Patents by Inventor Dennis E. Smith

Dennis E. Smith 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: 4813248
    Abstract: An electric motor, a drive and a clothes washing machine including the motor and drive are described, the motor having a stator held outboard of a frame carrying bearings in which a shaft rotates, the shaft carrying the rotor outboard of the stator, the rotor having permanent magnets on an inner face thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1989
    Assignee: Fisher & Paykel Limited
    Inventors: Dennis E. Smith, John J. A. Williams, Gerald D. Duncan, Graeme D. Thomas, John G. Borrows, Frank W. Shacklock
  • Patent number: 4787864
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly of terminals terminated to conductors of cables assures the retention of the terminals in the passageways of the housing by an insert member inserted into a transverse cavity at the cable-receiving face along one side of the cables of a row after the terminated terminals are fully inserted. The insert member has forwardly facing stop surfaces which engage rearwardly facing stop surfaces of annuli of the terminals at rearward ends thereof spaced away from the cable insulation. The terminals are preferably primarily retained in the passageways by conventional means so that the insert is a secondary retention means. The insert is secured such as by a pair of latch arms at ends thereof which latch to the housing when the insert's stop surfaces engage those of the terminals of the row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1988
    Assignee: AMP Incorporated
    Inventors: Alexander Hunt, III, John M. Myer, Charles R. Rhoads, Dennis E. Smith
  • Patent number: 4773242
    Abstract: A deck lid latch has a rotatable clock cylinder accessible through an escutcheon having a pivotally mounted cover. A detent is effective upon movement of the cover to the open position to hold the cover in the open position. The detent is released in response to rotation of the lock cylinder so that the cover is moved to the closed position by a bias spring. A gear is rotatably mounted on the escutcheon and has gear teeth meshing with gear teeth displayed on the cover in an arcuate path about the pivot axis of the cover so that pivotal movement of the cover rotates the gear. A viscous damper is associated with the gear to retard rotary movement of the gear and thereby retard the closing movement of the cover in a time delayed fashion which gives the operator time to withdraw the key and his fingers from proximity with the spring biased cover prior to the cover reaching the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Dennis E. Smith
  • Patent number: 4655525
    Abstract: An insert member is insertable into a rearward section of an electrical connector and securable therewithin, securing terminals therein. Terminal-engaging stop shoulders at a front end of the insert are disposed against and behind stop shoulders on the terminals disposed in respective terminal cavities in the connector, terminated on ends of conductors. Channels in the insert member pair with channels in the housing walls to substantially contain each conductor therealong. The insert member can have lateral latches thereon to latch in recesses in the housing. The terminal cavities can be arranged in rows, and each row has an insert-receiving cavity in the rearward section of the housing which contains the conductors and is in axial communication with the terminal cavities and a lateral wall extends between the insert-receiving cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: AMP Incorporated
    Inventors: Alexander Hunt, III, Dennis E. Smith
  • Patent number: 4565416
    Abstract: A housing for an electrical connector is provided having one or more terminal-receiving cavities having wall portions which resiliently expand when a terminal is inserted therein and return to an unexpanded condition when the terminal is latchingly secured therein. Preferably the expandable wall portions comprise two arcuate arm-like sections. An opening is provided between the cavities from a front (or rear) surface of the housing. A locking insert is provided that is inserted into the opening from the front (or rear) surface after the terminals are secured and the cavity walls are unexpanded, filling the opening such that the cavity walls cannot expand and the terminals become dislodged when the locking insert is in place. The locking insert is preferably latchingly secured in the housing and can be removed, if desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1984
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1986
    Assignee: AMP Incorporated
    Inventors: William J. Rudy, Dennis E. Smith
  • Patent number: 4407077
    Abstract: A belt drive system preferably for a clothes dryer has a high ratio of diameters between driving and driven members and has a pair of idler pulleys positioned close to the smaller member and mounted on a tensioning member to keep the belt in tension, and the closer adjacent faces of the idler pulleys are spaced apart by a distance not materially different from the diameter of the smaller member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1983
    Assignee: Fisher & Paykel Limited
    Inventor: Dennis E. Smith
  • Patent number: 4307588
    Abstract: A clothes washing machine has a cabinet with either a back panel or front panel integral with two side panels and a removable front back panel. A platform integral with or mounted on stiffening members is fixed to the cabinet intermediate of the height thereof by shear resistant fastenings and a lightweight outer container containing an inner perforated frame is mounted on the platform. The washing and spinning mechanism is also supported by the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1981
    Assignee: Fisher & Paykel Limited
    Inventors: Dennis E. Smith, Graeme D. Thomas, Keith D. Ferguson