Patents by Inventor Thierry W. Swinson

Thierry W. Swinson 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: 5559289
    Abstract: A water meter and backflow preventer for use in a water supply system having a meter box includes a housing having water infeed and outfeed openings which are connected to supply water from a main utility pipeline to a water customer domestic system through a pair of infeed and outfeed shut-off valves and a water meter mounted within the housing. A double check valve is installed in the water circuit in the housing to enable use of the double check method of backflow prevention. Test ports are provided through the housing to enable the housing unit to be testable for leaks through the valves. The water meter and backflow preventer combines backflow prevention integrated with an AWWA-approved water meter in one product having the same overall lay length as a current water meter to eliminate the need for re-fitting pipe or using adapters within the meter box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Schlumberger Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles P. Brunson, IV, Thierry W. Swinson
  • Patent number: 5546801
    Abstract: An adapter for a meter chamber provides proportional metering of a flow through a maincase that is sufficiently accurate at large flow rates to avoid the unmetered loss of significant quantities of water. An essentially unobstructed passageway is provided under the meter chamber to provide a free flow of water through a path that can be made large enough to avoid flow blockage by debris, even if the path through the meter becomes blocked. Thus, the adapter is particularly useful for installation in residential fire service mains. The adapter includes a chamber housing into which the meter chamber may be inserted, a bypass plate to hold the meter chamber in place, and a bypass to provide the passageway through which the free flow of water flows. The chamber housing includes inlet and outlet apertures, as does the bypass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Schlumberger Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Thierry W. Swinson, Brent M. Walden
  • Patent number: 5416475
    Abstract: A remote meter reading receptacle for pit lid mounting includes an annular, cup-shaped housing containing a ferrite coil and electronic circuit board. This housing is mounted within an outer shroud which has an annual flange formed about its periphery. The shroud includes a pair of openings, the first for receiving a threaded fastener, such a bolt, and the other for receiving an electrical cable connected to the circuit board of the housing. The shroud is dimensioned to fit securely within an opening formed in the lid of a pit-type meter box, such as used for outdoor setting of water meters. A complementary cup-shaped washer includes a pair of openings for cooperating with the threaded fastener and for receiving the electrical cable. The washer is disposed on the underside of the pit lid and receives the threaded fastener to fasten the housing and shroud assembly securely to the upper surface of the pit lid. The washer is reversible to accommodate a wide range of pit-lid thicknesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1995
    Assignee: Schlumberger Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel L. Tolbert, Thierry W. Swinson
  • Patent number: 5168146
    Abstract: A bi-directional snap-action register mechanism for an odometer-type mechanical register display. The mechanism includes at least one register display wheel and a bi-directional cam mounted coaxially along a common shaft with the register display wheel. The bi-directional cam engages a helical groove formed along the shaft to allow lateral displacement of the bi-directional cam in a direction parallel to a rotational axis of the shaft. A pin is biased by a spring into contact with the bi-directional cam. Rotation of the shaft causes the bi-directional cam to be moved with respect to the pin. The cam abruptly rotates through a predetermined angular distance when the point of contact of the biased pin with the cam moved from a smooth portion to a step transition portion of the cam. The abrupt rotation of the cam is communicated to the register display wheel to cause a new display position to be moved into view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Inventors: John D. Marshall, Thierry W. Swinson, Richard L. Bennett, Kenneth L. Cole