Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Francis N. Carten
  • Patent number: 4532796
    Abstract: A system for testing the fabrication of objects utilizes echo-sounding techniques. A transmit transducer and a receive transducer which provide a conversion between electric and sonic energies are acoustically coupled to the object under test. A single cable connects the transducers to a single processor which generates, receives and analyzes the signals utilized in the test process. A coupling circuit connects one end of the single cable to the two transducers and isolates a transmitted signal from a received signal so as to permit their communication by the single cable. Within the coupling circuit, a transmitted signal is communicated by a set of serially connected diodes wherein the forward voltage drop is much less than the voltage of the transmitted signal, but greater than the voltage of an incoming signal such as a reverberation of the transmitted signal or a received echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1985
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: George D. Martens, Alexander B. Smith, Thomas D. Healy
  • Patent number: 4518018
    Abstract: A preformed radiator hose and a method of manufacturing such a hose are disclosed herein. A long length of an uncured hose is first fabricated by alternately wrapping layers of an uncured elastomer and fiber reinforcements around a straight mandrel. The uncured hose is then removed from the straight mandrel and cut into shorter segments. Each of these segments is then placed on a contoured mandrel having a shape corresponding to the intended configuration of the final hose and cured by heating. Although the fully cured hose does have a permanent shape, because of the unique arrangement of the reinforcements, etc., it has sufficient deformability to be easily slipped off the mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1985
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas A. Kutnyak, George T. Dunn, Chester L. Guiles
  • Patent number: 4514024
    Abstract: One connector part has an end face with openings aligned with the contacts. A transferable metal plate has openings which can be aligned with the contacts and the end face openings, the plate and end face openings being sufficient to receive a pin contact without shorting out. The plate is located in front of the socket contacts and spring-loaded to urge an edge outwardly of the connector part or shell. With the connector parts disconnected, the metal plate partially blocks off the end face openings. On mating of the connector parts, the shell of the other connector part engages the protruding plate edge camming the plate to align the plate openings with the openings of the socket contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1985
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Clark
  • Patent number: 4490575
    Abstract: A helically fabricated electrically conductive flexible hose having a self-supporting electrically conductive helical reinforcing element of non-circular cross-section with a flat side facing inwardly and defining the outermost element of the hose bonded to a flexible plastic hose wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas A. Kutnyak
  • Patent number: 4483584
    Abstract: An optical fiber has an insulative coating portion stripped leaving an extent of bare fiber. A fiber contact housing has an opening within which the fiber is located in the interstice of three cylindrical pins arranged parallel and contacting each other. The inner end portions of the pins are ridged to clamp onto the insulative material covering the fiber adjacent the bare fiber. A shield is placed around the inner ends of the pins and crimped about the pins and fibers. By use of a fixture the faced-off end of the fiber is located just inwardly of the outer ends of the pins, this assembly constituting a "contact" and a second fiber is assembled into a second "contact". An alignment sleeve has a leaf spring wall to resiliently retain and align the two fiber contacts received within the sleeve ends in proper fiber end spacing relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: John B. Gresty
  • Patent number: 4479835
    Abstract: In the forming of flexible tubing of at least one wire helix covered by a helically wrapped tape, an apparatus and method for making such tubing wherein an endless belt of a width a plurality of times the pitch of the wire helix is passed against a rotating mandrel surface to draw the wire helix and tape wrapping together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas A. Kutnyak, Arthur R. Campbell
  • Patent number: 4470946
    Abstract: A removable plugging device for a pipeline, and particularly for pressure testing a steam pipeline in a boiling water reactor, wherein an inflatable annular sealing member seals off the pipeline and characterized by radially movable shoes for holding the plug in place, each shoe being pivotally mounted for self-adjusting engagement with even an out-of-round pipeline interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Vassalotti, Frank Anastasi
  • Patent number: 4470952
    Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for decontaminating a nuclear reactor pressure vessel. It comprises a buoyant annular frame which descends into the vessel as the water level within it is lowered. Spray nozzles move around the frame on trolleys in a reciprocating fashion and spray water under high pressure on the inner surface of the vessel wall, resulting in automatic washdown of the reactor vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Vassalotti
  • Patent number: 4468080
    Abstract: For cable termination, a metal plate is fit into the open cable-receiving end of either a connector plug or receptacle. One or more openings in the plate include hollow metal tubes conductively secured to the plate. A set of cable wires within a grounded shield have a shield end portion peeled back preliminary to the wires being passed through one of the tubes and connected to an appropriate connector contact. The peeled-back shield end portion extends over the tube. A ring of solder about the shield affixes it to the tube. Optionally, an aluminum ring may be clamped over the shield sleeve by an electric current operated cryo ring. In another shield connection technique, an oversized ferrule is crimped onto the shield. An elongated tapered cylindrical adapter has one end of a diameter enabling fitting receipt onto the connector open end and a recessed shoulder for engaging edge portions of the connection plate to secure it in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael K. Van Brunt
  • Patent number: 4460227
    Abstract: A multi-wire cable grommet constructed of a pliable material has a plurality of apertures extending therethrough and wire-sealing wall portions, one for each cable wire. Centrally located and extending angularly inwardly from the aperture wall is a generally cone-shaped wall portion which terminates in an opening smaller than the wire diameter. The opening in the cone-shaped portion lies on the aperture axis and is encompassed by a bead with wall thickness being relatively thin so that any wire movements transversely of the aperture axis will be taken up by bending of the conical wall rather than by any tendency of the conical member opening bead to be stretched away from sealing relationship with the wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: David J. Ball
  • Patent number: 4458220
    Abstract: A plug and receptacle electrical connector has incorporated within one of its parts an insulative enclosure maintaining the pin or sockets contacts, as the case may be, in an electrically insulated relation, which enclosure also has cavities formed about each of the pin contacts for receiving inductors and/or one or more specially formed capacitors therein.Each inductor is an elongated hollow cylinder formed of a magnetic material (e.g., sintered ferrite), one such inductor being received within a member cavity and the pin (or socket) contacts on being assembled in the connector part extending through the respective inductor openings. A capacitor consists of an insulative cylinder with an axial opening therethrough and has select portions coated with first and second electrically conductive film electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Carter, David J. Ball
  • Patent number: 4457574
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a shielded plug and socket in which the socket is provided with a fixed and a movable shield to protect the socket against magnetic electromagnetic interference when the socket is disconnected from the plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerald E. Walters
  • Patent number: 4441775
    Abstract: A wire frame aid is received over the cable and the connector part that carries the coupling housing. At one end of the frame coded keys interlockingly engage keys and keyways on the outer surface of the coupling housing. The aid is gripped by one or both hands when it is desired to rotate the housing providing greater purchase of the hand and additional leverage for opening or closing the connector, as the case may be. An elongated slot-like opening enables the aid to be slipped on and off the cable and connector, as desired. In a second version, an elongated hollow metal body having a bore sufficient to permit receipt onto the cable has an enlarged threaded end which is received onto a similarly threaded portion of the coupling housing. The end portion of the metal body opposite the threaded end is provided with transversely extending parts which can be gripped with the hand or fingers, or with a suitable tool during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerald E. Walters
  • Patent number: D275333
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Assignee: Automation Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: James Williams, Henry K. Wills
  • Patent number: D282165
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1986
    Assignee: TIE/Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Wilbert C. Brown
  • Patent number: D282167
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1986
    Assignee: TIE/Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Wilbert C. Brown
  • Patent number: D282168
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1986
    Assignee: TIE/Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Wilbert C. Brown
  • Patent number: D282258
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1986
    Assignee: TIE/Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Wilbert C. Brown
  • Patent number: D282745
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1986
    Assignee: TIE/Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Wilbert C. Brown
  • Patent number: D287246
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1986
    Assignee: TIE/Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Wilbert C. Brown, Philip B. Saba