Patents by Inventor Thomas Erben

Thomas Erben 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: 6599049
    Abstract: An indicating instrument (4) has a housing (3) having an external thread (7) by which it can be inserted in a recess (2) of a dashboard (1). A housing nut (9) which can be screwed onto the external thread (7) and has an internal thread (8) fixes the housing (3) on the dashboard. Either the external thread (7) and the internal thread (8) are provided only in at least two subregions of the circumference of the housing (3) and of the housing nut (9), respectively, the subregions each having a shorter length than the subregions which lie between them and do not have a thread, so that the housing nut (9) can be pushed in at least one angular position completely onto the housing (3) without engaging in the external thread (7), or instead only the external thread (7) or the internal thread (8) is provided in at least two subregions of the circumference, which subregions are of resilient design radially, so that the internal thread (8) and external thread (7) can become disengaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG
    Inventor: Thomas Erben
  • Patent number: 6576836
    Abstract: An indicating instrument has contact pins (6, 7, 8) which project into an encapsulation chamber (9). Within this encapsulation chamber (9), the contact pins (6, 7, 8) are connected by welding to individual cores (10, 11, 12) of a connecting cable (13). The weld points are then covered by encapsulation compound in the encapsulation chamber (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG
    Inventor: Thomas Erben
  • Publication number: 20020053246
    Abstract: A combination instrument (1) has an instrument carrier which is designed as a tubular, transparent hollow body (2) which is closed off at its ends by means of two side parts (3, 4). A plurality of display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) arranged on a common circuit board (5) can in this way be inserted without difficulty into the hollow body (2). The combination instrument (1) is in this way optimally protected against environmental influences while at the same time allowing simple adaptation to different applications by cutting the hollow body (2) to length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Publication date: May 9, 2002
    Applicant: Mannesmann VDO AG
    Inventor: Thomas Erben
  • Patent number: 6383013
    Abstract: A display instrument has a housing (1) with a base plate (3), on which a cable receptacle (5) is molded. In the region of the cable receptacle (5), contact pins (8) molded into the base plate (3) protrude with contact tips out of it. A clamping clip (17) is able to be swivelled over a flat cable (6) inserted into the cable receptacle (5), in such a way that the contact tips (21) penetrate into individual wires (7) of the flat cable (6) and thereby establish the contacting of the display instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Ghesla, Thomas Erben
  • Patent number: 6352003
    Abstract: A combination instrument (1) has an instrument carrier which is designed as a tubular, transparent hollow body (2) which is closed off at its ends by means of two side parts (3, 4). A plurality of display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) arranged on a common circuit board (5) can in this way be inserted without difficulty into the hollow body (2). The combination instrument (1) is in this way optimally protected against environmental influences while at the same time allowing simple adaptation to different applications by cutting the hollow body (2) to length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG
    Inventor: Thomas Erben
  • Publication number: 20010024362
    Abstract: An indicating instrument has contact pins (6, 7, 8) which project into an encapsulation chamber (9). Within this encapsulation chamber (9), the contact pins (6, 7 8) are connected by welding to individual cores (10, 11, 12) of a connecting cable (13). The weld points are then covered by encapsulation compound in the encapsulation chamber (9).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Inventor: Thomas Erben
  • Publication number: 20010024363
    Abstract: An indicating instrument (4) has a housing (3) having an external thread (7) by means of which it can be inserted in a recess (2) of a dashboard (1). A housing nut (9) which can be screwed onto the external thread (7) and has an internal thread (8) fixes the housing (3) on the dashboard. Either the external thread (7) and the internal thread (8) are provided only in at least two subregions of the circumference of the housing (3) and of the housing nut (9), respectively, said subregions each having a shorter length than the subregions which lie between them and do not have a thread, so that the housing nut (9) can be pushed in at least one angular position completely onto the housing (3) without engaging in the external thread (7), or instead only the external thread (7) or the internal thread (8) is provided in at least two subregions of the circumference, which subregions are of resilient design radially, so that the internal thread (8) and external thread (7) can become disengaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Inventor: Thomas Erben
  • Patent number: 5374427
    Abstract: An implantable active substance depot material which contains a glass ionomer cement and one or more chemotherapeutic agents. The active substance depot materials ensure an initially high release rate of the active substance therein and subsequently a discharge of the active substance in small doses until complete depletion of the deposited active substance has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Thera Patent GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Stille, Gabriele Gentschew, Peter Reitz, Thomas Erben, Werner Zollner, Klaus-Peter Stefan