Patents by Inventor Thomas E. McLain

Thomas E. McLain 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: 7485012
    Abstract: An electrical connection system comprises a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors that plug into the connector shell. Each wafer connector holds a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables, and a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell to retain the wafer connectors in the connector shell. The connector shell has an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls that are spaced apart to define a stack of wafer connector compartments that extends from the upper wall to the lower wall, an uppermost compartment being defined in part by the upper wall and an lowermost compartment being defined in part by the lower wall. The side walls each have slots in their confronting surfaces for each compartment in the stack of wafer connector compartments for locating a wafer connector in each compartment, the slots being longitudinal and open ended so that a wafer connector can be inserted longitudinally into each compartment from an insertion end of the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James D. Daugherty, Christopher A. Margrave, Thomas E. McLain, John T. Kightlinger, Theodore R. Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20090004922
    Abstract: An electrical connection system comprises a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors that plug into the connector shell. Each wafer connector holds a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables, and a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell to retain the wafer connectors in the connector shell. The connector shell has an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls that are spaced apart to define a stack of wafer connector compartments that extends from the upper wall to the lower wall, an uppermost compartment being defined in part by the upper wall and an lowermost compartment being defined in part by the lower wall. The side walls each have slots in their confronting surfaces for each compartment in the stack of wafer connector compartments for locating a wafer connector in each compartment, the slots being longitudinal and open ended so that a wafer connector can be inserted longitudinally into each compartment from an insertion end of the shell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: James D. Daugherty, Christopher A. Margrave, Thomas E. McLain, John T. Kightlinger, Theodore R. Schmidt