Patents by Inventor Robert Clinton Lane

Robert Clinton Lane 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: 11938355
    Abstract: A personal protective equipment system including a face mask and an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation stage to irradiate incoming volume of air before being introduced to the user. There is included a flexible printed circuit enclosed within a housing of the face mask, the flexible printed circuit having an array of UV LED circuits. A fan is provided to drive the volume of air through a passage within the mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Manaflex, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Clinton Lane, Nathan Chidiac
  • Patent number: 11516921
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel lamination method to laminate a metal foil or circuitry pattern on the fly. The method includes applying a UV laminate or thermoset laminate to the metal foil or the circuitry pattern reel to reel, and then apply a UV radiation or heat to the laminate. There can be an optional enclosure connected to a suction source. The enclosure can have a flexible bladder that physically compresses the laminate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MANAFLEX, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 11490523
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel method to laser-ablate a circuitry pattern on the fly in a reel-to-reel machine as part of a process to fabricate a printed flexible circuit. The laser ablation method includes using an appropriate laser to irradiate a metal sheet thus ablating the edges of an intended circuitry pattern. Slugs can be removed by using an optional sacrificial liner, and the slugs can be optionally ablated into smaller parts first. The laser ablation can also include an optional method of creating tie bars to provide structural support to the web of circuitry patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 11444360
    Abstract: A fusing system for a brick of lithium ion battery in a battery module is provided where the fusing system has a combination of low-voltage fuses and a high-voltage fuse. The low-voltage fuse can have one or more fusing elements in a springy spiral configuration or a straight configuration with the fuse element encapsulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20220069373
    Abstract: A PTC sensing circuit formed on a substrate offering an easily assembled solution to detect thermal runaway event in a group of battery cells. Various circuit designs are contemplated. Optionally this sensing circuit can work with or be part of the cell interconnect in a battery module. It can also be part of the collector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 11251491
    Abstract: A method to prevent or minimize an occurrence of a thermal runaway event in a battery module of an electric vehicle. The method places a gas barrier between a venting space and a wall of each battery cell so that escaped gas from one battery cell does not impinge onto another battery cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 11217862
    Abstract: An energy storage system includes a module housing and multiple battery cells with insulating material and discharge directing material positioned inside the module housing. Each of the battery cells has a first end and a second end. Further, each of the battery cells has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The energy storage system includes a first interconnect and a second interconnect positioned over the battery cells. Multiple first cell connectors connect the positive terminals of the battery cells to the first interconnect. Multiple second cell connectors connect the negative terminals of the battery cells to the second interconnect. A top plate having an interior side and an exterior side is positioned over the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The top plate includes one or more weak areas with reduced integrity positioned above one or more battery cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Tesla, Inc.
    Inventors: Augusto E. Barton, Robert Clinton Lane, Nathan Khalil Chidiac, Julian Christian Carl, Hugh Burnett Ross, William B. Stockton, Nicholas Paul Manov
  • Publication number: 20210353971
    Abstract: A personal protective equipment system including a face mask and an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation stage to irradiate incoming volume of air before being introduced to the user. There is included a flexible printed circuit enclosed within a housing of the face mask, the flexible printed circuit having an array of UV LED circuits. A fan is provided to drive the volume of air through a passage within the mask.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210330836
    Abstract: A LED light fixture having a mixture of red and white LEDs, as well as any combinations of UVA, UVB, UVC LEDs. The ratio of outputs from these LEDs may be adjusted to achieve a desired germicidal effect. The light fixture is liquid-cooled using a cooling tube that directly cools the power supply and the LED flexible printed circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 11026332
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel machine to fabricate a printed flexible circuit on the fly, the machine has a plurality of reels, a laser scanner to ablate a metal foil, a source of UV light or heat to curing an adhesive in a coverlay, another source of UV light or heat to debond a sacrificial liner on the fly. There is a depositor to deposit a sintering paste on the fly onto a predetermined spot for a pad on the metal foil. Removal of slugs are also possible on the fly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Manaflex, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 11026333
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel method of creating pads on a layer of metal sheet or circuitry pattern on the fly. The method includes placing a sintering paste in the intended spots for pads followed by irradiation of the sintering paste by a laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Manaflex, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 10993334
    Abstract: A method of layering a layer of circuitry pattern to another layer of circuitry pattern during the manufacturing of a multilayer flexible printed circuit in a reel-to-reel machine. The method includes feeding both layers of circuitry pattern reel-to-reel into the machine, placing a layer of dielectric sheet material on the fly between the two layers of circuitry patterns reel-to-reel, followed by simultaneously passing the two layers of circuitry pattern and the dielectric sheet material under a laser scanner in the reel-to-reel machine to irradiate a laser beam on a layer of circuitry pattern to weld the two layers of circuitry patterns together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Manaflex, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210092853
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel lamination method to laminate a metal foil or circuitry pattern on the fly. The method includes applying a UV laminate or thermoset laminate to the metal foil or the circuitry pattern reel to reel, and then apply a UV radiation or heat to the laminate. There can be an optional enclosure connected to a suction source. The enclosure can have a flexible bladder that physically compresses the laminate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210091363
    Abstract: A fusing system for a brick of lithium ion battery in a battery module is provided where the fusing system has a combination of low-voltage fuses and a high-voltage fuse. The low-voltage fuse can have one or more fusing elements in a springy spiral configuration or a straight configuration with the fuse element encapsulated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210092837
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel machine to fabricate a printed flexible circuit on the fly, the machine has a plurality of reels, a laser scanner to ablate a metal foil, a source of UV light or heat to curing an adhesive in a coverlay, another source of UV light or heat to debond a sacrificial liner on the fly. There is a depositor to deposit a sintering paste on the fly onto a predetermined spot for a pad on the metal foil. Removal of slugs are also possible on the fly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210092854
    Abstract: A method of layering a layer of circuitry pattern to another layer of circuitry pattern during the manufacturing of a multilayer flexible printed circuit in a reel-to-reel machine. The method includes feeding both layers of circuitry pattern reel-to-reel into the machine, placing a layer of dielectric sheet material on the fly between the two layers of circuitry patterns reel-to-reel, followed by simultaneously passing the two layers of circuitry pattern and the dielectric sheet material under a laser scanner in the reel-to-reel machine to irradiate a laser beam on a layer of circuitry pattern to weld the two layers of circuitry patterns together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210086306
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel method to laser-ablate a circuitry pattern on the fly in a reel-to-reel machine as part of a process to fabricate a printed flexible circuit. The laser ablation method includes using an appropriate laser to irradiate a metal sheet thus ablating the edges of an intended circuitry pattern. Slugs can be removed by using an optional sacrificial liner, and the slugs can be optionally ablated into smaller parts first. The laser ablation can also include an optional method of creating tie bars to provide structural support to the web of circuitry patterns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210092851
    Abstract: A reel-to-reel method of creating pads on a layer of metal sheet or circuitry pattern on the fly. The method includes placing a sintering paste in the intended spots for pads followed by irradiation of the sintering paste by a laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Publication number: 20210066683
    Abstract: A method to prevent or minimize an occurrence of a thermal runaway event in a battery module of an electric vehicle. The method places a gas barrier between a venting space and a wall of each battery cell so that escaped gas from one battery cell does not impinge onto another battery cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane
  • Patent number: 10842025
    Abstract: A method to remove slugs from a circuitry pattern on the fly during the fabrication of a flexible printed circuit, the method includes applying a coverlay reel-to-reel onto one side of the metal foil on the fly and applying a sacrificial liner reel-to-reel onto another side of the metal foil on the fly. Then, after the slugs and circuitry patterns are created from laser ablation, the slug can be removed by applying compressed air to the slugs and/or peeling off the sacrificial liner from the circuitry pattern reel-to-reel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Manaflex LLC
    Inventor: Robert Clinton Lane