Patents Assigned to Foster-Miller, Inc.
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Patent number: 8322249Abstract: A robot arm assembly includes a turret, a lower arm pivotable with respect to the turret, and an upper arm pivotable with respect to the lower arm.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2008Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Nathaniel J. M. Seavey, Christopher J. Langford
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Patent number: 8297193Abstract: A surrogate RPG includes a warhead with an outer conductive portion and an inner conductive portion spaced from the outer conductive portion. A sabot includes an electrical circuit configured to monitor conductivity between the inner and outer conductive portions. The surrogate RPG can be used to test the effectiveness of various RPG defeat technologies.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2011Date of Patent: October 30, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: William R. Lawson, Scott Paul Quigley, Jamie Orlando Milliken, Robert Lee Cardenas
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Patent number: 8281702Abstract: A net deployment system which, in one example, includes a manifold assembly including multiple weight ducts and a bladder port. A weight is disposed in each weight duct and each weight is tied to the net. A bladder is behind the net and is over the bladder port. At least one inflator charge is associated with the manifold for inflating the bladder and firing the weights out of the weight ducts to deploy the net in the path of an incoming threat.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2011Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: David J. Hoadley, Robert Knochenhauer, Thieu Truong, Gary Anderson, Micheal Farinella
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Patent number: 8276500Abstract: A weapon mount including a housing through which the weapon translates when fired, a conversion subsystem configured to convert translation of the weapon when fired into rotational motion, and a braking subsystem for resisting rotation of the conversion subsystem.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2011Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Allan T. Fisk, Hans Hug, Michael T. Johnson, Nathan R. Desmeule
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Patent number: 8201649Abstract: A modular mobile robot with a chassis including a power source housed therein. Right and left hand track modules are each removeably coupled to the robot chassis. Each track module includes a side plate, at least one drive wheel rotatable with respect to the side plate, a motor for driving the drive wheel, at least one idler rotatable with respect to the side plate, and a track extending around the drive wheel, the side plate, and the idler. A turret assembly with its own turret drive subsystem is removeably coupled to the robot chassis via a quick release mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2008Date of Patent: June 19, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Lance L. Andrus, Brian DeStefano, Scott R. Albin
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Patent number: 8189178Abstract: A system and method for sampling constituents in air including counting particles in the air to be sampled; collecting samples of accumulated particles; measuring UV response of a sample of accumulated particles only if the particle count exceeds a predetermined threshold; measuring IR response of that sample; and indicating a threat alarm if the IR response matches that of a target within a predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2009Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Patrick F. Henning, Aniruddha S. Weling, Suneet Chadha, Jay D. Eversole
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Patent number: 8177703Abstract: A blood pump (26) includes a stator assembly including a fluid inlet (24) and a fluid outlet (26). A rotor assembly (120) includes an impeller (40) rotatable about an axis (44) to move fluid from the inlet (24) to the outlet (26). A motor (50) imparts rotation of the impeller (40) about the axis (44). The motor (50) includes a motor stator (52) fixed to the stator assembly (122), a motor rotor (54) fixed to the rotor assembly (120), and a radial motor gap (34) between the stator (52) and the rotor (54). The pump (20) is configured to direct a mixed blood flow from the fluid inlet (24) to the fluid outlet (26) and a wash flow through the motor gap (34).Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2006Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignees: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: William A. Smith, Markus Lorenz, David Dudzinski, Hsiang Ming Chen, Peter A. Chapman, Jr., Charles J. Prisco, Nicholas G. Vitale, Stephan Weber
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Patent number: 8176808Abstract: A robot arm assembly a base unit with a shoulder assembly rotatably disposed on the base unit. A lower robot arm is pivotably attached to the shoulder assembly. An upper robot arm is pivotably attached to the lower robot arm. The base unit includes a first motor which rotates a main shaft fixed to the shoulder assembly to rotate the shoulder. A second motor in the base unit rotates a second shaft in the shoulder assembly extending through the main shaft to pivot the lower robot arm with respect to the shoulder.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2007Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Allan T. Fisk, Jonathan Hastie, Hans Hug, Lance Andrus, Michael Johnson, David Hoadley
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Patent number: 8166862Abstract: A firing pin assembly with a firing pin having a shaft with a distal bearing thereon. The firing pin has a standby position, a load position, and a fire position. A cam engages the bearing and is configured to drive the shaft between the standby position and the load position. A spring about the shaft is compressed when the shaft is driven into the load position. A driver turns the cam when energized to drive the shaft from the standby position to the load position and then to turn the cam further whereupon the compressed spring urges the firing pin to fire.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2007Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Gary R. Morin, L. Glenn Graves, Hans A. Hug, John Young, Daniel R. Deguire
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Patent number: 8158002Abstract: The present invention provides variable pore size filters. The variable pore size filters of the present invention comprise a fabric matrix, having a set pore size, wherein the fabric matrix is coated with a gel that expands and shrinks in response to a trigger. When the gel is expanded, the pore size of the filter is small and filtering is accomplished. When the gel is shrunken, the pore size of the filter is large and cleaning of the filter by a backwash or forward flush of fluid is accomplished.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2000Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Elmer C. Lupton, Thomas H. E. Mendum, R. Edwin Hicks, Leslie S. Rubin, Justyna B. Teverovsky, Harris Gold
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Patent number: 8141470Abstract: A structure or vehicle protection method including a removable frame on the structure or vehicle, and a net within the frame and spaced from the structure or vehicle and having a mesh size designed to disarm an incoming threat.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2011Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Farinella, Thomas F. Hafer, Christopher Moeller, Loren Howard, Scott La Valley
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Patent number: 8141924Abstract: A gripper system having a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis; each jaw including a finger member and finger tip member disposed on its distal end; and a gripper drive assembly for moving the jaws toward and away from each other; each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped; each finger tip member including an inner surface which generally aligns with the shaped inner contour for gripping a range of larger objects and an outer surface which generally aligns with the gripper central closure axis upon closure for gripping a range of smaller objects. Alternatively, each finger tip member may include a forcep element extending transversely to said plane.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2008Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventor: Scott R. Albin
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Patent number: 8091964Abstract: A blast mitigating seat features a base and a seat frame. The seat frame includes a pan and a backrest including an open area for gear worn by a user. A first damping subsystem between the base and the seat frame has a first force/stroke relationship and a second damping subsystem between the base and the seat frame has a second force/stroke relationship.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2009Date of Patent: January 10, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: James A. Carter, Donald MacLeod, Patrick Callahan
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Patent number: 8087339Abstract: An armor system and method for the interior of a structure to be protected wherein releasable fastener material is secured to an inside wall of the structure and at least a first armor panel includes, in one example, a spacer layer, a ceramic hard face layer behind the spacer layer, a ballistic material behind the ceramic energy absorber layer, an encapsulant about the spacer layer, the ceramic energy absorber layer, and the ballistic material. Releasable fastener material is on the encapsulant adjacent the spacer layer for mating the panel to the inside wall of the structure.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2007Date of Patent: January 3, 2012Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Thomas Mann, Denise Mahnken, Michael E. McCormack, II, Martin Edward Smirlock, Ronald E. Lundin, Michael Coltrane, Rick Scheer, Robert C. Sykes
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Patent number: 8074324Abstract: A flexible hinge including a first set of plies and a second set of plies, and a hinge area where the first set of plies and the second set of plies bend. A damping material is disposed between plies of the first set and the second set at least at the hinge area thereof to control the deployment of the hinge.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2004Date of Patent: December 13, 2011Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Peter A. Warren, John Williams, Victor Leemon, Michael Winter
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Patent number: 8061258Abstract: A net deployment system which, in one example, includes a manifold assembly including multiple weight ducts and a bladder port. A weight is disposed in each weight duct and each weight is tied to the net. A bladder is behind the net and is over the bladder port. At least one inflator charge is associated with the manifold for inflating the bladder and firing the weights out of the weight ducts to deploy the net in the path of an incoming threat.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2010Date of Patent: November 22, 2011Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: David J. Hoadley, Robert Knochenhauer, Thieu Truong, Gary Anderson, Micheal Farinella
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Patent number: 8042449Abstract: A structure or vehicle protection system including a removable frame on the structure or vehicle, and a net within the frame and spaced from the structure or vehicle and having a mesh size designed to disarm an incoming threat.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2010Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Farinella, Thomas F. Hafer, Christopher Moeller, Loren Howard, Scott LaValley
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Patent number: 8011285Abstract: A vehicle and structure shield includes a flexible net subsystem including an array of rods or hard points supported by the net subsystem and configured to impact a projectile striking the net. A frame includes mounting brackets attached thereto positioning the frame in a spaced relationship with respect to the vehicle or structure. A first releasable fastener subsystem releasably secures the net subsystem to the frame and a second releasable fastener subsystem releasably secures the mounting brackets of the frame to a vehicle or structure.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2009Date of Patent: September 6, 2011Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Farinella, Robert Lee Cardenas, William R. Lawson, Brendan LaBrecque, Frances Rush, David Hoadley, Michael Wheaton, Michael Anderson, Thomas Mann, Abed Kanaan, Patrick Callahan
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Patent number: 8004127Abstract: A rotary reluctance motor includes a set of inner disks each having an inner diameter root, an outer diameter free end, and a plurality of alternating high permeability teeth and low permeability material segments. A set of outer disks is interleaved with the inner disks to form a disk stack. Each outer disk has an outer diameter root, an inner diameter free end, and a plurality of alternating high permeability teeth and low permeability material segments. The inner and outer disks are configured to bear against and support each other in response to axial magnetic forces. Flux return portions are disposed axially adjacent the disks at each end of the disk stack. A coil is associated with the roots of one of the sets of disks and configured to provide axial flux through the disk stack to rotate one set of disks with respect to the other set of disks.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2008Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventor: Steven D. Potter
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Patent number: 7980335Abstract: An omni-directional wheel includes a hub rotatable about a wheel axis and a first row of angled rollers about the hub each rotatably supported by the hub. There is at least a second row of angled rollers about the hub each also rotatably supported by the hub. The rollers of the second row are axially offset along the wheel axis from the first row, and rotationally offset from the first row about the wheel axis, and not coaxial with the rollers of the first row.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2009Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.Inventor: Steven D. Potter