Patents by Inventor Joseph Viavattine

Joseph Viavattine 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: 8841020
    Abstract: A battery comprises a battery case forming a substantially sealed enclosure and an electrode stack within the enclosure. The electrode stack includes a first set of electrode elements and a second set of electrode elements. The electrode elements in the second set alternate with the electrode elements in the first set within the electrode stack. A conductive tab extends from each of the electrode elements in the first and second sets, wherein each of the conductive tabs in the first set forms an aperture, wherein the apertures are coincident with each other. The battery further comprises a feedthrough including a feedthrough pin extending through the battery case and through each of the coincident apertures, wherein the feedthrough pin serves as a positive terminal for the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Patent number: 8614017
    Abstract: A battery comprises a battery case forming a substantially sealed enclosure and an electrode stack within the enclosure. The electrode stack includes a first set of electrode elements and a second set of electrode elements. The electrode elements in the second set alternate with the electrode elements in the first set within the electrode stack. In addition, the electrode elements include coincident alignment apertures. The coincident alignment apertures are configured to restrict rotation of the electrode elements to align the electrode elements when the alignment apertures are positioned over mating alignment protrusions during assembly of the electrode stack. The battery further comprises a feedthrough including a feedthrough pin extending through the battery case. The feedthrough pin is electrically coupled to the electrode stack and serves as a positive terminal for the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20120107669
    Abstract: A battery comprises a battery case forming a substantially sealed enclosure and an electrode stack within the enclosure. The electrode stack includes a first set of electrode elements and a second set of electrode elements. The electrode elements in the second set alternate with the electrode elements in the first set within the electrode stack. A conductive tab extends from each of the electrode elements in the first and second sets, wherein each of the conductive tabs in the first set forms an aperture, wherein the apertures are coincident with each other. The battery further comprises a feedthrough including a feedthrough pin extending through the battery case and through each of the coincident apertures, wherein the feedthrough pin serves as a positive terminal for the battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: MEDTRONIC, INC.
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20120107670
    Abstract: A battery comprises a battery case forming a substantially sealed enclosure and an electrode stack within the enclosure. The electrode stack includes a first set of electrode elements and a second set of electrode elements. The electrode elements in the second set alternate with the electrode elements in the first set within the electrode stack. In addition, the electrode elements include coincident alignment apertures. The coincident alignment apertures are configured to restrict rotation of the electrode elements to align the electrode elements when the alignment apertures are positioned over mating alignment protrusions during assembly of the electrode stack. The battery further comprises a feedthrough including a feedthrough pin extending through the battery case. The feedthrough pin is electrically coupled to the electrode stack and serves as a positive terminal for the battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: MEDTRONIC, INC.
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20070254212
    Abstract: A battery assembly comprises a housing including first and second concentric walls, and a first electrode assembly substantially disposed between the first and second concentric walls. A second electrode assembly is substantially surrounded by the second wall. The first electrode assembly may be coiled around the second wall, and the housing may further comprise cover that is fixedly coupled to an edge of the second wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20070254210
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell is provided comprising a first electrode and a second electrode. A separator, which includes an expansion joint, surrounds and seals the first electrode. The separator may comprise a first major surface and a second major surface substantially opposite the first major surface, and the expansion joint may be coupled between the first major surface and the second major surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Inventors: Paul Aamodt, Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20070228751
    Abstract: A vacuum actuated pick-up tool for transporting a current collector is provided. The pick-up tool comprises a housing having an external surface, an interior compartment, and a plurality openings extending from the external surface to the interior compartment. The interior compartment is configured to be coupled in fluid communication with a vacuum source to pneumatically secure the current collector to the external surface. The pick-up tool further comprises at least one protrusion extending from the external surface for contacting and spatially orienting the collector when pneumatically secured to the external surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Joseph Viavattine, Paul Aamodt
  • Publication number: 20070202401
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell, comprising: a first electrode structure formed from a sheet of electrode material folded along a plurality of spaced apart intervals to form a U-fold structure having a plurality of spaced apart double-layer sections; and a second electrode structure spaced apart from and operatively disposed between the plurality of spaced-apart double layer sections of the first electrode structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20070202394
    Abstract: A battery cell is presented. The battery cell includes an anode, a cathode spaced from and operatively associated with the anode, an electrolyte operatively associated with the anode and the cathode. A layered separator includes a plurality of separator material layers disposed between the anode and cathode. The plurality of separator material layers includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is characterized by a first value of a physical property and the second layer is characterized by a second value of the physical property.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20070178383
    Abstract: A current collector for a battery in an implantable medical device is presented. The current collector comprises a layer which includes a first surface and a second surface. For a cathode electrode plate, the layer possesses a lower resistivity of less than or about 2.7 Ohm meters (?)×108. For an anode electrode plate, the layer possesses a resistivity of about 2.5 ?×108 to about 7 ?m×108.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2006
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Inventors: Joseph Viavattine, Hailiang Zhao
  • Publication number: 20060166088
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide electrochemical cells for use in implantable medical devices. Embodiments of the invention provide an anode or cathode with a connection tab or tabs that extend a sufficient distance from separation material between the anode and cathode to reduce the heat transferred back to the separation material when the tab is electrically connected to the battery case, cover, or feedthrough pin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventors: Karl Hokanson, Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20060092593
    Abstract: An electrode assembly in embodiments of the invention can include a unitary member formed from an electrically conductive material having a central portion, and tab and plate portions extending radially outward from the central portion. The unitary member can be folded to configure the plate portions in a stacked configuration, thereby providing an electrically connected support structure for a cathode and/or anode assembly without individual connections/welds of plates to a common connection. The elimination of multiple welds lowers the internal resistance of the electrode assembly, and improves the structural integrity. Embodiments of the invention include batteries and implantable medical devices (IMDs) which incorporate the design flexibility in the shape and contour of the electrode assembly and hence, the overall shape and design of batteries and IMDs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Inventor: Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20050058894
    Abstract: An anode subassembly for use in an implantable electrochemical cell includes a solid anode current collector and an alkali metal anode pressed onto the solid anode current collector such that the solid anode current collector is located on the outer side of the outermost winding of a coiled electrode assembly formed when the anode subassembly is wound with a cathode subassembly. The anode subassembly may further include a spacer formed from a microporous, non-conductive material pressed onto the alkali metal anode on the opposite side from the solid anode current collector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Inventors: Paul Aamodt, Karl Hokanson, Sonja Somdahl, Craig Schmidt, Joseph Viavattine
  • Publication number: 20050058888
    Abstract: An anode subassembly is provided for use in an implantable electrochemical cell wherein the anode subassembly includes an anode current collector designed to eliminate perforation edges in the final, outermost turn of a coiled electrode assembly. The anode current collector may be of a reduced size, discontinuous, or formed from alternating perforated and solid areas. The anode subassembly may further include reinforcing elements to support a thin anode layer in the outermost coil of a coiled, anode-limited cell. Reinforcing elements may take the form of a spacer, extensions extending from a reduced-size anode current collector, or strips of alkali metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Inventors: Paul Aamodt, Karl Hokanson, Sonja Somdahl, Craig Schmidt, Joseph Viavattine