Patents Represented by Attorney James P. McAndrews
  • Patent number: 4951236
    Abstract: A universal sensor has a selectively scaled condition responsive element such as a capacitive pressure transducer mounted on a common support with signal conditioning means embodied in an integrated circuit to provide a control signal precisely corresponding to a sensed condition. Electrically actuatable means on the support are incorporated in the circuit for low cost, mass producible calibration of the circuit and condition-responsive element relative to each other after assembly on the common support. Preferably, a capacitive pressure transducer and a reference capacitor are arranged in a charge-locked loop relation with a common node while an array of switches cycles the voltage across the transducer and reference capacitors with opposite transitions with a predetermined frequency so change in transducer capacitance results in a differential voltage at the common node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Keith W. Kawate, Anthony J. Sabetti
  • Patent number: 4939495
    Abstract: A circuit breaker is shown having movable contacts carried by an operating member which moves between a circuit breaker contacts closed position and a circuit breaker contacts open position. An auxiliary switch has electrically conductive, flexible contact members adapted to engage an electrically conductive bridging shaft element carried by the operating member when the operating member is in one of its two positions to provide means for indicating the status of the circuit breaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert W. Peterson, Jacques Chammas
  • Patent number: 4936010
    Abstract: The bond of a layer of glass dielectric material applied to metal substrates of the type which are capable of forming solid solutions with copper is enhanced by first coating the substrate with a layer of thick film copper, curing the thick film at a temperature which results in the formation of the solid solution at the interface between the substrate and the thick film copper and then applying the dielectric layer to the thick film copper and curing the dielectric layer. Circuit patterns and components can then be built on the dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Allan J. Siuzdak
  • Patent number: 4920624
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for fabricating a double helix coil comprising the steps of and apparatus for coiling a wire into a first helix, removably securing one end portion of the first helix to an arbor, coiling the first helix about the arbor to form a coil having a second helix, detaching the one end portion of the coil from the arbor and removing the double helix coil from the arbor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Henry Ty, John Baptista, George DeAmaral
  • Patent number: 4921165
    Abstract: A fluid level control valve has a base with an aperture formed therein. A cover is slidingly disposed over the aperture and is biased by a thermostatic element in a direction tending to close the aperture. In one embodiment the thermostatic element is an elongated strip having one end captured by tabs projecting from the base, and an opposite end is captured by a bracket formed on the base. The thermostatic element is formed with a V-shaped formed imparing portion which is aligned with the cover and the position of the bracket is adjustable to place a selected force on the cover through the thermostatic element. The calibrated valve is then fixedly attached to a housing with the aperture aligned with an aperture in the housing. In another embodiment a U-shaped thermostatic strip has one end mounted on the base with its opposite end biased against the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Henry Ty, Narendra R. Zaveri, Alfred J. White
  • Patent number: 4917414
    Abstract: A door interlock arrangement for an appliance such as a self-cleaning electric oven has an operating lever manually movable in a limited arc to move a door bolt into and out of door latching position and provide further motion to close the door very securely, and has a lock arranged in a novel cooperative relationship with an electrical interlock unit to permit certain appliance operations only when the door is latched and to permit opening of the door after the end of those appliance operations only when a selected appliance zone has cooled to a safe temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Henry J. Boulanger
  • Patent number: 4902235
    Abstract: A socket for mounting an integrated circuit unit on a printed circuit board comprises a plurality of inserts of a platable electrically insulating material each having an opening and an exterior surface portion. The inserts are mounted in rows in a support body so the openings are accessible from one side of the body and the exterior surface portions are exposed at an opposite side of the body. Electrically conductive layers are provided on the inner surfaces of the insert openings, preferably by electroless plating techniques using the body as a plating mask, to extend to the exterior surface portions of the inserts to be soldered to circuit paths on the printed circuit board at prescribed circuit locations. Contacts are disposed in the insert openings in electrical engagement with the electrically conductive layers therein for resiliently and detachably electrically engaging terminals of integrated circuit units or the like inserted into the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Takashi Tonooka
  • Patent number: 4903164
    Abstract: A pressure transducer having a pressure sensing surface spaced from an interior surface of the transducer housing by a relatively rigid back-up ring which contacts each of the pressure sensing surface, the interior surface of the housing and an interior side wall of the housing. A relatively less rigid O-ring is disposed between the pressure sensing surface and the interior surface of the housing and contacts the back-up ring, the back-up ring and the O-ring providing sealing of the pressure cavity. The O-ring communicates with the fluid entering the housing via an inlet in the housing. Because the output of the pressure sensing element is affected by the loading of the O-ring and back-up ring, and because this loading changes over time, mainly due to cold flow, compression set, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert P. Bishop, Herman Purut
  • Patent number: 4898142
    Abstract: The invention relates to a combustion engine with fuel injection system, having at least one cylinder with an air inlet passage, into which passage opens a fuel spray valve which is connected to a fuel pipe with pump. Disposed in the fuel pipe or on the spray valve is a fuel heating element with which the infed fuel can come into direct contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Guus Van Wechem, Gerrit Beunk, Frits Van Den Elst, Arie Van Der Ploeg
  • Patent number: 4894643
    Abstract: An aural or visual alarm is arranged to be actuated upon leaving a door to an appliance open longer than a preselected period of time. An automatically resettable disarming device may be included to permit leaving the door open intentionally for an extended time to permit appliance cleaning or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Herbert A. Thompson, Glenn J. Doell
  • Patent number: 4894293
    Abstract: A circuit system has a semiconductor device mounted on a substrate which includes a composite metal material comprising a plurality of discrete elements of ferrous metal material such as an alloy of 36 percent nickel and the balance iron having a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion, the discrete elements being copper-coated by electroless copper plating or the like and being pressed together and heated for sintering or diffusion-bonding the copper coatings together to form a continuous copper matrix having the discrete elements secured in dispersed relation therein for providing the composite metal material with a coefficient of thermal expansion relatively much lower than that of the copper material, the heating of the coated particles for diffusion bonding thereof being regulated for forming the continuous copper matrix while leaving the copper material of the matrix substantially free of nickel, ferrous or other constituents diffused therein from the discrete elements for providing the composit
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Henry F. Breit, Karen A. Auguston, Joseph M. Gondusky
  • Patent number: 4894634
    Abstract: A thermostatic switch is shown in which a movable arm mounting a movable contact and a snap acting thermostatic strip disc are cantilever mounted with the disc adapted to cause the movable contact to move out of engagement with a stationary contact at a selected calibration temperature by engaging the movable arm and moving it and concomitantly the movable contact away from the stationary contact when the disc snaps to its opposite surface configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Masakazu Nezuka, Yuji Saito, Yasuhiro Sato
  • Patent number: 4890083
    Abstract: A shield for electromagnetic radiations comprising a laminated sheet having exterior layers of copper which sandwich an interior layer of a ferromagnetic alloy taken from the class consisting of nickel-iron compounds having from about 42 to about 80 percent nickel by weight and iron as a substantial portion of the remaining material. The layers are metallurgically bonded to each other by sintering or the like. According to a second embodiment, a laminated sheet is provided having exterior layers of copper which sandwich plural interior layers of ferromagnetic material, the layers of ferromagnetic material having progressively higher permeability and being capable of shielding interference of progressively lower energy level when travelling in a direction away from the direction of the source of interference. A typical laminated sheet in the direction away from the source of interference is copper/permendur/80/copper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: George Trenkler, Richard G. Delagi, Francois A. Padovani, Donald L. Winslow
  • Patent number: 4888662
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a pressure transducer for use in measurement of pressures in the range of 3000 to 5000 psi and above wherein the pressure sensing module is physically separated from the electrical connector by a barrier formed from a material which is less readily deformable under high pressure than the connector. This is accomplished in one embodiment by separating the electrical connector from the pressure sensing element by a metal support ring againsst which the pressure sensing element bears. In accordance with a second embodiment, the electrical connector is disposed externally of the housing with the pressure sensing element being disposed within the housing and bearing against an interior wall thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Robert P. Bishop
  • Patent number: 4885488
    Abstract: A fan for mounting on and use in connection with cooling of components on a PWB comprising a PWB having an aperture therein for receiving a bearing holder with a bearing rotatable within the holder. An annular multipole permanent magnet is secured to the bearing for rotation in the bearing holder. An impeller in the form of radially and outwardly extending vanes, aligned with a central point but spaced from said point, is secured to an outer surface of the permanent magnet and rotates therewith. A housing is secured to the PWB, the housing being disposed over the impeller and the magnet and having two openings, one in the region above the central point of the vanes and a second opening facing along the surface of the PWB. Four electromagnets are secured to the side of the PWB opposite the magnet, the electromagnets being positioned at the four corners of a square and beneath the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Ned Cox
  • Patent number: 4885214
    Abstract: A composite material has portions of a first material such as a metal or ceramic having coatings of a metal material thereon disposed in a metal matrix material and having a diffusion-bonds between the coating and matrix materials securing the portions of the first material at selected locations in the composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: George Trenkler, Richard G. Delagi
  • Patent number: 4883428
    Abstract: A socket having contacts mounted on an electrically insulating body for detachably connecting terminal pins of an integrated circuit unit into a test circuit during testing of the integrated circuit unit has circuit components such as resistors incorporated on a base board accommodated at the bottom of the insulating body, the resistors being connected to the respective contacts and having terminal pins extending therefrom to be connected into the test circuit, thereby to provide an external resistance for each integrated circuit pin during testing in a compact and convenient manner to permit high unit density during testing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Takashi Tonooka
  • Patent number: 4881508
    Abstract: A heating device for fuel or other fluid, in particular to prevent solidification of paraffin constituents in diesel oil, comprises a housing (1) with an inlet (14) and an outlet (15) for the fuel, and a number of metal plates (3, 4) inside the housing. Tablets or heater elements (5) made of a ceramic material with a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) are fastened on the metal plates so that heat and electricity is conducted. To improve the heat transfer one or more turbulators (6; 6a, 6b) are placed between two of the above-mentioned metal plates, (3, 4) provided with PTC tablets. Passages (16, 17) are present to make the infed fuel flow from the inlet (14) over the first metal plate, through a turbulator and over the second metal plate to the outlet (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Fredrik M. N. Van Den Elst, Jan Bakker
  • Patent number: 4879805
    Abstract: A resettable, current-responsive, circuit interrupter device is made by blanking two wide but thin terminals and carrier stubs therefore, and embedding them up to a substantial part of their thickness in a side wall of an insulating housing so that sides of the embedded terminal portions are exposed from the housing material along the side wall inside the housing, so that terminal ends extend from the bottom of the housing to be connected in a circuit and through the top of the housing to be accessible for test purposes. An electrical contact is secured on an exposed side surface of one embedded terminal portion and a thermostatic strip element is secured to an exposed side surface of the other embedded terminal portion to extend closely along the one housing side to normally engage the contact in a very compact, closed circuit position of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Donald Tomkinson, John R. D'Entremont
  • Patent number: 4876523
    Abstract: A switch is shown having a thermostatic member which deforms in response to variations in temperature to thereby control the state of energization of the switch. The thermostatic member is shown cantilever mounted or centrally mounted using material to affix the member to a support which melts at a selected temperature to cause the member to separate from the support upon the occurrence of selected conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Osami Kushida, Hisamitsu Ninomiya, Masakazu Nezuka, Yoshihiko Ishikawa