Patents by Inventor Rodney Cummings

Rodney Cummings 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: 20060037008
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a user may select an elemental function such as read, write, or configuration from a graphical programming environment. A file may be created that instantiates functionality into a programmable hardware element to allow it to send a command across a serial protocol to peripheral interface circuitry and ultimately to peripheral chips (e.g., network chips on a CAN). The elemental node concept may be generic to any network chip because the node may contain only the general data of a packet (e.g., command type, value of data bytes, etc). The actual interface to a network chip may be handled inside the peripheral interface circuitry. The peripheral interface circuitry may have the details of the network chip in which it interfaces and may abstract details of the network chip from the target programmable hardware element through the serial protocol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2005
    Publication date: February 16, 2006
    Inventors: Timothy Stelzer, William Pitts, Rodney Cummings, Brian Odom, Craig Conway
  • Publication number: 20050106973
    Abstract: A film product and a method of making the same are provided, the film product comprising a metallocene catalyzed polypropylene and a tenacity of at least about 2.5 g/den is provided. The film product is capable of being drawn at a draw ratio of from about 5.0:1 to about 10.0:1. The film product is also capable of being processed into a slit tape product. A method of weaving a woven product from the slit tape product is also provided, wherein the woven product may have a tenacity within about 10.0 percent of the tenacity of the film product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Publication date: May 19, 2005
    Inventors: Carolyn Sheldon, Mike Musgrave, Peter Selg, Rodney Cummings
  • Patent number: 6516053
    Abstract: A modular telecommunication test system is presented including a portable computer system and at least one portable telecommunication test module located external to the computer system. The portable computer system stores a telecommunication test application (e.g., in a memory system). Each test module includes a communication port having an electrical connector, and is thus adapted for coupling to the portable computer system. Each test module also includes electrical circuitry for performing a set of telecommunication tests, wherein each test involves making at least one electrical measurement upon a telecommunication service installation. In coupling a given test module to the portable computer system, a user configures the test system to perform the set of telecommunication tests associated with the given test module. The at least one test module is selected from a group of test modules, each configured to perform telecommunication tests upon a different type of telecommunication service installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Arthur Ryan, Rodney Cummings, Hugo Andrade, B. Keith Odom
  • Patent number: 6122713
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling access to a dual port shared memory in a system comprising a host computer system and a communication device comprised in or coupled to the host computer system. The communication device includes the shared memory and also includes a local processor which executes a communication application. The shared memory is accessible by both the host computer and the local processor on the communication device. The board or local processor has deterministic and/or real time requirements and is thus the high priority requester, while the host CPU or host computer is the low priority requester. If the high priority side (board) gains the semaphore first, then accesses by the low priority side (host computer) are blocked until the write is finished. In the case of a host read/board write, if the low priority side gains the semaphore first, then the high priority side write can pre-empt the low priority side read.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Xiaoce Huang, Rodney Cummings, Yan Wu
  • Patent number: D340480
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Inventor: Rodney A. Cummings