Patents by Inventor Kenneth L. Kimes

Kenneth L. Kimes 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: 5446369
    Abstract: The corrosion monitor system facilitates the detection and monitoring of material corrosion in remote areas. Sensors, which react to a corrosive environment similar to the material to be monitored, are placed in isolated areas and connected to a central control system via shielded cables. The system consists of a controller board, multiple dual preamp boards, a battery pack, sensors, and corresponding cables. The controller board consists of a microcontroller, memory, data conversion, and other control circuits. The dual preamp boards contain multiple precision instrumentation amplifiers, filtering, and voltage conversion circuits. The system operates on the principal that corrosion of a metallic conductor will cause a corresponding increase in the cross-sectional electrical resistance of that conductor. This change in resistance can be detected and monitored by passing a known constant current through the conductor and comparing the voltage across the conductor with that of a controlled reference conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1995
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Mark T. Byrne, Kenneth L. Kimes, John T. Stropki