Patents by Inventor Kim K. Christopher

Kim K. Christopher 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).

  • Patent number: 5602739
    Abstract: An embedded system controller-based vehicle tracking system using vehicle positioning. An embedded system controller controls a traffic intersection using an optical system. The embedded system controller receives a vehicle location and a vehicle schedule. The embedded system controller calculates whether the vehicle is on time and reports the on-time status to the driver interface. The driver may -request that the system report a panic or emergency situation to the dispatch center through an external data communications network. The external data communications network may also send vehicle status, such as vehicle position and vehicle condition. A transit company using the system may provide vehicles equipped with the vehicle tracking system with schedules on a daily basis, using a portable data transfer device. The embedded system controller also communicates to the vehicle data network for the communication of vehicle position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Haagenstad, Steven M. Hamer, Ronald A. Hagen, Edmund J. Ring, Kim K. Christopher, Theodore B. Keyes