Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Saunders

Thomas E. Saunders 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: 7852226
    Abstract: A detection system operating on a scalable Radiation Sensor Unit (RSU) data stream employs a detection module triggering an alarm based on fee dynamic temporal features of gross count. Two spectroscopic buffers, one holding a long-term background and one holding the integrated detection event data are passed on for identification. The detector data incorporates sets of counts measured at channelized gamma energies. Each multi-channel data set is reduced to highly accurate peak locations. The absolute energy of the peaks is determined using innovative techniques and the background peaks and other secondary peaks are eliminated to provide a concise list of corrected source peak locations and intensities. This, together with spectral region analysis results is used with pattern recognition algorithms to identify fee source isotope or combination of isotopes from a standard library.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Textron Systems Corporation
    Inventors: John Mullikin, Thomas E. Saunders
  • Publication number: 20080191887
    Abstract: A detection system operating on a scalable Radiation Sensor Unit (RSU) data stream employs a detection module triggering an alarm based on fee dynamic temporal features of gross count. Two spectroscopic buffers, one holding a long-term background and one holding the integrated detection event data are passed on for identification. The detector data incorporates sets of counts measured at channelized gamma energies. Each multi-channel data set is reduced to highly accurate peak locations. The absolute energy of the peaks is determined using innovative techniques and the background peaks and other secondary peaks are eliminated to provide a concise list of corrected source peak locations and intensities. This, together with spectral region analysis results is used with pattern recognition algorithms to identify fee source isotope or combination of isotopes from a standard library.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: TEXTRON SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Mullikin, Thomas E. Saunders
  • Patent number: 4213698
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for holding a thin workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer for operations which require the workpiece to have a high degree of planarity such as photolithographic printing includes positioning the workpiece onto a planar holding face comprising the points of a multiplicity of regularly spaced-apart substantially parallel pins with a thin rim encompassing all pins to contain a vacuum in the region adjacent to the workpiece. The small abutting area of each pinpoint abutment reduces the probability of dirt particles collecting on the holding face and provides a high thrust pressure to dislodge dirt particles interposed between the abutment and the workpiece. A small amount of lateral motion is imparted to the workpiece when it first contacts the holding face to brush off any dirt particles on the abutments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1978
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1980
    Assignee: Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated
    Inventors: Victor A. Firtion, Donald R. Herriott, Martin E. Poulsen, Leif Rongved, Thomas E. Saunders
  • Patent number: RE31053
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for holding a thin workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer for operations which require the workpiece to have a high degree of planarity such as photolithographic printing includes positioning the workpiece onto a planar holding face comprising the points of a multiplicity of regularly spaced-apart substantially parallel pins with a thin rim encompassing all pins to contain a vacuum in the region adjacent to the workpiece. The small abutting area of each pinpoint abutment reduces the probability of dirt particles collecting on the holding face and provides a high thrust pressure to dislodge dirt particles interposed between the abutment and the workpiece. A small amount of lateral motion is imparted to the workpiece when it first contacts the holding face to brush off any dirt particles on the abutments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1982
    Assignee: Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated
    Inventors: Victor A. Firtion, Donald R. Herriott, Martin E. Poulsen, Leif Rongved, Thomas E. Saunders