivotally rotates. A grounding pin extending through the arm prevents static charge build-up. Alternatively, a portion of the arm may extend into the journal to contact the bearing. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the arm includes a plastic portion and a metal mounting pad. The plastic portion is molded around a securement portion of the mounting pad to form the arm. The body is then molded around portions of the arm and the coil in the same manner as the first embodiment of the invention. The plastic portion of the arm is preferably formed of electrically conductive material and is provided with a grounding pin to facilitate discharging of static charge.

Swing-type actuator

An oval gear pump for shear-sensitive fluids particularly suited for use in dispensing metered amounts of food syrups, condiments, or other thick or viscous liquids. The viscosity of some of such materials tends to degrade when excessive agitation is incurred. The gear pump minimizes such agitation by sweeping integrated masses of substantial volume between the inlet and the outlet. The pumping system also provides a flow-sensing device including a tubular magnet movable against spring pressure by fluid flow to an operated position. When the magnet is in the operated position, an adjacent external switch is operated to produce a signal indicating flow. The pumping system is particularly adapted for use in connection with ice cream dispensing machines.

Pump for viscous fluids

A motor driven dental floss applicator for use in dispensing and supporting a strand of dental floss for cleaning teeth comprising a rigid elongated frame having a handle on one end and two laterally spaced, upstanding furcations on the other end, the furcations having floss-guiding portions on the tips thereof by means of which a floss strand may be tensioned and moved therebetween. A supply of strand is supported on the frame. A supply and takeup device is provided for supplying and taking up the strand after it is threaded across the tips of the furcations. An electric motor is provided on the frame for actuating the second means unidirectionally, and a switch is provided for controlling the energization of the motor whereby the strand may be controllably drawn across and between said furcations.

Motor driven dental floss applicator

A magnet roll for an electrophotographic device includes a magnet carrier assembly constituted by a plurality of identical cylindrical segments of injection molded plastic material. The segments are coaxially arranged and longitudinally aligned in an end-to-end relationahip on a spindlelike metal rod constituting the magnet roll axis of rotation. The segmented carrier assembly provides a plurality of longitudinally extending channels circumferentially spaced about the carrier assembly. The bottom of each channel has along its length a central groove that functions as a locator for an extruded, flexible magnet strip that mounts within the channel, each magnet strip having along the length of its underside a centered tongue that fits into the locator groove of its respective channel. Such a magnet roll provides for highly accurate positioning of the outer working surfaces of the magnet strips.

Magnet roll

Reproducibility in the manufacture of rotating shaft sensing encoders and similar devices employing Hall effect switching devices to sense changes in magnetic fields is achieved in the present invention by forming a frame of the encoder as a unitary or one piece arrangement for both supporting a shaft bearing and an angular behavior sensor, such as a Hall effect switch, thus controlling tolerances, air gaps and angular orientation of the sensor. Calibration of such a device to compensate for manufacturing variability in the Hall sensing device as well as any other variabilities in the encoder is then achieved by providing a reversable calibrating magnetic field close to the Hall effect switch and moving that magnetic field until the desired switch calibration is achieved.

Method of making a magnetic-encoding device having hall effect devices

Reproducability in the manufacture of rotating shaft sensing encoders and similar devices employing Hall effect switching devices to sense changes in magnetic fields is achieved in the present invention by forming a frame of the encoder as a unitary or one piece arrangement for both supporting a shaft bearing and an angular behavior sensor, such as a Hall effect switch, thus controlling tolerances, air gaps and angular orientation of the sensor. Calibration of such a device to compensate for manufacturing variability in the Hall sensing device as well as any other variabilities in the encoder is then achieved by providing a reversable calibrating magnetic field close to the Hall effect switch and moving that magnetic field until the desired switch calibration is achieved.

Hall effect sensing apparatus and method

Fluid flow indicator is provided in which a fluid pressure to position transducer moves a permanent magnet from a no-flow position to a flow position in response to fluid pressure. The change in the position in the permanent magnet changes the intensity and polarity of the magnetic field that the permanent magnet places upon a Hall effect semiconductor; so that a switching function results as a function of fluid pressure differential causing no-flow and flow conditions. The change in magnitude and polarity of the magnetic field between first and second distances from one surface of the permanent magnet is increased by providing an opening through the permanent magnet and by providing a magnetic device near the opposite surface of the magnet.

Solid state magnetic microswitch

A plastic bonded magnet is formed of a solidified mixture of thermoplastic powder and magnetic particles capable of being permanently magnetized. The magnet in one form is cylindrical and provided with a coaxial bore. The particles are substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the magnet in coaxial sections extending between the cylinder axis and the periphery of the magnet. Also the particles are substantially commonly aligned throughout. A given quantity of the particles may be orientable which leads to the common alignment. The method of fabricating the magnet includes the steps of mixing quantities of plastic material and solid magnetizable particles to obtain a substantially uniform mixture. The mixture is injection molded to form the magnetic body, the molding step including the injection of the mixture into a cavity having a form of the body, primarily cylindrical, and through a disc-shaped gating orifice on the aforesaid axis, which is midway between the body ends. The orifice opens radially into the cavity uninterruptedly completely around said axis whereby the molten mixture fills the cavity uniformly radially from the axis and the perimeter of the orifice. Upon solidification of the molten plastic, the particles will be secured in position.

Plastic bonded magnet with circumferentially spaced poles having

In a dental floss applicator having a capstan controllable by the user for tensioning the floss and for periodically substituting a fresh floss strand segment for a previously used segment, an improved arrangement for severing floss and anchoring a floss strand end to the capstan as a result of a simple continuous movement of the strand by a user is disclosed. The capstan includes a slot for receiving a one piece metallic clip having a deformation so that the floss strand may be gripped between that deformation and one surface of the capstan slot as well as a cutting prong deformed from the general plane of the clip in the same general direction as the floss gripping deformation and presenting a relatively sharp surface to the floss as the floss is pulled into the gripping position between the deformation and slot. The slot is contoured so that a taut strand of floss is prevented from passing around the wrong surface of the clip or from missing the cutting edge, and the tab which forms the cutting edge cooperates with the slot to hold the clip in position in the slot.

Dental floss applicator with improved floss severing and anchoring

An improved dental floss applicator for use in dispensing and supporting a strand of dental floss under tension for cleaning teeth comprises an elongated supporting frame having on one end two laterally spaced furcations. Tips on the furcations have floss-guiding portions by means of which a floss-strand may be tensioned therebetween. A handle portion is provided on the other end of the frame. A capstan device is mounted for rotation on the frame, with supply and take-up capstan portions axially spaced thereon. Said capstan device is disposed intermediate the opposite ends of said frame, and said supply and take-up portions are on opposite sides, respectively, thereof. The handle portion has a chamber therein which opens through the side of the frame which is adjacent to the supply capstan portion. A cover slidably mounts on the handle portion in covering relation with the opening of the chamber. Detent means is provided for detachably securing the cover in closed position. A supply of floss strand is provided in the chamber. The strand is threaded through the detent means, about the supply capstan portion, across the furcations, and about the take-up capstan portion where it is secured to the capstan device. The detent means frictionally grips the strand. The threading is in a direction such that as the capstan device is rotated in one direction, the strand is tensed from the detent means about the capstan device and across the aforesaid furcations.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Wayne, IN, United States of America

Robert J Loubier