Patents Examined by Hien X Vo
  • Patent number: 8504305
    Abstract: An Anti-Terrorism water quality monitoring system for continuously monitoring a potable water treatment system and related potable water distribution network that provides potable water to a municipality, city, housing development or other potable water consumer. The system includes the collection of data from the water distribution system and from the water treatment facility and from advanced separation processes which are integrated into analytical instruments. The data collected are stored in a remote database on a remote server computer or bank of computers and accessible by Homeland Security or its designated agency. Preferred parameters of monitoring include the turbidity and disinfectant such as chlorine, hypochlorous acid, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, ozone, chlorine dioxide, chloramines, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Hach Company
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wolfe
  • Patent number: 8374823
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for monitoring a parameter such as temperature in a system such as a computer server. The method involves defining a monitoring range for the parameter. Typically, the parameter initially lies within the monitoring range. The parameter is then tracked by determining whenever the parameter exceeds an upper or lower limit of the monitoring range. If such a limit is reached, the monitoring range is adjusted to try to accommodate the parameter within the adjusted monitoring range. A time history of the monitoring range may be recorded, including details of all the adjustments of the monitoring range. This allows the behavior of the parameter to be subsequently investigated for diagnostic purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventor: Emrys J. Williams
  • Patent number: 8214161
    Abstract: The system provides first and second sensor assemblies and processor that work in cooperation to detect flaws in welded tubulars. The first sensor detects and provides an indication of the weld line to the processor, which analyzes the indication and determines the approximate location of the weld line along the tubular. The processor then transmits a signal to the second sensor assembly, which is preferably mounted on an automatic positioning apparatus. In response to the signal, the automatic positioning apparatus adjusts and readjusts the position of the second sensor assembly into proximity with the weld line to search for flaws in the tubular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Inventor: Richard J. Girndt
  • Patent number: 8095335
    Abstract: A process of mapping piping systems associated with a refinery and petrochemical facilities is disclosed, which maps piping systems, which interconnect facility operating units with other operating units, utilities, distribution facilities and storage units. A system for aiding in the isolation of piping systems, operating units and other facility components is also disclosed. The system includes a search database having representations of the piping systems and its related components. A method of isolating an event within a facility is also disclosed. The method includes identifying the location of an event in the facility, performing a search to identify the impacted piping systems and related components, and identifying measures to isolate the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company
    Inventors: Susan C Hill, Elvis L Calhoun, William M Castro
  • Patent number: 8060314
    Abstract: To perform a marine survey, a streamer is deployed into a body of water, where the streamer has plural first sensors to perform a subterranean survey. Indications are received from second sensors in corresponding sections of the streamer, where the indications are regarding which sections are in the body of water. Information is updated regarding which sections of the streamer are in the body of water in response to the received indications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L. L. C.
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Welker
  • Patent number: 8060320
    Abstract: Flowmeters are described in which a sensor signal received from a sensor that is attached to vibratable flowtube, so as to determine properties of a fluid within the flowtube, contains a drive signal component and a Coriolis mode component. The flowmeters are operable to determine drive parameters of the drive signal component, as well as Coriolis parameters of the Coriolis mode component. By analyzing the sensor signal based on the drive signal parameters, and not on the Coriolis signal parameters, the flowmeters are able to provide stable and accurate determinations of the properties of the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Invensys Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Manus P. Henry
  • Patent number: 8024146
    Abstract: A multi-gas/gas-mixture or liquid flow sensor apparatus utilizing a specific media calibration capability. The flow sensor can be coupled with an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that incorporates a signal conditioner and a memory module. The signal conditioner provides a high order calibration and signal processing of flow signals from the sensor to a processed signal output representative of the flow. The processed signal output can be stored in the memory module. A correction factor can be calculated and stored in the memory module in response to the stored values of the processed signal output, which tends to linearize the relationship between the flow rate and the processed signal output of a measuring system. The correction factor and/or the processed signal output provided by the signal conditioner can be utilized by the measuring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Prehn Bey, Richard Gehman
  • Patent number: 8010307
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling an overlay shift on an integrated circuit is disclosed. The method and system comprises utilizing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to measure the overlay shift between a first mask and a second mask of the circuit after a second mask and comparing the overlay shift to information about the integrated circuit in a database. The method and system includes providing a control mechanism to analyze the overlay shift and feed forward to the fabrication process before a third mask for error correction. A system and method in accordance with the present invention advantageously utilizes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image overlay measurement after the fabrication process such as etching and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Hermes-Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Wei Fang, Jack Y. Jau, Hong Xiao
  • Patent number: 8000911
    Abstract: A method for automatically determining how monitoring devices in an electrical system having a main source of energy and at least one alternative source of energy (e.g., another utility source, a generator, or UPS system) are connected together to form a hierarchy. The end-user inputs identification information about the monitoring device(s) monitoring the alternative source of energy. The method receives time-series data from the monitoring devices and determines a model type of the electrical system by analyzing the monitoring device's time-series data. Once the model type is known, the method builds the complete monitoring system hierarchy in which the monitoring devices that are monitoring the main and alternative sources are placed properly. The method can also validate polarity nomenclature of the time-series data to account for end-user's varying polarity configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald W. Carter, Amjad Hasan, Jon A. Bickel
  • Patent number: 8000910
    Abstract: A voltage analysis algorithm for automatically determining anomalous voltage conditions in an electrical system monitored by a plurality of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and automatically making recommendations for ameliorating or eliminating the anomalous voltage conditions. The electrical system hierarchy is determined automatically or manually, and the algorithm receives voltage data from all capable IEDs. The voltage data is temporally aligned or pseudo-aligned to place the voltage data in both spatial and temporal context. The algorithm determines anomalous voltage conditions systemically by comparing measured voltage values against nominal or expected ones across the system. Based on the spatial and temporal context of the IEDs, the algorithm automatically identifies a source of the voltage deviation in the hierarchy, and recommends a modification associated with the source for mitigating the anomalous voltage condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Schneider Electric USA , Inc.
    Inventor: Jon A. Bickel
  • Patent number: 7991566
    Abstract: An apparatus is presented for monitoring the relative positions and/or for measuring and evaluating relative position in a system which contains at least two sub-systems. The apparatus has several devices, of which at least one device has a vibration-isolation device. Furthermore, at least one device is provided for determining the relative positions of the devices and one evaluation device is provided for testing whether the measured relative positions of the devices lie within a tolerance interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Integrated Dynamics Engineering GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Maas, Peter Heiland
  • Patent number: 7974804
    Abstract: A registration detection system realizes both substrate-by-substrate correction and highly accurate correction of an exposure process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Takagi
  • Patent number: 7974810
    Abstract: A portable diagnostic device. The portable diagnostic device includes a housing, a processor located within the housing, an input device located on the housing and coupled to the processor, and a display screen located on the housing and coupled to the processor. The processor includes a microbrowser module configured for communicating with an external source of information and a diagnostic module configured for analyzing information received from the external source of information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: AT&T Intellecutal Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Arthur M. Shand
  • Patent number: 7970565
    Abstract: A measurement apparatus that measures a signal under measurement, including a strobe timing generator that sequentially generates strobes arranged at substantially even time intervals, a level comparing section that detects a signal level of the signal under measurement at a timing of each sequentially provided strobe, a capture memory that stores therein a data sequence of the signal levels sequentially detected by the level comparing section, a frequency domain converting section that converts the data sequence into a spectrum in the frequency domain, and a jitter calculating section that calculates jitter of the signal under measurement based on a value obtained by integrating levels of frequency components in a predetermined frequency range of the spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventors: Harry Hou, Takahiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7966150
    Abstract: A system and method of monitoring equipment performance and predicting failures. The system can include a data historian that stores data for a piece of equipment and designates the data to tags. The tags can correspond to sensors that gather the data from the piece of equipment. A matrix model builder application can allow a user to generate regression models for various time spans to determine whether new data is within a normal operating range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Florida Power & Light Company
    Inventors: Donville Smith, Marcos Suero, Eduardo J. More, Gary Moncrief, Jr., Jennifer D Chaney
  • Patent number: 7962312
    Abstract: A method involves using at least one device supported by a user while the user is in locomotion on foot during an outing to automatically measure amounts of time taken by the user to complete respective distance intervals. During the outing, data representing the automatically measured amounts of time may be automatically stored in memory of the least one device. Another method involves using at least one device supported by a user while the user is in locomotion on foot during an outing to automatically identify occasions on which a user completes respective distance intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Jesse Darley, Thomas P. Blackadar
  • Patent number: 7962301
    Abstract: A data compression technique is disclosed for Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (FTMS). A statistical analysis is applied to the data in the frequency domain since most of this data is a result of randomly distributed electronic noise. A fit of the whole frequency dataset to the distribution is made to determine preliminary moments of the distribution. The data in the tail of that distribution (which is mainly the peak data) is then removed and the remaining data points are re-fitted to the distribution, to identify the moments of distribution of that remaining noise data. A noise threshold for the mass spectrum is then applied using the calculated moments. The data above the threshold is kept. The whole spectrum can be reconstituted by storing the moments of distribution along with the peak data and then regenerating the noise from those moments and adding it to the peak data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Thermo Finnigan LLC
    Inventors: Robert Malek, Oliver Lange
  • Patent number: 7953564
    Abstract: Flowmeters are described in which a sensor signal received from a sensor that is attached to vibratable flowtube, so as to determine properties of a fluid within the flowtube, contains a drive signal component and a Coriolis mode component. The flowmeters are operable to determine drive parameters of the drive signal component, as well as Coriolis parameters of the Coriolis mode component. By analyzing the sensor signal based on the drive signal parameters, and not on the Coriolis signal parameters, the flowmeters are able to provide stable and accurate determinations of the properties of the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Invensys Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Manus P. Henry
  • Patent number: 7945415
    Abstract: A fault detection method for detecting short circuit faults in an injector arrangement at engine start-up. The injector arrangement comprises one or more piezoelectric fuel injectors, which are connected in a drive circuit. In one aspect of the invention, the potential at a bias point in the drive circuit is determined and compared with a predicted voltage. A short circuit fault signal is generated if the potential at the bias point is not within a predetermined tolerance voltage of the predicted voltage. In another aspect of the invention, a first charge pulse is applied to the injectors to charge the injectors. A discharge current path is provided during a delay period following the first charge pulse by closing a discharge switch. A faulty injector will discharge through the discharge current path during the delay period. A second charge pulse is applied to the injectors following the delay period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies Holding S.arl
    Inventor: Louisa J. Perryman
  • Patent number: 7937246
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a trend in vertical track modulus are described. Vertical deflection data is collected along a particular section of railroad track. A first set of vertical track modulus is determined, based in part, on the collected vertical deflection data. At a second time, vertical deflection data is again collected along the particular section of railroad track to be used in determining a second set of vertical track modulus. At least the first and second sets of vertical track modulus are analyzed to determine a mathematical algorithm that facilitates developing a trend in the vertical track modulus of the railroad track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventors: Shane Michael Farritor, Sheng Lu