Thomas R Plourde

US Patent:

51916940, Mar 9, 1993

Filed:

Jul 3, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/725480

Inventors:

Ralph Ruggiero - Tuscon AZ
Thomas R. Plourde - Tuscon AZ
Joseph Kaczynski - Tuscon AZ

Assignee:

Shape Inc. - Biddeford ME

International Classification:

B23P 2100

US Classification:

29430

Abstract:

A cassette assembly line including, a tape reel leadering and placement station having a table rotatable between reel supply, leader supply/clip/cutting and tape reel placement substations. The reel supply substation places unleadered tape reels in equally spaced relation on the rotary table. The table rotates to present unleadered tape reels to the leader supply/clip/cutting substation. A first reel is fed a leader supply, which leader is secured by a leader clip. The rotary table is then rotated so that the leader supply extends across a second and third tape reel, and leader clips secure the leader supply to the second and third tape reels. The leader is then cut between the second and third tape reels to form an exact length leader for the first and second tape reels. The leadered pair is then transferred to a cassette shell by the reel placement substation. In effect, the cut end still attached to the leader supply becomes the leader for the next pair.

US Patent:

54434157, Aug 22, 1995

Filed:

Sep 24, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/126358

Inventors:

Michael S. Shebanow - Tucson AZ
Thomas R. Plourde - Tucson AZ
Bill M. Mullinax - Tucson AZ

Assignee:

International Technology Partners, Inc. - Tucson AZ

International Classification:

B24B 2100

US Classification:

451302

Abstract:

A computer diskette burnishing machine that consists of two burnishing units adapted to operate on the magnetic medium of a conventional computer disk through the upper and lower read/write head access windows in the disk's protective shell. The assembled diskette is positioned on a lower burnishing unit that comprises a supporting plate having the same mechanical characteristics of a corresponding computer disk drive, including an electric motor equipped with a spindle/hub interface and shell registration pins. While the disk rotates, the burnishing units polish the disk's upper and lower surfaces by means of upper and lower abrasive tapes fed by a system of supply and take-up reels. The lower burnishing unit includes a resilient roller backing up the lower abrasive tape and disposed radially with respect to the plane of the disk. The upper burnishing unit consists of a spring-loaded resilient roller backing up the upper abrasive tape and disposed radially in parallel to the lower roller.