Patents by Inventor Steven A. Mills

Steven A. Mills 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: 6040982
    Abstract: An electronic system includes a chassis with attachment features which may interchangeably accept and secure a connector assembly and paralleling board assembly. The connector assembly may be used in a lower cost nonredundant power supply configuration while the paralleling board assembly may be used in multiple power supply configurations. The power supply may be interchangeably connected to the connector assembly and the paralleling board assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: Jerry D. Gandre, Steven L. Sands, R. Steven Mills, Arthur Lopez
  • Patent number: 6031719
    Abstract: A fan carrier for mounting a fan in a protective housing of electronic equipment. The fan carrier includes a frame for securing a fan having a flange with a front side and a back side. The fan carrier also includes a first securing device connected to the frame. The first securing device has a first surface. The fan carrier further includes a second securing device connected to the frame. The second securing device has a first surface movable as to the frame. When a fan is secured to the frame, the first surface of the first securing device retains the flange and the first surface of the second securing device retains the flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Dell USA L.P.
    Inventors: Ty R. Schmitt, R. Steven Mills, Steven L. Sands
  • Patent number: 6006829
    Abstract: A filter capable of being used in subterranean environments includes a filter medium. An erosion barrier is disposed along a common flow path with the filter medium for preventing erosion by particles in a fluid being filtered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Oiltools International B.V.
    Inventors: Michael B. Whitlock, Stephen A. Geibel, John D. Miller, Steven Mills, Mark Hurwitz, Kenneth M. Williamson, Tanweer Haq
  • Patent number: 5949652
    Abstract: A device for securing a power supply in a computer chassis includes a power supply housing having a handle movably mounted thereon. An insertion and extraction cam device extends from the handle and is pivotable into and out of engagement with a cam receiver in the chassis. A housing locking device extends from the handle and is slidable into and out of engagement with a lock receiver in the chassis. A power switch actuator tab is connected to extend from the handle and slide into and out of engagement with a power switch actuator arm mounted in the power supply. A power cord lock is connected to extend from the handle and slide to and from a lock position adjacent a power cord plug attached to the power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Dell U.S.A., L.P.
    Inventors: Andrew L. McAnally, R. Steven Mills, Eric Holloway
  • Patent number: 5916450
    Abstract: A method of balancing a display panel substrate for a backlit illuminated display includes providing a transparent display panel substrate having a front surface, a back surface, and side surfaces, the substrate being coated with a diffuse reflective layer and overcoated with an opaque layer on the back surface and side surfaces, and having recesses in the back surface to receive lamps to provide illumination to the display; coating the substrate on the front surface with a diffuse translucent layer of defined thickness; illuminating the substrate by lamps positioned within the recesses in the back surface of the substrate; forming an image indicative of the brightness at each point of the front surface of the illuminated substrate and determining from the image the additional thickness of diffuse translucent layer to be added to each point on the front surface of the substrate to produce a uniform brightness of a desired intensity at each point of the front surface when that layer is added and the substrate
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: IDD Aerospace Corp.
    Inventors: Dale A. Muggli, Daniel P. Wilkie, Steven A. Mills
  • Patent number: 5796593
    Abstract: The present invention provides, for use in a chassis configured to alternatively house first or second planar boards hating different thicknesses and daughter board side surfaces, a universal planar mount for supporting the planar board within the chassis. The universal planar may consist of a planar support coupled to a wall of the chassis that has first and second shoulders, preferably more than two, associated therewith that may be stair-stepped with respect to each other. The planar support may consist of a plurality of planar supports. In another aspect, the shoulders are formed in opposite side edges of the support walls. The first shoulder is engagable with the first planar board to mount the daughter board side surface of the first planar board a predetermined distance from the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: R. Steven Mills, Randall T. Smith
  • Patent number: 5661640
    Abstract: A computer chassis has a cotton side wall upon which a two-section support plate structure is mounted. Each of the two support plate sections has, along a side edge periphery thereof, an upturned TEM shielding lip portion. The plate sections are supportingly securable to the underside of a printed circuit board, such as the computer motherboard, and are slidably adjustable relative to the underlying bottom chassis side wall to selectively adjust the overall size of the support plate structure so that different sizes of printed circuit boards may be alternatively secured thereto while maintaining proper spacing between the TEM shielding lip portions and adjacent side edge portions of the supported circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: Richard Steven Mills, Randall Terry Smith
  • Patent number: 5647748
    Abstract: A printed circuit board ground clip is provided having upwardly extending retainers and downwardly extending legs. The legs are designed to insert within plated-through holes of a variable thickness printed circuit board. The upwardly extending retainers terminate as a spaced pair of flanges which frictionally receive and electrically couple with a hook. The hook extends from the chassis of an electronic device, through a slot within the printed circuit board and between the spaced flanges. Accordingly, the hook and ground clip form an electrical conduit between a ground supply connected to the electronic device chassis and a ground conductor formed within the printed circuit board. Chassis-to-ground conductor attachment is performed during assembly of the board to the chassis backplane. Attachment can be quickly and easily reversed to allow board re-work, without requiring placement of heat upon the board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Dell Computer Corporation
    Inventors: R. Steven Mills, Jerry D. Gandre, Steve L. Sands, Gita P. Khadem
  • Patent number: 5630041
    Abstract: A representation of a three dimensional part is provided with a three dimensional part summary information tag. Thus advantageously allowing part summary information to be easily accessible and visible to users who access the part data file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: R. Steven Mills, Ty R. Schmitt
  • Patent number: 5597035
    Abstract: The present invention provides a shroud for cooling a heatsink that is associated with a heat generating electrical component. Conventionally, the heatsink has a base portion with a first side and an oppositely disposed second side. The first side has cooling projections with outer ends that extend from the first side with the second side being attached to the heat generating electrical component. The shroud of the present invention comprises a wall that may be comprised of a thermoplastic or metallic material, The wall extends about and covers a portion of the cooling projections to form a passage for a flow of fluid about the cooling projections. The passage has a varying cross-sectional area to maximize the flow of the fluid about the cooling projections, to thereby enhance transfer of heat from the cooling projections to the fluid flowing through the passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: Randall Smith, R. Steven Mills
  • Patent number: 5572403
    Abstract: A cooling subsystem and method for a chassis of a computer system. The cooling subsystem comprises: (1) first and second cooling fans having first and second motors associated therewith for driving the first and second cooling fans, respectively and (2) a common plenum substantially shrouding and providing a pathway for air communication between the first and second cooling fans, the first and second fans cooperating to provide an optimum rate of air flow from without the chassis to within the chassis to provide air exchange within the chassis, the air flow within the chassis being in a predetermined direction to provide directed cooling of a specified device within the chassis, the common plenum allowing the first and second fans to continue to cooperate to provide a minimum air flow to provide a minimum air exchange within the chassis, the air flow remaining in the predetermined direction to continue the directed cooling of the specified device when a selected one of the first and second motors fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventor: R. Steven Mills