Patents Examined by Thomas Mullen
  • Patent number: 10025274
    Abstract: A system configured to allow one or more timing processes to accurately keep track of one or more timers while a processor executing the one or more timing processes is in a low-power operational mode. The system is configured to set a real-time clock alarm expiration time equal to a closest expiration time, from a current time, of the one or more timers. Accordingly, upon expiration of the real-time clock alarm, an interrupt is communicated to the processor, resulting in the processor being brought out of a low-power operational mode, and executing one or more processes associated with the corresponding expired timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Kristofer Henderson, James Bielman
  • Patent number: 10026314
    Abstract: A method of a vehicle obtaining sensor data originating at one or more of other vehicles includes receiving input from an operator or system within the vehicle, and generating a request for the sensor data based on the input. The request specifies one or more parameters and the one or more parameters include a location at which the sensor data is obtained. The method also includes sending the request for the sensor data, receiving the sensor data, and processing the sensor data. The processing includes providing the sensor data to the operator or the system within the vehicle based on the input. A central server includes an interface to receive sensor data and parameters from one or more vehicles according to vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication. A processor generates a digital map from the sensor data. The digital map includes a layer for each type of the sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Tal Philosof, Eilon Riess
  • Patent number: 10016083
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a smart mailbox includes a main body, a sensor module, a camera module, a transmission module and a biometric sensor module. The main body includes an enclosed space for storing mails and an opening for inserting mails into the enclosed space. The sensor module is configured to detect presence of one or more mails in the enclosed space. The camera module is configured to capture one or more images of at least a part of the one or more mails. The transmission module is configured to send a notification of presence of the one or more mails and the one or more images to a user device associated with a user. The biometric sensor module is disposed on the main body and is configured to authenticate identity of the user accessing the mailbox to retrieve the one or more mails from the enclosed space of the mailbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Inventor: Saleh (Sam) Atieh
  • Patent number: 10017106
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for monitoring and discriminating cell phone use (voice and text) in a vehicle from the exterior of the vehicle is provided. Cell phone use indicator lights are positioned on the exterior of a vehicle and wirelessly connected to or hardwired to cell phone use detection sensors located in seats and/or within the vehicle cabin to provide site specific information about specific cell phone use in the vehicle based on radio wave frequencies emitted by one or more cell phones in use in the vehicle. One or multiple indicator lights grouped in cluster arrangements to simulate the seat arrangement in a vehicle can be implemented. The apparatus may also be used in aircraft to monitor passenger electronic device use remotely from within the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Inventors: William D. Cotter, Mark D. Lorusso
  • Patent number: 10013867
    Abstract: A programmable security system and method for protecting an item of merchandise includes a programming station, a programmable key and a security system. The programming station generates a security code and communicates the security code to a memory of the programmable key. The programmable key initially communicates the security code to a memory of the security device and subsequently operates the security device upon a matching of the security code in the memory of the security device with the security code in the memory of the programmable key. The programmable key may also transfer power via electrical contacts or inductive transfer from an internal battery to the security device to operate a lock mechanism. The security code may be communicated by wireless infrared (IR) systems, electrical contacts or inductive transfer. A timer inactivates the programmable key and/or the security device after a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: InVue Security Products Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Fawcett, Jeffrey A. Grant, Dennis D. Belden, Jr., Ronald M. Marsilio, Ian R. Scott
  • Patent number: 10011176
    Abstract: The physical and/or mental condition of a vehicle occupant can be recognized on the basis of a BCG (ballistocardiograph) signal, which is obtained by means of a BCG sensor. The BCG sensor is an MEM sensor; a cross-correlation of the BCG signal with heartbeat parameters is carried out in an optimum filter, which heartbeat parameters are varied within predefined limits to find a maximum of the cross-correlation function; and probable peaks are located in a cross-correlation function found in this manner and the heart rate is calculated therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Uwe Gussen, Christoph Arndt Dr habil, Frederic Stefan
  • Patent number: 10008112
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a computer that receives weather information from a weather service provider (“WSP”) server and automatic vehicle locating system (“AVL”) collected information from an AVL server, accesses a material performance specification for at least one treatment material, and determines, based on the weather information and/or AVL collected information and the material performance specification, a treatment recommendation for a selected roadway segment and/or route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Concaten, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin K. Groeneweg
  • Patent number: 10007344
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a haptic actuator that may include a housing and a field member movable within the housing, and a driver capable of driving the haptic actuator and sensing at least one of a drive voltage and drive current for the haptic actuator. The electronic device may also include a closed-loop controller cooperating with the driver. The closed-loop controller may be capable of determining a calibration of the haptic actuator based upon at least one of the drive voltage and drive current, storing a reference pattern of movement for the field member, and driving the haptic actuator in a closed-loop configuration based upon the calibration of the haptic actuator and reference pattern of movement of the field member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Arman Hajati, Parin Patel
  • Patent number: 9996673
    Abstract: A method and system for monitoring a user's intoxication including receiving a set of signals, derived from a set of samples collected from the user at a set of time points; providing a sobriety task to the user proximal to a time point of the set of time points; generating a performance dataset characterizing performance of the sobriety task by the user; receiving a supplementary dataset characterizing a demographic profile of the user and/or a physiological state of the user; determining a set of values of an intoxication metric, derived from the set of signals; generating a predicted temporal profile of the intoxication metric for the user based upon the set of values, the set of time points, and the supplementary dataset; generating an analysis of the user's sobriety based upon the performance dataset and the predicted temporal profile; and providing a notification to the user based upon the analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: KHN Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Harry Nothacker, Pauline Anne Basaran, Stacey Ilene Rettus, Michael Jurgen Strasser, Imraan Aziz, John Paul Walton, Zachary Michael Saul
  • Patent number: 9997072
    Abstract: In a driving assistance apparatus, a detector is configured to detect whether or not a leading vehicle has started moving, where the leading vehicle is a vehicle just in front of an own vehicle and the own vehicle is a vehicle carrying the apparatus. A notifier is configured to, if it is detected by the detector that the leading vehicle has started moving, provide a notification that the leading vehicle has started moving. An inhibitor is configured to, when the own vehicle has approached a stop point along a road, at which every vehicle must stop before passing therethrough, inhibit the notifier from providing the notification that the leading vehicle has started moving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jian Hu
  • Patent number: 9984566
    Abstract: The current invention pertains to a system and a method for detection and monitoring of traffic patterns and securely processing events of violations of Slow-Down-Move-Over (SDMO) traffic regulations on at least one designated traffic surface utilizing at least one mobile platform, equipped with at least one traffic monitoring and recording system for observation, monitoring, recording, storing and processing data pertinent to potential violations of a set of SDMO regulations, prepositioned in proximity of at least one traffic scene including the at least one traffic surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Inventors: David Keshvar Mostofi, Cory J. Kuzyk, Thomas Joseph Bouchard, Jorge Junior Brito, Andrew Edward Meade, Michael Dillon Phelan, Kamal Christopher Knight, Rajendra Ramphal, John Edward O'Connor
  • Patent number: 9978274
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for a negative image or false positive profile for sign locations. Image data or another type of optical data is collected along a path by a collection device such as a camera. The data is analyzed to identify one or more false positive locations along the path at which signs for other paths may be detected. The false positive locations may be described in the negative image or false positive profile. Additional or subsequent optical data may be analyzed based on the negative image or false positive profile may be analyzed to identify at least one confirmed sign position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: Aaron J. Dannenbring
  • Patent number: 9969329
    Abstract: Various aspects of a system and method for generation of a preventive alert are disclosed herein. The system comprises one or more circuits in a vehicle configured to retrieve sensor data associated with the vehicle and/or obstacle information generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle, along a path of the vehicle. The system further comprises one or more circuits configured to communicate to a server, a set of data based on the retrieved sensor data and/or the retrieved obstacle information. The generation of an alert to one or more vehicles is controlled by the server, based on the communicated set of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nagesh B. T. Shenoy, Pramod Chintalapoodi, Sho Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9965957
    Abstract: An image of the nearby surroundings of a user's vehicle is displayed, which includes images of the user's vehicle and threshold lines that define a range of distance from the user's vehicle. The image of the nearby surroundings of the user's vehicle is changed in accordance with a positional relationship between another vehicle and the range of distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haozhou Li, Hitoshi Sawada, Tsutomu Matsubara
  • Patent number: 9965951
    Abstract: In an approach for adapting traffic signal timing, a computer receives a streaming video for one or more paths of a first intersection. The computer identifies traffic within the received streaming video. The computer calculates traffic flow for the one or more paths of the first intersection based on the identified traffic. The computer determines whether a change in a state of a traffic signal for the first intersection should occur based at least in part on the identified traffic and the determined traffic flow with respect to predefined objectives. Responsive to determining the change in the state of the traffic signal for the first intersection should occur, the computer calculates a change to a traffic signal timing based on the determined change in the state of the traffic signal. The computer initiates an adaptation to the traffic signal timing based on the determined change to the traffic signal timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John B. Gallagher, Bradley M. Gorman, Cody S. Gough, Stephen J. Hobson, Mohammad B. Zanjani
  • Patent number: 9956963
    Abstract: A system for analyzing driver fitness to drive with consideration given to any of various conditions such as driver drowsiness, fatigue, and anxiety. The system includes a processing hardware unit, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising various modules to determine if the driver is impaired. The modules include an input interface module that, when executed by the processing unit, receives sensor data indicating a present driver health factor. A database module includes pre-established driver-profile data particular to a driver. And the modules include an activity module that, when executed by the processing unit, obtains the driver-profile data and the sensor data, and determines, based on the present health factor and the pre-established driver-profile data, fitness of the driver to drive. The disclosure relates in various embodiments to a computer-readable storage device, separately, and processes performed by the system and device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Vivek Vijaya Kumar, Donald K. Grimm, Raymond J. Kiefer
  • Patent number: 9959767
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for warning of occluded or obstructed objects are provided. The method includes: detecting a presence of at least one object in a predetermined area, the predetermined area being visually obstructed from an operator of a machine; determining whether at least one condition for displaying the detected at least one object is met; and in response to determining that the at least one condition is met, displaying a graphical indicator corresponding to the detected at least one object. The method and apparatus may be implemented in a vehicle to display graphical indicators warning of object on obstructing portions of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: David A. Canella, Norman J. Weigert
  • Patent number: 9956833
    Abstract: Provided are an in-vehicle reporting apparatus and a reporting system configured to prevent errors in reporting. The in-vehicle reporting apparatus stores a mounting position of each tire in association with identification information identifying the tire, a vehicle height acquisition unit acquires a vehicle height of the vehicle, a vehicle height determination unit determines whether the vehicle height is greater than or equal to a predetermined height, and a reporting unit reports information that depends on the mounting position of a tire stored in the storage unit in association with acquired identification information and on acquired air pressure information of the tire when the acquired vehicle height is not greater than or equal to the predetermined height, and does not report information that depends on the mounting position of the tire, when the acquired vehicle height is greater than or equal to the predetermined height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignees: AutoNetworks Technologies, Ltd., Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Norichika Oomi
  • Patent number: 9950668
    Abstract: A support processor performs driving support processing of outputting a warning when it is judged that there is a possibility of collision between a subject vehicle and another vehicle based on subject vehicle information acquired by a subject vehicle information acquirer and another vehicle information acquired by an another vehicle information acquirer. A subject vehicle information predictor predicts an arrival time required until a subject vehicle arrives at an intersection based on subject vehicle information. A preceding vehicle information predictor predicts the position of a preceding vehicle at the time when a predicted arrival time elapses, based on preceding vehicle information acquired by a preceding vehicle information acquirer. A support execution determiner determines whether to permit or forbid the support processor to perform driving support processing according to a predicted position of a preceding vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuuki Nakagawa, Yohei Fujii
  • Patent number: 9953537
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a vehicle control system and a method thereof. A vehicle control system, according to the present invention, may include: a camera that is configured to photograph a front image; a tire detecting unit that is configured to detect the tire of a nearby vehicle from the image and to measure the direction of the tire; and a controller that is configured to estimate the path of the nearby vehicle based on the direction of the tire, to determine a risk of collision between a driver's vehicle and the nearby vehicle based on the path of the nearby vehicle, and to give a warning or control the driver's vehicle when there is a risk of collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sang Kyun Sim