ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,370,635, issued on July 29, was assigned to LOCK-N-STITCH INC. (Turlock, Calif.).
"Lock and pin combination for cold working cracks" was invented by Gary Reed (Winchester, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A lock and pin for the structural and fluid tight repair of cracks not amenable to high temperature repairs or synthetic material patches. Fluid tight pins and locks seal the crack while one or more locks prevent the crack from growing. These repairs need to endure the remaining life cycle of the machinery part while withstanding all the strain, pressure, heat and expansion and contraction of the part before the crack(s) were formed....