Patents by Inventor Steven D. Francis

Steven D. Francis 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: 5445312
    Abstract: A desired environment is entrapped inside a hollow workpiece by placing a meltable filler adjacent a plurality of capillaries in the wall of the workpiece. The workpiece is then placed in the desired controlled environment (e.g. a vacuum). The workpiece is then heated to melt the filler material which then through capillary action flows into and closes all of the capillaries thereby entrapping the controlled environment within the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1995
    Inventor: Steven D. Francis