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:
Dec. 30, 2008
Filed:
Nov. 04, 2004
Kevin W. Lamb, West Hartford, CT (US);
Edward A. Voytek, Middlebury, CT (US);
David Piscitelli, Wallingford, CT (US);
Kevin W. Lamb, West Hartford, CT (US);
Edward A. Voytek, Middlebury, CT (US);
David Piscitelli, Wallingford, CT (US);
Rostra Precision Controls, Inc., Laurinburg, NC (US);
Abstract
A self-contained thermal actuator positions the piston return member inside the actuator cup. The inventive configuration eliminates the guide and diaphragm seal that closed the open end of the wax filled cup in the typical thermal actuator configuration. The piston and an O-ring seal seated in an annular recess defined by the piston contain the thermally responsive wax. A return member within the cup and engaged between axially spaced, radially overlapping shoulders on the cup and piston biases the piston toward its pre-actuation position. The return member may be a spring or an elastomeric O-ring that also seals the thermal actuator against intrusion of contaminants from the use environment. The piston is closely received in the cup for guided axial reciprocation therein.