Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Nichols

Thomas A. Nichols 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: 9120504
    Abstract: A four-bar linkage is provided as a mechanical interface for transferring respective outputs from a speed/direction control device and a hydraulic steering cylinder to displacement control arms of a pair of pumps of a dual-path hydrostatic transmission including a pair of motors respectively coupled for driving a pair of front wheels of a vehicle. The hydraulic steering cylinder is fixed and has a piston rod slidably coupled to an input arm of the four-bar linkage in such a way that a rotation speed decrease occurs as the arm and a linked control plate are pivoted from a neutral position, the control plate transferring pivotal movement to effect differential movement of the displacement control arms. This results in the vehicle speed decreasing during a turn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Thomas D. Bebernes, Stephen E O'Brien, Thomas A. Nichols, Mitchell R. Usasz, Kyle R. Teach, David V. Rotole, Walter C. Wright
  • Publication number: 20150081336
    Abstract: One disclosed method includes receiving electronic health records (EHRs) associated with a first set of patients for a clinical trial of a health intervention; receiving electronic records representing profiles of patients likely to benefit from the health intervention; determining a first statistic for a first characteristic of the first set of patients and a second statistic for a second characteristic of the patients likely to benefit from the health intervention; and determining a gap in the first set of patients based on the first statistic and the second statistic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicant: QUINTILES TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Angela Lynn Hill, Gavin David Thomas Nichols
  • Publication number: 20150073830
    Abstract: One disclosed method includes obtaining an electronic representation of a primary patient population within a first data store, the primary patient population comprising a plurality of electronic health records (EHRs); receiving an electronic representation of a target secondary patient population, the target secondary patient population comprising a target number of patients and at least one characteristic; and generating an electronic representation of the secondary patient population from the primary patient population based on the target number of patients and the at least one characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Angela Lynn Hill, Gavin David Thomas Nichols, Bruce Richard Basson, Eric Sabo
  • Publication number: 20140336565
    Abstract: A Personal Care Vaporizer Device for the Eye Area of the Face. A treatment chamber formed within the device will encircle the user's eyes and surrounding facial area when the device is positioned over the eye area of the face. A soft gel eyemask element provides maximum comfort for the wearer during treatment. The device introduces therapeutic mist or vapor into the treatment chamber. The mist/vapor is generated from an internal reservoir containing plain water or water mixed with other therapeutic additives. An onboard blower can control the flow rate of the mist/vapor into the treatment chamber. One or more onboard heating elements within the device provide direct heat to the treatment chamber wall(s), and/or to heat the mist/vapor prior to its being introduced into the treatment chamber. Onboard vibration generators apply soothing massaging motion to the user's face when activated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Patent number: 8875507
    Abstract: A control arm assembly connected with a hydraulic pump allows for the adjustment of pump displacement by turning a threaded adjustment rod clockwise or counter-clockwise to move a half nut connected with a control rod vertically up or down in a slot of an arm to the desired set point. The half nut has a partial thread that engages the thread of the adjustment rod to control the vertical movement. The design allows for the positive repeatable finite adjustment of the half nut with minimal backlash that reduces the difficulty of the setting process in labor and assembly time. Once the desired set point has been met the adjustment rod is clamped tight to the second arm by tightening the nut against the notch to lock up the assembly to prevent any movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Thomas A. Nichols, David V. Rotole
  • Patent number: 8830993
    Abstract: A time-space switch in a ring architecture includes input circuitry including N links each receiving M timeslots, a two-dimensional matrix of a plurality of switching circuits, the two-dimensional matrix is configured to receive from the input circuitry each of the M timeslots from the N links in a pipelined manner, and output circuitry including N links configured to receive any of the M timeslots from any of the N links from the two-dimensional matrix. The input circuitry, the two-dimensional matrix, and the output circuitry are arranged in a ring architecture therebetween. A link encoding protocol method performed in electrical circuitry includes receiving a plurality of time slots, grouping the plurality of time slots into time slot groups, performing a cyclic redundancy check between adjacent time slot groups, 64/65B encoding the time slot groups, and forward error correction encoding a plurality of 65B codewords from the 64/65B encoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Ciena Corporation
    Inventors: Ian Dublin, Jeffery Thomas Nichols, Peter Bengough
  • Publication number: 20140138167
    Abstract: A four-bar linkage is provided as a mechanical interface for transferring respective outputs from a speed/direction control device and a hydraulic steering cylinder to displacement control arms of a pair of pumps of a dual-path hydrostatic transmission including a pair of motors respectively coupled for driving a pair of front wheels of a vehicle. The hydraulic steering cylinder is fixed and has a piston rod slidably coupled to an input arm of the four-bar linkage in such a way that a rotation speed decrease occurs as the arm and a linked control plate are pivoted from a neutral position, the control plate transferring pivotal movement to effect differential movement of the displacement control arms. This results in the vehicle speed decreasing during a turn.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Thomas D. Bebernes, Stephen E. O'Brien, Thomas A. Nichols, Mitchell R. Usasz, Kyle R. Teach, David V. Rotole, Walter C. Wright
  • Patent number: 8696605
    Abstract: The main housing is defined by a large aperture formed in its side. The side aperture provides access to an internal treatment chamber. The user can insert one or both hands into the chamber through the side aperture to provide therapeutic treatment for the skin of the hands. The device has a removable fluid reservoir seatable into the main housing. Fluid from the reservoir is ported to an internal cool mist vaporizor such as a transducer or other misting apparatus. The mist is driven down a mist conduit by user-adjustable airflow. As the mist passes down the mist conduit, it passes a heating element that allows the user to selectively deliver heated or cool vapor into the treatment chamber. The user may utilize water and/or fluid having additives such as extracts, therapeutic medications and essential oils as the raw material for mist formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Publication number: 20130346094
    Abstract: Methods and systems for predictive analytics for site initiation and patient enrollment are disclosed. One method may include: receiving a user's selection of one or more parameters associated with a clinical trial; accessing a database of data associated with a plurality of previous clinical trials; comparing the one or more parameters to the previous clinical trials; determining one or more factors associated with the clinical trial based on the comparison; and displaying the parameters and the factors on a display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: Quintiles Transnational Corp.
    Inventors: Joseph William Charles Goodgame, Gavin Thomas Nichols, Wade Kenneth Brant
  • Publication number: 20130346093
    Abstract: Systems and methods for analytics on viable patient populations are disclosed. One disclosed method includes displaying a user interface control associated with a patient criteria, receiving a selection of a patient criteria through the user interface control, the patient criteria associated with a characteristic of a patient population, retrieving a subset of patient population source data from a patient population data source, the subset of patient population source data based at least in part on the selected patent criteria, and displaying a graphical representation of a patient population based on the retrieved subset of the patient population source data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: Quintiles Transnational Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph William Charles Goodgame, Gavin David Thomas Nichols, Wade Kenneth Brant
  • Publication number: 20130104535
    Abstract: A control arm assembly connected with a hydraulic pump allows for the adjustment of pump displacement by turning a threaded adjustment rod clockwise or counter-clockwise to move a half nut connected with a control rod vertically up or down in a slot of an arm to the desired set point. The half nut has a partial thread that engages the thread of the adjustment rod to control the vertical movement. The design allows for the positive repeatable finite adjustment of the half nut with minimal backlash that reduces the difficulty of the setting process in labor and assembly time. Once the desired set point has been met the adjustment rod is clamped tight to the second arm by tightening the nut against the notch to lock up the assembly to prevent any movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Thomas A. Nichols, David V. Rotole
  • Publication number: 20130060176
    Abstract: “A Handheld Motorized Facial Brush Having Pivoting, Floating Head. The heads interface with a conventional handpiece so that the facial brush or other facial treatment head can be removed and replaced with a subassembly that provides pivoting/floating support. The treatment head is then attachable to the pivoting/floating subassembly as if it were attaching to the handpiece; the result being a motorized skin treatment head that pivots and/or floats to follow the contour of the skin. The internal motor can either be housed within the handpiece, or pivoting/floating subassembly, and will either provide rotation/oscillation of the treatment head, or simple vibrations to the handpiece and/or treatment head. The floating mechanism may be available in a variety of forms to provide the widest variety of use scenarios. Each floating mechanisms and/or subassemblies are interchangeable with the others so as to be removably attachable to the handpieces described in the Parent applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Publication number: 20130046212
    Abstract: One form of the device is a standard handpiece having a series of interchangeable treatment heads. The handpiece can accept cooperating treatment heads for twist-locking therein or by other engagement arrangement. The treatment heads may or may not have an internal motor assembly within them to create vibratory motion in the assembled device. The groups of possible treatment heads include LED-light-emitting heads, microcurrent-emitting heads, a treatment head having an abrasive or pebbled surface, as well as a bristle brush head. In another version, the handpiece and treatment head are integrated and not exchangeable. In this second version, a combination LED-light-emitting outer ring surrounds a central dual-lobe massage surface. The dual-lobe massage surface may be made from an inert material such as silicone, or it may be metallic in order to provide emission of therapeutic microcurrents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Patent number: 8356233
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for inserting pseudo-noise in a data stream based on an unacceptable input data sequence in an optical network thereby preventing unnecessary loss of frame in SONET/SDH or Optical Transport Network (OTN) systems. The present disclosure includes a SONET/SDH or OTN framer, a transceiver, and a method for detecting an unacceptable data sequence or pattern and inserting a keep-alive or pseudo-noise sequence in the data sequence to maintaining framing on subsequent network elements, framers, transceivers, etc. For example, the present invention, upon receiving an unacceptable pattern of zeros or low ones density caused by a loss of signal condition or the like, may insert a pseudorandom noise pattern into the transmitted frame. This allows the downstream network element to continue a frame lock on the incoming signal, and thus keep the frame overhead and data communications channels from being lost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Ciena Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffery Thomas Nichols, Jeffrey Scott Moynihan
  • Patent number: 8311908
    Abstract: A computerized management system is provided. The system includes a routine for accessing journal entries stored in a memory and an automated journal entry generating routine for generating journal entries for a first set-of-books and for a second set-of-books based on the accessed journal entries. The journal entries for the first set-of-books are in accordance with a first reporting standard and the journal entries for the second set-of-books are in accordance with a second, different reporting standard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignees: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: James B. Maguire, III, Jun Iwata, Thomas Nichols, Jay Cleary, Maurice Houeix, Mary Rudock, Naoki Matsumura
  • Patent number: 8306420
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for real-time, in-service latency measurements over optical links that may be further integrated within various optical control planes. The present invention may utilize minimal unused overhead to calculate latency of an optical line through a transport network. The present invention utilizes timers at two end-point nodes associated with the optical line, and includes a mechanism to filter out frame skew between the nodes. Advantageously, the present invention provides a highly accurate latency measurement that may calculate latency on links as small as one meter, an in-service algorithm operable without network impact, and may be integrated with an optical control plane to automatically provide administrative weight variables associated with link costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ciena Corporation
    Inventors: Richard W. Conklin, Matthew Connolly, Jeffery Thomas Nichols
  • Patent number: D693932
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Patent number: D700316
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Patent number: D713971
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols
  • Patent number: D736399
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Inventor: Thomas Nichols