Patents Assigned to American Technology, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6863205
    Abstract: An ultrasonic welder for splicing a plurality of workpieces has four anvils, each formed with a meeting surface and displaceable to form a workpiece nest, which has a rectangular shape of a predetermined width. The width of the workpiece nest is sufficient to receive only at least one vertical column of workpieces to be welded, so as to produce a vertical splice. The ultrasonic welder further has a controller controlling a starting position of tooling, which forms the predetermined width of the workpiece nest, and displacing at least one of tools, which form side faces of the nest in reciprocal and time controlled manner. The displaceable tool is brought back to its starting position corresponding to the predetermined width of the workpiece nest before a new bundle of workpieces is loaded therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John Wnek, James A. Markus
  • Patent number: 6299052
    Abstract: An ultrasonic welder for splicing a plurality of workpieces has four anvils, each formed with a meeting surface and displaceable to form a workpiece nest, which has a rectangular shape of a predetermined width. The width of the workpiece nest is sufficient to receive only at least one vertical column of workpieces to be welded, so as to produce a vertical splice. The ultrasonic welder further has a controller controlling a starting position of tooling, which forms the predetermined width of the workpiece nest, and displacing at least one of tools, which form side faces of the nest in reciprocal and time controlled manner. The displaceable tool is brought back to its starting position corresponding to the predetermined width of the workpiece nest before a new bundle of workpieces is loaded therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John Wnek, James Markus
  • Patent number: 6070777
    Abstract: An ultrasonic welder is provided which automatically recognizes and reliably welds varying weld zone sizes of material The welder comprises a base, a transducer, a tip, an anvil, a gathering tool, and an actuator for moving both the anvil and gathering tool to define a weld zone. An encoder reads movement of the actuator and a microprocessor determines weld zone size to control the transducer for maximizing weld efficiency. Preferably, a horn is mounted between the transducer and tip and the horn is dynamically mounted along an axis of the transducer to transmit the maximum amount of ultrasonic energy to the weld. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of operating an ultrasonic welder to automatically recognize and reliably weld varying weld zone sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Patrikios, James A. Markus
  • Patent number: 5906694
    Abstract: An ultrasonic apparatus and method for charging a coil with a refrigerant gas is described wherein a tube used to convey the gas into the cooling coil is welded shut on both sides of a cutting line so that gas in the tube cannot escape after the charging step has been completed. Die elements to enable such severing of the tube are described with each having corresponding spaced apart welding surfaces and with one of the elements having a cutting edge between its welding surfaces to cut the tube as its internal wall is sealed with an ultrasonic welder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Alan R. Duly
  • Patent number: 5772100
    Abstract: An ultrasonic welder is provided which automatically recognizes and reliably welds varying weld zone sizes of material. The welder comprises a base, a transducer, a tip, an anvil, a gathering tool, and an actuator for moving both the anvil and gathering tool to define a weld zone. An encoder reads movement of the actuator and a microprocessor determines weld zone size to control the transducer for maximizing weld efficiency. Preferably, a horn is mounted between the transducer and tip and the horn is dynamically mounted along an axis of the transducer to transmit the maximum amount of ultrasonic energy to the weld.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Patrikios
  • Patent number: 4867370
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for ultrasonically welding wires includes an ultrasonic horn tip and associated structure for allowing adjustment to accommodate different diameters of wires to be welded while maintaining a tight grip around the wires during the welding process to avoid spreading or splaying of the wires. The tip is rotable to provide several alternative and interchangeable work surfaces on a standard-shaped readily machineable cross section, thereby allowing for a longer total worklife and a reduced cost of manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1989
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis Welter, Guillermo Coto, Michael Patrikios, Rodney Hawkins
  • Patent number: 4852788
    Abstract: An ultrasonic welding apparatus adapted to simultaneously weld individual wire ends to individual contacts on a wire connector is disclosed. The apparatus includes an ultrasonic horn having a welding tip attached at one end. An anvil selectively and separately supports the wire ends on the individual wire contacts. A comb is engaged with the anvil for selectively maintaining separation between the adjacent wire ends and the adjacent contacts during ultrasonic welding and for dislodging the wire connector after the wire ends have been welded thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1989
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael J. Patrikios
  • Patent number: 4817814
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for ultrasonically welding a conductor wire to an electrical terminal. The terminal has a channel portion for receiving the conductor wire. The electrical terminal with the wire therein is confined adjacent the welding tip whereby movement of the welding tip into the channel portion presses the conductor wire against the electrical terminal and welds it thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Guillermo Coto, Curtis L. Welter, Michael Patrikios
  • Patent number: 4799614
    Abstract: Apparatus is provided for ultrasonic welding of wires which include a welding tip of a standard shaped readily machineable cross section with no concave surfaces. The welding tip is rotatable about an ultrasonic horn to present several alternative available worksurfaces. The worksurface in use defines a wall of the compression chamber into which wires to be welded are inserted. An anvil, a support, and a gathering tool each define an additional surface of the compression chamber. The position of each of these elements is adjustable thereby allowing for adjustment in two dimensions of the cross section of the compression chamber. This allows for the welding of various sizes or numbers of wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1989
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis Welter, Guillermo Coto, Michael Patrikios
  • Patent number: 4782990
    Abstract: Apparatus for ultrasonic welding of wires including a hand-held housing with an ultrasonic wave generator, a welding tip connected to said generator, an anvil for clamping the wires to be welded to said welding tip, and a tool for gathering wires disposed between said anvil and welding tips to prevent the wires from splaying during weldment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1988
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Patrikios, Guillermo Coto, Betty Link
  • Patent number: 4757933
    Abstract: Apparatus for the automated feeding, placement and ultrasonic welding of a metal disc, such as a copper heatsink, to a recipient workpiece. A metal disc is automatically fed through the broader end of a chamfered bore cut in a weld location mask. The metal disc is gravity-fed to the narrower end of the bore as the weld location mask is automatically positioned over a recipient workpiece. An ultrasonic welding tip is inserted through the bore to hold the metal disc against the recipient workpiece. Welding of the disc to the recipient workpiece is accomplished by ultrasonically vibrating the tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1988
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Rodney H. Hawkins, Michael Patrikios
  • Patent number: 4749437
    Abstract: Apparatus for the ultrasonic sealing of plastic or metal containers which include a source of ultrasonic wave energy, an ultrasonic welding horn and an anvil. The ultrasonic welding horn is provided with means to adjust and make uniform the amplitude of vibration of the wave energy transmitted by the horn. This is accomplished by attaching weights of varying magnitude to the horn, thus assuring a uniform amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration across the face of the worksurface of the horn, to effect a uniform bond on a workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1988
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Curtis L. Welter
  • Patent number: 4730764
    Abstract: Apparatus for ultrasonically welding a wire to a wire terminal. A stationary anvil forms the lower horizontal wall of a work chamber into which a wire workpiece is inserted. The vertical walls of the work channel are formed by the walls of a slot in a relatively movable horizontal support plate cantilevered from a base. The slot in the support plate fits about the anvil. The horizontal support plate is oscillatable to swing vertically thereby adjusting the size of the work channel. A terminal is seated on the support plate and covers the chamber. An ultrasonic welding tip contacts the terminal and forces down the support plate so as to maintain very tight spot contact between the wire on the anvil and the terminal, against the flexure of the cantilevered arm. Welding of the wire to the terminal is effected by the ultrasonic vibration of the welding tip against the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1988
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Rodney H. Hawkins, Mark W. Dearth, Michael J. Patrikios
  • Patent number: 4278093
    Abstract: A connection in a cardiac pacemaker features a double ended fixed sleeve anchored midway between opposite sides of a pacemaker jacket in electric communication with the interior mechanism. The fixed sleeve is double ended and capable of accepting either of two collets of the same outside diameter at either end. One of the collets has a larger inside diameter than the other for connection to an electric lead wire of size corresponding to the respective inside diameter. An equalizer sleeve carrying a collet draw screw fits either end of the fixed sleeve and is mounted at the end opposite the selected collet. When occasion arises for reversing the lead connection, end for end, to connect, for example, a lead of different size, the first lead is released from the collet as is also the equalizer sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1981
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ray Lafortune, Waldemar Heeb
  • Patent number: 4256115
    Abstract: A leadless battery operated cardiac pacemaker is embodied in a small disc-like case for attachment beneath the pericardium directly to the heart muscle. One electric lead is curled and serves also as a means for both physically and electrically attaching the case to the heart muscle. The other lead surrounds the one lead and is drawn into surface to surface electric contact with body tissue to close the circuit. Solid state redundant circuitry makes provision to serve as a safety feature against possible malfunction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1981
    Assignee: American Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Bilitch