Patents by Inventor Eric Wade Thornton

Eric Wade Thornton 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).

  • SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING AN OPTICAL FIBER PREFORM
    Publication number: 20230312390
    Abstract: A system and methods are described herein for preheating a preform in a preheater furnace and then transferring the preheated preform to a consolidation furnace for chemical treatment and sintering the preform into a clear glass which can be drawn into optical fiber. In addition, the preheater furnace is described herein which is configured to heat the preform per a predetermined heat-profile until the preform is uniformly heated to a temperature above 1000° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Raymond David Groh, Joseph Leroy Morse, Bradley Kent Shepard, Ian Anthony Smith, Eric Wade Thornton
  • System and methods for processing an optical fiber preform
    Patent number: 11713272
    Abstract: A system and methods are described herein for preheating a preform in a preheater furnace and then transferring the preheated preform to a consolidation furnace for chemical treatment and sintering the preform into a clear glass which can be drawn into optical fiber. In addition, the preheater furnace is described herein which is configured to heat the preform per a predetermined heat-profile until the preform is uniformly heated to a temperature above 1000° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Raymond David Groh, Joseph Leroy Morse, Bradley Kent Shepard, Ian Anthony Smith, Eric Wade Thornton
  • OPTICAL FIBER DRAW FURNACE SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20220315473
    Abstract: An optical fiber draw furnace system including a muffle, a downfeed handle, and a downfeed handle extension portion. The downfeed handle is moveably disposed within an inner cavity of the muffle. The downfeed handle extension portion is connected to the downfeed handle and moveably disposed within the inner cavity of the muffle. Furthermore, the downfeed handle extension portion forms a first gap between an outer surface of the downfeed handle extension portion and an inner surface of the muffle, the first gap having a length in a range of about 0.001 m to about 0.2 m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Erling Richard Anderson, Tammy Michelle Hoffmann, Nikolaos Pantelis Kladias, Kenneth William Roberts, Eric Wade Thornton, Chunfeng Zhou
  • SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING AN OPTICAL FIBER PREFORM
    Publication number: 20200283329
    Abstract: A system and methods are described herein for preheating a preform in a preheater furnace and then transferring the preheated preform to a consolidation furnace for chemical treatment and sintering the preform into a clear glass which can be drawn into optical fiber. In addition, the preheater furnace is described herein which is configured to heat the preform per a predetermined heat-profile until the preform is uniformly heated to a temperature above 1000° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Raymond David Groh, Joseph Leroy Morse, Bradley Kent Shepard, Ian Anthony Smith, Eric Wade Thornton