John M Costello

US Patent:

6603216, Aug 5, 2003

Filed:

Oct 10, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/974074

Inventors:

John Joseph Costello - Pickens SC

Assignee:

Champion Aerospace Inc. - Liberty SC

International Classification:

H01T 1500

US Classification:

290 41, 290 40 R, 322 37, 123601

Abstract:

An exciter circuit for firing one or more igniter plugs in an aircraft ignition system. The exciter circuit includes an input node capable of receiving an alternating-current (AC) voltage with a variable frequency and amplitude, a pair of tank capacitors used as energy storage devices, a charging circuit for charging the tank capacitors, a discharge circuit for providing spark energy from the capacitors to two igniters, and a spark gap to initiate the discharge once the capacitors have been charged to a sufficient voltage. The charging circuit includes a step-up ferro-resonant transformer network and a full-wave rectifier. The transformer network includes a saturating transformer, a choke coil in series with the transformer primary, and one or more tuning capacitors connected to a center tap on the primary. The relative values of inductance of the choke coil and transformer primary and the capacitance of the tuning capacitors is set to provide a resonant frequency that is equal to the nominal frequency of the AC input power. The transformer primary is designed to saturate during normal operation.

US Patent:

D491763, Jun 22, 2004

Filed:

Sep 22, 2003

Appl. No.:

29/190486

Inventors:

Augusto Picozza - Boca Raton FL
John Carl Costello - Wellesley MA
Daniel Sumser - Lake Worth FL
Gregg Flender - Bedford MA
Jo Wollschlaeger - Allston MA
Eric ONeill - Boynton Beach FL

Assignee:

Sunbeam Products, Inc. - Boca Raton FL

International Classification:

0701

US Classification:

D 7309, D7311

US Patent:

D495190, Aug 31, 2004

Filed:

Sep 23, 2003

Appl. No.:

29/190641

Inventors:

Augusto Picozza Picozza - Boca Raton FL
John Carl Costello - Wellesley MA
Daniel Sumser - Lake Worth FL
Gregg Flender - Bedford MA
Jo Wollschlaeger - Allston MA
Eric ONeill - Boynton Beach FL

Assignee:

Sunbeam Products, Inc. - Boca Raton FL

International Classification:

0701

US Classification:

D 7309, D7311

US Patent:

D552401, Oct 9, 2007

Filed:

Jun 12, 2006

Appl. No.:

29/261362

Inventors:

Augusto Picozza - Boca Raton FL, US
John Costello - Wellesley MA, US
Gregg Flender - Bedford MA, US

Assignee:

Sunbeam Products, Inc. - Boca Raton FL

International Classification:

0701

US Classification:

D 7306, D7309