Patents by Inventor Richard K. Thatcher

Richard K. Thatcher 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: 4641027
    Abstract: Typical apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 12 for indicating the relative positions in a given direction between a reference point (24,59) and a test point (29,68) spaced therefrom and movable relative thereto is useful for measurement of the magnitude and direction of static or dynamic torque in a shaft (8). Overlapping transparent reference (20,60) and test surfaces (25,61), either parallel disks (60,61) or coaxial cylinders (20,25) each having a relevant portion covered with a plurality of equally spaced lines oriented predominantly normal to the given direction and at an angle to each other, produce moire fringes (30) when illuminated (14,15). One of the surfaces (25,61), being flexible, is connected to the shaft (8) so as to flex in response to torque between the reference point (24,59) and the test point (29,68), causing a change in the angle between the lines on the two surfaces (20,25;60,61), and thus of the spacing (D) (FIG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1987
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: G. Frederick Renner, Richard K. Thatcher, William G. Atterbury, Jeremy M. Harris, Nile F. Hartman, Robert B. McCown