Patents Examined by Sigmund Tang
  • Patent number: 7859416
    Abstract: Methods and systems of attaching a RFID tag to an object. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are systems comprising a substrate having a pendant portion and an attachment portion, a radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit disposed on the substrate, and a tag antenna coupled to the RFID circuit and disposed on the substrate. The attachment portion of the substrate is configured to couple to an object and the pendant portion is configured to extend away from the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Round Rock Research, LLC
    Inventor: John R Tuttle
  • Patent number: 7859428
    Abstract: The present invention is method and system for delivering road sign content information to a mobile computing device for display to the driver of a vehicle. The system consists of a wireless communication network in communication with a mobile computing device operationally coupled to a dashboard display device or a vehicle head's up display device. The wireless communication network further comprises a plurality of meshed network sign transmitting devices placed along predetermined intervals along the highway. Each sign-transmitting device is capable of transmitting road sign content information to the mobile computing device for display to the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Alexandre Polozoff, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 7855654
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a communication system and method for determining and recording the geographical location of an object attached with a short range wireless device, over a wide area, in a vicinity of a radio beacon that can be located by a remote control station, upon establishing or interrupting a wireless connection between said wireless device and said radio beacon. One embodiment of the invention relates to a system for search and rescue of a man overboard (person overboard), a quite frequent and fatal accident at sea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Inventor: Daniel A. Katz
  • Patent number: 7847689
    Abstract: An intruder alarm device that is designed to be mounted on an inside door frame of the front door of a home and sound an alarm, if activated, when the door is opened. The device includes an outer casing that is mounted adjacent to a door and includes a trigger that can be placed immediately in front of the door. If the door is opened while the trigger is in front of the door, the trigger touches a contact within the device and activates an alarm, which then audibly alerts individuals within the home that the door has been opened. The alarm continues to sound until the trigger is returned to vertical position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Inventors: Larry Woitalla, Michelle M. Seppelt
  • Patent number: 7839306
    Abstract: A map display method whereby the contents of a road map displayed can be easily and clearly grasped regardless of the running conditions of a vehicle. In a summarized map displayed on a display screen 10, an area including a vehicle position 11, a destination 13 and a guide route 12 between them is displayed in simplified fashion. At a position far from the destination, as shown in FIG. 2A, a summarized map of a wide area is displayed and objects including a road 14 and a facility 15 are limited to a greater degree. With the approach of the vehicle position 11 to the destination 13, as shown in FIG. 2B, the contraction scale is decreased and a summarized map of a middle area is displayed, while at the same time increasing the objects displayed. With a further approach of the vehicle position 11 to the destination 13, as shown in FIG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Xanavi Informatics Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Tanizaki, Kishiko Maruyama, Shigeru Shimada
  • Patent number: 7812723
    Abstract: An intruder detection system includes a leaky transmission path of a transmission side and a leaky transmission path of a receiving side, both of which has a plurality of leaky points existing in a direction to which the respective leaky transmission path extends, and the intruder detection system further includes an intrusion location detection unit which detects an intrusion location of an intruder on the basis of each signal, which is received in a receiving circuit of the receiving side, affected by the leaky electric wave at each of the leaky points. The intruder detection system further includes a detection table which associates a detectable intrusion location with a detection area, and if intrusion location detection information of the intrusion location detection unit corresponds to a detection area of the detection table, a detection result is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Syoujirou Nishigaki, Kazuma Hirano
  • Patent number: 7796043
    Abstract: A system for monitoring medication compliance in a patient includes an electronic pill that includes a drug-transporting device and an antenna positioned on a surface of the drug-transporting device. A detector is positionable external a gastrointestinal tract of a patient for detecting a presence of the antenna in the patient gastrointestinal tract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Inventors: Neil R. Euliano, Jose C. Principe, Vikas V. Meka, Michael W. Stahl, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7768393
    Abstract: A system and method for asset tracking utilizing a wireless device. An asset such as a vehicle can be equipped with a 3-axis geomagnetic sensor and an accelerometer in association with a remote control hardware component capable of responding to SMS (Short Message Service) command transmitted from the wireless device. As soon as the theft of the asset is detected, a “Theft in progress” SMS data can be transmitted from the wireless device to the remote device attached to the asset. The device then queries the geomagnetic sensor and the accelerometer at a pre-defined rate and transmits the X-Y-Z coordinates and acceleration values to the cell phone/computer via SMS at regular intervals. The device can also log the route of vehicle in a non-volatile memory which can be queried utilizing a “Request History” command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Amit Nigam
  • Patent number: 7760111
    Abstract: An exterior rearview mirror system for a vehicle includes an exterior mirror assembly that is mountable at an exterior side of a vehicle and has an inboard portion that is viewable by a driver of the vehicle when the mirror assembly is mounted at the exterior side of the vehicle. A blind spot indicator is disposed at the inboard portion of the mirror casing of the mirror assembly. The blind spot indicator comprises an illumination source comprising at least one light emitting diode. The illumination source is disposed behind an at least partially light transmitting element, and light emitted by the illumination source passes through the at least partially light transmitting element for viewing by a driver of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Donnelly Corporation
    Inventors: Niall R. Lynam, James A. Ruse, Craig Kendall
  • Patent number: 7746221
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preventing lane departure for use in a vehicle. The method determines whether the vehicle is moving out of its lane by extracting lane markings from an image inputted by using rear side cameras mounted on both side mirrors, calculating a lane departure distance from the directional angle and side distance calculated by three-dimensional mapping of the extracted lane markings, and estimating a lane departure time through the calculated lane departure distance and a vehicle speed sensed by a vehicle speed sensor, thereby preventing vehicle accidents caused by the driver's lane departure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Ho Choul Jung
  • Patent number: 7696864
    Abstract: A vehicle information identifier apparatus comprises a display, a receiver, a deactivation device, and a substantially encasing member. The vehicle information identifier apparatus, or similarly, the vehicle information apparatus may be practiced according to a vehicle information system by following a method of use thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Inventor: Kevin Dillon
  • Patent number: 7675416
    Abstract: The intruder detection device for deciding the occurrence of an invasion if an electric wave, which is received by a leakage transfer passage on the receiving side juxtaposed to a leakage transfer passage on the transmitting side for receiving a leakage electric wave from the transmitting leakage transfer passage, changes, and the intruder detection device comprises: a plurality of reference spectrum diffusion signal generating means; a plurality of correlating means configured together with the reference spectrum diffusion signal generating means on a common sensor card, for collating the output reference spectrum diffusion signal of the reference spectrum diffusion signal generating means with the received signal from the receiving leakage transfer passage; and setting means for adjusting the detection precision which is determined by the reference spectrum diffusion signal generating means and the correlating means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshio Sato
  • Patent number: 7656294
    Abstract: Systems, methods, media, and apparatuses for disabling camera functionality in a portable device are disclosed. Embodiments of the method may include establishing a connection with a camera-enabled portable device and transmitting to the portable device a request for permission to disable camera functionality. Embodiments of the method may also include receiving a response from the portable device relating to permission to disable camera functionality. Further embodiments of the method may include, in response to receiving permission to disable camera functionality, transmitting to the portable device a command to disable camera functionality or, in response to receiving an indication that the user refused permission, displaying a notification message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory J. Boss, John J. Gontkof, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Timothy M. Waters
  • Patent number: 7649459
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for attaching electronics equipment to a cargo container are disclosed. A device in accordance with the present invention comprises a first portion, comprising a wireguide, a second portion, coupled to the first portion at an edge of the first portion, at an approximate right angle to the first portion, the wireguide continuing to at least a part of the second portion, and a third portion, coupled to the second portion, the third portion being approximately perpendicular to the first portion and approximately parallel to the second portion, wherein the second portion and the third portion are designed to accommodate a door flange of a cargo container to attach the mounting device to the cargo container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Gordon S. Hewitt, Guy E. Zierten, Peter S. Lauenstein
  • Patent number: 7633380
    Abstract: An anti-fraud system for a car wash station that includes a moisture sensor for sensing moisture within the car wash station, and a sensor controller adapted to operatively connect a power source with a timer of the car wash station. The sensor controller performing the following program: disconnecting the power source from the timer upon sensing moisture via the moisture sensor; waiting a period of time; sensing whether the moisture sensor detects moisture; and waiting another period of time and repeating if moisture is sensed, or reconnecting the power source to the timer if no moisture is sensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Inventors: Allie Joe Homola, Jr., Gerald Lee Hall
  • Patent number: 7626495
    Abstract: A seatbelt usage indicator system for indicating the frequency of usage of a seatbelt of a vehicle includes a plurality of buckles being secured to a vehicle. A latch plate of each of a plurality of seatbelts is inserted into one of the buckles to secure each of the seatbelts to one of the buckles. Each of the buckles has one of a plurality of counter assemblies coupled thereto. Each of the counter assemblies is actuated when the latch plate is inserted into the associated one of the buckles to count the number of times the latch plate has been inserted. Each of the counter assemblies displays the number of times the latch plate has been inserted into the associated one of the buckles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Inventor: Dwayne A. Montague
  • Patent number: 7605686
    Abstract: An alerting system (202) for a communication device (100) is provided. The alerting system is designed to operate in a plurality of operating modes. The alerting system includes a transducer (204) and an electromechanical switch (106). The transducer transforms electrical impulses into vibrations. The electromechanical switch couples the transducer to a first component (206) of the communication device in a first operating mode. Further, the electromechanical switch couples the transducers to a second component (208) of the communication device in a second operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Salomon Serfaty, Izak Avayu, Eyal Brami, Alexander Shmoukler
  • Patent number: 7605689
    Abstract: A remote control includes energy harvesting that provides power in addition to a battery. The energy harvesting and the battery may be switchably used to power transmit operations, receive operation, and/or display operations. The remote control may be used as part of an automotive vehicle remote keyless entry system in which vehicle status is displayed by the remote control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Hein, Pawel W. Sleboda
  • Patent number: 7589634
    Abstract: The apparatus includes a hand-held RF transducer having a transmit section for providing an energizing signal to cause a RFID tag associated with an object retained in the body of the patient to transmit an RF signal and a receiver section for receiving the RF signal transmitted by the RFID tag, as the patient's body is scanned. An auxiliary antenna array for receiving the transmitted RF signal transmitted by the RFID tag is situated in the mattress on the operating table under the patient. Signal processing electronics are connected to the receiver section of the transducer and to the auxiliary antenna array for determining and indicating when a RF signal from a tag has been received, representing that a tagged object remains in the body of the patient, and for decoding the RF signal to identify the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Med-Track Partners LLC
    Inventor: Milton Frank
  • Patent number: 7586418
    Abstract: A system, for facilitating independent living of one or more individuals who has a health status and is located in a predetermined living area, that is adapted to communicate with one or more caregivers, that generally comprises: a first subsystem that monitors the activity levels of an individual and determines whether the activity level is indicative of a decline in said individual's health status; a second subsystem that can be selectively activated by the individual to alert caregivers that assistance is needed; a third subsystem that automatically alerts caregivers that assistance is needed based at least in part on determination of the first subsystem; and a fourth subsystem that monitors whether the individual is exhibiting wandering activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Edward Cuddihy, Jenny Marie Weisenberg