Patents by Inventor Vernon P. Cooke

Vernon P. Cooke 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: 5842579
    Abstract: One or more concentric rings of component seats are rotatable about the rings' center. The seats are uniformly angularly spaced and the rings are incrementally rotated, the increment of rotation being the angular space between adjacent seats. The rings are inclined at an angle and a stream of components is poured onto the rings as they are rotating. Stationary fences adjacent to outboard sides of the seats, confine unseated components to tumble randomly, due to gravity, over empty seats passing through arcs of the rings' rotation paths. The random tumbling results in seated components. In the paths of the rotating rings are electrical contactors for coupling the components to a tester. Preferably there are five contactor stations to permit five different kinds of tests to be performed simultaneously. Tested components pass beneath an ejection manifold which defines a plurality of ejection holes which register with a set of seats each time the ring is rotated an increment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Garcia, Steven D. Swendrowski, Mitsuaki Tani, Hsang Wang, Martin J. Twite, III, Malcolm V. Hawkes, Evart David Shealey, Martin S. Voshell, Jeffrey L. Fish, Vernon P. Cooke
  • Patent number: 5677634
    Abstract: A plurality of electrical circuit components having capacitance, e.g. ceramic capacitors, are tested simultaneously in a corresponding plurality of test channels. They are stressed by a variable voltage source that can produce an electrical potential selected from a wide range from low potential to high potential. For example the range of selectable potentials can be 1000 volts with a resolution of 1 volt. The charge current by which a component accumulates a charge is controlled to a selected linear rate by a current controller. Voltage sensors and current sensors measure accumulated charges and leakage current, respectively. The current sensor can be selectively sensitized to a plurality of anticipated leakage current ranges. In addition, the selected potentials can each be applied to the components in a single step or can be applied over time in ramp fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter A. Cooke, David M. Ivancic, Naom Chaplik, Michael C. Steinmeyer, Chia-mu Chang, Vernon P. Cooke