US4838664A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Diagnostic overlay
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1987-07-09
•
Granted: 1989-06-13
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Expires: 2007-07-09
Abstract
Abstract An overlay for an electronic circuit used as a diagnostic apparatus and a method of conducting the diagnosis using the overlay. A plurality of temperature sensitive areas which are made from encapsulated liquid crystal zones are positioned on the overlay in accordance with the spatial configuration of the electronic components with which the overlay is to be used. Each of the temperature sensitive areas is aligned with a respective component on the electronic circuit and each of the liquid crystal zones has a first color identical to the color of the rest of the crystals when the respective electronic components are within a predetermined temperature range. When the temperature of a component changes by a certain quantity, the color of the crystal zone also changes, which change is visually observed.
Inventors
- 👤 Brent Graham
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 21:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/302; G01K; G01K11/00; G01K11/12; G01K11/16; G01K11/165; G01R31/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
73 words
A method of diagnosing an electronic circuit comprising positioning an overlay substantially in contact with said electronic circuit, aligning at least one of a plurality of temperature responsive liquid encapsulated crystal zones on said overlay with at least a respective one of a plurality of electronic components on said electronic circuit and observing the color of said liquid encapsulated crystal zones while said electronic circuit is under operation for a predetermined time period.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
73 words
A method of diagnosing an electronic circuit comprising positioning an overlay substantially in contact with said electronic circuit, aligning at least one of a plurality of temperature responsive liquid encapsulated crystal zones on said overlay with at least a respective one of a plurality of electronic components on said electronic circuit and observing the color of said liquid encapsulated crystal zones while said electronic circuit is under operation for a predetermined time period.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said overlay is transparent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said overlay is mylar.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 3 and further comprising indexing the position of said mylar overlay relative to said circuit board.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of said overlays, said method further comprising selecting an appropriate one from said plurality of overlays operable to be used with the same electronic circuit by referring to a further temperature responsive liquid encapsulated zone on said selected overlay, said further zone being on each of said overlays.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 5 and further comprising comparing said color of said zone being observed with a series of color standards appearing on said overlay.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 and further comprising comparing said color of said zone being observed with a series of color standards appearing on said overlay.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 7 and further comprising selecting the appropriate one of a plurality of overlays operable to be used with the same electronic circuit by referring to a further temperature responsive liquid crystal encapsulated zone, said further zone being on each of said plurality of overlays.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
An overlay operable to be positioned in substantial contact with a plurality of electronic components of an electronic circuit, said overlay comprising a plurality of encapsulated liquid crystal zones operable to be aligned with respective electronic component of said electronic circuit, said liquid crystal zones being visually color indicative to predetermined temperatures of said respective electronic components.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
57 words
An overlay operable to be positioned in substantial contact with a plurality of electronic components of an electronic circuit, said overlay comprising a plurality of encapsulated liquid crystal zones operable to be aligned with respective electronic component of said electronic circuit, said liquid crystal zones being visually color indicative to predetermined temperatures of said respective electronic components.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
An overlay as in claim 9 wherein each of said encapsulated liquid crystal zones are substantially the same color at a predetermined time when each of said crystal zones is at a first predetermined temperature.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
An overlay as in claim 10 wherein each of said encapsulated liquid crystal zones has a visually observable color change when said first predetermined temperature changes by a predetermined value.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
An overlay as in claim 11 and further comprising alignment indexing means on said overlay.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
11 words
An overlay as in claim 12 wherein said overlay is transparent.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
11 words
An overlay as in claim 13 wherein said overlay is mylar.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
An overlay as in claim 9 wherein said overlay is affixed to said electronic component.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
An overlay as in claim 9 and comprising a further temperature responsive liquid encapsulated crystal zone, said further zone being color responsive to ambient temperature changes
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
An overlay as in claim 16 and further comprising a series of color standards on said overlay.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
An overlay as in claim 9 and further comprising a series of color standards on said overlay.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
65 words
An overlay for an electronic circuit, said overlay comprising a plurality of temperature responsive micro-encapsulated liquid crystal zones positioned in respective areas of said overlay, each of said liquid crystal zones having substantially the same color at each of a plurality of operating temperatures, each of said crystal zones differing in color when each of said plurality of operating temperatures changes by a predetermined quantity.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
65 words
An overlay for an electronic circuit, said overlay comprising a plurality of temperature responsive micro-encapsulated liquid crystal zones positioned in respective areas of said overlay, each of said liquid crystal zones having substantially the same color at each of a plurality of operating temperatures, each of said crystal zones differing in color when each of said plurality of operating temperatures changes by a predetermined quantity.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
An overlay as in claim 19 and comprising a further temperature responsive liquid crystal zone, and further zone being color responsive to ambient temperature changes.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
An overlay as in claim 20 and further comprising a series of color standards on said overlay.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-06-12 | 1992-12-12 | 1993-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-06-12 | 1996-12-12 | 1997-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-06-12 | 2000-12-12 | 2001-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |