Patents by Inventor Ted Thuen

Ted Thuen 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: 5419585
    Abstract: A retrofit steering wheel assembly having an air bag assembly comprises an armature including a casting and an insert in the casting for coupling with a steering wheel column, with different inserts being used for different columns peculiar to different model vehicles. An inflator adapter is coupled with the casting and adapted to mount an inflator and has a hole to receive a pin of an air bag module, the adapter defining with the casting an opening through which surfaces of the inflator are adapted to travel to mount the inflator and arm a sensor. A biased arm closes the hole and is adapted to be moved to an open position at which the pin is adapted to penetrate the hole only when the inflator is properly mounted. An inflator having a radially extending lug adapted to engage the biased arm to move the arm to permit the pin to penetrate the hole to anchor the inflator in its properly mounted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen Breed, Ted Thuen, Russel Brantman, William O. Textores
  • Patent number: 5322325
    Abstract: A safing sensor for sensing velocity changes particularly suited for passenger restraint systems in a motor vehicle for the deployment of an air bag includes a housing with contact blades and an inertial element. The movement of the inertial element is substantially undamped within the housing. Preferably, the sensor includes mounting tabs for mounting said housing on a printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen K. Breed, Ted Thuen, Carl T. Grossi
  • Patent number: 5153392
    Abstract: An accelerometer for sensing velocity changes particularly suited for passenger restraint systems in a motor vehicle for the deployment of an air bag includes a housing with a magnetic closing element. The magnetic closing element includes a permanent magnet which generates a field around the sensor housing. A restricting element is mounted around the magnet for restricting and concentrating the magnetic field around the sensor. In an alternate embodiment, two similar sensors may be housed in a single enclosure for additional sensitivity. The restrictive elements of the sensors eliminate interference between the sensor magnetic fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Harald S. Husby, Allen K. Breed, Ted Thuen
  • Patent number: 5123499
    Abstract: An accelerometer for sensing velocity changes particularly suited for passenger restraint systems in a motor vehicle for the deployment of an air bag includes a housing with contact blades and a magnetically biased contacting element. The contacting element is arranged to move toward the contact blades when a deceleration exceeding a threshold level is sensed. The contact blades are spaced away from each other so that one is bent toward the other by the contacting element to form a direct electrical path, thereby deploying the restraint system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen K. Breed, Ted Thuen, Carl T. Grossi
  • Patent number: 5098122
    Abstract: An accelerometer for a passenger restrain system in a motor vehicle includes a housing with a path for an inertial element, and a coil spring member for urging the inertial element toward a preselected position. When the vehicle decelerates at a rate higher than a preset rate, the ball moves away from the preselected position and closes an electrical contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Breed Automotive
    Inventors: Allen Breed, Ted Thuen, Carl Grossi
  • Patent number: 5011182
    Abstract: An accelerometer for sensing velocity changes particularly suited for passenger restraint systems in a motor vehicle for the deployment of an air bag includes a housing with contact blades and a contacting element. The contacting element is arranged to move toward the contact blades when a deceleration exceeding a threshold level is sensed. A retaining element is provided to set the blades in a preselected position so that the blades are contacted by the contacting element simultaneously thereby improving the response time of the accelerometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1991
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Harald S. Husby, Allen K. Breed, Ted Thuen
  • Patent number: 5005861
    Abstract: An accelerometer for sensing velocity changes particularly suited for passenger restraint systems in a motor vehicle for the deployment of an air bag includes a housing with contact blades and a magnetically biased contacting element. The contacting element is arranged to move toward the contact blades when a deceleration exceeding a threshold level is sensed. The contact blades are spaced away from each other so that one is bent toward the other by the contacting element to form a direct electrical path, thereby deploying the restraint system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1991
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen K. Breed, Ted Thuen, Carl T. Grossi
  • Patent number: 4671726
    Abstract: A cantilevered, soft landing boat loading system for semiconductor processing furnaces includes an alignment mechanism, a paddle, and a boat loader. The alignment mechanism includes five handles for five degrees of freedom. The boat loader is supported from a vertical plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1987
    Assignee: Breed Corporation
    Inventor: Ted Thuen
  • Patent number: 4580810
    Abstract: An air bag system adapted to be mounted on the axis of a steering wheel of a vehicle includes a sensor mounted inside an inflator for the air bag. The sensor is maintained safe prior to mounting the air bag system on the steering wheel and when mounted the sensor is caused to arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1986
    Assignee: Breed Corporation
    Inventor: Ted Thuen
  • Patent number: 4078496
    Abstract: An antirunaway device for a hand grenade fuze utilizes a spring biased deted firing pin-slider assembly to interlock a torque biased rotatably held detonator assembly in an out-of-line "safe" position when the biased firing pin-slider assembly senses the absence of a restraining, properly functioning, axially aligned dashpot timer assembly. A slider blocking member is depressed into a groove provided therefor, by the slider assembly, to allow the detonator assembly to rotate into an in-line "armed" position when the slider assembly mechanically senses the presence of a properly functioning dashpot timer assembly, but remains in a blocking position when the timer is not properly functioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1978
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Harold W. Kruger, Ted Thuen