Patents by Inventor Robert Todd

Robert Todd 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: 11708453
    Abstract: Process for preparing copolyesters by introducing TPA, EG, and CHDM at an EG:TPA molar ratio of 2.3:1 to 2.7:1 into a reaction zone; reacting TPA with EG and CHDM at a temperature of at least 250° C. and pressure of up to 40 psi to form a first esterification product; passing the first esterification product to a reaction zone; esterifying the first esterification product at a temperature of at least 250° C. and pressure of up to 20 psi to form a second esterification product, passing the second esterification product to a reaction zone; polycondensing the second esterification product in the presence of a catalyst to form a prepolymerization product; passing the prepolymerization product to one or more reaction zones; and polycondensing the prepolymerization product in the presence of the catalyst to form a copolyester comprising 1.0 wt % or less of DEG, without requiring the use of DEG-suppressing additives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Anne-Martine Sherbeck Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth McLendon, Bruce Roger DeBruin, Michael Paul Ekart, Dale Milton Blakely, Robert Todd Harris
  • Patent number: 11676232
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for determining an application status of an applicant for an educational program may include receiving cohort performance data comprising first data entries for participants that have respectively achieved outcomes for the educational program and applicant performance data comprising second data entries for the applicant, calculating adjusted cohort performance data based on the cohort performance data and first data characteristics, providing a predictor model based on the adjusted cohort performance data and the outcomes, sequentially changing predictive parameters of the first data characteristics to create second data characteristics and creating an adjusted predictor model based on the second data characteristics and the outcomes, calculating adjusted applicant performance data based on the applicant performance data and the second data characteristics, and calculating a probability of success for the applicant in the educational program based on the adjust
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: East Carolina University
    Inventor: Robert Todd Watkins, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20230117338
    Abstract: This document relates to a multi-function golf training aid for square alignment. An apparatus for golf comprising: a base with a lower surface and an upper surface, the lower surface is substantially planar and having a length and a width, the lower surface includes a groove, in a tunnel shape, across the width to allow a golf alignment stick to fit within the groove while remaining part of the lower surface is resting on a golfing surface; an adjustable vertical member with a near end and a distal end, the near end is affixed to the upper surface of the base and the adjustable vertical member rises in an upward direction away from the lower surface of the base, and a holder affixed to the adjustable vertical member at a lower surface of the holder, wherein an upper surface of the holder is configured to hold a line laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventor: Robert Todd Negley
  • Patent number: 11610171
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for generating a normalized assessment of instructors include calculating a first relative value unit (RVU) score for didactic instruction provided by the instructor, calculating a second RVU score for at least one of online instruction, seminar instruction, laboratory instruction, and/or simulation instruction provided by the instructor, calculating a third RVU score for practical experience instruction provided by the instructor, generating a normalized score for the instructor based on the first RVU score, the second RVU score, and the third RVU score, and displaying the normalized score for the instructor, where the first, second, and third RVU scores are each time-normalized scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: East Carolina University
    Inventor: Robert Todd Watkins, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11590449
    Abstract: Hydrogen purification devices and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include at least one foil-microscreen assembly disposed between and secured to first and second end frames. The at least one foil-microscreen assembly may include at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and at least one microscreen structure including a non-porous planar sheet having a plurality of apertures forming a plurality of fluid passages. The planar sheet may include generally opposed planar surfaces configured to provide support to the permeate side. The plurality of fluid passages may extend between the opposed surfaces. The at least one hydrogen-selective membrane may be metallurgically bonded to the at least one microscreen structure. In some embodiments, the devices may include a permeate frame having at least one membrane support structure that spans at least a substantial portion of an open region and that is configured to support at least one foil-microscreen assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Element 1 Corp
    Inventors: David J. Edlund, Koji Hoshi, Robert Todd Studebaker, Robert Jacob Studebaker
  • Publication number: 20230060122
    Abstract: Biochemically active PASTA kinase inhibitors which exploit subtle structural differences between human kinases and bacterial PASTA kinases to improve specificity and inhibitor activity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Inventors: Robert Todd Striker, Nathan Joseph Wlodarchak, John Bruce Feltenberger, Jennifer Golden
  • Patent number: 11581309
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael Szelong, James Robert Todd, Tobias Bernhard Fritz, Ralf Peter Brederlow
  • Publication number: 20230029238
    Abstract: An electronic monitoring device and system uses a wearable monitoring device in conjunction with an associated smartphone's location services to track a person's location. Cameras or biometric sensors associated with the smartphone allow incremental responses to apparent violations by requiring the wearer to check-in using a photograph, biometric data, GPS location, and other relevant information. The system optimizes compliance by tracking KPIs and using predictive analytics to adjust compliance programs as they apply to client throughout the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventors: Robert Todd Jones, Eric Brice Bennett, Justin T. Hawkins
  • Publication number: 20220382972
    Abstract: An approach for generating synthetic treebanks to be used in training a parser in a production system is provided. A processor receives a request to generate one or more synthetic treebanks from a production system, wherein the request indicates a language for the one or more synthetic treebanks. A processor retrieves at least one corpus of text in which the requested language is present. A processor provides the at least one corpus to a transformer enhanced parser neural network model. A processor generates at least one synthetic treebank associated with a string of text from the at least one corpus of text in which the requested language is present. A processor sends the at least one synthetic treebank to the production system, wherein the production system trains a parser utilized by the production system with the at least one synthetic treebank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventors: YOUSEF EL-KURDI, Radu Florian, HIROSHI KANAYAMA, Efsun Kayi, LAURA CHITICARIU, Takuya Ohko, Robert Todd Ward
  • Patent number: 11508250
    Abstract: The systems, methods and associated devices electronically collect, report and generate normalized educational outcome summaries of multiple different educational inputs, including didactic, experiential and problem solving events and/or assessments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: East Carolina University
    Inventor: Robert Todd Watkins, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11507909
    Abstract: An electronic monitoring device and system uses a wearable monitoring device in conjunction with an associated smartphone's location services to track a person's location. Cameras or biometric sensors associated with the smartphone allow incremental responses to apparent violations by requiring the wearer to check-in using a photograph, biometric data, GPS location, and other relevant information. The system optimizes compliance by tracking KPIs and using predictive analytics to adjust compliance programs as they apply to client throughout the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Talitrix Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Todd Jones, Eric Brice Bennett, Justin T. Hawkins
  • Patent number: 11457253
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for presentation of key frames. In one embodiment, an encoded video file is generated where one or more bits are assigned to key frames and minimizes the number of bits assigned to delta frames. Each key frame may be presented to a user during trick mode operation (e.g., fast forward, rewind, pause, or random seek operation). When the encoded video file is given to a packager, the packager generates a manifest file listing the byte information (byte offset and number of bytes) for each key frame in the encoded video file. When a user inputs a trick play mode command, the packager provides the manifest file to the client device of the user and the client device requests the bytes for the key frames of the video file from the content delivery network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: TIME WARNER CABLE ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: John Chen, David Belt, Edward Galt, III, Robert Todd Smith
  • Publication number: 20220251062
    Abstract: Biochemically active PASTA kinase inhibitors which exploit subtle structural differences between human kinases and bacterial PASTA kinases to improve specificity and inhibitor activity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Robert Todd Striker, Nathan Joseph Wlodarchak, John Bruce Feltenberger, Jennifer Golden
  • Patent number: 11374124
    Abstract: Described examples include integrated circuits, drain extended transistors and fabrication methods in which a silicide block material or other protection layer is formed on a field oxide structure above a drift region to protect the field oxide structure from damage during deglaze processing. Further described examples include a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure that laterally surrounds an active region of a semiconductor substrate, where the STI structure is laterally spaced from the oxide structure, and is formed under gate contacts of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: James Robert Todd, Xiaoju Wu, Henry Litzmann Edwards, Binghua Hu
  • Publication number: 20220173095
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Michael SZELONG, James Robert TODD, Tobias Bernhard FRITZ, Ralf Peter BREDERLOW
  • Publication number: 20220138559
    Abstract: A method of using a computing device to improve an answer generated by a natural language question and answer system includes receiving, by a computing device, multiple questions in a natural language question and answer system. The computing device further generates multiple answers to the multiple questions. The computing device still further constructs a new training set with the generated multiple answers, where each answer is compared with a corresponding question of the multiple questions. The computing device additionally augments the new training set with one or more tokens delimiting a span of one or more of the generated multiple answers. The computing device further trains a new natural language question and answer system with the augmented new training set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Revanth Gangi Reddy, Rong Zhang, MD ARAFAT SULTAN, Efsun Kayi, Avirup Sil, Robert Todd Ward, Vittorio Castelli
  • Patent number: 11303950
    Abstract: A plurality of icons are displayed on a companion device having a touch screen interface; the icons can be manipulated by the touch screen interface, and each of the plurality of icons represents a different one of a plurality of audiovisual assets which can be viewed on an external audiovisual device. An input gesture on the touch screen interface is obtained from a user of the companion device, wherein a given one of the icons is flicked in a manner associated with the external audiovisual device. Responsive to the obtaining of the gesture, a signal is dispatched from the companion device. The signal causes the external audiovisual device to access a given one of the plurality of audiovisual assets associated with the given one of the icons. Techniques for other than touch screen devices, and techniques to obtain programs on the companion device, are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Todd Smith, James C. Stark
  • Patent number: 11294729
    Abstract: A system may include a resource acquisition engine configured to acquire a set of computing resources for execution of an application flow comprising multiple invocations to an EDA application. The system may also include a resource provision engine configured to provide the set of computing resources for execution of a first EDA process of the EDA application launched by a first invocation in the application flow and identify a second invocation subsequent to the first invocation in the application flow, the second invocation to launch a second EDA process of the EDA application. The resource provision engine may be further configured to, without releasing the set of computing resources provided to the first EDA process, proxy the set of computing resources into a proxied set of computing resources and provide the proxied set of computing resources for execution of the second EDA process of the EDA application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick D. Gibson, Robert A. Todd
  • Publication number: 20220073676
    Abstract: Copolyesters made from the direct esterification of terephthalic acid with diols including ethylene glycol, but which contain low diethylene glycol (DEG) content, and processes for making the copolyesters. The copolyesters are characterized by comprising 1.0 wt % or less of DEG without requiring the use of DEG-suppressing additives. The processes are characterized by features including operating at lower pressures and lower EG:TPA feed mole ratios in the first esterification zone, while simultaneously at higher temperatures than typical operation in order to lower incorporation of DEG into the final polymer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Applicant: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Anne-Martine Sherbeck Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth McLendon, Bruce Roger DeBruin, Michael Paul Ekart, Dale Milton Blakely, Robert Todd Harris
  • Publication number: 20220068649
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an IC includes providing a substrate including a semiconductor surface having well diffusions for a plurality of devices including bipolar, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), and double-diffused MOS (DMOS) devices. A polysilicon layer is deposited on a dielectric layer over the semiconductor surface, an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer is formed on the polysilicon layer, and a photoresist pattern is formed on the ARC layer. The ARC layer is etched in areas exposed by the photoresist pattern to define areas including gate areas having the ARC layer on the polysilicon layer. The photoresist pattern is removed. Polysilicon etching is performed in areas lacking the ARC layer to form polysilicon gates having a remaining ARC portion of the ARC layer thereon. A self-aligned ion implant uses the remaining ARC portion as an additional implant blocking layer for the polysilicon gates, and the remaining ARC portion is stripped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Mona M. Eissa, Jason R. Heine, Pushpa Mahalingam, Henry Litzmann Edwards, James Robert Todd, Alexei Sadovnikov