Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Christopher O. Edwards
  • Patent number: 8093094
    Abstract: A process for applying blocking contacts on an n-type CdZnTe specimen includes cleaning the CdZnTe specimen; etching the CdZnTe specimen; chemically surface treating the CdZnTe specimen; and depositing blocking metal on at least one of a cathode surface and an anode surface of the CdZnTe specimen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Carl M. Stahle, Bradford H. Parker, Sachidananda R. Babu
  • Patent number: 8092031
    Abstract: A method for mounting a mirror for use in a telescope includes attaching the mirror to a plurality of adjustable mounts; determining a distortion in the mirror caused by the plurality adjustable mounts, and, if the distortion is determined to be above a predetermined level: adjusting one or more of the adjustable mounts; and determining the distortion in the mirror caused by the adjustable mounts; and in the event the determined distortion is determined to be at or below the predetermined level, rigidizing the adjustable mounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Scott R. Antonille, Thomas E. Wallace, David A. Content, Shane W. Wake
  • Patent number: 8044332
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, provided herein is an optical system and method that can be configured to perform image analysis. The optical system can comprise a telescope assembly and one or more hybrid instruments. The one or more hybrid instruments can be configured to receive image data from the telescope assembly and perform a fine guidance operation and a wavefront sensing operation, simultaneously, on the image data received from the telescope assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Lee D. Feinberg, Bruce H. Dean, Tristram T. Hyde
  • Patent number: 8035081
    Abstract: A time-of-flight mass spectrometer having a chamber with electrodes to generate an electric field in the chamber and electric gating for allowing ions with a predetermined mass and velocity into the electric field. The design uses a row of very thin parallel aligned wires that are pulsed in sequence so the ion can pass through the gap of two parallel plates, which are biased to prevent passage of the ion. This design by itself can provide a high mass resolution capability and a very precise start pulse for an ion mass spectrometer. Furthermore, the ion will only pass through the chamber if it is within a wire diameter of the first wire when it is pulsed and has the right speed so it is near all other wires when they are pulsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Edward C. Sittler
  • Patent number: 7935297
    Abstract: A method of forming an array of pointed structures comprises depositing a ferrofluid on a substrate, applying a magnetic field to the ferrofluid to generate an array of surface protrusions, and solidifying the surface protrusions to form the array of pointed structures. The pointed structures may have a tip radius ranging from approximately 10 nm to approximately 25 ?m. Solidifying the surface protrusions may be carried out at a temperature ranging from approximately 10 degrees C. to approximately 30 degrees C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Diane E. Pugel
  • Patent number: 7924126
    Abstract: A superconducting magnet includes an insulating layer disposed about the surface of a mandrel; a superconducting wire wound in adjacent turns about the mandrel to form the superconducting magnet, wherein the superconducting wire is in thermal communication with the mandrel, and the superconducting magnet has a field-to-current ratio equal to or greater than 1.1 Tesla per Ampere; a thermally conductive potting material configured to fill interstices between the adjacent turns, wherein the thermally conductive potting material and the superconducting wire provide a path for dissipation of heat; and a voltage limiting device disposed across each end of the superconducting wire, wherein the voltage limiting device is configured to prevent a voltage excursion across the superconducting wire during quench of the superconducting magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Thomas P. Hait, Peter J. Shirron
  • Patent number: 7830224
    Abstract: The design of a compact low-loss Magic-T is described. The planar Magic-T incorporates a compact microstrip-slotline tee junction and small microstrip-slotline transition area to reduce slotline radiation. The Magic-T produces broadband in-phase and out-of-phase power combiner/divider responses, has low in-band insertion loss, and small in-band phase and amplitude imbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Kongpop U-Yen, Edward J. Wollack, Terence Doiron, Samuel H. Moseley
  • Patent number: 7762523
    Abstract: A valve includes a generally elongate pintle; a spacer having a rounded surface that bears against the pintle; a bulbous tip fixed to the spacer; and a hollow, generally cylindrical collar fixed to the pintle, the collar enclosing the spacer and the tip and including an opening through which a portion of the tip extends, the opening in the collar and interior of the collar being of a size such that the tip floats therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: James T. Smith
  • Patent number: 7762155
    Abstract: A partial gear bearing including an upper half, comprising peak partial teeth, and a lower, or bottom, half, comprising valley partial teeth. The upper half also has an integrated roller section between each of the peak partial teeth with a radius equal to the gear pitch radius of the radially outwardly extending peak partial teeth. Conversely, the lower half has an integrated roller section between each of the valley half teeth with a radius also equal to the gear pitch radius of the peak partial teeth. The valley partial teeth extend radially inwardly from its roller section. The peak and valley partial teeth are exactly out of phase with each other, as are the roller sections of the upper and lower halves. Essentially, the end roller bearing of the typical gear bearing has been integrated into the normal gear tooth pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: John M. Vranish
  • Patent number: 7697759
    Abstract: A method, computer readable storage, and apparatus for implementing recursive segmentation of data with spatial characteristics into regions including splitting-remerging of pixels with contagious region designations and a user controlled parameter for providing a preference for merging adjacent regions to eliminate window artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: James C. Tilton
  • Patent number: 7635832
    Abstract: A method of recovering unknown aberrations in an optical system includes collecting intensity data produced by the optical system, generating an initial estimate of a phase of the optical system, iteratively performing a phase retrieval on the intensity data to generate a phase estimate using an initial diversity function corresponding to the intensity data, generating a phase map from the phase retrieval phase estimate, decomposing the phase map to generate a decomposition vector, generating an updated diversity function by combining the initial diversity function with the decomposition vector, generating an updated estimate of the phase of the optical system by removing the initial diversity function from the phase map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Bruce H. Dean
  • Patent number: 7465926
    Abstract: A device/system for radiation sensing is configured to detect high and low LET radiation. The radiation sensing system may include a high LET detector and a low LET detector coupled to the high LET detector by a CPU, wherein the high LET detector and the low LET detector are assembled within a single unit. The device/system may also include a high LET and low LET detector that may be coupled together without an internal CPU. Overall, the device/system may be a stand-alone system and/or coupled to an external processing device. The device/system may also be approximately 6×6×2 cm3 in size, making it hand portable and may weigh less or equal to approximately ninety (90) grams, and operate on less than or approximately 0.25 watts of power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Epaminondas G. Stassinopoulos
  • Patent number: 7464006
    Abstract: An apparatus, computer program product and method of analyzing non-stationary time varying phenomena. A representation of a non-stationary time varying phenomenon is recursively sifted using Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) to extract intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). The representation is filtered to extract intrinsic trends by combining a number of IMFs. The intrinsic trend is inherent in the data and identifies an IMF indicating the variability of the phenomena. The trend also may be used to detrend the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Norden E. Huang
  • Patent number: 6792289
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for sharing antennas between bases stations that is non-band limiting. A transmit signal is received at a first port coupled to a base station. The transmit signal travels from the first port through a plurality of circulators prior to being transmitted by an antenna. A received signal is received at a second port that is communicatively coupled to the antenna. The received signal conceptually travels through the apparatus in a reverse direction to the transmit signal, through at least one of the circulator units, and is admitted to the base station using at least the same port that received the transmit signal. The signal may be split, and also received by a different base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventor: Bruce A. Judson
  • Patent number: 6690938
    Abstract: A system and method for managing wireless communications system resources. The system includes a first mechanism that determines currently available wireless communications system traffic resources and provides a signal in response thereto. A second mechanism de-allocates wireless communications system supplemental resources and reallocates the supplemental resources as traffic resources in response to the signal. In a specific embodiment, the currently available wireless communications system traffic resources include currently available traffic channels, and the supplemental resources include supplemental channels. The first mechanism includes a mechanism that compares a number of in-use traffic channels with a number of total traffic channels and provides the signal when the difference between the number of total traffic channels and the number of in-use traffic channels is less than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventor: Tom Chin
  • Patent number: 6639906
    Abstract: A system and method for performing the digital receive processing for multiple signals received over the same RF band is described. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, digital RF samples are stored in a queue which is accessed by a searcher and demodulator. The searcher and demodulator are preferably located on the same integrated circuit along with the queue. The demodulator demodulates a set of reverse link signals stored within the queue where each reverse link signal is received with at a particular time offset and processed using a particular channel code. The searcher periodically searches for reverse link signals not being processed by the demodulator, and for access requests transmitted via the access channel. The searcher preferably searches during the worthy power control groups of each reverse link signal, which corresponds to the two of sixteen power control groups transmitted during, an eighth rate frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Inventor: Jeffrey A. Levin
  • Patent number: 6535721
    Abstract: A base station and receiver system for use in a base station which achieves enhanced dependability by logically separating the diversity reception paths into different failure paths. In one embodiment, the receiver system includes a first diversity reception path for receiving a first radio signal and a second diversity reception path for receiving a second radio signal. The first and second radio signals may be amplitude and phase shifted versions of the same information signal according to well known principles of diversity reception. At least one demodulator diversity combines the first and second radio signals and demodulates the diversity combined first and second radio signals. Additionally, the first and second diversity paths are logically separated into different failure paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph P. Burke, Peter D. Heidmann
  • Patent number: 6515961
    Abstract: The invention is a CDMA decresting technology that reduces or eliminates peaks in the CDMA signal. The CDMA technology generates a correction signal in response to peaks in the CDMA signal that exceed a value. The value typically corresponds to the maximum power level of a power amplifier. The CDMA technology combines the correction signal with the CDMA signal to generate a decrested CDMA signal with reduced peaks. In some examples of the invention, the CDMA technology processes polar coordinate representations of the quadrature components of the CDMA signal to generate the correction signal. Using the invention, the power amplifier in a CDMA base station can operate at increased power levels without exceeding out-of-band signal power limitations. As a result, the base station operates more efficiently and with a greater range or capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Lindsay A. Weaver, Jr., Brian K. Harms, Anthony C. K. Soong
  • Patent number: 6430169
    Abstract: The invention is a CDMA spectral shaping technology that attenuates the out-of-band signal power in the CDMA signal. The in-band CDMA signal is attenuated near the corner frequencies to reduce components that provide a disproportionate contribution to the out-of-band signal power. The power amplifier in the CDMA base station can then operate at higher power levels without exceeding out-of-band signal power limitations. As a result, the power amplifier operates more efficiently and extends the range or capacity of the base station. In some examples of the invention, spectral shaping digital filters are placed between the cell site modem and the digital-to-analog converter in the base station. In other examples of the invention, spectral shaping analog filters are placed between the digital-to-analog converter and the low-pass filter in the base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Brian K. Harms, Anthony C. K. Soong, Thomas J. Funk, Larry D. Flowers
  • Patent number: 6289226
    Abstract: A technique for parsing numbers on a display in a wireless communication device utilizes a data storage area containing data related to the dialing plan for the particular location of the user, such as a country. A parser receives the number and applies the number digit by digit to the data in the dialing plan storage area to determine whether the number corresponds to a known telephone number format for the particular country. If the number corresponds to a known format, one of a predetermined number of parsing formatting characters are applied to the number and the number with formatting characters is shown on a display. The user may edit the formatting characters to customize the format for personal preferences. The number may be provided to the parser by manual entry of digits by the user via a keypad, or may be automatically provided to the parser by user selection of a number in a telephone book storage area, a call history storage area, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Eric J. Lekven, Diego Kaplan