Patents by Inventor John D. Tillotson

John D. Tillotson 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: 11088502
    Abstract: A wire harness assembly work cell includes a wire harness assembly work table with a pneumatically powered or spring-fed universal applicator tool for mass terminating sets of wires into insulator wafers. The insulator wafers may be assembled in stacks to form cable-end connector headshells. Insulation displacement terminals (IDT) are designed to receive wide ranges of wire diameters so that larger varieties of wire sizes may be received into these connector assemblies while using fewer different sizes of terminals, thus reducing the number of items in a bill of material (BOM) and substantially reducing the volumes and overhead costs of testing and quality control documentation dedicated to each individual BOM item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10867726
    Abstract: A computerized discrete wire inventory indexing system organizes and automates the intake of wiring used in a wire harness assembly work cell. Functions in a work cell may be duplicated into a second arrangement symmetrically opposite to a first arrangement so that an indexing system in accordance with the invention may operate between or alongside the adjacent work cells to execute its tasks in tandem and produce pairs of wires to be used within the two work cells. The wire indexing system operates with a tandem wire pulling machine on a movable shuttle that grabs pairs of wires from the indexing system and draws them to length. Both the shuttle and the wire indexing system may includes fixtures for stripping and terminating wires by crimping terminals onto prepared wire ends. Computer control enables rapid and correct wire production and efficient process change-overs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20200161026
    Abstract: A computerized discrete wire inventory indexing system organizes and automates the intake of wiring used in a wire harness assembly work cell. Functions in a work cell may be duplicated into a second arrangement symmetrically opposite to a first arrangement so that an indexing system in accordance with the invention may operate between or alongside the adjacent work cells to execute its tasks in tandem and produce pairs of wires to be used within the two work cells. The wire indexing system operates with a tandem wire pulling machine on a movable shuttle that grabs pairs of wires from the indexing system and draws them to length. Both the shuttle and the wire indexing system may includes fixtures for stripping and terminating wires by crimping terminals onto prepared wire ends. Computer control enables rapid and correct wire production and efficient process change-overs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, JR.
  • Patent number: 10547125
    Abstract: An insulation displacement connector (IDC) includes clamping terminals or contacts which make two redundant contacts into the wires instated into them. The inventive contact comprises a flat strip section, four J-shaped cantilevers each having a straight section and an arcuate section, with a portion of each of said straight section attached to the flat strip section, and the cantilevers arranged into two pairs each having two arcuate sections curving towards each other to form a pincer section. The two pincer pairs face toward each other on the strip. A wire received into both pincer pairs is held securely because any tension applied to the wire forced at least one pincer set to clamp together harder on the wire. The inventive contacts reside in an insulator housing of an insulation displacement terminal (IDT) connector assembly which can accept wires of mixed sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20200006868
    Abstract: An insulation displacement connector (IDC) includes clamping terminals or contacts which make two redundant contacts into the wires instated into them. The inventive contact comprises a flat strip section, four J-shaped cantilevers each having a straight section and an arcuate section, with a portion of each of said straight section attached to the flat strip section, and the cantilevers arranged into two pairs each having two arcuate sections curving towards each other to form a pincer section. The two pincer pairs face toward each other on the strip. A wire received into both pincer pairs is held securely because any tension applied to the wire forced at least one pincer set to clamp together harder on the wire. The inventive contacts reside in an insulator housing of an insulation displacement terminal (IDT) connector assembly which can accept wires of mixed sizes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventor: John D. Tillotson, JR.
  • Patent number: 10522985
    Abstract: A floating pin form board assembly to aid wire harness assembly includes a first embodiment with a work block and chambers containing floating pegs which may reside in retracted or extended positions based on perforations in a wire routing form sheet which allow or prevent retracted pegs from rising to extended positions. Extended pegs may be locked into their extended positions by means of a slidable latch plate, and stop features in the pegs prevent them from escaping past their extended positions. Alternatively, a floating peg form board assembly includes a perforated sheet and first, second, plates third plates each having apertures spaced apart in congruent arrays and a plurality of floating pegs having stop features, and a slidable latch plate having an array of keyhole slots complementary to apertures in one of the other perforated plates, with the latch plate used for locking the floating pegs into retracted or extended positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20190363469
    Abstract: A floating pin form board assembly to aid wire harness assembly includes a first embodiment with a work block and chambers containing floating pegs which may reside in retracted or extended positions based on perforations in a wire routing form sheet which allow or prevent retracted pegs from rising to extended positions. Extended pegs may be locked into their extended positions by means of a slidable latch plate, and stop features in the pegs prevent them from escaping past their extended positions. Alternatively, a floating peg form board assembly includes a perforated sheet and first, second, plates third plates each having apertures spaced apart in congruent arrays and a plurality of floating pegs having stop features, and a slidable latch plate having an array of keyhole slots complementary to apertures in one of the other perforated plates, with the latch plate used for locking the floating pegs into retracted or extended positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, JR.
  • Patent number: 10374400
    Abstract: A configurable modular work space for a wiring harness assembly system comprises a computerized wire harness system controller and bulk wire supplies associated with a programmable discrete wire inventory retainer. One or more multiple wire pull-through mass terminators and a sequential wire termination apparatus are positioned proximal to a universal wire harness board, with a programmable mass terminator tooling unit cutting wire to length during a mass termination cycle. The multiple wire pull-through mass terminator leads to a first IDT connector nest, and then onto the universal wire harness board. A universal wire harness board comprises a floating pin board assembly positioned to interface with a second IDT connector nest, and the floating pin board assembly comprises a plurality of floating pins arranged in an array, which may be individually locked in extended or retracted positions for receiving wires during assembly of a wire harness according to wire harness specifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20190089136
    Abstract: A configurable modular work space for a wiring harness assembly system comprises a computerized wire harness system controller and bulk wire supplies associated with a programmable discrete wire inventory retainer. One or more multiple wire pull-through mass terminators and a sequential wire termination apparatus are positioned proximal to a universal wire harness board, with a programmable mass terminator tooling unit cutting wire to length during a mass termination cycle. The multiple wire pull-through mass terminator leads to a first IDT connector nest, and then onto the universal wire harness board. A universal wire harness board comprises a floating pin board assembly positioned to interface with a second IDT connector nest, and the floating pin board assembly comprises a plurality of floating pins arranged in an array, which may be individually locked in extended or retracted positions for receiving wires during assembly of a wire harness according to wire harness specifications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Inventor: John D. Tillotson, JR.
  • Publication number: 20190020127
    Abstract: An insulation displacement connector (IDC) includes clamping terminals or contacts which make two redundant contacts into the wires instated into them. The inventive contact comprises a flat strip section, four J-shaped cantilevers each having a straight section and an arcuate section, with a portion of each of said straight section attached to the flat strip section, and the cantilevers arranged into two pairs each having two arcuate sections curving towards each other to form a pincer section. The two pincer pairs face toward each other on the strip. A wire received into both pincer pairs is held securely because any tension applied to the wire forced at least one pincer set to clamp together harder on the wire. The inventive contacts reside in an insulator housing of an insulation displacement terminal (IDT) connector assembly which can accept wires of mixed sizes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventor: John D Tillotson, JR.
  • Patent number: 4519664
    Abstract: In a multipin connector to be fixedly mounted over a conductor access opening in a supporting wall of a digital device of the type operated by signals having frequency components capable of radiating electromagnetic waves about 5-30 Megahertz, which connector includes a header to be secured over the access opening, supports for fixedly supporting a plurality of conductor interconnecting pins on parallel axes passing through the access opening in a preselected pin layout pattern and the header providing for electrical isolation of the pins one-from-the other, there is an improvement. This improvement is a pin encircling member formed of a blend of finely divided particles surrounded by an electrically non-conductive material wherein the blend of particles include at least a first material having a high magnetic permeability and a low magnetic retentivity and a second electrically conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1985
    Assignee: Elco Corporation
    Inventor: John D. Tillotson
  • Patent number: 4512620
    Abstract: An improved electrical connector and connector system is disclosed which allows for the simultaneous mass connection of multiple isolated electrical circuits through means of a single connector assembly. A standardized connector housing has multiple terminal cavities therein, each cavity being capable of containing one or more isolated electrical terminals of various disclosed configurations. The terminals disclosed are generally flat and have a slit therein from the top end to accept and hold an insulated wire in a range of gauges and make electrical connection to the conductive core of the wire upon force fitting of the wire into the slit. In one configuration the top portion of the terminals and the slit therein are centered on the terminal so that two terminals can be inserted into a single cavity and a single connecting wire can be easily aligned with, held by and electrically connected to both of the individual terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1985
    Assignee: Elco Corporation
    Inventor: John D. Tillotson