Patents by Inventor Donald F. Drapeau

Donald F. Drapeau 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: 4682010
    Abstract: An in-line heater for an aerosol delivery system has an elongated tubular electrically insulated plastic body having first and second ends coaxially aligned along the major axis of the tubular body. The first and second ends contain an aerosol inlet and outlet, respectively. The plastic body has an unrestricted flow passage therein from the first to the second end and a self supporting electrically conductive spiral mesh heating element loosely fills the flow passageway within the body. The mesh heating element has a very low mass so as to be almost instantaneously responsive and extends across the space between the side walls of the flow passage to maximize the surface area thereof exposed to the aerosol mixture flowing through the passage. First and second terminals are adjacent the first and second housing ends, respectively, and are connected to the ends of the spiral mesh heating elements by a pair of crimped connector plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1987
    Assignee: Safeway Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald F. Drapeau, Benjamin N. Moore, Henry B. Hall
  • Patent number: 4626819
    Abstract: A switch adjusting mechanism is disclosed having a linearly operable actuator with a rotary adjustment for selectively varying the position of a switch operator of the actuator relative to a movable switch contact. The linearly operable actuator and its rotary adjustment are independently operable and serve dual functions of not only accurately adjusting the operating point of switch actuation but also providing precise facile calibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1986
    Assignee: Safeway Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald F. Drapeau
  • Patent number: 4483512
    Abstract: A valve control having a valve body (5) with an actuator stem (16) and a rotating handle (35) connected to the actuator stem by differential drive mechanism (25, 26) which, during uniform movement of the handle in one direction, initially opens the valve (20) at a relatively slow rate and, thereafter, completes the valve movement at a substantially faster rate. A series of stop rings (44-48) are received about the body in frictional abutting relationship and serially rotated by the handle to uniformly resist handle movement independently of the extent of handle movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Donald F. Drapeau
  • Patent number: 4322701
    Abstract: A magnetic circuit for a miniature relay comprising a coil carried by a magnetic frame and an armature adapted for movement in response to energization of the coil to close an air gap between the armature and a pole face of the frame. A portion of the frame comprising a pair of supporting legs is sufficiently close to a core face portion of the frame to define a fringing flux path tending to divert flux from the useful flux path including the armature, air gap and frame. A barrier is provided in the fringing flux path of a material creating sufficient reluctance in that path to resist flux flow therethrough thereby increasing flux flow in the useful flux path to increase relay efficiency. The barrier can comprise non-magnetic material in the supporting legs, in the core face or in both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1982
    Assignee: Hi-G Incorporated
    Inventor: Donald F. Drapeau
  • Patent number: 4161816
    Abstract: A plurality of contact pins project from a flat header of a miniature relay for connection to a corresponding number of coaxial cables. A separate radio frequency adaptor is provided having a plurality of hollow cable connector receiving shells and a planar supporting base interconnecting the shells with the shells serving as RF shields for the header pins.The process of making the RF relay assembly includes mounting the header pins in a predetermined layout on the relay header, forming a one-piece adaptor by interconnecting the tubular shells in a pattern corresponding to the header pin layout and then securing the one-piece RF adaptor to the relay header with each header pin in a complementary shell and with each shell made common with electrical ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1979
    Assignee: Hi-G, Incorporated
    Inventors: Paul A. Frano, Robert W. Bowman, Donald F. Drapeau, Marino Kain
  • Patent number: 4109222
    Abstract: A plurality of contact pins project from a flat header of a miniature relay for connection to a corresponding number of coaxial cables. A separate radio frequency adaptor is provided having a plurality of hollow cable connector receiving shells and a planar supporting base interconnecting the shells with the shells serving as RF shields for the header pins.The process of making the RF relay assembly includes mounting the header pins in a predetermined layout on the relay header, forming a one-piece adaptor by interconnecting the tubular shells in a pattern corresponding to the header pin layout and then securing the one-piece RF adaptor to the relay header with each header pin in a complementary shell and with each shell made common with electrical ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1978
    Assignee: HI-G Incorporated
    Inventors: Paul A. Frano, Robert W. Bowman, Donald F. Drapeau, Marino Kain