Patents by Inventor Tom M. Ales

Tom M. Ales 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: 7477156
    Abstract: Absorbent articles incorporating a wetness sensor for indicating the presence of a body fluid are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles include at least two conductive elements that form an open circuit within the article. Each conductive element is connected to a conductive pad member that has sufficient surface area in order to facilitate connection to a signaling device. In accordance with the present disclosure, various attachment mechanisms are disclosed for attaching the pad members to a signaling device. In particular, although the absorbent articles are disposable, the signaling device is intended to be used with multiple absorbent articles. Therefore, a simple and efficient method of connecting the signaling device to the pad members provides various advantages. In one particular embodiment, for instance, the pad members comprise a conductive loop-type material that is attached to a corresponding conductive hook-type material on the signaling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Mark Long, Christopher Peter Olson, Shirlee A. Weber, Tom M. Ales, Robert Samuel Schlaupitz, Robert D. Wright, George I. Nukuto, Shawn J. Sullivan