Patents by Inventor Scott S. Sheppard

Scott S. Sheppard 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).

  • One-piece flexible tube connector and method of making the same
    Patent number: 7647802
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a one-piece flexible tube connector includes obtaining a tube blank having an initial length, an initial outer diameter, and an initial wall thickness. The tube blank is secured in a fixture and fed longitudinally into a forming tool. During the forming process, one of the tube blank and the forming tool is spun increasing an initial wall thickness of a portion of the tube blank to a second wall thickness, while the initial outer diameter of the tube blank is controlled. The thickened portion of the tube blank extends along a second length of the tube blank that is less than the initial length. After the spinning process, an attachment feature, such as a barbed feature, is formed or machined into the thickened portion of the tube blank to produce the one-piece flexible tube connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Sunspring America, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Lee Knirk, Scott S. Sheppard, Gary Orelyn Crawford
  • One-piece flexible tube connector and method of making the same
    Publication number: 20080053177
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a one-piece flexible tube connector includes obtaining a tube blank having an initial length, an initial outer diameter, and an initial wall thickness. The tube blank is secured in a fixture and fed longitudinally into a forming tool. During the forming process, one of the tube blank and the forming tool is spun increasing an initial wall thickness of a portion of the tube blank to a second wall thickness, while the initial outer diameter of the tube blank is controlled. The thickened portion of the tube blank extends along a second length of the tube blank that is less than the initial length. After the spinning process, an attachment feature, such as a barbed feature, is formed or machined into the thickened portion of the tube blank to produce the one-piece flexible tube connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Gary Lee Knirk, Scott S. Sheppard, Gary Orelyn Crawford