Joseph Carley

Title: Joseph Carley and an Electrical Appliance User-Proximity Sensor.

Introduction

Joseph Carley is an inventor associated with Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Black & Decker Inc. His work includes a patent for an electrical appliance that uses a proximity sensor to help manage power safely.

Latest Patents

Carley is named on one patent: “Electrical Appliance Having User Proximity Sensor.” The invention describes a pressing iron with an antenna inside its handle. When a user holds or approaches the handle, the user’s body capacitively couples with the antenna, producing a displacement current at the frequency of the AC power supply. Circuitry detects and amplifies this current, then sends a signal that disables the iron’s time-out circuit. If the user moves away, the signal stops; after a preset period, the appliance automatically cuts power to its heating element. The patent record lists 1 patent for Carley.

Career Highlights

Carley’s patented work addresses appliance safety and power management by using the user’s proximity to determine whether an iron remains in active use. The design aims to keep the appliance operating while it is being handled and to remove power after a period without detected user proximity.

Collaborations

The patent lists Luis O. Cavada and Leonard I. Horey as Carley’s coworkers. The available information identifies Black & Decker Inc. as the company associated with his work.

Conclusion

Joseph Carley’s patent presents a proximity-sensing approach to controlling an electrical appliance, combining user detection with automatic power shutoff to support safer operation.