Patents by Inventor Christopher J. Brown

Christopher J. Brown has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20140089910
    Abstract: During a first execution of software, historical data is logged that indicates which locale objects were used. During a second execution of the software, the historical data is read, and locale objects or subsections of locale objects are dynamically built from locale source files based on the historical data in the log that indicates which locale objects were used during the first execution. Any other locale objects or subsections that are needed that are not built initially during the second execution are dynamically built from locale source files when requested at run-time. Dynamically building locale objects or subsections based on which locale objects were used in one or more previous executions saves time that would otherwise be required to build the locale objects when they are needed at run-time. The result is significant savings in system-wide resources while still allowing for access to a large number of possible locales.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Leander Bromley, JR., Christopher J. Brown, Thuy Phuong Christenson, Patrick L. Glenski, Kershaw S. Mehta
  • Publication number: 20140089949
    Abstract: Subsections of locale objects are dynamically built from locale source files when requested at run-time without building all subsections of the locale object. When a subsection of a locale object is dynamically built, the subsection is stored in global memory so it may be read by multiple applications. Dynamically building subsections of locale objects when requested allows software to operate with a relatively small number of locale objects instead of with hundreds or thousands of locale objects, as is known in the art, and requires fewer system resources because only the requested subsection of the locale object is built when it is requested. The result is significant savings in system-wide resources while still allowing for access to a large number of possible locales.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Leander Bromley, JR., Christopher J. Brown, Thuy Phuong Christenson, Patrick L. Glenski, Kershaw S. Mehta
  • Publication number: 20140089893
    Abstract: During a first execution of software, historical data is logged that indicates which locale objects were used. During a second execution of the software, the historical data is read, and locale objects or subsections of locale objects are dynamically built from locale source files based on the historical data in the log that indicates which locale objects were used during the first execution. Any other locale objects or subsections that are needed that are not built initially during the second execution are dynamically built from locale source files when requested at run-time. Dynamically building locale objects or subsections based on which locale objects were used in one or more previous executions saves time that would otherwise be required to build the locale objects when they are needed at run-time. The result is significant savings in system-wide resources while still allowing for access to a large number of possible locales.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Leander Bromley, JR., Christopher J. Brown, Thuy P. Christenson, Patrick L. Glenski, Kershaw S. Mehta
  • Publication number: 20130191720
    Abstract: A document accessible on a network may be opened by multiple users. A user may use a thin client application to access the document, wherein an image of the document and XML data including comments and locations of the comments in the document. Hint icons are displayed in the document where comments are anchored. Upon selection of a hint, an HTML comments pane may be displayed to a side of the document, exposing comments and replies to comments currently stored in the document. The comments pane may be scrolled to the comment associated with the selected hint. Additionally, highlighting may be provided over elements in the document associated with a selected comment. Comments may be added via the comments pane and saved to the document on the network. Comments and comment location data may be communicated to other clients, allowing for collaborative communication via a thin client application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nicholas Michael Simons, Jonathan Bailor, Christopher J. Brown, Sugandha S. Kapoor, Dong Ming
  • Patent number: 8436202
    Abstract: The present invention includes a process to dry a feed steam containing alcohol and a small quantity of water. The process includes the step of using pressure swing adsorption to produce a first alcohol stream of substantially dehydrated alcohol and a second mixed stream of water and alcohol. The second mixed stream is distilled in a distillation column to produce a relatively purified water stream and a wet alcohol stream. The wet alcohol stream is added to the feed stream. Optionally the present invention is used to recover excess methanol from a biodiesel reactor that uses one or both of the transesterification reaction and the esterification reaction. The biodiesel reactor produces a product stream comprising fatty acid esters, water and alcohol. Water and alcohol is separated from the product stream. The alcohol is dried as noted above. Dried alcohol is recycled to one or both of the transesterification reaction and the esterification reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Inventors: Christopher J Brown, Marion Simo
  • Patent number: 8378954
    Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal device comprises an active matrix substrate (1) and a counter electrode substrate separated by a layer of liquid crystal material. A temperature sensing capacitor (11) comprises electrodes on the substrates separated by the liquid crystal layer, which thus forms the dielectric of the capacitor. A reference capacitor (CREF) and a calibration capacitor (CCAL) are also provided and have nominally the same capacitance. These capacitors form part of charge-transfer capacitance measuring branches (25, 26, 30) within a sample/hold circuit (12). During a calibration cycle, the sample/hold circuit (12) provides a signal dependent on the difference between the capacitances of the calibration capacitor (CCAL) and the reference capacitor (CREF) and this is supplied to an analog/digital converter (20-22, 31, 32), which forms a reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Christopher J. Brown
  • Publication number: 20130033450
    Abstract: A dual mode capacitive touch panel includes a sensor substrate, an electrode layer comprising an array of sensor electrodes arranged over the sensor substrate, the array of sensor electrodes including a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of sense electrodes, each sensor electrode corresponding to a location on the sensor substrate, and a shield layer arranged over and spaced apart from the electrode layer. The shield layer includes a predetermined resistance that permits transmission of an electric field at a first frequency and prevents transmission of an electric field at a second frequency, wherein a spacing between the shield layer and the electrode layer is deformable as a result of a force applied to the shield layer due to a user touch, wherein the deformation alters a capacitance between the shield layer and a sensor electrode of the array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Michael P. Coulson, Christopher J. Brown
  • Patent number: 8354991
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, an active matrix liquid crystal device includes an active matrix substrate and a counter electrode substrate separated by a layer of liquid crystal material. A temperature sensing capacitor includes electrodes on the substrates separated by the liquid crystal layer, which thus forms the dielectric of the capacitor. A reference capacitor and a calibration capacitor are also provided and have nominally the same capacitance. These capacitors form part of charge-transfer capacitance measuring branches within a sample/hold circuit. During a calibration cycle, the sample/hold circuit provides a signal dependent on the difference between the capacitances of the calibration capacitor and the reference capacitor and this is supplied to an analog/digital converter, which forms a reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Christopher J. Brown
  • Patent number: 8354564
    Abstract: A process for producing dry alcohol (including ethanol) that comprises at least one stage wherein a gaseous feedstock, which includes alcohol and water, is contacted with carbon monoxide in the presence of a water-gas shift catalyst, at a temperature sufficiently high so that carbon monoxide and water are consumed and carbon dioxide and hydrogen are produced, thereby removing a portion of the water. The process may include multiple stages; the dry alcohol produced contains 99.5 wt. % or greater of alcohol and 0.5 wt. % or less of water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: BHS Technology LLC
    Inventors: Christopher J. Brown, Marian Simo, Vladimir Hlavacek
  • Publication number: 20130009905
    Abstract: A dual-function transducer for a force-sensitive multi-touch screen, including a first substrate, at least one electrode array formed on the first substrate, the at least one electrode array including first and second electrodes, and circuitry operatively coupled to the first and second electrodes. The circuitry is configured to measure first and second electrical properties of the electrode array, the first and second electrical properties corresponding to touch and strain, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sergio G. CASTILLO, Christopher J. BROWN
  • Publication number: 20120078003
    Abstract: The present invention includes a process to dry a feed steam containing alcohol and a small quantity of water. The process includes the step of using pressure swing adsorption to produce a first alcohol stream of substantially dehydrated alcohol and a second mixed stream of water and alcohol. The second mixed stream is distilled in a distillation column to produce a relatively purified water stream and a wet alcohol stream. The wet alcohol stream is added to the feed stream. Optionally the present invention is used to recover excess methanol from a biodiesel reactor that uses one or both of the transesterification reaction and the esterification reaction. The biodiesel reactor produces a product stream comprising fatty acid esters, water and alcohol. Water and alcohol is separated from the product stream. The alcohol is dried as noted above. Dried alcohol is recycled to one or both of the transesterification reaction and the esterification reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Inventors: Christopher J. Brown, Marion Simo
  • Publication number: 20110108409
    Abstract: The present invention is for the production of fuel grade alcohol, specifically ethanol. A steam dryer is used to dry the solid byproduct into usable animal feed. The steam dryer typically contains less than 6% air in its exhaust stream is directed to the bottoms of one or more distillation columns to heat the distillation column and scrub the exhaust stream simultaneously. The elimination of a thermal oxidizer and the efficient use of the energy in the exhaust stream provide considerable cost savings for an alcohol production plant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Inventor: Christopher J. Brown
  • Patent number: 7867365
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for producing ethanol from an organic source and that operates to purify and dry ethanol from a beer source. The system for producing substantially anhydrous ethanol comprises: (a) a first distillation stripping column; (b) a second distillation rectifying column having a higher operating temperature than said stripping column; (c) a molecular sieve dehydration means in fluid communication with said rectifying column. Heat from the overhead of the second distillation rectifying column and the molecular sieve dehydration are used to heat the first distillation stripping column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Thermal Kinetics Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher J. Brown
  • Publication number: 20100312822
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for utilizing server pre-processing to deploy static renditions of electronic documents in a computer network. An electronic document may be published from a client computer to a first server computer in the computer network. During publication, the first server computer may create a static rendition of the electronic document and a viewing application for viewing the static rendition of the electronic document on the client computer. The first server computer may store the static rendition of the electronic document and the viewing application on a second server computer for delivery to the client computer. Other embodiments may also include receiving, at the first server computer, a request to make revisions to the electronic document and sending a dynamic version of the electronic document from the first server computer to the client for making the revisions to the electronic document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Gareth A. Howell, Christopher J. Brown, Sugandha S. Kapoor, Donovan P. Lange, Zhenjun Zhu
  • Publication number: 20100070293
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a course of action in a real-time case based on analysis of trend data in historical cases. The system includes an historical initial data interface; an historical outcome interface; an historical response interface; an historical database; a trend analyzer; and a trend analysis interface. The method includes obtaining historical initial data for more than one historical case; associating an historical response and an historical outcome with each of the historical cases; storing the historical initial data and the associated historical responses and outcomes for each of the historical cases; identifying trends between the historical initial data and the associated historical responses and outcomes in the historical cases; obtaining initial data for the real-time case; and determining a course of action in the real-time case based on the identified trends from historical cases having similar historical initial data to the initial data in the real-time case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher J. Brown, Jessica Bolduc, Forrest Chamberlain, Sriram Peri
  • Publication number: 20100012277
    Abstract: A tabbing apparatus to dispense tabs from a carrier substrate and facilitate the loading of tab stock internally of the tabbing apparatus. The tabbing apparatus includes an input mechanism operative to supply and convey a stream of tab stock and an output mechanism operative to accept and take away the stream of tab stock supplied by the input mechanism. The tabbing apparatus further includes a peeler bar operative to dispense adhesive tabs from a carrier substrate, and a displacement mechanism for repositioning the peeler bar from a loading position to a dispensing position. The displacement mechanism, is furthermore, operative to disengage the peeler bar from the stream of tab stock while in the loading position and engage the peeler bar with the stream of tab stock while in the dispensing position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: Pitney Bowes Limited
    Inventors: Geoffrey A. Farmer, Keith G.R. Watts, Simon Hosking, Christopher J. Brown
  • Publication number: 20090216051
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for drying ethanol includes a first reaction chamber for carrying out the removal of water from wet ethanol, a feed inlet for introducing the wet ethanol into the reaction chamber, a product outlet for removing dry ethanol from the reaction chamber, an optional fuel inlet for introducing a fuel into the reaction chamber, and a particulate bed, including sorbent particles, that is disposed within the reaction chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the bed is divided into first and second zones each provided with different size sorbent particles. In another preferred embodiment, the bed contains a mixture of sorbent particles and catalyst particles. The sorbent particles operate to remove water from the wet ethanol and form hydrated-sorbent particles. The catalyst particles operate to promote chemical reaction of the fuel, generating heat that causes removal of water from the hydrated-sorbent particles and regenerating the sorbent particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2009
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Inventors: Christopher J. Brown, Vladimir Hlavacek, Marian Simo
  • Publication number: 20090102780
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, an active matrix liquid crystal device (AMLCD) includes an active matrix substrate including an active matrix area and a counter electrode substrate carrying a common electrode whose voltage may vary so as to reduce liquid crystal degradation. A layer of liquid crystal material is disposed between the substrates and a temperature measuring arrangement is provided on the active matrix substrate. This arrangement includes a temperature sensing liquid crystal capacitor which in turn includes a first electrode formed on the active matrix substrate outside the image generating region of the active matrix area and separated from the common electrode, which forms the second electrode of the capacitor, by the liquid crystal layer, which forms the capacitor dielectric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventor: Christopher J. Brown
  • Patent number: 7504546
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for drying ethanol includes a first reaction chamber for carrying out the removal of water from wet ethanol, a feed inlet for introducing the wet ethanol into the reaction chamber, a product outlet for removing dry ethanol from the reaction chamber, an optional fuel inlet for introducing a fuel into the reaction chamber, and a particulate bed, including sorbent particles, that is disposed within the reaction chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the bed is divided into first and second zones each provided with different size sorbent particles. In another preferred embodiment, the bed contains a mixture of sorbent particles and catalyst particles. The sorbent particles operate to remove water from the wet ethanol and form hydrated-sorbent particles. The catalyst particles operate to promote chemical reaction of the fuel, generating heat that causes removal of water from the hydrated-sorbent particles and regenerating the sorbent particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Inventors: Christopher J. Brown, Vladimir Hlavacek, Marian Simo
  • Patent number: 7300049
    Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding sheets one-at-a-time along a path is disclosed having: means for storing a plurality of sheets; a feeder/separator comprising feeding means for engaging the sheets and feeding them from the means for storing and a separator for engaging sheets fed by the feeding means to thereby feed single ones of the sheets one-at-a-time along the path whilst remaining sheets not being fed along the path are halted by the separator; and a clearance mechanism for engaging said remaining sheets and removing them from the separator region in a sheet clearance process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Ltd.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Brown, Nicholas S. Clarke, Martyn R. House, Paul L. Jeeves