Patents by Inventor Neil O'Connell

Neil O'Connell 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: 11958728
    Abstract: A system is provided for use with an insulated boom section of a bucket truck. The system includes a source of high volume and pressure, dry air; one or more interior air diffusers connected to the source of high volume and pressure, dry air to direct the air into an interior of the insulated boom section. One or more exterior air diffusers connected to the source of high volume and pressure, dry air direct the air to along an exterior surface of the insulated boom section. A method is also provided for cleaning or drying both the interior and exterior surfaces simultaneously of an insulated boom section of the boom of a bucket truck. The boom of a bucket truck is further provided in another aspect that includes at least one insulated boom section, a source of high volume and pressure, dry air, one or more interior air diffusers and one or more exterior air diffusers. A pre-heating air heater may be removably mounted into the boom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: David Karl Wabnegger, Daniel Neil O'Connell, David James Ball, Robert Wayne Palmer, Jody Milton Greer, Raymond Henry Jodoin
  • Publication number: 20240039179
    Abstract: A grounding clamp uses a spring driving a piston mounted movable jaw as a safety lockout. The movable jaw and a fixed jaw, which may include teeth, form a conductor clamp. The ground clamp mounts on the end of a hot stick to provide for electrically insulated remote operation of the ground clamp by a lineman holding the hot stick and pulling on, or releasing, a lever arm on the hot stick. The system provides increased safety for the lineman as the spring providing the spring loading of the clamp has a high spring force to overcome, thus providing the lockout. The lever arm on the hot stick tool provides mechanical advantage to overcome the spring force and thus release the lockout. The lineman cannot usefully operate the ground clamp manually without the hot stick due to spring force lockout.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Raymond Henry JODOIN, Benjamin James HARVEY
  • Patent number: 11817665
    Abstract: A grounding clamp uses a spring driving a piston mounted movable jaw as a safety lockout. The movable jaw and a fixed jaw, which may include teeth, form a conductor clamp. The ground clamp mounts on the end of a hot stick to provide for electrically insulated remote operation of the ground clamp by a lineman holding the hot stick and pulling on, or releasing, a lever arm on the hot stick. The system provides increased safety for the lineman as the spring providing the spring loading of the clamp has a high spring force to overcome, thus providing the lockout. The lever arm on the hot stick tool provides mechanical advantage to overcome the spring force and thus release the lockout. The lineman cannot usefully operate the ground clamp manually without the hot stick due to spring force lockout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'Connell, Raymond Henry Jodoin, Benjamin James Harvey
  • Publication number: 20230314113
    Abstract: An implosion shield of ballistic fabric adapted to mount so as to surround an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line. The implosion shield may be wrapped or formed as an envelope or tent including one piece and folded around the implosion sleeve or dead-end and secured with fasteners. A method of installing the implosion cover may include installing an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line, and then installing the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, by wrapping the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by securing an envelope implosion shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by draping the shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by mounting the shield on a frame over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, then detonating the implosion sleeve or dead-end. The implosion shield attenuates shock, pressure and sound waves from the detonation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: David Karl WABNEGGER, Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Mark Douglas FERRARI, Benjamin James HARVEY
  • Patent number: 11760485
    Abstract: A remotely controlled unmanned aerial device for use in proximity or in contact with high voltage powerlines, includes an unmanned aerial vehicle and an electrically conductive shield forming part of or operatively coupled to so as to encapsulate the unmanned aerial vehicle. When in the presence of a high voltage powerline, the unmanned aerial vehicle either when bonded-on or within the corresponding magnetic fields of the powerline, so as to transfer the powerline potential in whole or in part to the unmanned aerial vehicle, electrically energizes the conductive shield around the unmanned aerial vehicle while leaving components of the unmanned aerial vehicle within the shield substantially electrically unaffected by the voltage potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: David Karl Wabnegger, Daniel Neil O'Connell
  • Patent number: 11749915
    Abstract: A grounding clamp includes a safety lock-out which locks the operation of the clamp in the absence of a cooperating hot-stick. The lock-out employs a clutch which prevents the translation of the clamping members relative to one another until the clutch is disengaged. The cooperating hot-stick is required for the disengagement of the clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: Phillip Howard Quaedvlieg, David Karl Wabnegger, Janos Csaba Toth, Daniel Neil O'Connell
  • Patent number: 11713954
    Abstract: An implosion shield of ballistic fabric adapted to mount so as to surround an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line. The implosion shield may be wrapped or formed as an envelope or tent including one piece and folded around the implosion sleeve or dead-end and secured with fasteners. A method of installing the implosion cover may include installing an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line, and then installing the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, by wrapping the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by securing an envelope implosion shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by draping the shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by mounting the shield on a frame over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, then detonating the implosion sleeve or dead-end. The implosion shield attenuates shock, pressure and sound waves from the detonation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: David Karl Wabnegger, Daniel Neil O'Connell, Mark Douglas Ferrari, Benjamin James Harvey
  • Publication number: 20230128295
    Abstract: A set of components for assembling a temporary wire suspender includes in the set a yoke plate, a plurality of J-hook assemblies, a plurality of linkage members, and a plurality of removable couplers configurable to handle an expandable number of energized or de-energized conductors or sub-conductors. Positive control of the suspended and/or supported energized or de-energized conductors or sub-conductors is achieved by using releasable latches on the J-hook assemblies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventors: BENJAMIN JAMES HARVEY, DANIEL NEIL O'CONNELL, RAYMOND HENRY JODOIN
  • Patent number: 11563313
    Abstract: The present invention relates to replacing conductors in a high-voltage power transfer system. The method provides, for example, a method for maintaining sections of electrically conductive phases in a three-phase power conductor line, wherein the three phases are parallel and spaced apart in an ordered sequence. The phases are strung between support structures and supported above the ground. Maintenance work, which include replacement or repair, is performed on sections of the three phases without interrupting a power load in any one of the three phases and without transposing the relative positions of the phases out of their ordered sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'Connell, David Karl Wabnegger, Phillip Howard Quaedvlieg, Robert Wayne Palmer
  • Publication number: 20220352653
    Abstract: A grounding clamp includes a safety lock-out which locks the operation of the clamp in the absence of a cooperating hot-stick. The lock-out employs a clutch which prevents the translation of the clamping members relative to one another until the clutch is disengaged. The cooperating hot-stick is required for the disengagement of the clutch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Phillip Howard Quaedvlieg, David Karl Wabnegger, Janos Csaba Toth, Daniel Neil O'Connell
  • Publication number: 20220281600
    Abstract: A remotely controlled unmanned aerial device for use in proximity or in contact with high voltage powerlines, includes an unmanned aerial vehicle and an electrically conductive shield forming part of or operatively coupled to so as to encapsulate the unmanned aerial vehicle. When in the presence of a high voltage powerline, the unmanned aerial vehicle either when bonded-on or within the corresponding magnetic fields of the powerline, so as to transfer the powerline potential in whole or in part to the unmanned aerial vehicle, electrically energizes the conductive shield around the unmanned aerial vehicle while leaving components of the unmanned aerial vehicle within the shield substantially electrically unaffected by the voltage potential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: David Karl WABNEGGER, Daniel Neil O'CONNELL
  • Publication number: 20220247097
    Abstract: A grounding clamp uses a spring driving a piston mounted movable jaw as a safety lockout. The movable jaw and a fixed jaw, which may include teeth, form a conductor clamp. The ground clamp mounts on the end of a hot stick to provide for electrically insulated remote operation of the ground clamp by a lineman holding the hot stick and pulling on, or releasing, a lever arm on the hot stick. The system provides increased safety for the lineman as the spring providing the spring loading of the clamp has a high spring force to overcome, thus providing the lockout. The lever arm on the hot stick tool provides mechanical advantage to overcome the spring force and thus release the lockout. The lineman cannot usefully operate the ground clamp manually without the hot stick due to spring force lockout.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Raymond Henry JODOIN, Benjamin James HARVEY
  • Patent number: 11404802
    Abstract: A grounding clamp includes a safety lock-out which locks the operation of the clamp in the absence of a cooperating hot-stick. The lock-out employs a clutch which prevents the translation of the clamping members relative to one another until the clutch is disengaged. The cooperating hot-stick is required for the disengagement of the clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'Connell, Phillip Howard Quaedvlieg, David Karl Wabnegger, Janos Csaba Toth, Ian Edward Trip, Ronald F. Howarth, Jolly Vincent Pangan Nepomuceno, Robert Dale Wicks
  • Publication number: 20220239076
    Abstract: A temporary insulated conductor guard structure is mountable on an electrical insulator. The electrical insulator is mounted on the distal end of a crane or truck boom. The conductor guard structure includes a U-shaped frame having a horizontal elongate beam and a pair of stub arms upwardly extending from opposite ends of the beam. Elongate rigid, electrically conductive rollers are rotatably mounted to each of the stub arms and the beam so as to form an electrically conductive rolling surface extending around the interior of the U-shaped frame for rotationally supporting sagging electrical conductors thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Raymond Henry JODOIN, Benjamin James HARVEY
  • Patent number: 11358717
    Abstract: A remotely controlled unmanned aerial device for use in proximity or in contact with high voltage powerlines, includes an unmanned aerial vehicle and an electrically conductive shield forming part of or operatively coupled to so as to encapsulate the unmanned aerial vehicle. When in the presence of a high voltage powerline, the unmanned aerial vehicle either when bonded-on or within the corresponding magnetic fields of the powerline, so as to transfer the powerline potential in whole or in part to the unmanned aerial vehicle, electrically energizes the conductive shield around the unmanned aerial vehicle while leaving components of the unmanned aerial vehicle within the shield substantially electrically unaffected by the voltage potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Quanta Associates, L.P.
    Inventors: David Karl Wabnegger, Daniel Neil O'Connell
  • Publication number: 20210364266
    Abstract: An implosion shield of ballistic fabric adapted to mount so as to surround an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line. The implosion shield may be wrapped or formed as an envelope or tent including one piece and folded around the implosion sleeve or dead-end and secured with fasteners. A method of installing the implosion cover may include installing an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line, and then installing the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, by wrapping the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by securing an envelope implosion shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by draping the shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by mounting the shield on a frame over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, then detonating the implosion sleeve or dead-end. The implosion shield attenuates shock, pressure and sound waves from the detonation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: David Karl WABNEGGER, Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Mark Douglas FERRARI, Benjamin James HARVEY
  • Publication number: 20210305790
    Abstract: A system for lifting a sub-conductor bundle having a plurality of spaced-apart sub-conductors comprises a single point lifter base and an accessory mounted onto a free end of a support. The support is electrically insulated and comprises one or two tiers of elongate insulators extending away from the base. The base is for mounting the support onto a distal end of a boom. The accessory has at least one wire cage mounted on a cart, the cart mounted on an arcuate track and adapted for free translation along the inner side of the track between first and second ends of the track. The wire cage is in a first orientation when the cart is positioned at the first end of the track, and in a second orientation when the cart is positioned at the second end of the track, the first and second orientations perpendicular to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Raymond Henry JODOIN, Benjamin James HARVEY, John Christopher GREEN, Stanley GIANG
  • Publication number: 20210288481
    Abstract: A bundle lifter for lifting a sub-conductor bundle having a plurality of spaced-apart sub-conductors, includes a base platform adapted for rotational mounting onto a single point conductor lifter, four sub-conductor wire cages mounted on the platform to support a sub-conductor thereon, each wire cage adapted to releasably hold a single sub-conductor and to swivel relative to the platform, wherein when the wire cages are positioned under the sub-conductor bundle, the wire cages are swivelled to align their corresponding rollers with a corresponding sub-conductor for rolling support of the sub-conductor on the roller as the bundle lifter is elevated on the support upwards from under the sub-conductor bundle to simultaneously pick each sub-conductor in the bundle into its wire cage for translation of the bundle from an original position to a new position spaced apart from the original position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Raymond Henry JODOIN, Benjamin James HARVEY, John Christopher GREEN, Stanley GIANG
  • Publication number: 20210273424
    Abstract: A method and apparatus to invert a robotic arm, includes an angling adaptor and swing arm. The angling adaptor includes a truck or crane boom head adaptor and a hinge coupler. The swing arm extends downwardly from the angling adaptor and may include a boom adaptor arm and a jib. The lower end of the swing arm is mounted to the main beam of the robotic arm. The hinge coupler mounts to the upper end of the crane or truck boom. The robotic arm is mounted on the swing arm so as to downwardly orient the insulators on the robotic arm. A lowermost end of each insulator is adapted for releasably holding an electrical bypass which may include a bus bar and electrical cable jumpers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Benjamin James HARVEY, Jeremy Dennis BAKER, Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, Raymond Henry JODOIN
  • Publication number: 20210210935
    Abstract: An anti-rotation device is provided for stringing a cable or wire while reducing a twisting moment of the cable or wire as it is strung. The device includes a tow component, having multiple tow sections pivotally connectable end-to-end. A plurality of insulated weighted tail components are suspended so as to hang from the tow component. Each of the insulated tail components include weighted tail sections releasably connectable end-to-end to one another. At least one electrically insulated tail section is provided in each insulated tail component between the tow component and the weighted tail sections. The tail components are constrained to only articulate relative to the tow component in the single plane of bending of the tow component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel Neil O'CONNELL, David Karl WABNEGGER, Raymond Henry JODOIN, Robert Wayne PALMER, John Christopher GREEN