Patents by Inventor Tim J. Altham

Tim J. Altham 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).

  • Multiple-chamber gear pump for ink jet printing
    Patent number: 5540569
    Abstract: Pump heads comprising at least two gear-pump chambers are disclosed. Each chamber comprises a housing which defines a corresponding pump cavity. Each cavity contains a driving gear and at least one driven gear and has a separate inlet and outlet. The pump cavities are hydraulically interconnected by a fluid conduit allowing passage whenever the pump chambers are pumping a fluid so as to generate a higher pressure in one cavity relative to the other cavity, of the fluid from the higher-pressure cavity to the lower-pressure cavity sufficient to maintain hydraulic prime of both cavities. The invention is particularly useful for ink jet printing applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Micropump, Inc.
    Inventors: Tim J. Altham, Paul A. Johnson
  • Multiple-chamber gear pump with hydraulically connected chambers
    Patent number: 5466131
    Abstract: Pump heads comprising at least two gear-pump chambers are disclosed. Each chamber comprises a housing which defines a corresponding pump cavity. Each cavity contains a driving gear and at least one driven gear and has a separate inlet and outlet. The pump cavities are hydraulically interconnected by a fluid conduit allowing passage whenever the pump chambers are pumping a fluid so as to generate a higher pressure in one cavity relative to the other cavity, of the fluid from the higher-pressure cavity to the lower-pressure cavity sufficient to maintain hydraulic prime of both cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignee: Micropump Corporation
    Inventors: Tim J. Altham, Paul A. Johnson