Patents by Inventor Robert A. Erickson

Robert A. Erickson 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: 20190390368
    Abstract: A decortication system includes a feeder configured to convey unoriented fiber-bearing plant stalks in a bulk mass and a decorticator assembly comprising a multi-stage decorticator assembly. The decorticator assembly includes at least a first stage decorticator and a second stage decorticator arranged in series with one another. The first stage decorticator comprises a ripper that is configured to separate stalks from the bulk mass delivered by the feeder and to meter movement of stalks away from the ripper. The second stage decorticator is located downstream of the ripper and further decorticates the stalks to produce fiber and hurd that are separated from one another. It may comprise a roller-roller breaker assembly comprising plurality of roller-breaker assemblies located in series with one another. A third stage decorticator may be located downstream of the second stage decorticator and may comprise a second roller-breaker assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: Power Zone Equipment Inc.
    Inventors: Corbett Hefner, Don Toews, Cason Toews, Greg Sanchez, kok Chian Ng, Gene Freeland, Eric Frey, Robert Erickson
  • Publication number: 20190375480
    Abstract: An electronic throttle control assembly for a vehicle has a housing that mounts to a handlebar of the vehicle and defines an interior. A rack gear is mounted in the interior for movement in a linear, translational, and/or radial direction. A pinion gear within the interior moves the rack gear upon rotation of the pinion gear. A sensor target is coupled to the rack gear. A sensor detects a position of the sensor target and generates an electric signal for a vehicle control unit. A grip is coupled to the pinion gear, rotation of the grip moving the rack gear and sensor target in a linear, translational, and/or radial direction, the electric signal varying based on the change in position of the sensor target. Opposing springs within the housing resist movement of the rack gear and rest in a normally preloaded state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: Sensata Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Allen Pankratz, Edmund Charles O'Neill, Joshua Gayle Boltz, Paul Robert Erickson, Andrew Reid Daavettila, Jeremiah Thomas Rau, Gerald Scherbing
  • Publication number: 20190332978
    Abstract: A method and system for operating an enterprise in accordance with an optimized enterprise level business model. A model optimization engine is iteratively processed based on an updated benchmark value and model, until updating the benchmark value involves changing the benchmark value by less than a predetermined benchmark value error threshold to generate the optimized enterprise-level business model. The enterprise is operated in accordance with the optimized enterprise level business model, including: generating and dynamically displaying real-time performance measures of usage of a computer resource during execution of a business process, determining from the performance measures that the computer resource is a bottleneck, and the computer resource's usage is optimized using the performance measures to reduce data throughput delay and increase throughput of bottleneck operations during execution of the business process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventors: Mohammed Farooq, Raghunath Sapuram, Manish Modh, Robert Erickson
  • Publication number: 20190325493
    Abstract: A method and system for deploying high volume listings in a network based commerce system are described. The system uploads listing data that includes a first listing. Next, the system creates a first profile and a second profile based on the listing data. Finally, the system automatically generates a second listing based on the first and second profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Sacco, Sonia Wong, Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 10395189
    Abstract: A method and system for operating an enterprise in accordance with an optimized enterprise level business model. A model optimization engine is iteratively processed based on an updated benchmark value and model, until updating the benchmark value involves changing the benchmark value by less than a predetermined benchmark value error threshold to generate the optimized enterprise-level business model. The enterprise is operated in accordance with the optimized enterprise-level business model, including: generating and dynamically displaying real-time performance measures of usage of a computer resource during execution of a business process, determining from the performance measures that the computer resource is a bottleneck, and the computer resource's usage is optimized using the performance measures to reduce data throughput delay and increase throughput of bottleneck operations during execution of the business process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mohammed Farooq, Raghunath Sapuram, Manish Modh, Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 10387929
    Abstract: A method and system for deploying high volume listings in a network based commerce system are described. The system uploads listing data that includes a first listing. Next, the system creates a first profile and a second profile based on the listing data. Finally, the system automatically generates a second listing based on the first and second profiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: EBAY INC.
    Inventors: Nathan Sacco, Sonia Wong, Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 10368551
    Abstract: A system and a method include breaking a sheet of frozen pizza into individual pieces for packaging. In an embodiment, the frozen pizza sheet includes five individual pieces separated by frangible lines. The breaking process includes a first step, wherein two end pieces are broken off by a first breaking mechanism, and a second step, wherein two additional end pieces are broken off a remainder of the frozen pizza sheet by a second breaking mechanism arranged downstream of the first breaking mechanism. In preferred embodiments, each breaking mechanism includes multiple holding wheels and multiple camming wheel rotatably mounted on a common driven axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Erickson, Lily Leung Fee, Anita J. Hall, Darin T. Huffman, Rodney McCalley, Terry G. Reishus, Steve J. Schoo, Ralph A. Stenvik
  • Publication number: 20180365604
    Abstract: A method and system for operating an enterprise in accordance with an optimized enterprise level business model. A model optimization engine is iteratively processed based on an updated benchmark value and model, until updating the benchmark value involves changing the benchmark value by less than a predetermined benchmark value error threshold to generate the optimized enterprise-level business model. The enterprise is operated in accordance with the optimized enterprise-level business model, including: generating and dynamically displaying real-time performance measures of usage of a computer resource during execution of a business process, determining from the performance measures that the computer resource is a bottleneck, and the computer resource's usage is optimized using the performance measures to reduce data throughput delay and increase throughput of bottleneck operations during execution of the business process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Mohammed Farooq, Raghunath Sapuram, Manish Modh, Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 10095990
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for developing, implementing, transforming, and governing a business model of an enterprise. In some embodiments, a method of implementing and managing a business model of an enterprise includes defining a business model using a business model tool that is executed by a computer, wherein the business model is based on interrelated business strategy, business goal and business constraint data, and includes a business service, inputting into the computer a first set of data representing a benchmark performance value of the business service, and operating the enterprise in accordance with the business model. The enterprise is monitored to determine an actual performance value of the business service, and the actual performance value and the benchmark performance value are processed in the computer to affect a comparison therebetween. The business model is modified based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mohammed Farooq, Raghunath Sapuram, Manish Modh, Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 9877772
    Abstract: An electrosurgical generator may reduce unintended tissue damage by improving regulation of output power. The electrosurgical generator may control the power during a cycle, and react to a change in power if arcing occurs. Voltage sources, especially, demonstrate the tendency to have large, uncontrolled power excursions during normal electrosurgical use. The magnitude of the power excursions may be dependent on various factors. An exemplary electrosurgical generator control scheme reduces or minimizes the thermal spread by accurately supplying the specified power within a few cycles. Additionally, fast and accurate regulation provided by the constant voltage mode reduces or minimizes unintentional tissue charring. Thus, reduced thermal spread and charring should result in better surgical outcomes by reducing scarring and decreasing healing times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignees: The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, Covidien LP
    Inventors: Robert Erickson, Daniel Friedrichs, James Gilbert
  • Publication number: 20170357504
    Abstract: Provided are a method and device for analyzing transportation data within a transportation analytics framework. For example, the method may include receiving transportation data having a representation compatible with the transportation analytics framework including a transportation analytics programming language. The method may also include converting the transportation data into a representation compatible with a second programming language that is different than the transportation analytics programming language, and performing analytics on the converted transportation data within the transportation analytics framework using at least one analytic generated based on the second programming language.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Ken Scot KOZMAN, Michael Vincent ROMER, Paul Michael GRIMES, Erich MEISKE, Robert ERICKSON
  • Publication number: 20170251678
    Abstract: A system and method for breaking a sheet of frozen pizza into individual pieces for packaging is disclosed. In an embodiment, the frozen pizza sheet includes five individual pieces separated by frangible lines. The breaking process includes a first step, wherein two end pieces are broken off by a first breaking mechanism, and a second step, wherein two additional end pieces are broken off a remainder of the frozen pizza sheet by a second breaking mechanism arranged downstream of the first breaking mechanism. In preferred embodiments, each breaking mechanism includes multiple holding wheels and multiple camming wheel rotatably mounted on a common driven axle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Robert Erickson, Lily Leung Fee, Anita J. Hall, Darin T. Huffman, Rodney McCalley, Terry G. Reishus, Steve J. Schoo, Ralph A. Stenvik
  • Publication number: 20160302847
    Abstract: An electrosurgical generator may reduce unintended tissue damage by improving regulation of output power. The electrosurgical generator may control the power during a cycle, and react to a change in power if arcing occurs. Voltage sources, especially, demonstrate the tendency to have large, uncontrolled power excursions during normal electrosurgical use. The magnitude of the power excursions may be dependent on various factors. An exemplary electrosurgical generator control scheme reduces or minimizes the thermal spread by accurately supplying the specified power within a few cycles. Additionally, fast and accurate regulation provided by the constant voltage mode reduces or minimizes unintentional tissue charring. Thus, reduced thermal spread and charring should result in better surgical outcomes by reducing scarring and decreasing healing times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: Robert Erickson, Daniel Friedrichs, James Gilbert
  • Patent number: 9379643
    Abstract: An electrosurgical generator may reduce unintended tissue damage by improving regulation of output power. The electrosurgical generator may control the power during a cycle, and react to a change in power if arcing occurs. Voltage sources, especially, demonstrate the tendency to have large, uncontrolled power excursions during normal electrosurgical use. The magnitude of the power excursions may be dependent on various factors. An exemplary electrosurgical generator control scheme reduces or minimizes the thermal spread by accurately supplying the specified power within a few cycles. Additionally, fast and accurate regulation provided by the constant voltage mode reduces or minimizes unintentional tissue charring. Thus, reduced thermal spread and charring should result in better surgical outcomes by reducing scarring and decreasing healing times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignees: The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, Covidien LP
    Inventors: Daniel Friedrichs, Robert Erickson, James Gilbert
  • Publication number: 20160100598
    Abstract: A continuous method for improving the firmness of vegetable products uses a continuous vegetable product treatment device comprising a vegetable product treatment chamber having a vegetable product inlet, a vegetable product outlet, a vegetable product transport mechanism for urging the vegetable product toward the vegetable product outlet, and at least one liquid introduction orifice for introducing a liquid. Vegetable product is continuously treated in the chamber at a temperature of from about 125° F. to about 160° F., and the liquid in the treatment chamber is maintained at a pH of from about 5 to about 7. Individual vegetable products reside in the treatment chamber for a time of from about 20 minutes to about 60 minutes. The heat-treated vegetable products are blanched in a subsequent blanching step at a temperature ranging from about 190° F. to 210° F. for a time of from about two to about 10 minutes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2014
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Lily Leung Fee, Donald F Steenson, Robert Erickson, Mark Stueber, Anita J Hall, Frank Tiegs, Steve Harris, Craig Bolt
  • Patent number: 9148661
    Abstract: A method comprises determining a plurality of time intervals Tp and Tn within a variable bit rate (VBR) representation of an image sequence. The time intervals Tp are those in which a number of blocks of information per unit time is greater than a baseline value. The time intervals Tn are those in which a number of blocks of information per unit time is less than the baseline value. A second representation of the image sequence is created in which some blocks of information Bp are removed from the time intervals Tp and interlaced with blocks of information Bn in the time intervals Tn to reduce a variation in a number of blocks of information per unit time between the time intervals Tp and Tn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Pierre Costa, Ahmad Ansari, John Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 9090701
    Abstract: Calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has been found to be directly oxidized, and direct oxidation of CaMKII was observed to result in calcium independent activation of CaMKII. Antibodies that bind specifically to oxidized forms of CaMKII (oxCaMKII) were generated and were utilized to detect oxCaMKII in blood from: (1) mice with cancer; (2) mice with a knock out of the gene encoding methionine sulfoxide reductase; (3) mice injected with angiotensin II; (4) mice injected with bacterial endotoxin; (5) mice fed a pro-oxidant (ketogenic) diet; and (6) mice with cancer that had been treated with experimental therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: University of Iowa Research Foundation
    Inventors: Mark E. Anderson, Peter J. Mohler, Douglas R. Spitz, Jr., Jeffrey Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 9052357
    Abstract: A method for debugging comprising configuring a switching logic mapping source subchannels to destination subchannels, as virtual channels to forward the packets from the source subchannels to the destination subchannels. The method further comprising configuring a single queue coupled to the switching logic to record packets from the source subchannels into a packet stream for a delay period to distribute to the destination subchannels for the destination logic to emulate the source logic synchronously with the plurality of clock domains with the delay period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Erickson
  • Publication number: 20140289063
    Abstract: A method and system for deploying high volume listings in a network based commerce system are described. The system uploads listing data that includes a first listing. Next, the system creates a first profile and a second profile based on the listing data. Finally, the system automatically generates a second listing based on the first and second profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventors: Nathan Sacco, Sonia Wong, Robert Erickson
  • Patent number: 8841423
    Abstract: Calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has been found to be directly oxidized, and direct oxidation of CaMKII was observed to result in calcium independent activation of CaMKII. Antibodies that bind specifically to oxidized forms of CaMKII (oxCaMKII) were generated and were utilized to detect oxCaMKII in blood from: (1) mice with cancer; (2) mice with a knock out of the gene encoding methionine sulfoxide reductase; (3) mice injected with angiotensin II; (4) mice injected with bacterial endotoxin; (5) mice fed a pro-oxidant (ketogenic) diet; and (6) mice with cancer that had been treated with experimental therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: University of Iowa Research Foundation
    Inventors: Mark E. Anderson, Peter J. Mohler, Douglas R. Spitz, Jr., Jeffrey Robert Erickson