RALPH MARCHELL FRANCIS, JR
Pilots at Crabapple Dr, Racine, WI

4386395, May 31, 1983

Dec 19, 1980

6/218253

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI

Webster Electric Company, Inc. - Racine WI

H02M 3315

363 27

A power supply for electrostatic apparatus provides a high voltage output. The high voltage output is provided by the half wave rectification and filtering of a pulse signal from a secondary winding of a high voltage pulse transformer. The primary winding side of the high voltage pulse transformer is connected in a series loop circuit with a capacitor and a switching device. The capacitor is charged through an input choke connected to a DC supply source. The switching device is triggered after the capacitor is charged such that the capacitor is discharged through the primary winding of the high voltage transformer. The inductive collapse of the high voltage output transformer provides for the turnoff of the switching device and also serves to partially recharge the capacitor. The half wave rectified high voltage output of the power supply is obtained from the recovery pulse of the high voltage pulse transformer. The efficiency of the power supply is improved since ringing in the transformer is dampened due to the extraction of energy from the recovery pulse.

5313145, May 17, 1994

Aug 31, 1992

7/938902

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI
Michael Garjian - Stoughton MA

G05F 100

315307

A transformer has a primary winding connected in series with a direct current source, a solid state switch and a current sensing resistor. A reactive element is coupled to the primary winding to form a resonant circuit. A high voltage for exciting a gaseous discharge device is produced across a first secondary winding of the transformer. A second resistor couples a terminal of the direct current source to one plate of a storage capacitor that has another plate connected to a second terminal of the direct current source. The one plate of the storage capacitor also is connected to a second secondary winding of the transformer. The control circuitry for the power supply is biased by voltage stored across the capacitor. A circuit branch applies a bias potential to a control electrode of the solid state switch to render the switch conductive, and has a delay element which prevents the solid state switch from becoming conductive until a sufficient voltage level exists across the storage capacitor to bias the control circuitry into operation. A switch circuit a turns off the solid state switch either when the voltage across the first resistor exceeds a given level or when the voltage across the second secondary winding exceeds a predefined magnitude.

2008026, Oct 30, 2008

Apr 27, 2007

11/741144

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI, US

H05H 1/18

31511151

A plasma generating apparatus includes a plurality of discharge cells in which a gas is excited by a high frequency excitation signal produced at an inverter. Each of a plurality of transformers couples the excitation signal from the inverter to one of the discharge cells, thereby forming a separate resonant circuit that has a resonant frequency. A gap in the transformer core creates a stray magnetic field outside the transformer. The plurality of transformers are in close proximity to each other so that the stray magnetic field from one transformer is coupled to at least one other transformer. Coupling the stray magnetic fields between transformers results in each resonant circuit resonating at the same frequency, thereby compensating for manufacturing tolerances and changes in operating conditions of the discharge cells that otherwise affect the resonant frequency of a given circuit.

4097853, Jun 27, 1978

Sep 20, 1976

5/725026

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI

Milwaukee Resistor Corporation - Milwaukee WI

G08B 1316

340258A

Composite noise and information signals are amplified and filtered to segregate high and low frequency bands that correspond with noise from an intermediate frequency band which corresponds with the information signal. The absolute values of the two noise band signals are summed, weighted, and compared with the information band signal in an operational amplifier whose output tends toward a signal of one polarity with respect to a reference voltage due to noise and tends toward the opposite polarity due to the information band frequency. The signal is integrated and used to control an alarm circuit and environmental noise indicating devices. Means are provided to reduce sensitivity of one of the devices in the presence of high noise and to restore sensitivity if a valid information signal occurs. The other device is used to warn of persistent environmental noise that might be eliminated. The input amplifier of the system is provided with a feedback circuit that brings about compressor action to null the effect of high transient noises.

5124132, Jun 23, 1992

Jun 20, 1991

7/718048

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI
John C. Mastopietro - Racine WI

Plasma Technics, Inc. - Racine WI

B01J 1908, B01J 1912

42218607

A non-perforated metal tube with open opposite ends extends coaxially around a plasma discharge tube that projects beyond both ends of the metal tube. The plasma tube contains an ionizable gas and an electrode. The ends of both tubes engage two end cap assemblies which maintain the tubes in a coaxial, uniformly spaced relationship. Both end cap assemblies have a tubular coupling that fits around a flared end of the metal tube and have a mechanism for supporting the glass tube. Passages are provided in the end cap assemblies for gas to enter and exit. A plasma is established in the plasma discharge tube by applying an excitation potential between the electrode and the metal tube.

5424893, Jun 13, 1995

Mar 11, 1994

8/209814

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI
Michael Garjian - Easthampton MA

H02H 316

361 45

A gas discharge device, such as a neon tube, is connected to a pair of output terminals of a power supply. The power supply has a transformer with a secondary winding that has first and second sub-windings. Each of the sub-winding is connected to a different output terminal and two conductors connect the first and second sub-windings to earth ground. A current sensor detects whether unequal magnitudes of current flow through in the two conductors. A resonant control circuit applies an excitation current to the primary winding of the transformer unless an imbalance of current flows. Thus excitation of the transformer is terminated when a high voltage ground fault occurs.

5977521, Nov 2, 1999

Mar 28, 1997

8/825358

Anil N. Mehta - Glendale WI
Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI

The Vollrath Company, L.L.C. - Sheboygan WI

F27D 1100

219436

An electric chafer heater for a chafer is disclosed herein. The chafer heater is removably supported by a shelf disposed below a chafing dish. The chafer heater includes a base having a cylindrical bottom portion held within an aperture in the shelf sized for receiving a standard can heater. The chafer heater further includes a resilient member extending upward from the base, and an electric heating assembly coupled to the resilient member opposite the base. The heating assembly has a heating surface positionable above the base by the compression of the resilient member. The heating surface is biased against the chafing dish when the base is supported by the shelf to provide a thermal interface to transfer heat between the heating surface and the chafing dish. The heating assembly has variable (e. g. , low and high) power settings selected by an input device (e. g.

5047744, Sep 10, 1991

Jan 23, 1990

7/468545

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI
John C. Mastopietro - Racine WI

Plasma Technics, Inc. - Racine WI

H01F 2710

336 58

A transformer of the type used to produce high voltage for an electrostatic field apparatus has a hermetically sealed container. The container encloses a coil assembly having primary and secondary coils wound on a common core. Electrical terminals extend outward from the container and are connected to the coils. The interior volume of the container is completely filled with a thermally conductive, electrically non-conducting fluid. The internal pressure of the transformer is less than one atmosphere at 22. degree. C. The transformer can be operated in any mounting orientation of its rated power. A method of manufacturing the transformer is described by which gases are removed from the container so that it can be completely filled with the fluid.

3944934, Mar 16, 1976

Nov 21, 1974

5/526059

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI

Milwaukee Resistor Corporation - Milwaukee WI

H04B 103

328119

A falsing protection circuit for preventing the false triggering of an alarm system or the like by extraneous randomly occurring pulses includes a pulse extractor circuit that is nonresponsive to a predetermined number of initial pulses in a pulse train but responds to subsequent pulses in the train, thereby making the alarm system responsive only to pulse trains containing numerous pulses of the type encountered during actual alarm conditions. Pulse shaping circuitry is included in the pulse extractor circuit for extending all short pulses to a minimum length and for passing all pulses longer than the minimum length at their true length. This effectively prevents a burst of short pulses occurring during the minimum length interval from falsely triggering the system.

4519684, May 28, 1985

Sep 13, 1983

6/531935

Ralph M. Francis - Racine WI
Jerome C. Isaacson - Sturtevant WI

G03B 1503

3541451

An improved photo flash lamp, especially suited for medical photography includes a housing having a viewing tube extending therethrough and protruding therebeyond for mounting onto an adapter threaded into the lens of a single lens reflex camera. The housing carries a ring strobe concentric about the viewing tube for illuminating the subject matter photographed by the camera lens through the viewing tube. A set of high intensity illumination lamps are disposed within the housing about the viewing tube concentric within the ring strobe for providing shadowless illumination of the subject matter to enable proper focusing of the camera lens before the picture is taken. The ring strobe is interfaced to the camera by way of a flash-ready circuit which alerts the camera that the ring strobe is ready, thereby warning of a condition which would result in improper film exposure prior to when the ring strobe is fully recharged. The flash ready circuit includes a precision indicator mounted on the surface of the housing facing the camera operator to provide a visual indication as to the readiness status of the ring strobe.