Patents Examined by Regis Betsch
  • Patent number: 8423311
    Abstract: Calibrating a measuring cell arrangement having a diaphragm vacuum measuring cell having a programmable heater for heating the diaphragm vacuum measuring cell to a constant presettable temperature. The heater encompasses the measuring cells and is encompassed by an insulation jacket. The method includes setting a first heating temperature on the measuring cell to a constant preset value, performing a first calibration step by generating at least one preset pressure in a vacuum volume and obtaining vacuum measuring signals of the measuring cell and at least one reference measuring cell, storing pressure values in the memory, determining compensation values from the difference values of the measuring cell and the reference measuring cell, intermediately storing these difference values in a calibration data memory and gauging the measuring cell by transmitting the determined compensation values to the measuring cell data memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Inficon GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Berg, Carsten Strietzel
  • Patent number: 8407014
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for automatic selection of colorants and flakes to produce one or more matching formulas to match color and appearance of a target coating containing flakes. The present invention is further directed to a system for automatic selection of colorants and flakes for producing one or more matching formulas to match color and appearance of a target coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Arun Prakash, Judith Elaine Obetz
  • Patent number: 8401822
    Abstract: A wellness circuit is for a rotating electrical apparatus having a rated current and being operatively associated with an electrical switching, control, protection or monitoring apparatus structured to provide a number of currents and a number of voltages of the rotating electrical apparatus. The wellness circuit includes a current sensor scaled to the rated current and structured to provide a notch current signal representative of one of the number of currents; an interface to the electrical switching, control, protection or monitoring apparatus, the interface providing the number of currents and the number of voltages; and a processor employing the number of currents and the number of voltages from the interface and the notch current signal to determine wellness of the rotating electrical apparatus. The wellness circuit is structured to be separate from or added to the electrical switching, control, protection or monitoring apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Steven A. Dimino, Ting Yan, Mark A. Verheyen, Thomas M. Ruchti
  • Patent number: 8396680
    Abstract: First and second reference voltages are applied to first and second terminals of a processor via voltage divider circuits. First and second signal conditioning circuits are coupled to third and fourth terminals of the processor, respectively, and voltage or current sensors are coupled to the first and second signal conditioning circuits. The processor measures the electrical characteristics at the third and fourth terminals and computes first and second ratiometric values of the electrical characteristics, wherein the first ratiometric value is based upon a measurement obtained from the third terminal and the first reference voltage and the second ratiometric value is based upon a measurement of obtained from the fourth terminal and the second reference voltage. The processor further identifies an issue if a ratio of the first ratiometric value to the second ratiometric value exceeds a ratio of the first reference value to the second reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Kerfegar K. Katrak, Andrew H. Leutheuser
  • Patent number: 8396688
    Abstract: Impulse noise from nearby or intense electrical sources can disrupt communications over digital subscriber lines (DSL). The characterization of the nature, timing and length of impulse noise sources present on a DSL loop is a critical first step in mitigating the effect of impulse noise on DSL communications. DSL standards provide histograms for impulse length and inter-arrival time of impulses. These histograms can be used to derive the nature, maximum frequency and other statistics related to impulse noise on a DSL line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ikanos Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Hemant Kumar Samdani, Kunal Raheja, Rahul Garg, Amitkumar Mahadevan, Patrick Duvaut
  • Patent number: 8364430
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a frequency generator produces an excitation signal, a local oscillator signal, and a reference signal at a difference frequency of the excitation signal and local oscillator signal. The excitation signal is applied to a physical system to produce a response signal, which is mixed with the local oscillator signal. A filter selects a difference frequency component. The frequencies of the excitation signal and/or local oscillator signal are varied, such that the magnitude of the difference frequency is constant, but a sign of the difference frequency changes from positive to negative. The phase shift of the difference frequency component, with respect to the reference signal, at each of the two signs of the difference frequency, is measured. The measured phase shift at the negative sign is subtracted from the measured phase shift at the positive sign, and the difference is divided in half, to produce a result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Aerodyne Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul L. Kebabian
  • Patent number: 8359161
    Abstract: A method is provided for tracking a magnetic object situated in an area in which a system of coordinates is defined, including an axis of abscissas, an axis ordinate and a height axis. The method includes: a phase of measuring at least one magnetic parameter in multiple measuring points in the area, in order to obtain multiple values take from this parameter in the measurement method including the following steps: construction of at least on projective magnitude; and establishment of the at least one projective magnitude on the values extracting in order to obtain an estimated value of a parameter proportional to a sensitivity within the multiple estimated points of the area, allowing the tracking of the object to take place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Universite de Bretagne Occidentale
    Inventor: Bruno Wirtz
  • Patent number: 8301382
    Abstract: A continuous geomechanically stable trajectory in a subterranean formation is found by calculating at least one reachable stable position relative to a starting position based on geological data indicative of characteristics of the subterranean formation, and iteratively utilizing the calculated reachable stable position as a new starting position. The calculation may be constrained by a boundary including selected distance and direction relative to the starting position, and selected rate of angle change. Within the constraints of the boundary, the possible new trajectories considered may be discretized. The result of the calculations is a three dimensional tree which defines a stability volume. Pruning of at least some branches of the tree may be employed so that not all stable positions have the preselected number of branches, thereby helping to elongate the tree. Either or both of the tree and stability volume are used to select at least one trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignees: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Adrian Enrique Rodriquez Herrera
  • Patent number: 8290737
    Abstract: A method of testing an electronics module (11) for an underwater well installation, comprises the steps of: providing a test equipment (7) comprising a processor (8) and a Local Area Network (LAN) switch (9), such that the processor (8) may communicate with the switch (9); providing an electronics module (11) comprising a data acquisition means (12) and a second LAN switch (10), such that the data acquisition means (12) may communicate with the second switch (10); passing test data from the processor (8) to the data acquisition means (12) via the first and second LAN switches (9, 10); and monitoring the response of the electronics module (11) in response to the test data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Vetco Gray Controls Limited
    Inventor: Julian R. Davis
  • Patent number: 8280638
    Abstract: A multi-station gravity and magnetic survey is carried out in a borehole. The data from the survey are processed to estimate the inclination and azimuth of the borehole. The drill collar relative permeability is estimated, and the estimated drill collar permeability is then used to remove the effects of induced magnetization of the drill collar on the magnetic measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventor: Andrew G. Brooks
  • Patent number: 8244472
    Abstract: A system and method enable testing of a plurality of well-logging tools on a common, realistic earth model. To enable this testing, a model of a synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest is generated. From the synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest, a plurality of test properties are determined as a function of position within the virtual geologic volume of interest, wherein the test properties are measurable in actual geologic volumes of interest by a well-logging instruments. The individual test properties are then distributed to well-logging instrument developers with the model of the synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest to enable modeling and/or benchmarking of different well-logging instruments on the synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest and the ability to derive the original formation properties regardless of the method used (inversion, analytical solution, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventor: Jean-Baptiste Clavaud
  • Patent number: 8239172
    Abstract: A transient electromagnetic signal is recorded in an earth formation in the presence of a pipe having a finite conductivity. A portion of the signal dominated by the pipe signal is analyzed to determine a functional representation, extrapolated back to a time interval where the formation signal is present and subtracted from the recorded signal to provide a corrected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Arcady Reiderman, Gregory B. Itskovich
  • Patent number: 8204693
    Abstract: A method for virtually metering flow rates in a cluster of injection wells comprises: closing each well in and performing a dynamically disturbed injection test (DDIT) on it, during which the injection rate to the well is varied while the flow rate in the header conduit assembly (HCA) and one or more injection well variables of the test well and the other wells are monitored, and the other wells are controlled so that their tubing head pressures or flow meter readings remain constant; for each tested well deriving a model providing a correlation between variations of the fluid flowrate attributable to the test well and variations of the well variables monitored during each DDIT; injecting fluid into each well while monitoring a flow pattern in the HCA and one or more well variables; calculating an estimated injection rate at each well basis on flow pattern, well variables and the model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Jan Jozef Maria Briers, Keat-Choon Goh, Christophe Lauwerys, Peter Stefaan Lutgard Van Overschee
  • Patent number: 8170828
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a test method is implemented to test an integrated circuit that includes at least one processor. The method may include programming a memory to which the integrated circuit is coupled during testing with one or more test programs. The integrated circuit may be booted, and the processor may execute the test programs from the memory. In one embodiment, the memory may also store a control program that may manage the execution of the tests. In an embodiment, the control program may also implement a protocol to communicate with the ATE to perform the testing. The protocol may be implemented over a set of general purpose input/output (I/O) pins, for example. Using the protocol and test vectors on the ATE, the tests may be selected and executed, and test results may be reported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick D. McNamara, Douglas C. Lee, Alan R. Gilchrist, Sung-Wook Kang, Craig A. Pietrow
  • Patent number: 8116992
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of determining bed velocity and solids circulation rate in a standpipe experiencing a moving packed bed flow, such as the in the standpipe section of a circulating bed fluidized reactor The method utilizes in-situ measurement of differential pressure over known axial lengths of the standpipe in conjunction with in-situ gas velocity measurement for a novel application of Ergun equations allowing determination of standpipe void fraction and moving packed bed velocity. The method takes advantage of the moving packed bed property of constant void fraction in order to integrate measured parameters into simultaneous solution of Ergun-based equations and conservation of mass equations across multiple sections of the standpipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: J. Christopher Ludlow, James L. Spenik