Patents by Inventor Alexander J. Rice

Alexander J. Rice has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10335188
    Abstract: Drive shafts having helical blades and methods of making are disclosed. In one method a helical auger blade is formed by twisting or sculpting a heated polymer tube which has been placed over a cylindrical drive shaft. In another method a drive shaft is placed within a helical winding and heat is applied to melt polymer which has been coated over one or both of the drive shaft and helical winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Jenny Zeroni, Cory David Sills, Victoria Schuman, Marc D. Knutson, Bryan Matthew Ladd, Benjamin Robert Fruland, Lucas Schneider, Alexander J. Rice
  • Publication number: 20170360470
    Abstract: Drive shafts having helical blades and methods of making are disclosed. In one method a helical auger blade is formed by twisting or sculpting a heated polymer tube which has been placed over a cylindrical drive shaft. In another method a drive shaft is placed within a helical winding and heat is applied to melt polymer which has been coated over one or both of the drive shaft and helical winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: Jenny Zeroni, Cory David Sills, Victoria Schuman, Marc D. Knutson, Bryan Matthew Ladd, Benjamin Robert Fruland, Lucas Schneider, Alexander J. Rice
  • Patent number: 9770259
    Abstract: Drive shafts having helical blades and methods of making are disclosed. In one method a helical auger blade is formed by twisting or sculpting a heated polymer tube which has been placed over a cylindrical drive shaft. In another method a drive shaft is placed within a helical winding and heat is applied to melt polymer which has been coated over one or both of the drive shaft and helical winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Jenny Zeroni, Cory David Sills, Victoria Schuman, Marc D. Knutson, Bryan Matthew Ladd, Benjamin Robert Fruland, Lucas Schneider, Alexander J. Rice
  • Publication number: 20150238223
    Abstract: Drive shafts having helical blades and methods of making are disclosed. In one method a helical auger blade is formed by twisting or sculpting a heated polymer tube which has been placed over a cylindrical drive shaft. In another method a drive shaft is placed within a helical winding and heat is applied to melt polymer which has been coated over one or both of the drive shaft and helical winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Jenny Zeroni, Cory David Sills, Victoria Schuman, Marc D. Knutson, Bryan Matthew Ladd, Benjamin Robert Fruland, Lucas Schneider, Alexander J. Rice
  • Patent number: 8992717
    Abstract: Drive shafts having helical blades and methods of making are disclosed. In one method a helical auger blade is formed by twisting or sculpting a heated polymer tube which has been placed over a cylindrical drive shaft. In another method a drive shaft is placed within a helical winding and heat is applied to melt polymer which has been coated over one or both of the drive shaft and helical winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Jenny Zeroni, Cory David Sills, Victoria Schuman, Marc D. Knutson, Bryan Matthew Ladd, Benjamin Robert Fruland, Lucas Schneider, Alexander J. Rice
  • Publication number: 20130220524
    Abstract: Drive shafts having helical blades and methods of making are disclosed. In one method a helical auger blade is formed by twisting or sculpting a heated polymer tube which has been placed over a cylindrical drive shaft. In another method a drive shaft is placed within a helical winding and heat is applied to melt polymer which has been coated over one or both of the drive shaft and helical winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP
    Inventors: Jenny Zeroni, Cory David Sills, Victoria Schuman, Marc D. Knutson, Bryan Matthew Ladd, Benjamin Robert Fruland, Lucas Schneider, Alexander J. Rice
  • Patent number: 8448329
    Abstract: An integrated lead head suspension flexure including a plurality of integrated leads each including at least one lead portion unbacked by the flexure spring metal layer and configured to be substantially inline with the general plane of the spring metal layer. The leads are disposed on a dielectric layer including an unbacked dielectric layer portion having a surface positioned between the major surfaces of the spring metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventors: Alexander J. Rice, Mark A. Miller, Gregory J. VanHecke, Lance Nevala
  • Patent number: 8169746
    Abstract: An integrated lead head suspension flexure includes a mounting region, a gimbal extending distally from the mounting region and having bond pads, and a tail extending proximally from the mounting region and having terminal pads. First trace sections having a first structural configuration, such as interleaved traces, are electrically connected to the terminal pads and extend across the tail and mounting region. Second trace sections having a second structural configuration different than the first structural configuration, such as ground plane traces, are electrically connected to the bond pads and extend across the gimbal. Transition structures electrically connect the first trace sections to the second trace sections. The first and second trace sections impedance match the different impedances at the bond pads and terminal pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventors: Alexander J. Rice, Gregory J. VanHecke, Reed T. Hentges
  • Patent number: 8094413
    Abstract: An integrated lead head suspension component comprising a spring metal layer, a first conductor layer, a first dielectric layer between at least portions of the spring metal and the first conductor layers, a second conductor layer and a second dielectric layer between at least portions of the first and second conductor layers. The head suspension component includes stacked traces having first and second traces in the first and second conductor layers, respectively. The stacked traces comprise base sections having first widths and gimbal sections having second widths that are less than the first widths. The second dielectric layer can have a generally constant thickness on the base and gimbal sections or, alternatively, a gimbal section thickness that is less than a base section thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventors: Reed T. Hentges, Alexander J. Rice
  • Patent number: 7710688
    Abstract: A disk drive head suspension flexure having a gimbal region and a tail includes a metal base layer, an insulation layer over the base layer and two or more pairs of adjacent traces extending over the insulation layer from the gimbal region to the tail. Each trace includes terminals on the gimbal region and tail. Two or more conductive metal signal transmission planes are embedded within the insulation layer and extend from the gimbal region to the tail between the pairs of traces and metal base layer. Each of the embedded signal transmission planes has a width extending across a width of a pair of the traces. Terminals on the gimbal region and tail are coupled to the signal transmission planes by connection vias extending through the insulation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventors: Reed T. Hentges, Alexander J. Rice, Michael E. Roen