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:
Dec. 29, 2009
Filed:
Dec. 09, 2005
Robert Vincent Canning, Jr., Bear, DE (US);
Scott Richard Mehr, Dickson, TN (US);
Barry Rubin, Glen Mills, PA (US);
Thomas William Simpson, Iii, Boothwyn, PA (US);
Douglas Ray Stilwell, Wilmington, DE (US);
Robert Vincent Canning, Jr., Bear, DE (US);
Scott Richard Mehr, Dickson, TN (US);
Barry Rubin, Glen Mills, PA (US);
Thomas William Simpson, III, Boothwyn, PA (US);
Douglas Ray Stilwell, Wilmington, DE (US);
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, DE (US);
Abstract
An automated computer-controlled method and apparatus for measuring the quality or fineness of a pigment dispersion sample, comprising placing the pigment dispersion at the deep end of the tapered path of a Hegman gage block, placing the Hegman gage block in a holder in a motorized drawdown device that draws the scraper along the length of the tapered path at an angle and to at a contact pressure and at a controlled rate, thereby creating a tapered film sample of paint whose thickness tapers from a maximum thickness of 100 micrometers to a minimum thickness of zero. An illuminator assembly illuminates the sample with a substantially collimated light source at an intensity level and the light reflected from the sample is collected by a lens onto a photodetector array in a digital camera. After a time interval the camera acquires an image of the sample. The image is digitized and stored in a memory in the computer and then a portion of the image within a region of interest corresponding to the sample in the tapered path is analyzed to detect and count pigment agglomerates that protrude above the surface of the sample.