Patents by Inventor Thomas Eugene Dean

Thomas Eugene Dean 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: 5914843
    Abstract: A power supply power supply circuit of the kind which includes a transformer having primary and secondary windings and an oscillator for driving the primary winding in a bi-directional fashion, suitable for driving gas discharge lighting such as neon signs, which prevents dangerous overvoltage output conditions and detects relatively low level ground fault currents. The transformer includes a clamp winding which is in proximity to and capacitively coupled to the secondary winding. The terminals of the clamp winding are connected to a current imbalance detection circuit for detecting imbalance between the current flowing into one clamp winding terminal and the current out of the other clamp winding terminal. In a ground fault condition, ground fault current flows in an unbalanced fashion into the clamp winding terminal(s), and through the capacitive coupling to the secondary winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignee: France/Scott Fetzer Company
    Inventors: William Thomas Hopkins, Thomas Eugene Dean