Vaughn C Sterling Deceased114 Boxwood Ct, Peachtree City, GA 30269

4487574, Dec 11, 1984

Dec 20, 1982

6/451505

Mary S. Jaffe - Cleveland Heights OH
Vaughn C. Sterling - Mattoon IL

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

F21K 502

431359

A multiple flashlamp array is disclosed having a plurality of lamps fired individually and in sequence by means of a plurality of static solid switching devices capable of reliable actuation by radiant energy generated during flashing of the lamps. Initially, these switching devices have a high electrical resistance ("off position") and after being actuated by the heat and light radiation, they undergo chemical conversion to an electrically conductive state ("on position"). The switch devices are prepared in a conventional manner from a particulate mixture of silver oxide with a metal exhibiting both thermal and electrical conductivity but which does not react exothermally with said silver oxide. A binder mixture is used which includes a conventional organic polymer binder which serves as a fuel during conversion of the silver oxide together with a second organic polymer binder which is more resistant to combustion. The addition of the combustion resistant polymer binder reduces the tendency of the switch material to "blow off" the switch terminals during conversion.

4080155, Mar 21, 1978

Mar 18, 1977

5/778993

Vaughn C. Sterling - Cleveland Heights OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

A21D 1300

431 95A

An improved static solid switching device is disclosed for activation by radiant energy when a flash lamp located adjacent thereto is flashed. The multiple flash lamp array having a plurality of lamps fired individually and in sequence for use with said improved static solid switching devices is further disclosed. The switches are prepared from compositions which include the presence of a non-conductive particulate solid to provide improvement in switch manufacture as well as switch operation.

4105480, Aug 8, 1978

May 2, 1977

5/792753

Vaughn C. Sterling - East Cleveland OH
Lewis J. Schupp - Chesterland OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

C06B 3312

149 40

A multiple photoflash system is provided which employs a high voltage type flashlamp construction, including a shorting primer material. Said primer material is converted to a conductive residue upon ignition of flashlamp to provide a short circuit path between spaced apart inleads of the lamp. Further series connection of the individual lamps in the flashlamp system which are operatively associated with switching devices to provide an open circuit condition upon flashing of the associated lamps permits sequential flashing. The particular primer material which enables the flashlamp system to be operated in this manner comprises a solid mixture of a combustible metal fuel and an oxidizer for the fuel such as alkaline metal chlorates and perchlorates, and which further contains particular proportions of various combustion supporting oxides.

4182607, Jan 8, 1980

Dec 1, 1977

5/856273

Edward J. Collins - Mentor-on-the-Lake OH
Vaughn C. Sterling - Cleveland Heights OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

F21K 502

431359

A photoflash lamp unit is described having a plurality of flash lamps fired individually and in sequence to include a plurality of switching devices each connected in the electrical circuit so as to interrupt the circuit path to a lamp that is flashed in response to the radiation emitted therefrom but still provide a circuit path to other unflashed lamps in the electrical circuit. In this manner, the desired firing sequence can be carried out although a particular flash lamp in the electrical circuit fails to fire because of defects other than a before-flash shorted condition and a more reliable switching arrangement is thereby provided. The construction of said individual combined radiation and voltage responsive switch device comprises a mass of switch material connected in the electrical circuit across spaced apart electrical terminals and which is disposed to receive radiant energy emitted by an associated lamp primarily in a predetermined region of the switch body for thermochemical decomposition in said region. Another region in the mass of switch material is simultaneously converted to provide a low resistance path in the electrical circuit.

4261773, Apr 14, 1981

Dec 20, 1979

6/105681

Vaughn C. Sterling - Cleveland Heights OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

H01B 1726
B32B 326

156 48

Means are provided to repair one or more flash lamps in a linear type photoflash lamp array which have become disconnected from the circuit board member. Specifically, the disconnected in-lead is secured to the sequential firing circuitry located on the circuit board member with an adhesive deposit of an organic polymer and a surface conductive path thereafter established on said adhesive deposit between the in-lead and the adjacent circuitry. The surface conductive path can also be an organic polymer containing an electrically conductive filler.

4128858, Dec 5, 1978

Apr 14, 1975

5/567576

Vaughn C. Sterling - East Cleveland OH
Lewis J. Schupp - Chesterland OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G03B 1502

362 13

A multiple photoflash system is provided which employs a high voltage type flashlamp construction, including a shorting primer material. The primer material is converted to a conductive residue upon ignition of flashlamp to provide a short circuit path between spaced apart inleads of the lamp. Further series connection of the individual lamps in the flashlamp system which are operatively associated with switching devices to provide an open circuit condition upon flashing of the associated lamps permits sequential flashing. The particular primer material which enables the flashlamp system to be operated in this manner comprises a solid mixture of a combustible metal fuel and an oxidizer for the fuel such as alkaline metal chlorates and perchlorates, and which further contains particular proportions of various combustion supporting oxides.

4223373, Sep 16, 1980

Jul 13, 1978

5/924259

Edward J. Collins - Mentor-on-the-Lake OH
Vaughn C. Sterling - Cleveland Heights OH
Harihar D. Chevali - Mentor OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G03B 1502

362 13

Reflective coating means are provided to replace the conventional reflector cavities surrounding each photoflash lamp of a multilamp photoflash array. A reflective adhesive coating for this purpose can be applied to each photoflash lamp around a portion of the lamp circumference to reflect the light outwardly in a desired direction. A reflective adhesive coating can also be applied to the circuit board member used with a photoflash lamp array to provide sequential firing of flash lamps as an alternate means to provide the desired light reflection and without need for individual lamp processing in achieving this result. The coating material comprises light reflective particulate solids bonded to the substrate with an adhesive binder.

4133631, Jan 9, 1979

May 23, 1977

5/799681

Edward J. Collins - Mentor on the Lake OH
Vaughn C. Sterling - Cleveland Heights OH

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

F21K 502

431359

Fuse elements are used with a circuit board to provide more reliable sequential firing in a flash lamp array. The circuit board includes the lamp firing circuitry along with radiation switches connected in said circuitry and the fuse elements cooperate with said radiation switches in the circuit operation. Fuse elements are deposited on the circuit pattern adjacent to the flash lamps for actuation by radiation being emitted therefrom and the activated fuse elements interrupt the circuit path by thermal action. In a preferred embodiment, the circuit board is constructed from an organic polymer and the fuse elements are deposited at circuit locations wherein the underlying substrate has a thickness less than the substrate thickness elsewhere to produce holes in the circuit board by melting or thermal decomposition.