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:
Feb. 04, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 09, 2001
Gary Silas Sines, Woodbine, MD (US);
Paul Alan Dunham, Milton Keynes, GB;
Jeffrey Alan Snell, Abingdon, MD (US);
John Franklin Wood, New Windsor, MD (US);
William Jordan Siegel, Bethesda, MD (US);
Pace, Incorporated, Annapolis Junction, MD (US);
Abstract
A tip heater cartridge and a soldering iron with handpiece for use therewith in which, according to a preferred embodiment, a precision molded plastic sleeve is provided on the tip heater cartridge body. The sleeve is provided with an axially extending, radially projecting key which assures accurate tip-to-handpiece orientation and also produces a rigid mechanical interlock between the tip heater cartridge and the handpiece to ensure that there is no axial rotational or lateral movement or load transmitted from the tip of the tip heater cartridge to the electrical connector. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the end of the key acts with the handle keyway to prevent over insertion of the tip heater cartridge into the handpiece, which could damage the electrical connector assembly, and an O-ring on the electrical connector assembly acts to produces a seal relative to the body of the cartridge that prevents solder fumes from flowing into the connector assembly. The O-ring also serves to assist in retaining the cartridge within the handle and provides additional lateral support to the cartridge.