ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 26 -- United States Patent no. 12,636,725, issued on May 26, was assigned to Illinois Tool Works Inc. (Glenview, Ill.).

"Contact tip and liner assembly for welding torch" was invented by Robert Joseph Centner (Frankfort, Ill.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "In certain embodiments, a welding contact tip includes a first axial end portion having a welding wire outlet of an internal bore of the welding contact tip. The welding contact tip also includes a threaded middle portion adjacent the first axial end portion. The threaded middle portion includes external threads configured to mate with internal threads of a gas diffuser of a welding torch. The first axial end portion in...