Patents Represented by Attorney Fletcher Yoder

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  • Method and system for visualizing three-dimensional data
    Patent number: 7250949
    Abstract: A technique is provided for visualizing a volume of interest, such as may be acquired by a tomosynthesis imaging system. The technique provides for the use of one or more weighting functions, such as depth-dependent weighting functions, in the determination of pixel values in a volume rendering. The weighting functions may modify, for example, an intensity determination for a pixel, either directly or by modifying other contributing functions, such as for determining occlusion effects. The volume rendering may then be displayed for review by a technologist or clinician.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bernhard Erich Hermann Claus, Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard
  • Techniques for storing accurate operating current values
    Patent number: 7251181
    Abstract: Methods of manufacturing memory devices and memory modules comprising memory device. Specifically, respective operating current values may be measured and/or stored on a plurality of memory devices. More specifically, the operating current values may be stored in programmable elements, such as antifuses, on memory devices. The memory devices may be coupled to a substrate to form a memory module. A non-volatile memory device may be coupled to the substrate. The operating current values may be read from the programmable elements and stored in the non-volatile memory device. Once the memory module is incorporated into a system, the programmable elements or non-volatile memory may be accessed such that the system can be configured to optimally operate in accordance with the operating current values measured for each memory device in the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffery W. Janzen, Scott Schaefer, Todd D. Farrell
  • High pressure discharge lamp control system and method
    Patent number: 7250732
    Abstract: A system for providing a controllable current to a high intensity discharge lamp is provided. The system includes a current controller that is configured to receive input power and to provide an output current waveform to the high intensity discharge lamp. This current causes a discharge of light from the lamp. The output current waveform includes an absolute value amplitude in each half cycle that is generally constant during a first portion and that which increases non-linearly from the generally constant amplitude to a peak amplitude during a second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mohamed Rahmane, Eric Croquesel, Svetlana Selezneva
  • Integrated high efficiency blower apparatus for HVAC systems
    Patent number: 7246997
    Abstract: An integrated centrifugal blower wheel for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) blower unit includes a first blade support, a second blade support, and a plurality of S-shaped blades disposed between the first and second blade supports, wherein each of the S-shaped blades has a trailing edge bent in a forward direction with respect to a defined direction of rotation of the wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Xiaoyue Liu, Herman Weigman, Shixiao Wang
  • Complex system serviceability design evaluation method and apparatus
    Patent number: 7249284
    Abstract: A technique is provided for designing and evaluating service models for components, functions, subsystems and field replaceable units in a complex machine system. At a component or item level, each model identifies various items, failure modes, and so forth which may be the root cause of anticipated serviceable events or faults. The design tools permit numerous interfaces to be used in the design of service models, and in the evaluation of the degree to which the models address detectability and isolation capabilities for the root causes of serviceable events and faults.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Rasiklal Punjalal Shah, Vrinda Rajiv, Mark David Osborn, Catherine Mary Graichen, Amey Sudhakar Joshi, Sreevidya Sambasivan, Jieqian Cathy Chen, Ernest Joseph Waldron
  • Method and system for three dimensional tomosynthesis imaging
    Patent number: 7244063
    Abstract: An imaging system for scanning a volume of interest in an object, the system includes a radiation source configured to traverse in a plurality of focal spot positions yielding a plurality of focal spot trajectories. Each focal spot trajectory defines a two dimensional focal spot projection in an image acquisition plane. Each of the focal spot positions comprise at least two positions at unequal distances from the image acquisition plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard, Bernhard Erich Hermann Claus, Abdulrahman Abdallah Al-Khalidy, Abdalmajeid Musa Alyassin, John Kaufhold, Gulnar Siddiqi
  • Welding torch nipple
    Patent number: 7244910
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a welding torch nipple for coupling a welding cable and neck assembly to one another. The exemplary nipple includes two hollow tubes: an inner tube disposed in an outer tube. The inner tube includes features that facilitate mating with a welding cable and the outer tube is configured to receive a neck assembly. A dielectric layer disposed between the inner and outer tubes electrically isolates the outer tube from the inner tube, thereby protecting a user from electrical shock, for instance. The dielectric layer includes a stem portion that extends radially into the outer tube, blocking axial separation of the outer tube and the dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Giese, Robert Warning, Jeremy Jansma
  • Set retarder compositions, cement compositions, and associated methods
    Patent number: 7244303
    Abstract: Cement compositions, that comprise water, a cement, a strength-retrogression additive, and an acid, wherein the acid comprises ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, or a combination thereof, are provided. Methods of cementing in a subterranean formation, methods of retarding the set time of a cement composition, and set retarder compositions also are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Jiten Chatterji, James F. Heathman, Dennis W. Gray, Bryan K. Waugh
  • Alignment mechanism for a welding torch
    Patent number: 7244911
    Abstract: In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, there is provided a welding torch that includes features facilitating aligned assembly of various components of the welding torch with respect to one another. For example, the welding torch includes a nipple that carries a pin member extending from both an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral of a sleeve of the nipple. This pin engages with a slot on a coupling member and a slot on a neck assembly, thereby facilitating proper alignment of the neck assembly, coupling member, and nipple with respect to one another. Moreover, the engagement between the pin member and the slots block pivotal displacement of neck assembly, coupling member, and neck assembly with respect to one another. Advantageously, the use of a single pin member for both slots presents a more judicious construction, leading to reduced manufacturing costs, for instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Giese, Robert Warning, Jeremy Jansma
  • Techniques for reducing leakage current in memory devices
    Patent number: 7245548
    Abstract: Techniques for reducing gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) in memory devices utilizing negative wordline architectures. More specifically, a method and apparatus are provided to determine whether any of the word lines in a section of a memory array are active. If any one of the plurality of word lines is active, each of the inactive word lines in the section are coupled to a negative voltage level. If none of the plurality of word lines is active, each of the plurality of word lines is coupled to ground to reduce GIDL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott J. Derner, Venkatraghavan Bringivijayaraghavan, Abhay S. Dixit, Scot M. Graham, Stephen R. Porter, Ethan A. Williford
  • Cold mass support structure and helium vessel of actively shielded high field open MRI magnets
    Patent number: 7242191
    Abstract: An open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device is provided with at least one main coil for generating a magnetic field for imaging a volume, and at least one shaping coil. The at least one shaping coil is positioned relative to the at least one main coil to shape the magnetic field in the volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Evangelos Laskaris, Xianrui Huang, Michele Dollar Ogle, Michael A. Palmo, Paul S. Thompson
  • Hybrid metal forming system
    Patent number: 7240532
    Abstract: A hybrid metal forming system includes a die cavity defined by a first die and a second die and a press adapted to apply a static pressure over the first die to deform a workpiece against the second die. The hybrid forming system also includes a dynamic loading system coupled to and positioned between, the press and the die cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wenwu Zhang, David Peter Mika
  • Self-aligned gated rod field emission device and associated method of fabrication
    Patent number: 7239076
    Abstract: A self-aligned gated field emission device and an associated method of fabrication are described. The device includes a substrate and a porous layer disposed adjacent to the surface of the substrate, wherein the porous layer defines a plurality of substantially cylindrical channels, each of the plurality of substantially cylindrical channels aligned substantially parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. The device also includes a plurality of substantially rod-shaped structures disposed within at least a portion of the plurality of substantially cylindrical channels defined by the porous layer and adjacent to the surface of the substrate, wherein a portion of each of the plurality of substantially rod-shaped structures protrudes above the surface of the porous layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ji Ung Lee, Reed Roeder Corderman, William Hullinger Huber
  • Compression-ignition engine configuration for reducing pollutants and method and system thereof
    Patent number: 7237537
    Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present technique, a method of reducing pollutant emissions from a compression-ignition engine is provided. The method includes adjusting timing of fuel injection into a combustion chamber of a piston-cylinder assembly of the compression-ignition engine. The method of adjusting timing of fuel injection includes indexing a drive mechanism intercoupling a camshaft to a crankshaft by at least one tooth away from a standard position. The method of adjusting timing of fuel injection further includes adjusting a pre-stroke of a plunger of a fuel injector assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Manoj Prakash Gokhale, Chenna Krishna Rao Boyapati
  • Method and apparatus for transmission and display of a compressed digitized image
    Patent number: 7236637
    Abstract: The present technique selectively handles image data, which is decomposed into a plurality of resolution levels. The image data may be retrieved in order of progressively higher resolution levels for display in a viewport. Initially, the image data may be displayed in the viewport at a relatively lower one of the plurality of resolution levels. As a user desires higher resolution displays of all or part of the image, one or more of the progressively higher resolution levels may be retrieved and scaled to fit the viewport. Accordingly, the present technique handles the data more efficiently by accessing the image data in blocks corresponding to the plurality of resolution levels, rather than accessing the entirety of the image data. A scaling threshold also can be used to signal the need for a next higher level of the plurality of resolution levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Saad A. Sirohey, Robert D. Barnes, Joseph M. Carroll
  • Trench isolation for semiconductor devices
    Patent number: 7235856
    Abstract: In etching trench isolation structures, a pad oxide or sacrificial oxide may be formed with substantially the same (or higher) etch rate as the trench filler. Because the etch rate in the trench area is substantially similar to (or less than) the etch rate in the non-trench area, similar amounts of material are removed in both the trench area and non-trench area in a subsequent etching process. Consequently, formation of notches and grooves in the semiconductor structure is minimized. A sacrificial oxide layer may be made by depositing a layer of a suitable material on the surface of a semiconductor structure. By depositing a sacrificial oxide layer instead of thermally growing a sacrificial oxide layer, grooves and the notches in the trench areas are filled by the deposited material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Moore, David L. Chapek
  • Method and system for inspecting flaws using ultrasound scan data
    Patent number: 7234355
    Abstract: A method and system for detecting weld signatures from an ultrasound scan data obtained from scanning a pipeline is provided. The method includes a step for mapping multiple amplitude responses from the ultrasound scan data, each amplitude response being representative of a respective sensor signal. Continuous amplitude responses are located from the amplitude responses and corresponding signatures are identified for the continuous amplitude responses. The method also includes a step for tagging the corresponding signatures as weld signatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sandeep Kumar Dewangan, Anandraj Sengupta, Amitabha Dutta
  • Compliant seal and system and method thereof
    Patent number: 7229246
    Abstract: A compliant seal assembly for a rotating machine is provided. The seal assembly includes a static member, a movable member and a biasing member. The static member is rigidly fixed to the machine at its fore and aft ends. The movable portion has a first sealing surface configured to seal against a rotating member and a rear surface, which may be exposed to a fluid pressure to urge the first sealing surface toward a sealing position with the rotating member. The static and the movable members further include sealing surfaces at their fore, aft and end faces to seal against leakage of gas between the static and the movable members. The biasing member is configured to support the movable member on the static member and to urge the movable member away from the sealing position so as to reduce force on the rotating member during contact of the rotating member with the first sealing surface of the movable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Farshad Ghasripoor, Shorya Awtar, Norman Arnold Turnquist, Biao Fang, Carl Anthony Flecker, III, James William Stegmaier, Glenn Herbert Nichols, James Charles Przytulski, Kurt Grover Brink, Richard Cohen Lykins, Jeffrey Reid Thyssen, Mahmut Faruk Aksit
  • Interconnect structure for transducer assembly
    Patent number: 7229292
    Abstract: An interconnect assembly is presented. The assembly includes an interconnect structure including a plurality of interconnect layers disposed in a spaced relationship, where each of the plurality of interconnect layers comprises a plurality of conductive traces disposed thereon. Furthermore, the assembly includes a redistribution layer disposed proximate the interconnect structure, where the redistribution layer is configured to facilitate coupling the interconnect structure to the one or more transducer elements on the transducer array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bruno Hans Haider, Douglas Glenn Wildes, Robert Stephen Lewandowski
  • Transistor having vertical junction edge and method of manufacturing the same
    Patent number: 7230312
    Abstract: Techniques for forming devices, such as transistors, having vertical junction edges. More specifically, shallow trenches are formed in a substrate and filled with an oxide. Cavities may be formed in the oxide and filled with a conductive material, such a heavily doped polysilicon. Vertical junctions are formed between the polysilicon and the exposed substrate at the trench edges such that during a thermal cycle, the heavily doped polysilicon will out-diffuse doping elements into the adjacent single crystal silicon advantageously forming a diode extension having desirable properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Fernando Gonzalez, Chandra Mouli