Patents by Inventor J. Lee Plank, Jr.

J. Lee Plank, Jr. 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: 5672405
    Abstract: A metal-reinforced, molded-plastic composite structure having an end use such as an automobile bumper, the reinforcement being constituted by a sheet of ductile metal having an array of holes punched therein, each bordered by a metal projection. In forming the composite structure, the metal sheet is supported within the cavity of a mold whose shape is appropriate to the end use. Molten plastic injected into the mold is caused to flow through the holes and to envelop the projections therefrom whereby when the plastic solidifies, the metal sheet is then fully integrated with the resultant plastic body and serves to enhance the resistance of the body to impact and other forces which in the absence of the reinforcing sheet would fracture the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Inventors: J. Lee Plank, Jr., Charles D. Flack, Jr.