Patents by Inventor Erika Christine Laiche

Erika Christine Laiche 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: 8098065
    Abstract: An economical, flexible, magnetostrictive sensor (MsS) probe assembly for use on longitudinal cylindrical structures, for guided-wave, volumetric inspection of the structures is described. The paired flexible plate MsS probes each include a flexible strip of magnetostrictive material that is positioned and/or adhered to the base of a generally flat, flexible, conductor coil assembly, preferably with an elastomeric adhesive. The conductor coil assembly has a core composed of a thin flexible layer of metal and a thin bendable permanent magnet circuit. The flexible core is surrounded by a flat flexible cable (FFC) that is folded and looped over the layers of the core. The exposed conductors at the ends of the FFC are shifted from each other by one conductor spacing and joined together so that the parallel conductors in the FFC form a flat, flexible, continuous coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Hegeon Kwun, Albert J. Parvin, Jr., Erika Christine Laiche
  • Publication number: 20100052670
    Abstract: An economical, flexible, magnetostrictive sensor (MsS) probe assembly for use on longitudinal cylindrical structures, for guided-wave, volumetric inspection of the structures is described. The paired flexible plate MsS probes each include a flexible strip of magnetostrictive material that is positioned and/or adhered to the base of a generally flat, flexible, conductor coil assembly, preferably with an elastomeric adhesive. The conductor coil assembly has a core composed of a thin flexible layer of metal and a thin bendable permanent magnet circuit. The flexible core is surrounded by a flat flexible cable (FFC) that is folded and looped over the layers of the core. The exposed conductors at the ends of the FFC are shifted from each other by one conductor spacing and joined together so that the parallel conductors in the FFC form a flat, flexible, continuous coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Hegeon KWUN, Albert J. PARVIN, JR., Erika Christine LAICHE