Patents by Inventor Patrick A. Lowery

Patrick A. Lowery 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: 20240085930
    Abstract: A hybrid flow ratio controller system is provided, which includes an inlet configured to receive a total inlet fluid flow and three or more distribution channels. Each of the three or more distribution channels has a respective variable flow control valve and carries a respective portion of the total inlet fluid flow. The hybrid flow ratio controller further includes a controller operatively coupled to the respective variable flow control valves. The controller is configured to control a flow rate of at least a first distribution channel according to a predetermined flow ratio of the inlet fluid flow in accordance with a flow ratio control mode, to control a flow of at least a second distribution channel in either a flow rate control mode or a pressure control mode, and to control a third distribution channel in an overflow mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Maximilian Martin Gundlach, Patrick Lowery, Tadahiro Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11860018
    Abstract: A rate-of-change flow measurement device is provided including first pressure sensor, a position control valve with a valve position sensor, a second sensor position and a chamber comprising a part of the flow path of the device, and an isolation valve, arranged in this order along the flow path of the device. The device receives valve position data from the valve position sensor and pressure data from the pressure sensors, and calculates a volume of the chamber at least in part using the valve position data when a calibration of a device-under-test is performed by decreasing a pressure of the chamber or increasing the pressure of the chamber while opening the position control valve to maintain the pressure reading of the first pressure sensor constant to stay at a pressure set point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Hoke, Tyson Stephenson, Patrick Lowery
  • Patent number: 11789472
    Abstract: A gas delivery system is provided comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operatively coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers. Each mass flow controller includes respective mass flow control circuitry operatively coupled to the electrical backplane. The system controller and each mass flow control circuitry are physically mounted on the electrical backplane. The gas delivery system further comprises a pump/purge system to help eliminate pressure build up in the system and provide a quick stop to a flow process in the system. Accordingly, a row associated with a flow process may be evaluated so that a mass flow controller may be swapped out as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Edward Cocciadiferro, John Dick, William W. White, Maximilian Gundlach, Patrick Lowery
  • Patent number: 11709080
    Abstract: A mass flow controller, including a block body having a flow path and a valve provided at least in part within the flow path. The mass flow controller may further include a valve position sensor, a first temperature sensor, a first pressure sensor located on an upstream side of the flow path from the valve, and a second pressure sensor located on a downstream side of the flow path from the valve. The mass flow controller may further include a processor configured to receive valve position data, first temperature data, first pressure data, and second pressure data. The processor may be further configured to estimate a flow rate of fluid in the flow path at least in part by applying a trained machine learning model to the valve position data, the first temperature data, the first pressure data, and the second pressure data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Edward Cocciadiferro, Patrick Lowery
  • Publication number: 20220049982
    Abstract: A rate-of-change flow measurement device is provided including first pressure sensor, a position control valve with a valve position sensor, a second sensor position and a chamber comprising a part of the flow path of the device, and an isolation valve, arranged in this order along the flow path of the device. The device receives valve position data from the valve position sensor and pressure data from the pressure sensors, and calculates a volume of the chamber at least in part using the valve position data when a calibration of a device-under-test is performed by decreasing a pressure of the chamber or increasing the pressure of the chamber while opening the position control valve to maintain the pressure reading of the first pressure sensor constant to stay at a pressure set point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas HOKE, Tyson STEPHENSON, Patrick LOWERY
  • Publication number: 20210223800
    Abstract: A gas delivery system is provided comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operatively coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers. Each mass flow controller includes respective mass flow control circuitry operatively coupled to the electrical backplane. The system controller and each mass flow control circuitry are physically mounted on the electrical backplane. The gas delivery system further comprises a pump/purge system to help eliminate pressure build up in the system and provide a quick stop to a flow process in the system. Accordingly, a row associated with a flow process may be evaluated so that a mass flow controller may be swapped out as needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Edward Cocciadiferro, John Dick, William W. White, Maximilian Gundlach, Patrick Lowery
  • Publication number: 20210199480
    Abstract: A mass flow controller, including a block body having a flow path and a valve provided at least in part within the flow path. The mass flow controller may further include a valve position sensor, a first temperature sensor, a first pressure sensor located on an upstream side of the flow path from the valve, and a second pressure sensor located on a downstream side of the flow path from the valve. The mass flow controller may further include a processor configured to receive valve position data, first temperature data, first pressure data, and second pressure data. The processor may be further configured to estimate a flow rate of fluid in the flow path at least in part by applying a trained machine learning model to the valve position data, the first temperature data, the first pressure data, and the second pressure data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Inventors: Edward Cocciadiferro, Patrick Lowery
  • Patent number: 11036242
    Abstract: A calibration data generation apparatus includes a flow rate sensor that measures the flow rate of a fluid flowing through a fluid control valve; a differential pressure control mechanism; a temperature control mechanism; and a control unit that when the fluid passing has sound velocity, uses the temperature control mechanism to change the temperature from a reference temperature to comparative temperature. In addition, the control unit includes a valve opening control part that controls the fluid control valve so that at the comparative temperature, an output value outputted from one of the position sensor and the flow rate sensor becomes equal to the reference output value of the one; and a calibration data generation part that generates the calibration data on the basis of a calibration data generation output value outputted from the other one of the position sensor and the flow rate sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Hoke, Patrick Lowery, Bill White, John Dick, Tadahiro Yasuda, Tomohiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10969019
    Abstract: Provided is a fluid control device that achieves high sealing performance at full closure, and can suppress damage to a valve body or a valve seat surface even without mechanical accuracy improvements. The fluid control device includes: a fluid control valve provided in a flow path through which fluid flows: and a control mechanism that controls the fluid control valve. The fluid control valve includes: a valve seat surface; a valve body that contacts and separates from the valve seat surface; and an actuator that drives the valve body. Further, the control mechanism includes a speed adjustment part that when the valve body is brought close to the valve seat surface in order to fully close the fluid control valve, and the valve seat surface and the valve body reach a predetermined distance apart, reduces the moving speed of the valve body more than before reaching the predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadahiro Yasuda, Thomas Hoke, Ryan Owens, Maximilian Gundlach, Patrick Lowery, John Dick, Tomohiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10545514
    Abstract: Provided is a flow rate control apparatus that includes a flow restrictor, a downstream side valve, a downstream side pressure sensor, first and second flow rate calculators, and a flow rate controller. The downstream side valve is disposed downstream of the flow restrictor in a flow path. The downstream side pressure sensor measures a pressure between the flow restrictor and the downstream side valve. The first flow rate calculator calculates a first flow rate of fluid flowing through the flow restrictor. The second flow rate calculator calculates a second flow rate of fluid flowing out of the downstream side valve on the basis of the first flow rate and the temporal variation in downstream side pressure measured by the downstream side pressure sensor. The flow rate controller controls the downstream side valve on the basis of a set flow rate and the second flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadahiro Yasuda, Bill White, Patrick Lowery, Maximilian Gundlach, Ryan Owens
  • Publication number: 20190196517
    Abstract: A calibration data generation apparatus includes a flow rate sensor that measures the flow rate of a fluid flowing through a fluid control valve; a differential pressure control mechanism; a temperature control mechanism; and a control unit that when the fluid passing has sound velocity, uses the temperature control mechanism to change the temperature from a reference temperature to comparative temperature. In addition, the control unit includes a valve opening control part that controls the fluid control valve so that at the comparative temperature, an output value outputted from one of the position sensor and the flow rate sensor becomes equal to the reference output value of the one; and a calibration data generation part that generates the calibration data on the basis of a calibration data generation output value outputted from the other one of the position sensor and the flow rate sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Hoke, Patrick Lowery, Bill White, John Dick, Tadahiro Yasuda, Tomohiro Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20190033896
    Abstract: Provided is a flow rate control apparatus that includes a flow restrictor, a downstream side valve, a downstream side pressure sensor, first and second flow rate calculators, and a flow rate controller. The downstream side valve is disposed downstream of the flow restrictor in a flow path. The downstream side pressure sensor measures a pressure between the flow restrictor and the downstream side valve. The first flow rate calculator calculates a first flow rate of fluid flowing through the flow restrictor. The second flow rate calculator calculates a second flow rate of fluid flowing out of the downstream side valve on the basis of the first flow rate and the temporal variation in downstream side pressure measured by the downstream side pressure sensor. The flow rate controller controls the downstream side valve on the basis of a set flow rate and the second flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Tadahiro Yasuda, Bill White, Patrick Lowery, Maximilian Gundlach, Ryan Owens
  • Publication number: 20180356845
    Abstract: Provided is a fluid control device that achieves high sealing performance at full closure, and can suppress damage to a valve body or a valve seat surface even without mechanical accuracy improvements. The fluid control device includes: a fluid control valve provided in a flow path through which fluid flows: and a control mechanism that controls the fluid control valve. The fluid control valve includes: a valve seat surface; a valve body that contacts and separates from the valve seat surface; and an actuator that drives the valve body. Further, the control mechanism includes a speed adjustment part that when the valve body is brought close to the valve seat surface in order to fully close the fluid control valve, and the valve seat surface and the valve body reach a predetermined distance apart, reduces the moving speed of the valve body more than before reaching the predetermined distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Tadahiro Yasuda, Thomas Hoke, Ryan Owens, Maximilian Gundlach, Patrick Lowery, John Dick, Tomohiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10055759
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a system, method, and article of manufacture for spend based targeting. In various embodiments, the system may transmit, to a third party system, a spend data file associating a first party cookie ID with spend data, as well as a first party cookie ID and/or a third party cookie ID to a web client. The web client may transmit the first party cookie ID and/or the third party cookie ID to the third party system, and the third party system may generate a look alike model for targeting advertisements to the web client based on the spend data file and clickstream data associated with the web client. In various embodiments, the third party system may match the third party cookie ID with the first party cookie ID in the spend data file, which may associate a customer with a segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: David Bonalle, Brian Bender, Mehmet E. Dedeoglu, Rajendra Rane, Tamara Odinec, Patrick Lowery
  • Publication number: 20170300975
    Abstract: A method includes tracking a location of a motor vehicle that has been registered with a vehicle communication system. Promotional offer information is received. The promotional offer information indicates a promotional offer identified based on a current location of the motor vehicle. The promotional offer information is pushed via the vehicle communication system to an information output device installed in the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Marianne Iannace, Patrick Lowery, Sheridan Benjamin Schechner, Prasad V Iyer, Lisa Helen Yates
  • Publication number: 20170262784
    Abstract: A mobile application is made available for download to a device associated with a mobile business. Data describing a varying location of the business (and including an ID) is obtained by exposing an API to the application over a wireless network. The varying location is tracked by the application interfacing with a GPS unit of the device. A database of payment card transactions is queried based on the ID to obtain payment card transaction data (amount and time stamp) for a plurality of transactions at the mobile business. A location is assigned to each of the transactions, based on matching the time stamps of each of the transactions with a corresponding location in the data, to obtain augmented transaction data; and an alert is sent to the mobile application based on the augmented transaction data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick Lowery, Mary Ellen Kelleher, Nikhil Ledlie
  • Publication number: 20160055500
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a system, method, and article of manufacture for spend based targeting. In various embodiments, the system may transmit, to a third party system, a spend data file associating a first party cookie ID with spend data, as well as a first party cookie ID and/or a third party cookie ID to a web client. The web client may transmit the first party cookie ID and/or the third party cookie ID to the third party system, and the third party system may generate a look alike model for targeting advertisements to the web client based on the spend data file and clickstream data associated with the web client. In various embodiments, the third party system may match the third party cookie ID with the first party cookie ID in the spend data file, which may associate a customer with a segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
    Inventors: DAVID BONALLE, BRIAN BENDER, Mehmet E. Dedeoglu, Rajendra Rane, Tamara Odinec, Patrick Lowery
  • Patent number: 7937987
    Abstract: A method for monitoring a filter installed in a fluid system. The steps include providing a reference region in the fluid system, the region including a chamber having a known volume and releasing a fluid from the chamber configured to flow through the reference region. The method further includes measuring pressure and temperature values at predetermined locations at predetermined time intervals and determining filter permeability values in response to measured pressure and temperature values. The method further includes comparing the filter permeability values to predetermined filter permeability values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Circor Instrumentation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Patrick A. Lowery
  • Patent number: 7866345
    Abstract: A flow metering device includes at least two stackable modular bodies including at least one set of adjacent modular bodies, each modular body having an orifice for modulating fluid flow therethrough. The modular bodies arranged such that the orifices between adjacent modular bodies are offset from each other. Adjacent stacked modular bodies define a chamber for trapping particulates entrained in fluid flow without obstructing fluid flow through the orifices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Circor Instrumentation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Patrick A. Lowery
  • Publication number: 20100094471
    Abstract: A control system receives control information generated from reference information received from system sensors of physical parameters. The control system uses the information to control a plurality of control devices. The control system has a second control unit which receives and processes the control information and generates control device output, indicating which control device should be operated. A plurality of physical switches are provided, each of the switches represents one of the plurality of control devices. A first group of selected switches are closed and a second group of nonselected switches are open. A logic array receives the control device output and compares the control device output with the first group of selected switches or the second group of nonselected switches and generates appropriate valve operation outputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: CIRCOR INSTRUMENTATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Patrick A. LOWERY