ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 26 -- United States Patent no. 12,397,342, issued on Aug. 26, was assigned to Oculatus LLC (Greenacres, Wash.).
"Bottom block for direct chill casting" was invented by Robert B. Wagstaff (Greenacres, Wash.), Samuel R. Wagstaff (Marietta, Ga.) and Brent M. Opdendries (Post Falls, Idaho).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A bottom block for use in direct chill (DC) casting that includes a flared base providing additional surface area for contact with coolant used in the DC casting process. The bottom block includes a first end that substantially fits within a DC mold while a second end has a larger cross-sectional area than the first end. A transition between the first end and ...