Patents Examined by Anne V. Lai
  • Patent number: 7280044
    Abstract: Various document tracking techniques may provide an RFID tag for attaching a document that has obverse and reverse faces with the tag disposed on the obverse face. The tag may include a board and an antenna that may connect to the board and may be disposed on the obverse face of the document. The board may include a transceiver and a transponder. The transponder may include an integrated circuit. The antenna may include at least one extending member that extends from the board. The extending member may include a plurality of end segments that may flex so as to be disposed on the reverse face around an edge of the document. The antenna may include an extending member that extends from the board and may be secured to the document by connecting to a deforming staple member. The staple member may include stapling ends disposed on the reverse face by extending the stapling ends through the document and bending along the reverse face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Joel A. Kubby
  • Patent number: 7280047
    Abstract: An electronic spray deposition sensor for sensing deposition of liquid on an exterior surface is disclosed. The deposition sensor has a sensing surface comprising a plurality of electrically conductive elements disposed across the sensing surface. The conductive elements are closely spaced apart from each other and insulated from each other on the sensing surface. A comparator circuit is coupled to the conductive elements to detect the presence of liquid at the conductive element. In particular, conductive elements are disposed in an array across the sensing surface such that the presence and location of the liquid on the sensing surface may be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: D. Ken Giles, Trevor Crowe
  • Patent number: 7268686
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for communicating with an RFID tag is provided that includes: a capacitive encoder adapted for placement in proximity of the RFID tag and operable to transmit a first operating signal to the RFID tag for communicating with the RFID tag; wherein the capacitive encoder is further operable to transmit to the RFID tag a second operating signal adapted to excite the RFID tag such that RF radiations from the RFID tag to adjacent RFID tags are nullified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Printronix, Inc.
    Inventor: Lihu M. Chiu
  • Patent number: 7268671
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing an audible alarm signal. The method and apparatus includes creating a rectangular pulse signal having a desired period and a desired first amplitude, adding a shaped modulation component to the rectangular pulse signal from the desired first amplitude to a desired second amplitude to create a modulating waveform, creating a carrier signal, and combining the carrier signal and the modulating waveform to create the audible alarm signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Michael S. McDaniel, David C. Copley, Daniel E. Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 7265661
    Abstract: A display system for a vehicle is provided with a sensor sensing a traveling condition of a vehicle, an image pick-up device executing an image pick-up to take an image of an outside of the vehicle, a display displaying the image taken by the image pick-up device, an image irregularity determination section determining whether there is an image irregularity or not in the image taken by the image pick-up device based on the traveling condition of the vehicle sensed by the sensor, and a display control section executing a display control processing with respect to one of the image still containing the image irregularity and the image previously picked up and not containing the image irregularity when the image irregularity determination section determines that there is the image irregularity in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masanori Satou
  • Patent number: 7259682
    Abstract: The invention concerns a system and a method of monitoring live beings, which combines zone and water alarms, including an alarm unit to be arranged on a being's body and a portable alarm centre handled by a person that monitors the being, wherein the alarm unit includes a sender for continuous wireless transfer of intermittent signals on a first channel and transfer of an arbitrary type of signal on a second channel, and wherein the alarm centre receives signals sent from both channels for status monitoring of the alarm unit. Activation of an alarm is achieved in the alarm centre when the intermittent signal differs from a predetermined intermittent signal state. The arbitrary type of signal is sent on the second channel or channel 2 when a water sensor, included in the alarm unit, detects contact with a predetermined quantity of water. Signaling on the first channel is turned off by a switch in the alarm unit when the arbitrary type of signal is sent to the alarm center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Safemind AB
    Inventors: Jerker Vannerus, Daniel Hallqvist
  • Patent number: 7256687
    Abstract: A tire pneumatic pressure monitoring system contains tire pneumatic pressure monitoring receivers that receive radio signals transmitted from sensors and detect RSSI signals and pneumatic pressure data. A console processes the RSSI signals and the pneumatic pressure data and outputs indicating signals. An indicator indicates the tire pneumatic pressure with the indicating signals. The tire pneumatic pressure monitoring receivers are individually provided corresponding to the tires of a vehicle. The console is provided with a level adjusting unit for adjusting output levels of the RSSI signals by controlling the tire pneumatic pressure monitoring receivers. The levels of the respective RSSI signals input to the console from the respective tire pneumatic pressure monitoring receivers are set approximately equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: ALPS Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Etsuya Shibata
  • Patent number: 7256710
    Abstract: Methods and systems for graphically displaying sources for aircraft flight control instructions are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes displaying at a display medium a map of a region at least proximate to an aircraft and displaying an aircraft indicator at least proximate to the map. The aircraft indicator can identify current location of the aircraft, and its location relative to the map can be updated as the aircraft executes a flight. The method can further include displaying at least proximate to the map an indication of a current mode by which a path of the aircraft is currently being automatically controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Randall J. Mumaw, Daniel J. Boorman, William M. Bresley, John C. Griffin, III, Peter D. Gunn
  • Patent number: 7242309
    Abstract: A gas detection system capable of suppressing the power consumption of the system using gas sensors required for heating for measurement at high accuracy, comprising a server and a plurality of gas sensors connected by way of wireless communication with the server, in which each of the gas sensors is provided with a heater, a controller for controlling the ON-OFF for the power supply to the heater and a comparator for comparing the detected gas concentration with a predetermined threshold value. In the gas detection system, electric power is not usually supplied to the heater in each of the gas sensors and the gas sensor measures the gas concentration at a low accuracy and always compares it with the threshold value. In a case where the gas concentration exceeds the threshold value in one of the gas sensors, it turns the heater of its own to ON thereby switching the measurement to that at high accuracy and turns the heater to OFF upon completing the measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Yokosawa, Sadaki Nakano, Yasushi Goto
  • Patent number: 7242283
    Abstract: An anti-theft automobile steering wheel lock with an alarm includes an alarm and a lock body. The alarm set fixed on the lock body consists of a circuit board, a buzzer and a battery base. The circuit board possesses a microphone sensor, a vibrating sensor and a warning light. The warning light and the battery base are connected with the circuit board. In using, wrap a fitting member of the lock body around a part of the steering wheel of an automobile and power the alarm set in a detecting state. If a door of an automobile is opened by a thief, air current outside the automobile will flow into the interior of the automobile, inducing the microphone sensor to make the buzzer sound out for warning. If the body of an automobile is struck by a thief, the vibrating sensor will be induced to make the buzzer sound out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Inventor: Hui-Hua Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7239235
    Abstract: A switch is disclosed having first and second switch elements each configured to provide power to a sensor when in one state and configured to switch to a second state and provide positional information, for example. The sensor configured to effect the first and second switches to switch to the second state and to switch back to the one state, the first and second switch elements configured to switch alternately and in a complementary way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Williams Controls Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Fred Eugene Yates
  • Patent number: 7239244
    Abstract: A system for monitoring a portable article. The system has a housing, a detectable signal generator on the housing, a detection circuit on the housing, and a jumper element having first and second ends. The jumper element has a) an operative state wherein the first and second jumper element ends are electrically connected to the detection circuit at first and second locations and the jumper element defines a conductive path electrically connecting between the first and second locations on the detection circuit and b) a disabled state. In the disabled state, one of i) the first end of the jumper element is disconnected from the detection circuit at the first location ii) the second end of the jumper element is disconnected from the detection circuit at the second location and iii) the jumper element is severed between the first and second ends, so that the conductive path between the first and second locations is interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Se-Kure Controls, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger J. Leyden, Michael Parent
  • Patent number: 7233228
    Abstract: An alerting system for use in generating an alert in respect of usage of a device, the alerting system including a detector capable of detecting an event that is indicative of usage of the device, the alerting system being arranged to invoke a selected alert state prior to the activation of a forthcoming said event by a user, the alert state being selectable from a plurality of different alert states, wherein each of the different alert states represents a different stage of elapsed time since a previous said event, and wherein the alerting system is arranged to select an alert state in dependence on the elapsed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited
    Inventor: Daniel Thomas de Sausmarez Lintell
  • Patent number: 7227455
    Abstract: An mileage communication system for a vehicle, such as a trailer, is disclosed. Mileage data is communicated to a processor by a sensor. The processor calculates cumulative mileage and encodes the mileage data into a code, such as an ON-OFF code, that is capable of being communicated to an output device. The vehicle operator may activate a user interface that is capable of generating a request signal to be sent to the processor. Upon receipt of the request signal, the processor communicates the code to the output device. In response to the code from the processor, the output device communicates a visual or audible signal, such as an ON-OFF signal, that is capable of being received by the vehicle operator or other user. The signal corresponds to the cumulative mileage data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems
    Inventor: Paul J. Waszkowski
  • Patent number: 7224263
    Abstract: An IG key monitor sends out an anti-theft instruction to a GAIN switching part, in case that an IG key SW (ignition key switch) was turned to an OFF state. The GAIN switching part receives the anti-theft instruction from the IG key monitor, and then, switches detection sensitivity of an acceleration sensor to second detection sensitivity (which is detection sensitivity available for inclination judgment of a vehicle, and for example, is approximately ±2 G). An inclination judgment part judges whether or not a vehicle is inclined on the basis of a detection result of the acceleration sensor whose detection sensitivity was switched as described above, and outputs an anti-theft alarm through an alarm part, in case that an output of the acceleration sensor exceeds 0.1 G.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited
    Inventor: Hiroaki Maehara
  • Patent number: 7218236
    Abstract: A vehicle ignition interlock system includes a breath analyzer and a controller operably connected to the breath analyzer and to an ignition system of the vehicle. The breath analyzer detects the breath alcohol level of a vehicle operator and is configured to prevent vehicle ignition if a breath alcohol level is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The controller requires the vehicle operator to periodically take breath analyzer “retests” after vehicle ignition in order to allow vehicle operation to continue. The breath analyzer also detects the presence of alcohol within the vehicle, such as alcohol emanating from an open container of alcohol. The controller may override one or more periodic retests if alcohol is not detected within the vehicle over a predetermined period of time. In addition, the controller may increase the frequency of periodic retests of the vehicle operator in response to detecting alcohol within the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Monitech, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Mobley, Brian McMillin, James R. Lewis
  • Patent number: 7199725
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products for radio frequency identification aiding the visually impaired, storing a recording of a sound, including timing information for synchronous playback, representing at least one attribute of an object having associated with the object a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag; activating the RFID tag with an electronic travel aid (“ETA”) for the visually impaired; retrieving the recording from storage; and playing the recording synchronously through an audio interface of the ETA. Storage of sound recording may be local or remote, and sound recordings may be sorted or indexed and retrieved from storage according to an RFID tag identification code, a classification code for the object, and a type code (a sound skin identifier) for the recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Gilfix, Jerry Walter Malcolm
  • Patent number: 7193513
    Abstract: A transmitter comprises a signaling history information transmission unit. After the transmitter generates a detection signal, the signaling history information transmission unit sends corresponding signaling history information to a regular signal transmission unit. From this regular signal transmission unit, the signaling history information and a regular signal are transmitted to a receiver. The signaling history information contains a count value which is updated at every transmission of the information. Even if the transmitter generates a detection signal during a communication failure, the receiver can identify a time when the transmitter generated the detection signal, based on a received count value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Optex Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masashi Iwasawa
  • Patent number: 7183944
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an emergency/law enforcement vehicle from a secondary vehicle. The apparatus includes: at least one camera mounted on the secondary vehicle; a display surface mounted inside an interior of the secondary vehicle for displaying video image data from the at least one camera; at least one of a pan, tilt, and zoom motor operatively connected to the at least one camera for providing an enhanced view of an emergency/law enforcement vehicle displayed on the display surface; and a controller for controlling the at least one pan, tilt, and zoom motors to provide the enhanced view. The apparatus alternatively also has the capability to detect, track and/or classify an emergency/law enforcement vehicle in the video image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Srinivas Gutta, Miroslav Trajkovic, Antonio Colmenarez, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7176810
    Abstract: An on-vehicle DSRC apparatus capable of being operated with a battery power supply while decreasing power consumption includes a radio unit (1) for performing communication with an on-road radio equipment (30), a data processing unit (2) for processing data received from the radio unit (1), a battery (3) for supplying an electric power to the radio unit (1) and the data processing unit (2) and a first power switch (4) inserted in a power supply line extending between the battery (3) and a combination of the radio unit (1) and the data processing unit (2). The first power switch (4) is imparted with a function for controlling the power supply from the battery (3) so that the power can be saved. In case use of the on-vehicle apparatus is unnecessary, a power supply is interrupted for saving electric energy to prolong the battery life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Inoue