Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Gee

Thomas A. Gee 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: 4246995
    Abstract: A viscous fan clutch is typically employed in a fan drive mechanism within a truck or automobile. A shaft, driven by the engine, rotates a clutch member within the fan drive. The clutch member is arranged for fluid engagement with a body member for the transmission of torque thereto when fluid is disposed in an operating chamber defined by complimentary shear surfaces in the clutch and body members. During relative rotation between the two members, fluid is pumped through a return passage to a valve coaxially disposed with the driven shaft which selectively directs a flow of viscous fluid alternately to a storage chamber or directly back into the operating chamber. The valve is biased into a first position in which the fluid is directed into a fluid storage chamber and is actuated into the second position by means of a coaxially disposed solenoid acting upon ferrous metal members of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1981
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Gee
  • Patent number: 4228880
    Abstract: A viscous fluid coupling employing an electro magnet which receives electrical pulses in response to a signal received from a heat sensing device to operate a valve arm to seal and unseal an inlet passage fluidly communicating an operating chamber with a storage chamber. The operating chamber is defined by a clutch member and a housing member that are rotatably disposed relative to one another. The storage chamber is defined by the housing and is in fluid communication with the operating chamber via a discharge passage and the inlet passage. A pump displaces fluid from the operating chamber through the discharge passage into the storage chamber. The inlet passage directs fluid when unsealed from the storage chamber to the operating chamber. The valve arm is moved in one direction in response to inducing a magnetic field and in the other direction by a spring when the magnetic field is not induced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1978
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1980
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Gee
  • Patent number: 4097756
    Abstract: A rotation indication system having an improved sensing device for determining the velocity of a rotating body is disclosed. The improved sensing device is tubular in configuration and includes a source of magnetic flux and two pole pieces that define a split magnetic field. The sensing device is mounted in close proximity to a rotor which is connected to the rotating body. The rotor has apertures which interrupt the split magnetic field producing an output signal with a frequency proportional to the velocity of the rotating body. The sensing device is oriented relative to the rotor apertures so that each pole piece is alternatively in register with an aperture to produce the desired output signal. Since the sensing device is tubular in shape, it can be rotated about its axis to obtain the desired orientation with the rotor apertures, thus permitting the use of the sensing device with a wide range of rotor diameters having various aperture spacings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1978
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Gee
  • Patent number: 4029180
    Abstract: A rotation indication system having an improved sensing device for determining the velocity of a rotating body is provided. The improved sensing device is tubular in configuration and includes a source of magnetic flux and two pole pieces that define a split magnetic field. The sensing device is mounted in close proximity to a rotor which is connected to the rotating body. The rotor has apertures which interrupt the split magnetic field producing an output signal with a frequency proportional to the velocity of the rotating body. The sensing device is oriented relative to the rotor apertures so that each pole piece is alternatively in register with an aperture to produce the desired output signal. Since the sensing device is tubular in shape, it can be rotated about its axis to obtain the desired orientation with the rotor apertures, thus permitting the use of the sensing device with a wide range of rotor diameters having various aperture spacings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1977
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Gee
  • Patent number: 3961215
    Abstract: A rotor is provided for use in a wheel speed sensor assembly for sensing angular velocity of a wheel about a wheel support. The rotor is adapted to be mounted to a wheel for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation. The rotor includes a wall portion which extends in an axial direction coaxially about the axis of rotation and terminates in an annular edge portion. The rotor face has ripples or undulations formed therein which define an annular array of lands and recesses for providing wheel speed information to a sensor during wheel rotation. Also, the undulations provide a rotor face structure exhibiting a high degree of stiffness to resist deflection by forces applied to the rotor face. The wall portion also serves as an oil slinger to route oil or grease derived from a wheel hub or the like away from proximately located brake shoes. The rotor may be mounted to a wheel, such as to the brake drum mounting flange, by means of an annular flange which extends radially outward from the wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1975
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1976
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Gee, Gerald L. Jacobs, Gunnar Baltare
  • Patent number: 3938112
    Abstract: A rotation indication system having an improved sensing device for determining the velocity of a rotating body is disclosed. The improved sensing device is tubular in configuration and includes a source of magnetic flux and two pole pieces that define a split magnetic field. The sensing device is mounted in close proximity to a rotor which is connected to the rotating body. The rotor has apertures which interrupt the split magnetic field producing an output signal with a frequency proportional to the velocity of the rotating body. The sensing device is oriented relative to the rotor apertures so that each pole piece is alternatively in register with an aperture to produce the desired output signal. Since the sensing device is tubular in shape, it can be rotated about its axis to obtain the desired orientation with the rotor apertures, thus permitting the use of the sensing device with a wide range of rotor diameters having various aperture spacings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1974
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1976
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Gee
  • Patent number: RE30522
    Abstract: A rotor is provided for use in a wheel speed sensor assembly for sensing angular velocity of a wheel about a wheel support. The rotor is adapted to be mounted to a wheel for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation. The rotor includes a wall portion which extends in an axial direction coaxially about the axis of rotation and terminates in an annular edge portion. The rotor face has ripples or undulations formed therein which define an annular array of lands and recesses for providing wheel speed information to a sensor during wheel rotation. Also, the undulations provide a rotor face structure exhibiting a high degree of stiffness to resist deflection by forces applied to the rotor face. The wall portion also serves as an oil slinger to route oil or grease derived from a wheel hub or the like away from proximately located brake shoes. The rotor may be mounted to a wheel, such as to the brake drum mounting flange, by means of an annular flange which extends radially outward from the wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1981
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Gee, Gerald L. Jacobs, Gunnar Baltare
  • Patent number: RE30847
    Abstract: A rotation indication system having an improved sensing device for determining the velocity of a rotating body is disclosed. The improved sensing device is tubular in configuration and includes a source of magnetic flux and two pole pieces that define a split magnetic field. The sensing device is mounted in close proximity to a rotor which is connected to the rotating body. The rotor has apertures which interrupt the split magnetic field producing an output signal with a frequency proportional to the velocity of the rotating body. The sensing device is oriented relative to the rotor apertures so that each pole piece is alternatively in register with an aperture to produce the desired output signal. Since the sensing device is tubular in shape, it can be rotated about its axis to obtain the desired orientation with the rotor apertures, thus permitting the use of the sensing device with a wide range of rotor diameters having various aperture spacings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1982
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas A. Gee