Patents Represented by Attorney Leo R. Carroll
  • Patent number: 6161733
    Abstract: This computer controlled positive displacement shutter valve dispenser comprises a piston housing, pistons, shutter valves, linear or rotational drive servomechanisms, and a computer controller. The piston housing configuration can be cylindrical or non-cylindrical. Either configuration can have multiple input or output ports selected by the travel of the shutter valve. In addition the non-cylindrical configuration can have a multitude of shapes, allowing for single piston or multiple piston designs. The multiple piston arrangement can have equal or nonequal displacements from the pump cavity of each piston. The computer controls all aspects of the dispenser, including the forward and retract distance, speed and timing of the piston and shutter valves. The amount dispensed can vary between the maximum volume of the pump cavity to a small fraction of its volume as set by the resolution of the controller and linear drive mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Inventor: Kenyon M. King
  • Patent number: 6025796
    Abstract: A pulsed radar detector to be used for airbag triggering prior to a collision between a vehicle on a roadway and an impacting target object, has sets of transmitters and receiver separately disposed on a the side of a vehicle so as to create a bistatic antenna pattern. The transmitting antennae are mounted relative to receiving antennae so as to control the amount of direct radiation from each transmitter antenna and said receiver antenna so as to create a modulation of a received target signal. A signal processor determines the period of the modulation in order to obtain a measure of target velocity. The amplitude of the modulation is determined so as to have a measure of relative target size. Using this data, a computer continuous calculates the predicted time and point of impact in order to initiate release of an airbag at a predetermined time before impact between said object and the side of said vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Inventor: Robert G. Crosby, II
  • Patent number: 6021788
    Abstract: This invention includes apparatus that circulates and agitates a liquid cleansing solution in a sink by means of gas jet bubbles, in order to clean dirty articles therein. The basic device comprises a base structure, a pressurized gas supply, hollow jet nozzle means disposed in the sink, the jet nozzle means having a sealed end and a plurality of apertures thereon for gas ejection, so as to produce gas bubble jet streams which scrub and clean the articles by both article impact and agitation of the liquid cleansing solution. Preheating of the pressurized gas, coupled with a manifolded heat exchanger in the cleansing solution, provides the means for heating the cleansing solution. Temperature control means are then used to maintain the temperature of the cleansing solution against cooling. Alternately, the heat source may include a separate liquid heater. The warmed gas may also be used to dry the articles after washing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Inventor: Kenyon M. King
  • Patent number: 5961303
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a pump that dispenses controlled amounts of flowable material by computer controlling both the displacement and angular position of the piston with servomechanism means. The system includes container means to hold a supply of flowable product material to be dispensed; cylindrical piston and piston housing means having a plurality of inlet porting means adapted to receive said flowable product material from the container means, and a plurality output porting means adapted to dispense said product from said container; piston rod means connected to the piston means so as to impart linear and rotary motion to said piston means. Rotary and linear drive means are connected to the piston rod means and adapted to alternately cause surface apertures to align with the inlet porting means while causing surface lands to restrict flow from the outlet porting means, then cyclically reversing said process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Inventor: Kenyon M. King
  • Patent number: 5853333
    Abstract: The present invention provides a simple and yet fully functional billiard bridge head guiding apparatus which permits angular control of a cue stick at both three axis compound angles and at an adjustable height off the billiard or pool table. Two gimbals are utilized in which the cue holding inner gimbal may be rotated about: 1) the longitudinal axis of a bridge stick; 2) the end longitudinal axis of a straight, bent, or curved elongated shaft; and 3) an axis normal to that of second axis above. In addition, the radial displacement of the gimbal from the first axis above is adjustable by means of shaft elongation. The bridge head does not require use of a custom bridge stick, but rather any cue stick is useable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Inventor: Thomas D. Patterson
  • Patent number: 5788220
    Abstract: This invention consists of a linearly operated gas vent assembly in which the dynamic range of gas flow is increased by use of a low drag actuator profile. The structure consists generally of a swivel vent module and a housing module, in which the swivel vent assembly regulates the volume flow of air and the housing module imparts spacial control over the direction of air flow. The swivel vent module comprises four sub-modules: a ball cylinder, an actuator cylinder, a valve disk, and an arrangement of hinging elements to rotate the disk. The ball cylinder is a cylindrical shell and constitutes an outer case of the swivel vent module. The outside surface of the ball cylinder is shaped as a segment of a sphere, with the inside surface being shaped as a straight cylinder and containing a circular seal grove. The actuator cylinder is a cylindrical shell with an outer diameter adapted to slidably conform to the inside of the ball cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Inventor: Gary C. Meziere, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5755125
    Abstract: The present invention provides a small vehicle wheel locking assembly which may be quickly installed over one or more wheels of the unit to be protected, and then locked or bolted to the truck or to an adjacent structure. The preferred embodiment comprises basic top and bottom enclosures in which the wheel of the mobile unit may be placed prior to closure of both assemblies into a box like enclosure. One side of the bottom enclosure is hinged to permit rolling the wheel into the enclosure, and one side of the top enclosure is hinged to aid in sliding the enclosure over the top of the wheel. When closed, the upper subassembly is interlocked with the lower unit and secured with a shielded padlock. The lower subassembly may be secured to the bed of a pickup truck, or to a stationary object. In this manner, the wheel is immobilized against rolling and sliding, and access is denied to all points of wheel or tire disassembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1998
    Inventor: Leroy C. Charrette
  • Patent number: 5734347
    Abstract: This invention generates a radar analog of the optical hologram by recording a radar image in the range/doppler plane, the range/azimuth plane, and/or the range/elevation plane according to the type and application of the radar. The invention embodies a means of modifying the range doppler data matrix by scaling, weighing, filtering, rotating, tilting, or otherwise modifying the matrix to produce some desired result. Specific examples are, removal of known components of clutter in the doppler frequency spectrum by filtering, and rotating/tilting the reconstructed image to provide a view not otherwise available. In the first instance, a reconstructed image formed after filtering the Fourier spectrum would then show a clutter free replication of the original range/PRI object space. The noise `floor` can also be modified such that only signals in the object space that produce a return signal above the `floor` will be displayed in the reconstructed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Inventor: E. Lee McEligot
  • Patent number: 5687856
    Abstract: This invention consists of a family of related tool holders, each of which contain angulated shoe segments which permit sliding along the similarly angulated rails of a set of interconnected track modules. These track sets are interlocked to result in a track of arbitrary width, and may be fastened to various wall or stud surfaces. The individual tool holding members may be disposed along and locked to the tracks at spacings determined by the size of the implement being secured. In addition to the track module, the family of modules includes a hook module, a multiganged hook module, a J-hook module, a screw driver plate module, a tray module and a handle grabber module. This later module includes a unique spring loaded paddle wall for gripping round or non-round objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1997
    Inventor: Ken Kendrena
  • Patent number: 5628599
    Abstract: In a first embodiment of this invention, a fastener having a flat thin body with sharp profusions thereon is anchored in a workpiece so that relative rotation is prevented between the anchored fastener and the workpiece. The sharp protrusions form anchoring legs which cut into the softer material of the work piece. These legs may be spike or tack shaped, and may be forced into the workpiece by pressing or hammering in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the workpiece. For sandwich applications between pairs of workpieces, the anchoring legs may be disposed on both sides of the body. In addition, individual anchoring legs may include a sharp edge which will cut into the work piece in the rotational direction. In a second embodiment, the thin surfaces of the body may be curved so that the body of the anchoring legs is deformed by the compression of a nut being tightened on a bolt. This elastic deformation provides an axial retention force in a manner similar to a lock washer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Inventor: Karl F. Eakin
  • Patent number: 5583512
    Abstract: This radar incorporates a single channel, two-dimensional correlator, providing simultaneous correlation in the range/doppler plane. In conventional radar processors, separate channels are used to measure range and doppler. Range track is normally established first and the range signal is then used to enable, or correlate with the doppler channel. In this invention, this correlation is performed simultaneously in a single channel and truly represents the combined ambiguity function, rather than an attempt to merge two separate ambiguity functions. A purely random sequence of binary bits (+1 and -1's) is used to control the phase of each segment in the transmitted signal (either pulse or CW) as opposed to systems using pseudo-random sequences generated by various means such as linear shift register generators. A digital random number generator is used to produce a set of purely random numbers which, when applied to a rule, generates a random sequence of binary bits, plus or minus 1's (.+-.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Point Loma Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: E. Lee McEligot
  • Patent number: 5553740
    Abstract: A device for pumping controlled amounts of flowable materials having a wide range of viscosities, such as condiments for food, from a bag having flexible walls. The device is comprised of a container to hold the flexible bag, a piston to drive a controlled motion mechanism to compress the bag, a sealing mechanism to seal the bag to constrain flow through a wide range of nozzles, a cutting device to pierce the bag when a seal has been obtained, an exit nozzle(s) to discharge the fluid and to maintain the temperature of the exit nozzle(s). Multiple connections may be made to multiple dispensing points. Dispensing of exact quantities of the flowable material is accomplished by controlling the position of the piston by a stepping servomechanism to displace an exact volume of the flowable material at the exit nozzle. Nozzle temperature is equalized to that of the material in the container by provision of air passages through the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Restaurant Automation Development Co.
    Inventors: Kenyon M. King, Barry J. Brummett, Gregory D. King, Douglas S. Hutchings
  • Patent number: 5512906
    Abstract: An array of antenna elements is configured in a lattice-like layer, each element being similarly oriented such that the whole of the antenna elements form a homogeneous two-dimensional antenna aperture surface which can be planar or curved to conform to a desired shape. The antenna elements are connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a matching lattice of mutually similar, multiple-port, wave coupling networks physically extending behind the antenna element array as a backplane of the antenna. Each wave coupling network or "unit cell" couples signals to and/or from its corresponding antenna element and further performs as a phase delay module in a two-dimensional signal distribution network. This invention can be embodied in a conformal, or planar phased array antenna comprising a system of densely-packed resonant cavities feeding a set of resonant slot elements, both configured in an matrix array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Inventor: Ross A. Speciale
  • Patent number: 5435030
    Abstract: A combination hinge adjustment and pintle removal tool which has the ability to perform three functions in a single wrench-shaped hand tool. A first end of the tool includes a punch tip mounted orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the tool, which is used to initially dislodge the hinge pintle from the hinge by driving the opposite side of the tool body with a hammer. The same end of the tool also includes a cupped indentation centered colinear with the longitudinal axis of the tool. The radius of this indentation is such that it will snugly fit around the shaft of a hinge pintle beneath the head of the pintle so that it may be hammer-driven upward in order to complete removal from the hinge. The second, or opposite end of the tool includes an opening with an offset spanner tip on one of the jaws surrounding the aperture. This end of the tool is used to bend a hinge without a pintle into alignment when adjusting the door within a jam or frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Inventor: Michael A. Phillips
  • Patent number: 5424838
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved system for inspection of microelectronic assemblies, including chips and interconnection elements such as wires, ball bonds, and wedge bonds contained therein. This system includes a high speed illumination subsystem, a dual magneification video camera sensor subsystem, a commercial machine vision system supported by a video display and printer, a three dimensional transport stage for moving the microcircuit under inspection, and a computer controller for operational control under unique software of all of the above system elements. The illumination subsystem includes formation of multiple light rings starting with light generated by a tungsten lamp, collimation by a condenser lens, then passage through a liquid crystal light valve having a plurality of circular active transmission areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1995
    Inventor: Bernard Siu
  • Patent number: D368197
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Inventors: Kenneth V. Fulayter, Thyra M. Fulayter
  • Patent number: D384319
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Inventor: Harut Harutiunian
  • Patent number: D385452
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Inventor: Sue Marti
  • Patent number: D397661
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Inventor: Harut Harutiunian
  • Patent number: D413249
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Inventor: Karl F. Eakin