Patents Represented by Attorney Sylvia L. Boyd
  • Patent number: 5225970
    Abstract: Twist-in mounting structure centered on a component surface mounts a component to a single panel aperture. Each of a pair of capture tabs has a free end away from the structure's center; an interference surface slopes from the tab free end downwardly toward a raised capture plateau and inwardly toward the center. Each of a pair of spring locking arms lies between two capture tabs, providing a free bearing end adjacent the center, and is pivotable at an end spaced away from the center responsive to force on the bearing end, between unstressed, depressed, and locking positions. In assembly, the tabs pass through the aperture, while the arms are depressed by the panel; with panel against plateaus, the component is twisted to cause aperture edges and tabs to interfere; thereafter the locking arm free ends spring through the aperture into locking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Inventor: Nicholas R. Palumbo
  • Patent number: 5204757
    Abstract: Facsimile data is routed from a transmitting device to a destination device. Responsive to detection at a first port of a received off-hook condition signal and of a set of destination identifying signals, a front-end router provides sequentially at a second port an off-hook signal, signals representing a stored telephone number of a store-and-forward service device, signals representing stored store-and-forward service access authorization information, signals representing the set of destination identifying signals, and a facsimile mode invoke signal. A communication path is enabled between the two ports. Data is transferred to the store-and-forward service through the router. Thereafter, responsive to detection at the first port of a received on-hook condition signal, an on-hook condition signal is provided at the second port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1993
    Inventors: G. William Agudelo, Shu-Kuang Ho
  • Patent number: 4985603
    Abstract: An electric switch design compensates for unprodictable but significant variability, within a known range, in case and cover material shrinkage during manufacture. A contact actuator has radially spaced guide bosses and an axial barrel providing a plurality of external axially extending sharp bearing ridges. Case guide structure cooperates with the actuator guide bosses to permit actuator travel generally normal to the case floor. The actuator is dimensioned with respect to the case guide structure to accommodate the unpredictable case material shrinkage variability and thereby to permit actuator play in which the actuator axis is rotatable out of the normal to the case floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1991
    Inventor: Thomas F. Prince
  • Patent number: 4894496
    Abstract: An auxiliary winding cut-out switch for a sump pump motor having main windings and auxiliary windings. Controlled deflection means for positioning a contact carried on a terminal movable arm with respect to a fixed contact comprises a plunger, actuator, removable coil compression return spring and removable coil compression take-up spring, all concentric and colinear. The plunger slides in housing guide means and has a follower portion for following contact with a control surface carried on the motor rotor and axially movable responsive to rotor speed. The actuator slides in the housing guide means and has an offset coupler engaging the terminal movable arm. The take-up spring is seated between plunger and actuator; the return spring is seated between housing cover and actuator. The springs are electrically unconnected to the terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Inventor: Nicholas R. Palumbo
  • Patent number: 4894492
    Abstract: Rotary switch providing selectable forward and reverse motor speeds responsive to a single control. A rotatable shaft moves two power source contacts interdependently between a motor terminal and a bus, for two polarity conditions, or holds the contacts in a power off condition. Three concentric coplanar tracks, radially spaced and centered about the shaft axis, each comprises conductive and non-conductive arcuate segments. At least one track has a segment powered by connection to the bus. Each conductive segment of a non-powered track is connected to a switch output. The shaft carries two arcuately spaced wipers, each providing electrical contacts for connecting conductive segments of a distinct pair of tracks including a powered track. Segments, wipers, and contacts are mutually spaced to successively connect distinct sets of segments as the shaft is rotated, to provide at the switch outputs distinct switch conditions including an off condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Inventor: Nicholas R. Palumbo
  • Patent number: 4822297
    Abstract: A junction block for tap-in connection to a continuous two-conductor line comprises a removably mutually engageable base and a cover, defining axially aligned wire entrance and exit apertures, and a passage admitting a plug. Conductor positioners each define a conductor path between the apertures; insulation displacement means are positioned for cooperative interaction with the positioners. Each displacement means is electrically connected with a contact spring adjacent the passage.A positioner and its cooperating displacement means together define a conductor engagement position generally on a level with the wire apertures, so that tension on the wire external to the block does not tend to pull the conductors out of the displacement means. The block has cooperating alignment means mutually engageable during assembly positively to align the positioners with the displacement means before the conductor insulation is engaged, and to prevent misassembly of the block components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1989
    Assignee: Ark-Les Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas F. Prince, Julian J. Bishop, William B. Walkup
  • Patent number: 4781213
    Abstract: A ball check valve assembly for chemical pumps. A fluid conduit terminates at a first surface in a port of circular cross section. Within the conduit, an O ring seat is aligned with the port; an elastomeric O ring is positioned in the seat. Spacer means, radially outward of the O ring seat, extends generally away from the port and has a dimension adjacent the O ring seat greater than the cross sectional diameter of the O ring when unstressed. O ring capture means spaced from the O ring seat limits travel of the O ring away from the port, and provides a central aperture for the valve ball, which has a diameter greater than that of the port. The O ring has an ID less than the diameter of the ball and an OD greater than the diameter of the aperture; the spacer means ID is at least about 1/2% greater than the OD of the O ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Inventor: Enrique L. Kilayko
  • Patent number: 4626058
    Abstract: A connector box for coaxial cable includes a metal shell made from a stamping and folded into a box shape, a spacer structure of non-conductor, an inner connector and a cover. Insulation displacement slots in the shell wall with sharpened vee-shaped entries and in-turned edges engage a cable outer conductor. A stepped passage in the spacer structure positions the cable during insertion. Insulation displacement slots with vee-entries in the inner connector are aligned with those of the shell and engage the inner conductor of the cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1986
    Assignee: Ark-Les Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas F. Prince, Julian J. Bishop
  • Patent number: 4533197
    Abstract: A device for connecting shielded pair has a base holding a shield bus and two conductor buses. Each bus is formed from sheet metal stock and positioned to provide a wall at right angle to the floor of the base. The buses have insulation displacement slots situated away from the floor of the base. The base and a cover cooperatively form line entrance structures which are aligned with the slots in the shield bus and resist rotating of the lines. The cover has structures which retain the conductors in place. The base has structures supporting the shield bus in proximity to the displacement slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1985
    Inventors: Thomas F. Prince, Julian J. Bishop
  • Patent number: 4445536
    Abstract: There is disclosed a coupling for effecting pneumatic connection between a rack and a circuit board carrying both electrical and pneumatic control elements where concurrent connection is made of electric and pneumatic circuits as the circuit board is inserted in the rack. The coupling comprises a male unit with a wedge shaped insertion probe penetrated by a flow channel terminating in an interconnection port and a female unit with an opening for receiving the insertion probe of the male unit and an interconnection port mating across an interface surface with the male interconnection port. The female coupling unit further includes a shuttle with axial symmetry having an actuator shaft of a diameter to slide within the uniform bore portion of the tunnel at one end, a stop that cannot enter the uniform bore portion of the tunnel at the other end, two spaced apart seals of a diameter to make a sealing fit to the uniform bore portion of the tunnel positioned intermediately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1984
    Assignee: Linear Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventor: John G. Willis