BRUCE M JOHNSON, MD
Osteopathic Medicine in Saint Paul, MN

6684349, Jan 27, 2004

Jan 18, 2001

09/765195

Louis J. Gullo - Boynton Beach FL
Leon Musil - Phoenix AZ
Bruce G. Johnson - Shoreview MN

Honeywell International Inc. - Morristown NJ

G06F 1100

714 47, 701 29, 702184

A system and method for reliability assessment and prediction of end items is provided herein. A reliability assessment program (RAP) in accordance with the present invention provides a reliability assessment of the new equipment and/or parts designed for in-field use by assessing the similarities and differences between the new equipment and the predecessor equipment. Predecessor end item field failure data is collected and analyzed to compare the degree of similarity between the predecessor fielded end item and the new design. Based on this comparison, an appropriate method of assessment is determined, for example, a similarity analysis process or a failure cause model. Both methods use models for comparison and generate an appropriate report expressing the failure rate prediction of the new design and/or the mean-time-between-failure (MTBF).

5752365, May 19, 1998

Dec 9, 1996

8/761911

Bruce R. Johnson - Plymouth MN
H. Douglas Flom - New Richmond WI

General Mills, Inc. - Minneapolis MN

B65B 6300

53435

A bandolier (20) of serially connected premium items (18) are fed by a vacuum conveyor (26) to a rotary cutter (14), with the bandolier (20) being sandwiched against the vacuum conveyor (26) by an overhead conveyor (32). The shaft (40) of the rotary cutter (14) is rotated by a servo-motor (42) such that its blade (46) engages the bandolier (20) with a linear speed which cuts the initial item (18) from the bandolier (20) and pushes and accelerates the cut item (18) into a carton (52) moving in a carton path (53). The linear speed of the bandolier (20) in the feed path (27) is tied to the linear speed of the cartons (52) in the carton path (53) while rotation of the shaft (40) is controlled by an optical sensor (38) which senses movement of the bandolier (20) by the vacuum conveyor (26). If movement of the bandolier (20) slows or is stopped, the shaft (40) is held in a control position so that the servo-motor (42) is able to accelerate the shaft (40) so that it reaches the linear speed required to accelerate the cut item (18) when the blade (46) reaches the cutting position independent of the linear speed of the bandolier (20).

4818589, Apr 4, 1989

May 8, 1987

7/047886

Bruce E. Johnson - White Bear Lake MN
Max Naglosky - St. Paul MN

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company - St. Paul MN

B32B 702, B32B 1508

428201

A paint transfer article useful in forming a protective or colored coating on a compound structural component. The paint transfer article comprises an optional carrier liner sequentially covered with continuous layers of a colored layer having a colored base layer and an optional clear coating, a reinforcing layer, and an optional heat-activatable adhesive. The reinforcing layer has a sufficiently low glass transition temperature and a sufficiently high tensile modulus to resist damage to itself and the colored layer upon impact or under moderate pressure. Also a method of paint transfer using the article, a method of preparing the composite, a cold-formable painted metal bank, and a method for cold-forming painted parts.