Patents by Inventor Richard L. Patterson

Richard L. Patterson 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: 6428097
    Abstract: A deployable bleacher arrangement has deployed and un-deployed states and is provided with a plurality of seating level members, each arranged in sequentially elevated relation to one another. Each seating level member is disposed beneath an immediately superior seating level member in stacked relation when in the un-deployed state. In the deployed state, each seating level member is disposed beneath and forward of an immediately superior seating level member. A plurality of seats are disposed in side-by-side relation on a seating level member. Each of the seats has a bottom portion coupled to the associated seating level member for accommodating a user. The seat bottom has forward and rear portions and is arranged parallel to the associated seating level member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Interkal, Inc.
    Inventors: Minoru Amemiya, Richard L. Patterson, Melvin J. Guiles
  • Patent number: 5365175
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method of detecting and locating current imbalances such as ground faults in multiwire systems using the Faraday effect. As an example, for 2-wire or 3-wire (1 ground wire) electrical systems, light is transmitted along an optical path which is exposed to magnetic fields produced by currents flowing in the hot and neutral wires. The rotations produced by these two magnetic fields cancel each other, therefore light on the optical path does not read the effect of either. However, when a ground fault occurs, the optical path is exposed to a net Faraday effect rotation due to the current imbalance thereby exposing the ground fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Richard L. Patterson, Allen H. Rose, Ronald C. Cull
  • Patent number: 4912823
    Abstract: A termination machine for inserting wires into insulation displacement slots of terminals of an electrical connector. During each termination stroke, a connector locating member moves together with the termination blade to precisely position the connector for termination. A wire locator moves together with the termination blade and moves the wire into a guide slot in a template over the connector. When the blade, the wire and the connector are in precise alignment, the termination blade completes the termination stroke. A feed slide and pawl system moves the connector in steps equal to the terminal centerline spacing, and the feed stroke is selectively adjusted to skip voids where terminals are not to be terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1990
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Hasmukh Shah, Henry Zielke, Richard L. Patterson, Thomas P. Pellegrino
  • Patent number: 4907324
    Abstract: A termination machine for inserting wires into insulation displacement slots of terminals of an electrical connector. During each termination stroke, a connector locating member moves together with the termination blade to precisely position the connector for termination. A wire locator moves together with the termination blade and moves the wire into a guide slot in a template over the connector. When the blade, the wire and the connector are in precise alignment, the termination blade completes the termination stroke. A feed slide and pawl system moves the connector in steps equal to the terminal centerline spacing, and the feed stroke is selectively adjusted to skip voids where terminals are not to be terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 13, 1990
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Hasmukh Shah, Henry Zielke, Richard L. Patterson, Thomas P. Pellegrino
  • Patent number: 4741231
    Abstract: A tool force sensor assembly (20) generates an electrical signal which is related to the change in force applied by a tool (24) to a workpiece (28) and is indicative of the wear condition or failure of the tool (24). The sensor assembly (20) is mounted in force transmitting relationship between a movable tool support (30, 36) and a nut member (44, 45) which is driven by screw shaft (40, 41). The sensor assembly (20) comprises a plurality of ring-shaped piezoelectric transducers (48) which are held in preselected, circumferentially spaced relationship to each other around the screw shaft (40, 41) by a retainer ring (56, 58) which is sandwiched between a pair of load distribution plates (52, 54). Fasteners (46) extend through each of the transducers (48) and mount the sensor assembly (20) between the nut member (44, 45) and the tool support (30, 36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1988
    Assignee: The Warner & Swasey Company
    Inventors: Richard L. Patterson, Jyoti Mukherjee, Edward L. Slaby, Robert A. Furmanek
  • Patent number: 4736625
    Abstract: A device-implemented method for monitoring the cutting condition of a machine tool during machining of a workpiece senses acoustic emissions resulting from the machining of the workpiece, produces an electrical signals which varies in accordance with changes in the sensed acoustic emissions, and variably amplifies the signal by a gain level selected by a set of digital data stored in the memory (12) of a computer (15). The signal is amplified by an amplifier (32) having a variable gain input (34) controlled by the computer (15). The signal is processed by two circuits (36, 40, 56 and 36, 42, 50) which respectively generate two separate sets of digital data representing the cutting condition of the tool. The computer (15) compares the data with memory-stored information to determine whether an alarm signal should be generated. A circuit (75) is provided for generating a control signal indicating that cutting of the workpiece has commenced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1988
    Assignee: The Warner & Swasey Company
    Inventors: Richard L. Patterson, Andrew J. Fedak
  • Patent number: 4733463
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method and assembly for testing the electrical integrity of a multi-circuit cable harness. An intermediate harness product is prepared including a short test tab comprising a portion of insulated multiconductor cable extending from a terminated multi-circuit connector. The test tab is stripped to expose at least a portion of the tab conductors. Adjacent exposed portions of the tab are contacted with a test probe capable of electrically testing the adjacent circuits of the harness. If a positive test result is obtained, the test tab is trimmed to provide the finished cable harness product. If a negative test result is obtained, the test tab is left on the intermediate harness product to provide a ready visual indication of a defective cable harness product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1988
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Clarence Kolanowski, Richard L. Patterson
  • Patent number: 4680841
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for fabricating cable harness assemblies of the type wherein a plurality of mating pairs of electrical connector parts are terminated to a continous flat cable segment. Termination includes compressing a predetermined cable portion between a pair of connector parts, one of which has a plurality of insulation displacing terminals positioned therein. The connector parts are transported between loading stations and a termination station, by connector holders mounted on a pair of opposed rotatable indexing turrets. At least one of the connector holders is advanced inwardly toward the termination station, so as to bring the two connector parts together in compression, after a cable segment is located therebetween.Thereafter, the cable is advanced to bring another predetermined portion to the termination station, while the turrets are indexed to present a second pair of opposed mating parts to the termination station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1987
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas E. Schneider, Clarence Kolanowski, Richard L. Patterson
  • Patent number: 4658245
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for tool condition and failure monitoring system for predicting imminent tool failure by sensing acoustic emissions from a cutting operation converting the emissions into an electrical signal filtering the electrical signal and using a "count rate" technique on the filtered signal to generate a signal indicative of imminent failure. To improve the prediction, the filtering includes removal of low frequency and d.c. signals and the imminent failure is indicated only after several successive periods of a triggering level of count rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: The Warner & Swasey Company
    Inventors: Denver R. Dye, David J. Gee, Richard L. Patterson, Stephen M. Zielaskiewicz