Patents by Inventor Thomas W. Kennedy

Thomas W. Kennedy 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: 6113681
    Abstract: Modified asphalt cement is produced by blending asphalt with up to about 20% waste toner recovered from laser printers, copiers, and the like. The blending is carried out at high shear and at temperatures above the melting point of the toner. The toner-modified asphalt cement, and asphalt concrete made from the modified cement, both display significantly improved strength and temperature resistance properties relative to unmodified asphalt and asphalt concrete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Texas Department of Transportation
    Inventors: Rakesh Tripathi, Kirby W. Pickett, Mansour Solaimanian, Thomas W. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 5382954
    Abstract: An aircraft indicating system for displaying a resolution advisory signal from a Traffic Advisory and Collision Avoidance System provides an indicating pitch attitude symbol to the pilot engendering an instinctive response to avoid a collision. A driving circuit converts a TCAS signal in the form of a vertical speed command to a pitch command for energizing the indicating symbol by effecting a vertical displacement thereof in accordance with the guidance resolution advisory. The display signal is generated in accordance with the relationship: ##EQU1## where: .PHI.=aircraft roll attitude, limited to + or - 30.degree..THETA..sub.CMD =commanded pitch attitude defining the upper and lower pitch limits of the resolution advisory symbology.THETA..sub.EXIST =current pitch angleV.sub.ZTCAS =TCAS vertical speed commandV.sub.ZEXIST =current vertical speedV.sub.T =true airspeedK=conversion constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1995
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas W. Kennedy, Jr., Donald F. Fenstermaker
  • Patent number: 5022761
    Abstract: A ring laser gyroscope, which has a triangular quartz block with a triangular quartz tube assembly forming an outer cavity for one rotating beam and an inner cavity for an oppositely rotating beam, is provided. The problem of lock-in of the beams is avoided. A pair of anodes and cathode means are provided for energizing the beams. A mirror is mounted at each corner of the block for reflecting the beams with one mirror being a partly reflective mirror for passing through portions of the inner beam and the outer beam. Outside the partly reflective mirror are mounted a first mirror for reflecting the inner beam, a second mirror for reflecting the outer beam, and a beam combiner mirror for combining the beams. A frusto-conical mirror receives the combined beams and reduces the mean diameter of the outer beam. A fringe detector receives the inner beam and outer beam on an area or point on a face of the fringe detector, which provides a gyroscope output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Inventor: Thomas W. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 4976029
    Abstract: A hot dog or sausage cutter apparatus for making partial cuts in a hot dog or sausage wherein the apparatus has generally curved body sections hingedly connected to permit the sections to move between an open position for the insertion of a hot dog or sausage to be cut and a closed position to make partial cuts in the body of the hot dog or sausage and a plurality of cutting blades extending upwardly from the interior surface of the pair of body sections and typically angular and longitudinal to the longitudinal axis of the hot dog or sausage whereby in placing the hot dog or sausage within the holder and closing the holder, the cutting blades penetrate and partially cut the hot dog or sausage so that the hot dog or sausage thereafter may be removed for cooking or further processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1990
    Inventor: Thomas W. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 4973162
    Abstract: A triangular ring laser gyroscope which has three readout subassemblies with a circuit for using the best two out of the three readings. The gyroscope includes a block having corners with three mirrors, anode and cathode means, three readout subassemblies with a circuit having three adders and three subtractors and three switch units which provide the best two out of the three readings for an average output reading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Inventor: Thomas W. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 4753137
    Abstract: A hand tool, such as striking device like a sledgehammer, having replaceable head elements, which device comprises a handle having a raised extension on one end and a threaded cavity therein, and a replaceable head element, having a cavity therein; an insert having a hole therein to fit into the top part of the cavity of the head element, a threaded bolt, an a retaining tubular, elastomeric element, subject to expansion on axial compression, whereby various head elements of different cavity size may be secured to the extension of the handle by placing the threaded bolt through the insert hole and through tubular retaining element and threading the bolt into a threaded cavity of the raised extension to axially compress and expand outwardly the tubular elastomeric element into a frictional and shock-absorbing relationship with the interior surface of the head element cavity, thereby providing a hand tool device by which head elements having various cavity dimensions may be rapidly and efficiently secured to the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Inventor: Thomas W. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 4094479
    Abstract: A yaw axis stability and command augmentation system (SCAS) particularly applicable to STOL type aircraft includes three primary control terms proportional to side slip angle, side slip angle rate and rudder pedal force, wherein side slip angle rate is synthesized from measures of yaw rate, bank angle and lateral acceleration. These primary system feedback terms are supplied to the rudder electro-hydraulic secondary actuator which is positioned in accordance with their sum. The system serves to provide improved automatic damping of the Dutch roll modes, to suppress aircraft motion transients in yaw and roll under engine failure situations, to provide automatic turn-coordination in maneuvering flight, and to provide a side slip angle command capability to improve manual control precision in approach and landing under crosswind and lateral wind shear conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1977
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1978
    Assignee: Sperry Rand Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas W. Kennedy, Jr.
  • Patent number: 3945590
    Abstract: A semi-automatic takeoff flight control system for automatically capturing a predetermined takeoff pitch attitude at a predetermined pitch rate during the aircraft takeoff rotation maneuver. In response to the manual rotation command from the pilot, control circuitry generates a pitch rate command to the elevator, limited to the predetermined pitch rate. As the craft rotates to an intermediate pitch attitude less than the desired predetermined takeoff climb attitude, circuitry is included to provide a pitch attitude command with regard to the predetermined reference attitude, which by virtue of rate, displacement, and integral control provides asymptotic capture of the predetermined reference attitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1976
    Assignee: Sperry Rand Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas W. Kennedy, Jr., Harry D. Smith
  • Patent number: D329967
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Inventor: Thomas W. Kennedy