The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 10, 1995
Filed:
Sep. 15, 1993
John B Gillett, Woodstock, NY (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A thermally actuated switch is useful for a redundant cryo-cooled system such as a computer system. In the path between two redundant cryo-heads, a thermally actuated switch which has two sensible parallel thermally conducting plates which are separated by an compressible gas (air) gap which provides a non-conducting fluid and a conducting fluid (mercury). Under operating conditions (below mercury freezing point), the gap is filled with solid mercury, providing an excellent thermal path. If a cooler fails, the temperature on its side of the thermal interface rises until the mercury liquifies. When liquid mercury is displaced from the gap by a non-conducting gas, a thermal open circuit is provided avoiding loss of heat from the alternative cryo-cooler.