Patents by Inventor Lester C. Frye

Lester C. Frye 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).

  • Method for sampling nuclear fuel pellets with a robot gripper mechanism
    Patent number: 4918991
    Abstract: A gripper mechanism for sampling nuclear fuel pellets at a predetermined depth in a stack of pellets includes a housing and gripping fingers movably mounted to the housing. The fingers are preferably three relatively thin, arcuate-shaped, blade-like fingers angularly displaced from one another for grasping the pellet at spaced locations about its circumference. The fingers have lower facing surfaces which are brought adjacent to one another for engaging and grasping a pellet when the fingers are moved toward their closed position and retracted remote from one another for disengaging and releasing the pellet when the fingers are moved toward their opened position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 24, 1990
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: George D. Bucher, John T. DiGrande, Lester C. Frye, Mark S. Stoutamire
  • Robot gripper mechanism and method for sampling nuclear fuel pellets
    Patent number: 4830565
    Abstract: A gripper mechanism for sampling nuclear fuel pellets at a predetermined depth in a stack of pellets includes a housing and gripping fingers movably mounted to the housing. The fingers are preferably three relatively thin, arcuate-shaped, blade-like fingers angularly displaced from one another for grasping the pellet at spaced locations about its circumference. The fingers have lower facing surfaces which are brought adjacent to one another for engaging and grasping a pellet when the fingers are moved toward their closed position and retracted remote from one another for disengaging and releasing the pellet when the fingers are moved toward their opened position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: George D. Bucher, John T. DiGrande, Lester C. Frye, Mark S. Stoutamire