Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Formation of solid particulate material directly from molten... – Utilizing centrifugal force or rotating forming zone
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-28
2003-04-01
Theisen, Mary Lynn (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Formation of solid particulate material directly from molten...
Utilizing centrifugal force or rotating forming zone
C425S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06540947
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to producing bi-chromal balls for use in electric paper.
2. Description of Related Art
First and second color bi-chromal ball material with different electric and/or magnetic properties can be combined to form bi-chromal balls.
FIG. 1
shows an exemplary bi-chromal ball
100
formed using a first color bi-chromal ball material
10
and a second color bi-chromal ball material
20
. The exemplary bi-chromal ball
100
has a magnetic or electric dipole oriented top to bottom. Thus, the bi-chromal ball
100
shown in
FIG. 1
will rotate when subjected to various magnetic or electric fields. The bi-chromal ball
100
can be produced using various admixtures and materials as known in the art.
The bi-chromal ball
100
can be used in electric paper. In electric paper, many bi-chromal balls are placed next to each other in a matrix to form a sheet. The bi-chromal balls can be rotated to form letters and pictures by alternating the showing of either the first color or second color sides.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the bi-chromal balls
100
are conventionally formed using a known spinner
1000
. The spinner
1000
has a bi-chromal ball material feeding portion
1220
and a spinning portion
1180
. The bi-chromal ball material is fed in through material supply tubes
1110
and
1140
to a pair of reservoir portions
1130
and
1170
. The bi-chromal balls
1190
are spun off of a disk
1200
of the spinning portion
1180
. The bi-chromal ball material feeding portion
1220
does not spin and includes the material supply tubes
1110
and
1140
and one or more O-rings
1210
. The O-rings
1210
are used to seal the ends of at least one of the material supply tubes
1110
and
1140
.
The spinning portion
1180
includes first and second bi-chromal ball material transport portions
1120
and
1150
and a pair of bi-chromal ball material reservoirs
1130
and
1170
. A first color bi-chromal ball material is fed through the material supply tube
1110
, into the second bi-chromal ball material transport portion
1150
, and flows through a third bi-chromal ball material transport portion
1160
into the bi-chromal ball material reservoir
1170
. A second color bi-chromal ball material is fed through the material supply tube
1140
, flows through the first bi-chromal ball material transport portion
1120
and into the bi-chromal ball material reservoir
1130
. The bi-chromal ball material is then forced outward from the bi-chromal ball material reservoirs
1130
and
1170
by the pressure in the material supply tubes
1110
and
1140
and by the centrifugal force of the spinning disk
1200
and flows along the surfaces of the disk
1200
until it forms the bi-chromal balls
1190
. The speed at which the bi-chromal ball material is fed to the disk
1200
to create the bi-chromal balls
1190
is controlled by the amount of pressure exerted on the bi-chromal ball material in the bi-chromal ball material supply tubes
1110
and
1140
.
Inside of the spinning portion
1180
, one color bi-chromal ball material is kept from the other color bi-chromal ball material in the bi-chromal ball material transport portions
1120
and
1150
by the one or more O-rings
1210
,
1211
,
1212
and
1213
. The one or more O-rings
1210
form a seal between the non-spinning bi-chromal ball material feed portion
1220
and the spinning portion
1180
, while the other O-rings are static and do not seal rotating parts.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,262,098 and 5,344,594, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, teach various methods for using liquids fed on opposite sides of a spinner to spread liquids.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a bi-chromal ball production apparatus and method that is simpler to operate.
This invention separately provides a bi-chromal ball production apparatus and method that can operate at higher speeds.
This invention separately provides a bi-chromal ball production apparatus and method that has a greater control over the speed of the spinner.
This invention separately provides a bi-chromal ball production apparatus and method that has a higher yield of bi-chromal balls produced.
One or more of these various features and advantages of the invention are realized by feeding the bi-chromal ball material from opposite sides of the disk, reconfiguring the internal geometry of the apparatus and of controllably configuring the bi-chromal ball material feeding slit.
In various exemplary embodiments of the bi-chromal ball production apparatus according to this invention, the bi-chromal ball production apparatus has a disk that rotates, a first material supply tube that supplies a first bi-chromal ball material to a first side of the disk from a first direction, a second material supply tube that supplies a second bi-chromal ball material to a second side of the disk from a second direction, and a motor that rotates the disk. The bi-chromal ball production apparatus may include a first slit defined by the disk and a first housing and/or a second slit defined by the disk and a second housing. In various exemplary embodiments, the first and second slits each have a length of about 0.045 inches, a height of about 0.0025 inches and end at a distance of 0.775 inches from the center of rotation.
In various exemplary embodiments the apparatus may include a first reservoir portion defined by the disk, the first housing, the first slit and the first feed tube and a second reservoir portion defined by the disk, the second housing, the second slit and the second feed tube. In various exemplary embodiments, the disk may rotate at a speed of about 1800 revolutions per minute to about 5600 revolutions per minute.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5262098 (1993-11-01), Crowley et al.
patent: 5344594 (1994-09-01), Sheridan
patent: 5919409 (1999-07-01), Sheridon
patent: 5976428 (1999-11-01), Richley
patent: 5989629 (1999-11-01), Sacripante et al.
patent: 6097531 (2000-08-01), Sheridon
patent: 6174153 (2001-01-01), Sheridon
Crowley Joseph M.
Howard Matthew E.
Martell Dennis
Remus Michelle Anne
Sheridan Nicholas K.
Oliff & Berridge PLC.
Theisen Mary Lynn
Xerox Corporation
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