Patents by Inventor Don K. Walston

Don K. Walston 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: 5322974
    Abstract: The invention is an interleaved electrical cable and a method of manufacture therefor. The cable is manufactured by interleaving the electrical traces of two cable subassemblies. Two cable subassemblies are manufactured and then bonded together with the traces of each subassembly interleaved with each other. The resulting interleaved fine line cable includes traces of a pitch less than that of either subassembly. Interleaved flexible cable subassemblies are also used to create the aforementioned traces of reduced pitch with one or more simple trace crossovers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Don K. Walston
  • Patent number: 5051366
    Abstract: An electrical connector including a top clamp plate, two circuit bars, a resilient pressure pad, a bottom clamp plate, and means for fastening two flexible circuits and a third circuit device in mating electrical contact therein is disclosed. Each flexible circuit is mounted on and wrapped about a separate one of the circuit bars with an adhesive to provide a solidly backed sub-assembly. The top clamp plate is then fastened to the sub-assemblies with screws and retaining clips to create a single sub-assembly. The resilient pressure pad is mounted on the bottom clamp plate and the third circuit device is mounted thereon. Each circuit bar is then mounted over the third circuit device to make electrical contact between the third circuit device and each flexible circuit. The components are aligned using pins extending upward from the bottom clamp plate. The single sub-assembly is then fastened to the bottom clamp plate using screws to complete the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dale H. Anderson, Don K. Walston, George G. Zamora