IP Library Granted Patent US 8,052,764
Granted Patent B2
US 8,052,764 · App. 11/670,890 · Granted Nov 8, 2011

System and method for manufacturing a thermal battery

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,052,764
App. No.
11/670,890
Filed
Feb 2, 2007
Granted
Nov 8, 2011
Kind
B2
Art Unit
1727
USPC
29/623.1
Abstract

A method of manufacturing thermal batteries is disclosed. In the method according to the present invention, pellets used in the manufacture of thermal batteries are grouped together based on certain material characteristics such as weight, thickness, and density. Pellets with different material characteristics can be grouped together in a single thermal battery to produce a thermal battery with characteristics that are the average of the characteristics of the pellets used to manufacture the thermal battery.

Claims (22)

1. A method of manufacturing thermal batteries comprising the steps of:

pressing a plurality of pellets, each pellet being of a particular type, the type of pellet being one of an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte, a pyrotechnic, and an electrode;

performing quality checking on the plurality of pellets;

recording in a database, automatically, information associated with the quality checking;

storing at least one of the plurality of pellets in a container that is associated with a unique identifier;

associating in the database the unique identifier associated with the container and the information;

delivering the container to a stacker device;

selecting a pellet with the stacker device from among more than one container of pellets;

moving the selected pellet with the stacker device to a stacking fixture; and

stacking the pellet with the stacker device in the stacking fixture to form part of the thermal battery, wherein the pellet is selected based on the type of pellet and at least one of a pellet weight, a pellet density, and a pellet thickness.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

storing the container, wherein the location of storage is recorded in the database; and

requesting that the container be retrieved from storage.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

performing pellet pairing, wherein pellet pairing includes selecting pellets from at least two groups of pellets, the at least two groups of pellets having characteristics that are different from each other.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of:

pellet pairing pairs pellets based on the characteristic of weight.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of:

pellet pairing pairs pellets based on the characteristic of thickness.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of:

pellet pairing pairs pellets based on the characteristic of density.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting and moving steps further comprise moving the pellets using a positive air pressure pellet carrier device, and the positive air pressure carrier device is configured to select individual pellets from the container.

Assignments (14)
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 17, 2023
From: TUTHILL ACQUISITION LLC; EPV BUYER, INC.; EPV INTERMEDIATE, LLC
To: VECTRA CO.; DUKE INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, LLC; DUKE FINANCE HOLDINGS, LLC; DUKE FINANCE, LLC; DUKE FINANCE SUBSIDIARY HOLDINGS, LLC; OM GROUP CORPORATE, LLC; OMG ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.; LITHIUMSTART INC.; EAGLEPICHER ELECTRONIC PACKAGING, LLC; EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC; EP INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS I, LLC; EP INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS II, LLC; BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 065247/0032 →
RELEASE AND TERMINATION OF LIEN ON PATENTS (1L) Recorded Oct 12, 2023
From: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
To: VECTRA CO.; EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC; DUKE FINANCE SUBSIDIARY HOLDINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 065221/0832 →
RELEASE AND TERMINATION OF LIEN ON PATENTS (2L) Recorded Oct 12, 2023
From: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
To: VECTRA CO.; EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC; DUKE FINANCE SUBSIDIARY HOLDINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 065222/0001 →
FIRST LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 9, 2018
From: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
Reel/Frame 045545/0508 →
SECOND LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 9, 2018
From: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
Reel/Frame 045545/0893 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (FIRST LIEN) Recorded Mar 8, 2018
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 045539/0138 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (SECOND LIEN) Recorded Mar 8, 2018
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 045539/0225 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (SECOND LIEN) Recorded Feb 22, 2017
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 041777/0090 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2016
From: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037459/0921 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 16, 2015
From: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037311/0571 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Oct 28, 2015
From: PNC BANK
To: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 036985/0642 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 12, 2013
From: OM GROUP, INC.; OMG ELECTRONIC CHEMICALS, LLC; OMG AMERICAS, INC.; EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC; EAGLEPICHER MEDICAL POWER, LLC
To: PNC BANK
Reel/Frame 031208/0876 →
PARTIAL RELEASE OF AMENDED AND RESTATED PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED AT REEL 020710/FRAME 0871 Recorded Jan 29, 2010
From: GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 023870/0428 →
PARTIAL RELEASE OF AMENDED AND RESTATED PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED AT REEL 020723 FRAME 0038. Recorded Jan 29, 2010
From: OBSIDIAN, LLC AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EAGLEPICHER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 023892/0847 →