The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 16, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 05, 1998
Stanley J. Ellis, Orange, CA (US);
Donald H. Siiter, Yorba Linda, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A method for making air turning vanes each having formed therein a pair of locking protuberances which adapt the vanes to self-gripping attachment between a pair of rails to fabricate an air turning vane and rail assembly utilizes an elongated length of double plate airfoil vane stock including a front plate having an outer concave surface arcuately bowed about the central longitudinal axis of the plate, and a rear plate having an outer concave surface arcuately bowed about the central longitudinal axis of the rear plate. A vane of a desired length is severed from the vane stock, and the outer concave surface of the rear vane plate is impacted by a punch with sufficient force to deform from the inner surface of the plate a generally hemispherically-shaped button having a lower severed wall which forms a locking lip. The apparatus according to the present invention includes a guillotine-like shearing structure/vane stock support fixture which vertically slidably supports shear blade. The fixture has through front and rear walls thereof longitudinally aligned, crescent-shaped apertures for longitudinally slidably receiving vane stock. A pair of longitudinally aligned, downwardly pointing punches attached to the front and rear surfaces of the shear blade, rearward or upward from a wedge-shaped piercing point of the shear blade, are effective in forming a locking protuberance forward of the rear transverse edge of a severed vane, and a locking protuberance in the vane stock, rearward of the front transverse edge of the vane stock, when the shear blade is forced sharply downward to sever a vane from a length of vane stock.