According to GlobalData’s company profile on Investor, distributed control systems was a key innovation area identified from patents. Investor's grant share as of June 2023 was 1%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Ultrasonic welding of laminates for creating stable perforations

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: Investor AB

A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11673345B2) describes a perforation element for ultrasonic energy input. The perforation element includes an outer lateral surface with an outer rim and a longitudinal axis, as well as a recess with an inner lateral surface. The maximum width of the outer rim can range from 0.5 mm to 20 mm, and the outer perimeter of the outer rim can range from 1.6 mm to 63 mm. The inner width of the recess is in the range of 30% to 95% of the outer rim's maximum width, and the inner perimeter of the recess is in the range of 30% to 95% of the outer rim's outer perimeter. The inner lateral surface of the recess diverges towards the outer rim and includes rounded portions.

The patent also includes additional claims regarding the perforation element. These claims specify that the rounded portion of the inner lateral surface directed towards the outer rim is convex and has a curvature of at most 10 mm-1. The outer rim can be circular, and the outer lateral surface can be cone-shaped. The outer lateral surface converges towards the outer rim and is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis. The angle of inclination, denoted as alpha (a), is at least 5 degrees. The inner lateral surface of the recess can be rotationally symmetrical and cone-shaped. The depth of the recess is greater by at least 10% than the elevation of the same recess above the outer lower or bottom surface. The patent also describes an array of perforation elements and a device for ultrasonic energy input, as well as a process for introducing perforations into a laminate.

Overall, this patent describes a unique perforation element design for ultrasonic energy input. The specific dimensions and shapes of the outer rim, recess, and inner lateral surface contribute to the effectiveness of the perforation process. The patent also covers the use of an array of these perforation elements and a device for implementing the perforation process. This technology could have applications in various industries that require perforating laminates, such as packaging, textiles, and medical devices.

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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.