Patents by Inventor Bernard Bechaz

Bernard Bechaz 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: 6848951
    Abstract: An electrical and/or optical interface device between a first piece of equipment, especially of the automatic-machine type, and at least one other piece of equipment of an industrial plant, is disclosed. The device is capable of receiving at least one multipoint connector for serving communication channels between functional elements of the first piece of equipment and functional elements of at least said other piece of equipment, and it is made in the form of a modular assembly whose components are distributed among an alignment of functional modules, of the terminal-block type, that are placed side by side. Each communication channel is served by a functional module containing the interface components which fulfill out the functions that relate to this channel and receiving the multipoint connector part serving this channel, the various functions carried out by the interface device being distributed among various functional modules of said alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Jean-Paul Gaillard, Christophe Louis-Chevrau
  • Patent number: 6827614
    Abstract: The connecting spring is made of a flat elastic material with a certain thickness which has a pressing branch which is intended to rest against a conducting strip of a connection terminal, a moving branch, having on a same side of a free end, a more or less flat part with an opening intended for the passage of the end of a conductor that is to be connected and, a rear part facing the pressing branch, and a connecting region connecting the pressing branch to the moving branch, forming a loop. The pressing branch has an elbow toward an inside of the loop forming a first side of the elbow facing the conducting strip so that when the pressing branch is pressed against the conducting strip, a distance separating the first side of the elbow from a second side of the conducting strip facing the elbow is greater than the thickness of the material used to make the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Enetrelec SA
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Philippe France
  • Patent number: 6561840
    Abstract: This connecting device has a conducting core (9) surrounded by an insulating sheath (7), of the type having: an interconnecting part (2) provided with at least one stripping and connecting jaw (4) formed by a tubular body (5) that, in one face, has a stripping and holding slot (6) designed to cut insulating sheath (7), for connecting and holding the conducting core of cable (8), down to conducting core (9), and an insulating housing (3) defining at least one connecting chamber (15) which contains the stripping jaw (4) and which has, in a wall located opposite stripping slot (6), a gripping slot (16) designed to pinch the insulating sheath (7) of cable (8). The gripping slot (16) is at least partially offset laterally from the stripping slot (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Laurent Guillermier
  • Patent number: 6471552
    Abstract: This spring is made from a metal leaf. On one edge it has at least one tab bent toward the terminal block and intended to sit beside the bonding leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Philippe Dubech
  • Patent number: 6454614
    Abstract: This device includes a fastening catch disposed in an insulating housing (2), the fastening catch including two relatively sliding pieces (6) and each piece (6) exhibiting a hook (12) intended to allow latching on the support rail (4). A central hole (38) substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sliding pieces (6) of the fastening catch is made in the housing so as to allow access to the fastening catch from the top of the housing, and in the latched position of the hooks (12), an edge running transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the hooks of each piece (6) is located in line with the central hole (38).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Sylvain Barrat
  • Patent number: 6413116
    Abstract: A connection piece includes a profiled part having a hollow polygonal cross section along which is made, longitudinally, a straight stripping and retaining slit (10) for at least one wire. The edges of the stripping and retaining slit (10) form the free edges of a part (12) bent over toward the inside of the hollow polygonal section. A connector for at least one electrical wire has such a connection piece as well as an insulating casing (4) provided with an oblong opening (24), which is approximately parallel to the slit and lies facing the latter, and with a housing (8) in which the conducting connecting piece (2) is immobilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Christophe Graffin
  • Patent number: 6361352
    Abstract: This slit-type insulation-displacement connector for electrical wire comprises a conducting connection piece (2) with a straight stripping and retaining slit (8) for the core of a wire. The slit is made longitudinally along a profiled part of the conducting piece. This connector furthermore comprises a metal reinforcement (4) made in a resilient material, which follows the shape of conducting piece (2) by surrounding it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Sylvain Barrat, Bernard Bechaz, Philippe France
  • Publication number: 20020031936
    Abstract: This connecting device has a conducting core (9) surrounded by an insulating sheath (7), of the type having:
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Applicant: ENTRLEC S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Laurent Guillermier
  • Publication number: 20020002009
    Abstract: This piece comprises a profiled part having a hollow polygonal cross section along which is made, longitudinally, a straight stripping and retaining slit (10) for at least one wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Publication date: January 3, 2002
    Inventors: CHRISTOPHE GRAFFIN, BERNARD BECHAZ
  • Publication number: 20010051466
    Abstract: This spring is made from a metal leaf.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Publication date: December 13, 2001
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Philippe Dubech
  • Publication number: 20010049236
    Abstract: This connecting spring is made of a flat elastic material which has a pressing first branch (4) which is intended to rest against a fixed conducting strip (10) of a connection terminal, a moving bent second branch (6), having, on the one hand, at the same end as its free end, a more or less flat part (16) with an opening (20) intended for the passage of the end of a conductor that is to be connected and, on the other hand, a rear part (22) facing the pressing first branch (4), and a connecting region (8) connecting the two branches (4, 6), forming a loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Applicant: ENTRELEC S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Philippe France
  • Patent number: 6293820
    Abstract: This fastening catch comprises two relatively sliding pieces (6), each piece exhibiting a hook (12) intended to allow latching to the support rail. A first sliding piece (6) exhibits snap-engagement mechanism (20) and the second sliding piece (6) comprises complementary snap-engagement mechanisms (16, 18) so that these snap-engagement mechanisms cooperate when the sliding pieces (6) are in the unlatched position and possibly also in the latched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Entrelec SA
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Sylvain Barrat
  • Publication number: 20010014552
    Abstract: Insulation-displacement connector This slit-type insulation-displacement connector for electrical wire comprises a conducting connection piece (2) with a straight stripping and retaining slit (8) for the core of a wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Publication date: August 16, 2001
    Inventors: SYLVAIN BARRAT, BERNARD BECHAZ, PHILIPPE FRANCE
  • Patent number: 6196883
    Abstract: This spring allows an electrical connection to a stripped wire to be made in a terminal strip. It has bearing branch intended to bear against a conducting fixed part and a rear branch, facing the bearing branch, linked via a springy linking region to the latter and the free end of which is curved toward the bearing branch in order to form a moveable pinching branch having, on the same side as its free end, an appreciably plane part provided with an opening intended for passage of the conducting fixed part and of the stripped wire in such a way that the edge of the opening lying on the same side as the free end of the moveable pinching branch keeps the stripped end of the wire pressed against the conducting fixed part. A linking region springingly links the two branches. On the opposite side from the rear branch, the bearing branch is provided with a guiding region which extends parallel to the pinching branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Stéphane Prost, Philippe France
  • Patent number: 6183288
    Abstract: This device is made from a flat resilient material, which has a first branch intended to bear against a fixed conducting part of a connection terminal, a moving sharply-angled second branch having, on the side of its free end, an approximately planar part provided with an opening intended for passage of the end of a cable to be connected and a part facing the first branch, as well as a linking region which joins the two branches, thus forming a loop. Each branch has a part which is concave toward the outside of the loop and the two concave parts are approximately facing each other and form a narrows inside the loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Sylvain Barrat, Bernard Bechaz, Philippe France, Stéphane Prost
  • Patent number: 6146186
    Abstract: This connector comprises:a conducting piece which has a slot intended to accommodate the cable to be connected and which is fitted into an insulating casing having an opening allowing insertion of a cable;means allowing the cable to be stripped locally, these means being made on a piece separate from the conducting piece and facing the slot in the latter; andmovement means for moving the cable from an insertion position to a connection position in which the cable is in the slot in the conducting piece, the cable passing through the means allowing it to be stripped locally during this movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Sylvain Barrat, Bernard Bechaz, Philippe France
  • Patent number: 6065996
    Abstract: A connector comprises a casing (2) inside which is mounted a conducting piece (9) having a slit (10) for retaining an electrical wire (16). Mounted so as to pivot inside this casing is a cage (8) having a cavity (13) for the engagement of a maneuvering rod and a cavity (15) for the engagement of the conducting wire (16). During the pivoting movement of the cage (8), the wire (16) is stripped locally and introduced into the slit (10), and the cage sits over that end of the conducting piece (9) which has the slit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Sylvain Barrat, Philippe France
  • Patent number: 6059129
    Abstract: A clipping arrangement for clipping an electrical or electro-optical equipment module onto a support rail (1), the arrangement comprising a rigid hook-forming first portion (5) adapted to hook onto a first edge of the rail, and a catch-forming second portion (6) which is adapted to hook onto a second edge of the rail under the action of a resilient return force and which can be driven remotely by a tool blade that is inserted into a remotely located hole-forming driver device (7) provided in the arrangement to enable the blade to act by leverage. The driver device of the arrangement is connected to the second portion on which the device acts via a force-transmitter device (15, 16, 17), it thus being possible to position the driver device remotely from said second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Luc Doutaz, Philippe France
  • Patent number: 6048223
    Abstract: Terminal block comprising two connection devices In this terminal block, each connection device has a stripping and retaining slot provided with a wire entry at one end, as well as an insulating casing having, opposite the slots, an opening allowing a wire facing the wire entry to be inserted and slid into the slot. The stripping slots are approximately parallel and the wire entries face each other. The terminal block also has, placed between the two connection devices, a double pusher fitted so as to slide parallel to the direction of the stripping slots between a position of interpenetration with respect to a first connection device and a position of interpenetration with respect to the other connection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Entrelec S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Bechaz, Luc Doutaz, Ariel Ruz
  • Patent number: 6019643
    Abstract: A connection module, in particular a junction block, having connection terminals that are interconnectable by means of moving conductive pieces that can be driven from outside the module. A box of insulating material contains the connection terminals and respective electric link strips for each module, which strips are fixed and terminate in individual extensions serving as contact elements, said extensions extending parallel to a common plane inside the box, with elements on any one level being in alignment. A conductive piece includes at least one comb of parallel spring-blade contact clips enabling it to come into contact with the extensions on a given level by the clips coming astride them when a drive member carrying the clips is moved inside the box from outside the box where said drive member has a handle-forming head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Entrelac S.A.
    Inventors: Sylvain Barrat, Francois Fayard, Bernard Bechaz