Patents by Inventor Eric J. Erfourth

Eric J. Erfourth has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7382072
    Abstract: An efficient and reconfigurable permanent magnet generator that comprises a permanent magnet subassembly and at least one exciter is disclosed. The permanent magnet generator may comprise a mainframe comprising at least one exciter, and a permanent magnet subassembly comprising a plurality of magnets that are arranged to form at least one air gap between facing magnetic poles in which the at least one exciter resides and that are reconfigurable for alternating current or direct current operation by inversion of respective magnetic poles. The at least one exciter may comprise a plurality of alternating layers of a first material and a second material, where the first material may comprise a superconductive material and the second material may comprise a non-superconductive material, and wherein the layers of the superconductive material are thin relative to the thickness of the layers of the non-superconductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Erfurt & Company
    Inventor: Eric J. Erfourth
  • Publication number: 20040232792
    Abstract: An efficient and reconfigurable permanent magnet generator that comprises a permanent magnet subassembly and at least one exciter is disclosed. The permanent magnet generator may comprise a mainframe comprising at least one exciter, and a permanent magnet subassembly comprising a plurality of magnets that are arranged to form at least one air gap between facing magnetic poles in which the at least one exciter resides and that are reconfigurable for alternating current or direct current operation by inversion of respective magnetic poles. The at least one exciter may comprise a plurality of alternating layers of a first material and a second material, where the first material may comprise a superconductive material and the second material may comprise a non-superconductive material, and wherein the layers of the superconductive material are thin relative to the thickness of the layers of the non-superconductive material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventor: Eric J. Erfourth