Patents by Inventor Michael Edwin Fye

Michael Edwin Fye 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: 5736233
    Abstract: A method for producing components such as knobs, switches, and other controls having multiple color display graphics is disclosed. The invention is particularly applicable to the production of graphics that are backlit for night time viewing. In one embodiment, a substrate is initially formed from a light-colored translucent polymeric material. A relatively dark-colored coating is provided on a surface of the translucent substrate, followed by removal of a portion of the coating from the substrate by laser etching to produce on a surface of the component a graphic comprising the material of the substrate. A translucent dye is transferred to the surface of the component by a sublimation dying process. The dye is visible on the graphic, but is either not present or not visible on the remaining surface portion of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Edwin Fye