Patents by Inventor Ken Hardman

Ken Hardman 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: 20220412108
    Abstract: A safety gate has: a structural frame including a pair of columns spaced from one another along a peripheral edge of an elevated platform to define a ledge entrance to a staging area of the elevated platform; a ledge gate; and a staging gate; and in which the ledge gate and the staging gate are connected to move together relative to the pair of columns: into a loading configuration when the ledge gate rises and pitches upward, and the staging gate lowers and unfolds laterally away from the pair of structural columns, to allow a) the ledge gate to open the ledge entrance and b) the staging gate to enclose the staging area; and into an unloading configuration when the ledge gate lowers and pitches downward, and the staging gate rises and folds laterally toward the pair of structural columns, to allow a) the ledge gate to close the ledge entrance and b) the staging gate to expose the staging area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Munsoor Mirza, Barrett Ingram, Jonathan Breton, Ken Hardman
  • Patent number: 9765666
    Abstract: A system and method for utilizing fuel as an on-board reductant for selective catalytic reduction of NOx is provided and includes a controller for controlling an engine to produce a lean first exhaust stream and a rich second exhaust stream that are received in respective first and second passageways of a dual path aftertreatment system. The rich second exhaust stream reacts with NOx stored in a NOx storage and reduction catalyst of the second passageway to regenerate this catalyst and generate ammonia. The first exhaust stream and the second exhaust stream having the generated ammonia are combined in a downstream common passageway to form a combined lean exhaust gas stream where the ammonia carried therein is stored or used by an SCR catalyst of the common passageway for NOx reduction. The engine is subsequently controlled to produce a rich first exhaust stream and a lean second exhaust stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Michael A Smith, Craig L Dimaggio, Jeffrey P Wuttke, Andrew Brocker, Travis T Hamilton, Ken Hardman, Cody Baldwin-Squib
  • Publication number: 20160230632
    Abstract: A system and method for utilizing fuel as an on-board reductant for selective catalytic reduction of NOx is provided and includes a controller for controlling an engine to produce a lean first exhaust stream and a rich second exhaust stream that are received in respective first and second passageways of a dual path aftertreatment system. The rich second exhaust stream reacts with NOx stored in a NOx storage and reduction catalyst of the second passageway to regenerate this catalyst and generate ammonia. The first exhaust stream and the second exhaust stream having the generated ammonia are combined in a downstream common passageway to form a combined lean exhaust gas stream where the ammonia carried therein is stored or used by an SCR catalyst of the common passageway for NOx reduction. The engine is subsequently controlled to produce a rich first exhaust stream and a lean second exhaust stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Michael A. Smith, Craig L. Dimaggio, Jeffrey P. Wuttke, Andrew Brocker, Travis T. Hamilton, Ken Hardman, Cody Baldwin-Squib
  • Patent number: 8956145
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods include a mold assembly having a malleable mold (4), a moldable blank (2) and a bladder (1) positioned about the moldable blank (2) to transmit an external force applied to the mold assembly uniformly to the moldable blank (2) and hence to the malleable mold (4). The invention further includes a method of replicating a surface by use of the mold assembly. The method may include manipulating the malleable mold (4) to record the image to be replicated. This manipulation may include a physical engagement of the mold with a physical surface to be replicated. Alternatively, an image, e.g., photograph or laser scan of the surface may be transmitted to a computer numerically controlled (“CNC”) system. The CNC system then manipulates the malleable mold (4) to reflect the surface to be replicated. An activated moldable blank, e.g., a blank (2) fabricated from a thermo-forming material, is then positioned over the malleable mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Iterations Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Johnson, Ken Hardman, Leslie Johnson, Caleb Waugh, Jonathan Woahn, Tyson Triplett, Eric Radford, Dean Keith Stolworthy, Karl M. Taylor, Brad Hyatt, Jeffrey Webster, James Kearl, David Matsumura
  • Publication number: 20090273109
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods include a mold assembly having a malleable mold (4), a moldable blank (2) and a bladder (1) positioned about the moldable blank (2) to transmit an external force applied to the mold assembly uniformly to the moldable blank (2) and hence to the malleable mold (4). The invention further includes a method of replicating a surface by use of the mold assembly. The method may include manipulating the malleable mold (4) to record the image to be replicated. This manipulation may include a physical engagement of the mold with a physical surface to be replicated. Alternatively, an image, e.g., photograph or laser scan of the surface may be transmitted to a computer numerically controlled (“CNC”) system. The CNC system then manipulates the malleable mold (4) to reflect the surface to be replicated. An activated moldable blank, e.g., a blank (2) fabricated from a thermo-forming material, is then positioned over the malleable mold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: Iterations, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Johnson, Ken Hardman, Leslie Johnson, Caleb Waugh, Jonathan Woahn, Tyson Triplett, Eric Radford, Dean Keith Stolworthy, Karl M. Taylor, Brad Hyatt, Jeffrey Webster, James Kearl, David Matsumura
  • Patent number: 7124751
    Abstract: An EGR valve position control method controls a position of an EGR valve according to a pressure change across the valve and a desired EGR valve position. The method calculates a desired EGR valve position and generates one or more duty cycle control terms based on a difference between the desired EGR valve position and an actual EGR valve position. Additionally, the method provides feedforward control based on the pressure change and the desired EGR valve position in order to generate feedforward duty cycle control terms. The method controls the position of the EGR valve based on the duty cycle control terms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Hardman, Michael A Bonne
  • Publication number: 20060207580
    Abstract: An EGR valve position control method controls a position of an EGR valve according to a pressure change across the valve and a desired EGR valve position. The method calculates a desired EGR valve position and generates one or more duty cycle control terms based on a difference between the desired EGR valve position and an actual EGR valve position. Additionally, the method provides feedforward control based on the pressure change and the desired EGR valve position in order to generate feedforward duty cycle control terms. The method controls the position of the EGR valve based on the duty cycle control terms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Ken Hardman, Michael Bonne
  • Patent number: 6988484
    Abstract: A method for reducing the magnitude of a knock retard angle in a vehicle having a quantity of fuel and a system for determining the quantity of fuel. The method determines a previous fuel quantity and a present fuel quantity, determines from said present fuel quantity and said previous fuel quantity whether the quantity of fuel has increased; and decreases the magnitude of the knock retard angle upon determining the quantity of fuel has increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
    Inventors: David J Kujawa, Ken Hardman
  • Patent number: 6152106
    Abstract: A power steering load compensation system for an internal combustion engine which employs a pressure sensor to monitor the output pressure of the power steering pump. The pressure sensor provides an input signal to an engine controller, and the engine controller generates an automatic idle speed output signal for controlling the idle speed motor of the engine throttle body. By varying the air flow through the throttle body in accordance with output pressure of the power steering pump, which varies with the pump load placed upon the engine, dips and surges in engine revolutions per minute (RPM) at idle and low speeds may be substantially reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald A. Reese, II, Ken Hardman
  • Patent number: 5983877
    Abstract: The present invention overcomes these problems by providing an oxygen sensor located in the exhaust stream of an internal combustion engine, a load sensing device which generates a signal indicative of an internal combustion engine load, a central processing unit which calculates a running average of the oxygen content in the exhaust stream indicated by the oxygen sensor and a fuel injection device which supplies fuel to the combustion air in response to the central processing unit. The central processing unit uses the running average of the oxygen content in the exhaust stream, in lieu of the instantaneous oxygen content, to modify the fuel equation for determining the proper air fuel mix when transitioning from closed to open loop operation. The resulting air fuel mixture thus reflects the average oxygen value in the exhaust over a period of time. This average serves to cancel out the extreme surplus and deficiency of oxygen in the exhaust stream due to dithering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Rama Madugula, Ken Hardman