Patents by Inventor Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston 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: 20210189583
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thermal cutting element for a surgical instrument includes manufacturing a substrate, coating at least a portion of the substrate via Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO), and disposing a heating element on at least a portion of the PEO-coated substrate. The method may further include attaching the thermal cutting element to a jaw member of a surgical instrument.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: William Robinson, James D. Allen, IV, Mark A. Johnston, Brendan J. Heinig, Hector A. MacPherson
  • Publication number: 20210186587
    Abstract: A thermal cutting element for a surgical instrument includes a substrate, a Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) coating disposed on the substrate, and a heating element disposed on the PEO coating and including first and second end portions adapted to connect to different potentials of electrical energy to heat the heating element. A jaw member of a surgical instrument includes a structural frame including a proximal flange portion and a distal body portion, a jaw housing surrounding the distal body portion of the structural frame, a tissue-treating plate disposed atop the jaw housing and defining a longitudinal slot therethrough along at least a portion of a length thereof, and the thermal cutting element disposed within the longitudinal slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: William Robinson, James D. Allen, IV, Mark A. Johnston, Brendan J. Heinig, Hector A. MacPherson
  • Patent number: 10987154
    Abstract: An electrosurgical generator includes a radio frequency output stage configured to output at least one radio frequency waveform and a sensor for sensing current. The sensor includes a current sensor coil having: an outer coil, an inner coil coupled to and disposed within the outer coil, and at least one shielding member disposed over the outer coil. Each of the at least one shielding member and the outer coil define an opening therethrough. The generator also includes at least one active lead coupled to the radio frequency output stage and passing through the current sensor coil. The current sensor coil is configured to output a signal indicative of a current within the at least one active lead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Dean C. Buck, Edward L. Brannan, Mark A. Johnston
  • Patent number: 10869712
    Abstract: An electrosurgical generator includes: a power supply configured to output a DC waveform; an inverter coupled to the power supply, the inverter including a plurality of switching elements; and a controller coupled to the inverter and configured to generate a switching angle waveform including a plurality of switching pulses. The controller is further configured to at least one of select or calculate the plurality of switching pulses to activate the plurality of switching elements to generate a radio frequency waveform based on the DC waveform and to minimize harmonics of the radio frequency waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Daniel A. Friedrichs, Mark A. Johnston, Daniel J. Costinett, Bradford C. Trento, Chongwen Zhao
  • Publication number: 20200366229
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quasi-sensorless adaptive control of a high rotor pole switched-reluctance motor (HRSRM). The method comprises the steps of: applying a voltage pulse to an inactive phase winding and measuring current response in each inactive winding. Motor index pulses are used for speed calculation and to establish a time base. Slope of the current is continuously monitored which allows the shaft speed to be updated multiple times and to track any change in speed and fix the dwell angle based on the shaft speed. The apparatus for quasi-sensorless control of a high rotor pole switched-reluctance motor (HRSRM) comprises a switched-reluctance motor having a stator and a rotor, a three-phase inverter controlled by a processor connected to the switched-reluctance motor, a load and a converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Trevor A. Creary, Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Piyush C. Desai, Mark Johnston, Timothy Knodel
  • Publication number: 20200366231
    Abstract: The present embodiment is a high rotor pole switched reluctance machine (HRSRM) which provides a plurality of combinations of the number of rotor poles Rn and number of stator poles Sn utilizing a numerical relationship defined by a mathematical formula, Rn=2Sn?Fp, when Sn=m×Fp, wherein Fp is the maximum number of independent flux paths in the stator when stator and rotor poles are fully aligned, and m is the number of phases. The mathematical formulation provides an improved noise performance and design flexibility to the machine. The mathematical formulation further provides a specific number of stator and rotor poles for a chosen m and Fp. The HRSRM can be designed with varying number of phases. The HRSRM provides a smoother torque profile due to a high number of strokes per revolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Mahesh KRISHNAMURTHY, Trevor CREARY, Piyush DESAI, Mark JOHNSTON
  • Patent number: 10747186
    Abstract: A multi-channel control system includes at least a primary control microprocessor and a back-up control microprocessor operable to control a device. The primary control microprocessor and the back-up control microprocessor assert control over a controlled device according to a locally stored method of controlling a back-up microprocessor assumption of control of a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffry K. Kamenetz, James A. Gosse, Joseph T. Gostkowski, Richard L. Bue, Mark A. Johnston, James Peter Wivell
  • Patent number: 10734934
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quasi-sensorless adaptive control of a high rotor pole switched-reluctance motor (HRSRM). The method comprises the steps of: applying a voltage pulse to an inactive phase winding and measuring current response in each inactive winding. Motor index pulses are used for speed calculation and to establish a time base. Slope of the current is continuously monitored which allows the shaft speed to be updated multiple times and to track any change in speed and fix the dwell angle based on the shaft speed. The apparatus for quasi-sensorless control of a high rotor pole switched-reluctance motor (HRSRM) comprises a switched-reluctance motor having a stator and a rotor, a three-phase inverter controlled by a processor connected to the switched-reluctance motor, a load and a converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Software Motor Company
    Inventors: Trevor A. Creary, Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Piyush C. Desai, Mark Johnston, Timothy Knodel
  • Publication number: 20200220440
    Abstract: A high rotor pole switched reluctance machine (HRSRM) employs an axial and radial mirroring concept and is represented by a first Multiple Rotor Pole (MRP) formula and second Multiple Stator Pole (MSP) formula. A multiple rotor HRSRM comprises at least two rotors each having a plurality of rotor poles and at least two stators having a plurality of stator poles. The at least two rotors and the at least two stators are positioned about a central axis with the stator placed between the rotors. In other embodiments, the number of stators equals the number of rotors and effectively operate as a single stator and rotor. In yet another embodiment, the effective single stator and rotor type high rotor pole switched reluctance machine is realized as single stator and rotor positioned concentrically around a central axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Mark Johnston, Trevor Creary, Piyush Desai
  • Patent number: 10707798
    Abstract: The present embodiment is a high rotor pole switched reluctance machine (HRSRM) which provides a plurality of combinations of the number of rotor poles Rn and number of stator poles Sn utilizing a numerical relationship defined by a mathematical formula, Rn=2Sn?Fp, when Sn=m×Fp, wherein Fp is the maximum number of independent flux paths in the stator when stator and rotor poles are fully aligned, and m is the number of phases. The mathematical formulation provides an improved noise performance and design flexibility to the machine. The mathematical formulation further provides a specific number of stator and rotor poles for a chosen m and Fp. The HRSRM can be designed with varying number of phases. The HRSRM provides a smoother torque profile due to a high number of strokes per revolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Software Motor Company
    Inventors: Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Trevor Creary, Piyush Desai, Mark Johnston
  • Publication number: 20200177042
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for producing a plurality of curved stator windings by shaping a plurality of stator coils for a switched reluctance machine (SRM). The present invention proposes apparatus and methods for utilizing a plurality of curved stator windings with two main embodiments: a symmetrical winding and an asymmetrical winding, whereby the plurality of curved stator windings are highly conforming to a curved stator shape. The plurality of curved stator windings provides higher efficiency and lower noise to the SRM. The plurality of curved stator windings conforms to the stator curved shape, maximizing the copper fill factor, thereby permitting maximum copper utilization in the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Piyush Desai, Edgar Hu, Mark Johnston
  • Patent number: 10658910
    Abstract: A high rotor pole switched reluctance machine (HRSRM) employs an axial and radial mirroring concept and is represented by a first Multiple Rotor Pole (MRP) formula and second Multiple Stator Pole (MSP) formula. A multiple rotor HRSRM comprises at least two rotors each having a plurality of rotor poles and at least two stators having a plurality of stator poles. The at least two rotors and the at least two stators are positioned about a central axis with the stator placed between the rotors. In other embodiments, the number of stators equals the number of rotors and effectively operate as a single stator and rotor. In yet another embodiment, the effective single stator and rotor type high rotor pole switched reluctance machine is realized as single stator and rotor positioned concentrically around a central axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Software Motor Company
    Inventors: Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Mark Johnston, Trevor Creary, Piyush Desai
  • Publication number: 20200144950
    Abstract: The present embodiment is a high rotor pole switched reluctance machine (HRSRM) which provides a plurality of combinations of the number of rotor poles Rn and number of stator poles Sn utilizing a numerical relationship defined by a mathematical formula, Rn=2Sn?Fp, when Sn=m×Fp, wherein Fp is the maximum number of independent flux paths in the stator when stator and rotor poles are fully aligned, and m is the number of phases. The mathematical formulation provides an improved noise performance and design flexibility to the machine. The mathematical formulation further provides a specific number of stator and rotor poles for a chosen m and Fp. The HRSRM can be designed with varying number of phases. The HRSRM provides a smoother torque profile due to a high number of strokes per revolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: MAHESH KRISHNAMURTHY, TREVOR CREARY, PIYUSH DESAI, MARK JOHNSTON
  • Patent number: 10537100
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pesticide composition comprising at least one pesticidal active ingredient and at least one methylendioxyphenyl derivative compound of Formula (I), wherein R1 is a linear (C4-C6)alkyl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignees: Endura SPA, AGCHEM ACCESS LTD
    Inventors: Valerio Borzatta, Elisa Capparella, Francesco Tozzi, Graham David Moores, János Szilágyi, László Barnabás Takács, József Schmidt, Mark Johnston
  • Patent number: 10507054
    Abstract: A method for suppressing arc formation during an electrosurgical tissue treatment procedure includes the steps of supplying pulsed current from an energy source to tissue and measuring the pulsed current supplied from the energy source. The method also includes the steps of comparing an instantaneous measured pulse to a predetermined threshold and controlling the pulsed current supplied from the energy source based on the comparison between the instantaneous measured pulse and the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventor: Mark A. Johnston
  • Patent number: 10461617
    Abstract: A high rotor pole switched reluctance machine (HRSRM) employs an axial and radial mirroring concept and is represented by a first Multiple Rotor Pole (MRP) formula and second Multiple Stator Pole (MSP) formula. A multiple rotor HRSRM comprises at least two rotors each having a plurality of rotor poles and at least two stators having a plurality of stator poles. The at least two rotors and the at least two stators are positioned about a central axis with the stator placed between the rotors. In other embodiments, the number of stators equals the number of rotors and effectively operate as a single stator and rotor. In yet another embodiment, the effective single stator and rotor type high rotor pole switched reluctance machine is realized as single stator and rotor positioned concentrically around a central axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Software Motor Company
    Inventors: Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Mark Johnston, Trevor Creary, Piyush Desai
  • Publication number: 20190290351
    Abstract: An electrosurgical generator includes a radio frequency output stage configured to output at least one radio frequency waveform and a sensor for sensing current. The sensor includes a current sensor coil having: an outer coil, an inner coil coupled to and disposed within the outer coil, and at least one shielding member disposed over the outer coil. Each of the at least one shielding member and the outer coil define an opening therethrough. The generator also includes at least one active lead coupled to the radio frequency output stage and passing through the current sensor coil. The current sensor coil is configured to output a signal indicative of a current within the at least one active lead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: DEAN C. BUCK, EDWARD L. BRANNAN, MARK A. JOHNSTON
  • Patent number: 10412961
    Abstract: The invention relates to a compound of Formula (I), wherein n is 0 or 1, R1 is H or CH3 and R2 is a linear (C3-C6)alkyl and an insecticide composition comprising at least one insecticide active ingredient and at least one a compound of Formula (I).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignees: Endura SPA, AGCHEM ACCESS LTD
    Inventors: Graham David Moores, Silvia Carloni, Francesco Tozzi, Elisa Capparella, Valerio Borzatta, János Szilágyi, László Barnabás Takács, József Schmidt, Mark Johnston
  • Patent number: 10390876
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to planar transformers including a plurality of circuit layers that are configured to reduce termination losses on at least one of the plurality of circuit layers. The plurality of circuit layers are stacked together in a first direction and include at least first and second circuit layers. The first and second circuit layers each include an electrically conductive trace forming at least one winding having a first termination portion and a second termination portion that are separated by a gap. The gaps of the first and second circuit layers are offset relative to each other in a second direction different from the first direction. The plurality of circuit layers may further include a third circuit layer, which includes an electrically conductive trace having a grounded portion that is disposed adjacent to at least one of the gaps of the first and second circuit layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
    Inventor: Mark A. Johnston
  • Publication number: 20190253013
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quasi-sensorless adaptive control of a high rotor pole switched-reluctance motor (HRSRM). The method comprises the steps of: applying a voltage pulse to an inactive phase winding and measuring current response in each inactive winding. Motor index pulses are used for speed calculation and to establish a time base. Slope of the current is continuously monitored which allows the shaft speed to be updated multiple times and to track any change in speed and fix the dwell angle based on the shaft speed. The apparatus for quasi-sensorless control of a high rotor pole switched-reluctance motor (HRSRM) comprises a switched-reluctance motor having a stator and a rotor, a three-phase inverter controlled by a processor connected to the switched-reluctance motor, a load and a converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: Trevor A. Creary, Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Piyush C. Desai, Mark Johnston, Timothy Knodel