Patents Assigned to SOFIC
  • Patent number: 11318255
    Abstract: A syringe including an injection syringe body and a syringe handle, configured to cooperate with one another in order to ensure a locking function between the injection syringe body and the syringe handle. The injection syringe body includes a longitudinal hub including at least one female or male retaining element, and a protective sheath moveable along said longitudinal hub and able to cover in a retracted position the at least one retaining element of the longitudinal hub. The syringe handle includes at least one male or female retaining element intended to cooperate with the at least one female or male retaining element of the longitudinal hub, ensuring a retaining function, the cooperation being named locking position. The syringe further includes at least one blocker, the at least one blocker ensuring a radial holding function when the retracted and the locking positions are both engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: SOFIC (STÉ FRANCAISE D'INSTRUMENTS DE CHIRURGIE)
    Inventors: Christophe Combes, Richard Foulon
  • Publication number: 20210044106
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device including a stack of ESD clamps, a trigger circuit, and a transistor. The trigger circuit may respond to an ESD event by conducting current, which may cause the transistor to turn on. A combination of the trigger circuit conducting current and the transistor turning on may trigger the ESD clamps into a conducting state to shunt current from a first node to a second node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Applicant: Sofics BV
    Inventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Stefaan Verleye, Benjamin Ernest Henri Virginie Van Camp
  • Publication number: 20200405963
    Abstract: A syringe including an injection syringe body and a syringe handle, configured to cooperate with one another in order to ensure a locking function between the injection syringe body and the syringe handle. The injection syringe body includes a longitudinal hub including at least one female or male retaining element, and a protective sheath moveable along said longitudinal hub and able to cover in a retracted position the at least one retaining element of the longitudinal hub. The syringe handle includes at least one male or female retaining element intended to cooperate with the at least one female or male retaining element of the longitudinal hub, ensuring a retaining function, the cooperation being named locking position. The syringe further includes at least one blocker, the at least one blocker ensuring a radial holding function when the retracted and the locking positions are both engaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Applicant: SOFIC (STÉ FRANCAISE D'INSTRUMENTS DE CHIRURGIE)
    Inventors: Christophe COMBES, Richard FOULON
  • Publication number: 20180166876
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device with a high holding voltage is disclosed including at least an ESD clamp coupled to a holding voltage tuning circuit. The ESD clamp may be coupled to the holding voltage tuning circuit through a connection circuit such as a diode. The ESD clamp may be implemented by a first silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) and the holding voltage tuning circuit may be implemented as a second SCR.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: Sofics BVBA
    Inventor: Sven Van Wijmeersch
  • Publication number: 20180006016
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Applicant: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal
  • Patent number: 9789262
    Abstract: A protective sheath (100) for a cannula (210) arranged on a hub (200) which can be fitted onto a syringe (300), the sheath including female elements intended to cooperate with male elements (201) of the hub (200) for guiding thereof, and characterized in that the female elements include a retracted position before use RBU, a retracted position during use RU, and a retracted position after use RAU, wherein the whole length of the cannula (210) is inside the sheath (100), the female elements further include an ejection position E, wherein whole or part of the cannula (210) protrudes out of the sheath (100), and further characterized in that at least two of the RBU, RU, and RAU positions are substantially transversally aligned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SOFIC (STE FRANCAISE D'INSTRUMENTS DE CHIRURGIE)
    Inventors: Jurgen Wollbold, Christophe Combes, Gregory Lambert, Jerome Haas, Cecile Arnaud
  • Publication number: 20170243864
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed including at least an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor coupled between a first node and a second node, wherein the ESD protection device may be configured to sink current from the first node to the second node in response to an ESD event. The transistors may be coupled such that a collector of the NPN may be coupled to the first node. A collector of the PNP may be coupled to the second node. A base of the NPN may be coupled to the emitter of the PNP. An emitter of the NPN may be coupled to a base of the PNP.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Applicant: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Sven Van Wijmeersch, Wim Vanhouteghem
  • Patent number: 9653453
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed including at least an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor coupled between a first node and a second node, wherein the ESD protection device may be configured to sink current from the first node to the second node in response to an ESD event. The transistors may be coupled such that a collector of the NPN may be coupled to the first node. A collector of the PNP may be coupled to the second node. A base of the NPN may be coupled to the emitter of the PNP. An emitter of the NPN may be coupled to a base of the PNP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Sven Van Wijmeersch, Wim Vanhouteghem
  • Publication number: 20160268250
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed including at least an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor coupled between a first node and a second node, wherein the ESD protection device may be configured to sink current from the first node to the second node in response to an ESD event. The transistors may be coupled such that a collector of the NPN may be coupled to the first node. A collector of the PNP may be coupled to the second node. A base of the NPN may be coupled to the emitter of the PNP. An emitter of the NPN may be coupled to a base of the PNP.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Sven Van Wijmeersch, Wim Vanhouteghem
  • Patent number: 9349716
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed including at least an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor coupled between a first node and a second node, wherein the ESD protection device may be configured to sink current from the first node to the second node in response to an ESD event. The transistors may be coupled such that a collector of the NPN may be coupled to the first node. A collector of the PNP may be coupled to the second node. A base of the NPN may be coupled to the emitter of the PNP. An emitter of the NPN may be coupled to a base of the PNP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Sven Van Wijmeersch, Wim Vanhouteghem
  • Patent number: 9041054
    Abstract: A high holding voltage (HV) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device and compensation regions located within the length between the anode and cathode (LAC) of the SCR device which increase the holding voltage of the SCR device. The compensation regions may introduce negative feedback mechanisms into the SCR device which may influence the loop gain of the SCR and cause it to reach regenerative feedback at a higher holding voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Olivier Marichal
  • Patent number: 9042065
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit is disclosed including at least a clamping device, a switching device, and a voltage limiter. The ESD protection circuit may include devices of different voltage domains. The switching device may be in series with the clamping device to block at least a portion of a voltage from dropping across the clamping device. The switching device may sustain higher maximum operating voltages than the clamping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal, Johan Van der Borght
  • Publication number: 20150119813
    Abstract: A protective sheath (100) for a cannula (210) arranged on a hub (200) which can be fitted onto a syringe (300), the sheath including female elements intended to cooperate with male elements (201) of the hub (200) for guiding thereof, and characterized in that the female elements include a retracted position before use RBU, a retracted position during use RU, and a retracted position after use RAU, wherein the whole length of the cannula (210) is inside the sheath (100), the female elements further include an ejection position E, wherein whole or part of the cannula (210) protrudes out of the sheath (100), and further characterized in that at least two of the RBU, RU, and RAU positions are substantially transversally aligned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: SOFIC (STE FRANCAISE D'INSTRUMENTS DE CHIRURGIE)
    Inventors: Jurgen Wollbold, Christophe Combes, Gregory Lambert, Jerome Haas, Cecile Arnaud
  • Patent number: 8922960
    Abstract: An improved ESD protection circuit having an ESD device and a triggering device to provide a continuously adjustable trigger voltage. This can be accomplished by various techniques such as placing a selected number of triggering elements in series, modifying the gate control circuitry and varying the size of the triggering elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventor: Sven Van Wijmeersch
  • Patent number: 8830641
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed. The ESD protection circuit is configured to operate in high voltage domains. The ESD protection device may further include stacked NMOS or PMOS devices. The gates of the MOS devices may be driven by respective inverters. The inverters may be coupled to a voltage divider and may be triggered by respective trigger circuits. Power nodes of the inverters may be connected such that devices in the ESD protection circuit are exposed to voltages that are within their maximum voltage rating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Johan Van Der Borght, Sven Van Wijmeersch, Benjamin Van Camp, Bart Sorgeloos
  • Patent number: 8653557
    Abstract: A high holding voltage (HV) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device and compensation regions located within the length between the anode and cathode (LAC) of the SCR device which increase the holding voltage of the SCR device. The compensation regions may introduce negative feedback mechanisms into the SCR device which may influence the loop gain of the SCR and cause it to reach regenerative feedback at a higher holding voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Olivier Marichal
  • Patent number: 8537514
    Abstract: The present invention provides an ESD protection device having at least one diode in a well of first conductivity type formed in a substrate of second conductivity type. The circuit further includes a guard-band of the first conductivity surrounding at least a portion of the diode, thus forming an NPN transistor between the diode cathode, the substrate and the guard-band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Benjamin Van Camp, Geert Wybo, Stefaan Verleye
  • Patent number: D746442
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: SOFIC
    Inventors: Jürgen Wollbold, Christophe Combes, Cécile Arnaud
  • Patent number: D844776
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SOFIC (STE FRANCAISE D'INSTRUMENTS DE CHIRURGIE)
    Inventors: Christophe Combes, Richard Foulon
  • Patent number: D844777
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SOFIC (STE FRANCAISE D'INSTRUMENTS DE CHIRURGIE)
    Inventors: Christophe Combes, Richard Foulon