Patents by Inventor Dock A. Brown

Dock A. Brown 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).

  • Publication number: 20110167009
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to manufacturing a medical device in a way that minimizes the possibility of defects. Because of the general increasing desire to eliminate lead from the environment, electronic producers are removing lead from their manufacturing processes. The lead had beneficial qualities, however, in that it prevented other metals, in particular tin, from developing “whiskers,” believed to be caused from thermal and mechanical stress of the tin parts or components. Removing the lead has caused an increasing incidence of failure in electronic devices. Many vendors, believing that lead-free devices are universally desirable, routinely substitute lead-free components for components that previously contained lead. Oftentimes these substitutions are made without knowledge of the buyer. Some devices, in particular life-saving devices, may be adversely affected by such a substitution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: Physio-Control, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd H. Klump, Dock A. Brown, John A. Manthey, Oscar Hernandez Rojas, Reza Sharif, Xiaodong Zou