Patents by Inventor Thomas Robert Pfingsten

Thomas Robert Pfingsten 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: 8422178
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling an arc suppression circuit includes a serial communication link communicating a serial signal therethrough. The control circuit includes a microprocessor having a serial input communicating with the serial communication link. The microprocessor generates a control output signal in response to the serial signal. The control circuit further includes the arc suppression circuit having an electrical contact and operating in response to the control output signal to reduce an arc at the electrical contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness
  • Publication number: 20110205682
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling an arc suppression circuit includes a serial communication link communicating a serial signal therethrough. The control circuit includes a microprocessor having a serial input communicating with the serial communication link. The microprocessor generates a control output signal in response to the serial signal. The control circuit further includes the arc suppression circuit having an electrical contact and operating in response to the control output signal to reduce an arc at the electrical contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness
  • Patent number: 7961443
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling an arc suppression circuit includes a serial communication link communicating a serial signal therethrough. The control circuit includes a microprocessor having a serial input communicating with the serial communication link. The microprocessor generates a control output signal in response to the serial signal. The control circuit further includes the arc suppression circuit having an electrical contact and operating in response to the control output signal to reduce an arc at the electrical contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness
  • Patent number: 7898819
    Abstract: A 1/16 DIN power controller configuration is provided that includes a housing, a circuit board carrier disposed within the housing and capable of engaging at least three circuit boards within the housing, a power supply circuit board disposed within the housing and engaged by the circuit board carrier, and a communications circuit board disposed adjacent the power supply circuit board within the housing and engaged by the circuit board carrier. The communications circuit board includes Ethernet/IP and/or Modbus TCP protocols, and in alternate forms includes RS-232 and RS-485 with Modbus RTU protocol, DeviceNet, Profibus DP, CanOpen, and/or EtherCat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness, Robert Allen Pape, Larry Emil Tiedemann, Theodore Thomas Von Arx, Dale Thomas Wolfe, Matthew Francis Yender
  • Patent number: 7826232
    Abstract: An assembly includes a circuit board, a terminal and a pin. The circuit board is for a controller and includes terminal mounting holes. The terminal mounting holes include a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole. The terminal includes a first mounting post that has an interference fit with said first mounting hole. The terminal also includes a second mounting post that has a transitional fit with the second mounting hole. A pin is electrically coupled to one or more of the first mounting post and the second mounting post and couples to a block connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Theodore Thomas Von Arx, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness, Robert Allen Pape, Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Larry Emil Tiedemann
  • Patent number: 7652395
    Abstract: A power control system includes a base having a housing configured for releasably receiving a control unit and a cavity within the housing for receiving a solid state relay having a hockey puck configuration. The base includes an input power terminal for coupling to an input power source, an output power terminal for coupling to a power receiving load, and coupling fixtures for fixedly and electrically coupling to input and output power terminals and control terminals of the received solid state relay. A control unit is configured to control the solid state relay for selectively providing, at least a portion of, the power received at the input power terminal to the output power terminal. The control unit has a housing adapted to be releasably coupled to the base housing. The control unit and base each configured to electrically couple the control unit to the control terminals of the received solid state relay as a function of the control unit being coupled to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Theodore Thomas Von Arx, Donald Leo Commare, Craig Richard Dennis, Leon J. McNutt, Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Keith Douglas Ness, Robert Allen Pape, John Frederic Lemke, Larry Emil Tiedemann, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow
  • Patent number: 7636615
    Abstract: A power control assembly for use in an integrated power control system has a base with a housing that defines a cavity adapted for receiving a power switch. The control assembly includes a control module configured for generating control signals for controlling the power switch for selectively providing power to a load. A control housing houses the control module and is adapted to be releasably coupled to the base housing and is configured for electrically coupling to control couplers on the base housing for providing the generated control signals to the power switch within the housing cavity upon coupling the control housing to the base housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Donald Leo Commare, Craig Richard Dennis, Leon J. McNutt, Theodore Thomas Von Arx, Keith Douglas Ness, Robert Allen Pape, John Frederic Lemke, Larry Emil Tiedemann, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow
  • Publication number: 20080250171
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling an arc suppression circuit includes a serial communication link communicating a serial signal therethrough. The control circuit includes a microprocessor having a serial input communicating with the serial communication link. The microprocessor generates a control output signal in response to the serial signal. The control circuit further includes the arc suppression circuit having an electrical contact and operating in response to the control output signal to reduce an arc at the electrical contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2007
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness
  • Publication number: 20070174559
    Abstract: A control system and method includes a controller operations system and a controller having hierarchically organized controller data. The controller operations system is configured for requesting first level controller data from a controller and receiving first level controller data from the controller, and requesting second level controller data from the controller in response to the received first level controller data, the requested second level controller data being associated with a particular received first level controller data. The controller is configured for receiving the request for first level controller data, transmitting first level controller data in response to the received request, receiving the request for second level controller data, and transmitting second level controller data in response to receiving the requesting for second level controller data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow
  • Publication number: 20070171196
    Abstract: The method of operating a controller interface and an interface for a controller has a display, a plurality of manual user input mechanisms for receiving user input, a processor, and memory. The interface includes an actuation mechanism configured for receiving an actuation by a user and a user interface module coupled to the input mechanism for receiving an indication of an actuation of the actuation mechanism by the user. The user interface module is configured to receive one or more of actions from either a user input mechanisms or a soft key module and store the received one or more actions, and to execute the stored one or more actions in response to receiving the actuation indication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Inventor: Thomas Robert Pfingsten
  • Patent number: D601103
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Robert Allen Pape, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness, Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Theodore Thomas Von Arx
  • Patent number: D605119
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Pape, Craig Richard Dennis, Donald L. Commare, Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, Keith Douglas Ness, John Frederic Lemke, Theodore Thomas Von Arx
  • Patent number: D605120
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Pape, Craig Richard Dennis, Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Theodore Thomas Von Arx
  • Patent number: D630580
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Robert Allen Pape, Stanton Hopkins Breitlow, John Frederic Lemke, Keith Douglas Ness, Thomas Robert Pfingsten, Theodore Thomas Von Arx