A modular coating thickness gauge includes a probe which generates a signal representative of coating thickness, a PCMCIA card connected to the probe for converting the signal into a standard PCMCIA output format, and a portable computing unit for receiving the signal via the PCMCIA card. The gauge allows the on-site user to alternately record coating thickness measurement data and descriptive textual or graphical data relating to each coating thickness measurement.

Claims

30 · 3 independent · depth 5

30 granted claims

›1.independentA method of recording coating thickness measurements, comprising the steps of: obtaining a plurality of coating thickness values with a probe electric…+12

›2.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of recording the coating thickness values and of recording the descriptive data are performed alternately.d2

›3.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the coating thickness values are transmitted to the electronic memory via a PCMCIA card.d2

›4.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data comprise text.d2

›5.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data are recorded by transforming text handwritten on a computer screen with a writing instrument into …d2

›6.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data are defined with reference to an electronic pictorial representation of a coated article.d2+1

›8.↳ 1The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a plurality of indicia on a graph on a video display screen, the indicia representing…d2+1

›23.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data includes textual descriptions of the associated coating thickness values.d2

›24.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data includes an image of an object measured to obtain the plurality of coating thickness values.d2

›25.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data provides a description of a source of the coating thickness values.d2

›29.↳ 1The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of inputting the plurality of descriptive data via an input device prior to recording the plurality…d2

›10.independentAn apparatus for measuring a coating thickness, comprising: a probe which generates a first signal representative of a measured coating thickness; and…+10

›11.↳ 10The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the probe comprises an LC oscillator.d2+1

›13.↳ 10The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the probe comprises a permanent magnet and a Hall sensor.d2+1

›15.↳ 10The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the probe includes means for discriminating between a ferrous and a nonferrous substrate upon which the coating is …d2

›16.↳ 10The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a portable computing unit which includes a PCMCIA port for receiving the PCMCIA card.d2+4

›21.independentAn apparatus for measuring and recording coating thickness measurements, comprising: an electronic memory; means for obtaining a plurality of coating …+5

Classifications

7 codes

USPC · US Patent Classification

364/563324/229324/230364/920364/921.8364/550364/560

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2.7 y

970 days filing → grant

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Examiner

Emanuel T. Voeltz

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