Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Quarles & Brady Streich Lang
  • Patent number: 6987292
    Abstract: Various methods for forming semiconductor devices are provided that include the step of implanting dopants into the devices to achieve doping concentrations that allow complementary n- and p-channel SJT behavior with devices of substantially equal gate length and gate width. Moreover, complementary SJT devices are provided that include n- and p-channel devices that have approximately equal gate lengths and widths. SJT devices may be appropriately doped and configured such that input current and the output current both vary substantially exponentially with a gate-source voltage in the sub-threshold mode, and such that the drain current varies substantially linearly with the gate current through a substantially constant current gain that is given by a ratio of the drain current to the gate current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Arizona State University
    Inventor: Trevor J. Thornton
  • Patent number: 6983667
    Abstract: An impact micro-positioning actuator. In one aspect of the invention, a threaded shaft is threadably received in a nut and the nut is impacted by an impacting device, causing the nut first to rotate relative to the shaft by slipping as a result of shaft inertia and subsequently to stick to the shaft as a result of the frictional force therebetween. The nut is returned to its initial position by a return force provided by a return mechanism after impact. The micro-positioning actuator is further improved by controlling at least one and preferably all of the following: the friction, the impact provided by the impacting device, the return force provided by the return mechanism, and the inertia of the shaft. In another aspect of the invention, a threaded shaft is threadably received in a nut and the shaft is impacted by an impacting device, causing the shaft to rotate relative to the nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: University of Arizona
    Inventors: Brian Cuerden, J. Roger P. Angel, James H. Burge, Scott T. DeRigne
  • Patent number: 6983581
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a series of embodiments of a swivel cheeked bridle bit wherein the cheek portion, comprising a dee and/or lower or curb rein attachment eye or ring, is separate from the purchase, with the purchase serving as a pintle for the swivel attachment of the cheek portion to the remainder of the bit structure. The upper harness attachment ring, for attaching a curb chain, nose strap, and/or cheek strap to the bit, is immovably affixed to the upper end of the purchase, which in turn is immovably affixed to the mouth bar of the bit. This ensures that the upper ring does not rotate or swivel as the cheek is turned, thus avoiding twisting the ends of the straps attached to the upper ring and precluding turning the edge of the attachment ring and any attached straps into the side of the face of the animal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Inventor: Thomas L. Collins, III
  • Patent number: 6983850
    Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor is mounted on the splash skirt at the underflow outlet of a hydrocyclone to detect a change in the underflow discharge from the normal conical shape in which the discharge impacts upon the splash skirt to a more cylindrical shape associated with roping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Krebs Engineers Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy J. Olson, Roger J. Waterman
  • Patent number: 6978034
    Abstract: A clampless mounting assembly for use with a helmet for attaching an internal headset to one of a plurality of different types of external electronic audio communications devices. External audio communications devices communicate with an internal headset by way of electrical conductors inherent in a mounting post. The mounting post is inserted through a hole in the helmet. The mounting post comprises a base on one end and a retainer on the other end to secure the headset to the helmet, eliminating the need for clamps or adhesives. The electrical conductors may be used in a variety of configurations for connecting the headset to one of a plurality of different types of audio communications devices. An external cable, connected to an external audio communications device, is inserted into an external connector inherent in the mounting post.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Inventors: John J. Lazzeroni, Melinda K. Carevich
  • Patent number: 6978184
    Abstract: The patterns of contraction and relaxation of the heart before and during left ventricular or biventricular pacing are analyzed and displayed in real time mode to assist physicians to screen patients for cardiac resynchronization therapy, to set the optimal A-V or right ventricle to left ventricle interval delay, and to select the site(s) of pacing that result in optimal cardiac performance. The system includes an accelerometer sensor; a programmable pace maker, a computer data analysis module, and may also include a 2D and 3D visual graphic display of analytic results, i.e. a Ventricular Contraction Map. A feedback network provides direction for optimal pacing leads placement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Inventors: Frank I. Marcus, Ding Sheng He
  • Patent number: 6971649
    Abstract: A zero-sum tiling game. A plurality of “domino-like” game pieces include indicia viewable on the top surfaces of the game pieces that correspond to one, or the other, or both of two halves of the game pieces. The indicia forms a binary set. The indicia associated with one half of the game piece may be summed to indicate the value for that type of indicia for that one half of the game piece, while the indicia may more generally be “added” or “summed” overall to obtain an overall value for any desired number of halves. Particularly, it is an object of the game to lay down game pieces in such a way that each piece that is laid down completes a square that consists of four halves, wherein the sum of the indicia for the four halves is zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Inventors: Jeff Richardson, Jon A. Petty, E. Tal Ehlers
  • Patent number: 6968633
    Abstract: A paint drying system for drying a painted body (4), such as a painted motor vehicle, includes a spraybooth (1) having an enclosure (2) through which air flows from an air inlet (6) to an air outlet (16, 18). The spraybooth (1) may also have columns of air jets (34) mounted in respective corners of the enclosure (2) to direct air obliquely at surfaces of the vehicle body (4). The system includes ionization members (33) for electrically charging this air supply. In a preferred embodiment the air is negatively charged by ionization members comprising one or elongate rods (33) mounted parallel with the columns of air jets (34). The spraybooth (2) may also have a control system (210) for controlling the paint drying system (4). The control system (210) has user-operable controls (234) to pre-select a predetermined parameter/combination of parameters and thus control the characteristics of a respective drying stage or cycle which parameters, e.g. temperature, vary with time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Junair Group Limited
    Inventor: Neil Morrison
  • Patent number: 6954423
    Abstract: Analog phase-shift elements connect each of a plurality of input nodes to each of a plurality of output nodes, wherein each component is adapted to produce a phase shift in a periodic signal processed therethrough. A linear transformation of a data set of discrete values of a given function provided as a set of analog signals to the input nodes is achieved by judiciously adjusting the signal amplitude produced at the output of the phase-shift components and summing the resulting output signals as required to simulate the transformation of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Inventor: Frank A. Tinker
  • Patent number: 6951600
    Abstract: A one-piece edge strip to be mounted on the bottom edge of a cathode used in electrolysis has a channel running longitudinally of the edge strip. The channel is designed to receive the bottom edge of the cathode. The edge strip is provided with a receptacle at either end of the channel, and each receptacle can accommodate an end portion of an edge strip mounted on a side edge of the cathode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Inventor: Manuel G. Santoyo
  • Patent number: 6945098
    Abstract: Wear-detection sensor has a body of electrically insulating material with an opening through which a flowable substance can pass, and one or more electrical conductors surrounding the opening and adapted to undergo a discernable change in conductivity as the insulating material is worn away by the flowable substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: Krebs Engineers Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy Olson
  • Patent number: 6943982
    Abstract: A lockout lever is hinged on the side of a slot in an I/O station of an automated library. The lever includes a leading blade and a trailing blade that protrude into the slot. The leading blade is urged open by a spring. When an LTO cartridge or a DLT cartridge in the wrong position is introduced into the slot, the forward motion of the cartridge is impeded by its substantially flat side that faces both the leading and trailing blades and prevents rotation of the lockout lever. When a DLT cartridge is introduced correctly, the cavity in its side accommodates the leading blade as the trailing blade is pushed out of the slot. The leading blade is sized to clear the gap in the door hinge of the DLT cartridge when removed from the interior of the station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Martin Flaherty, Aaron Lyle Herring, Shawn Michael Nave
  • Patent number: 6941260
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for emulating a fiber channel port. A controller is provided according to the invention that includes a fabric port and a virtual N port. The controller is adapted to buffer incoming data and convert an N port address provided with the data by a host computer to an instruction to the picker to couple the disk drive corresponding to the requested N port address to the virtual N port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Emberty, Craig Klein, David D. McBride, Gregory A. Williams
  • Patent number: 6937347
    Abstract: A lateral-shear interferometer utilizes two relatively thick glass plates bonded together in a single block with a tilted air gap between opposing inner surfaces. The thickness of the glass plates is selected to be sufficiently large to separate the output beams from the light reflected from the top and bottom surfaces of the block, thereby eliminating the need for antireflection coatings. The shear interferometer is combined with an external mirror mounted on a tilt stage actuated by a computer-controlled tilt actuator to perform phase-shifting interferometric analysis in conventional manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Engineering Synthesis Design Inc.
    Inventor: J. Kevin Erwin
  • Patent number: 6932906
    Abstract: A method of making a filter by bonding two pieces of cloth to the flanges of a barrel-neck connector by locating a ring of bonding agent mixed with a metal powder between each flange and the adjacent surface of each cloth and using induction heating to heat the metal and thus cause the bonding agent to bond the cloth to the flanges. The bonding agent may comprise guide legs which allow its accurate location between the respective cloth and flange and/or the ring may be flexible allowing the ring to be flexed into position over the respective flange of the barrel-neck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Madison Filter Limited
    Inventors: Richard Patrick Lydon, James Christopher Edwards
  • Patent number: 6934298
    Abstract: A group of wireless APs, including an active primary AP and one or more inactive backup APs, responds to the failure of the active AP. Backup APs passively detect the absence of the primary AP from a coverage area and become active. If more than one Backup AP attempts to assume the role of the primary AP, contention is resolved by applying a conflict resolution algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Modular Mining Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin R. Bentley
  • Patent number: 6930582
    Abstract: A coil has foil conductor windings which are formed into self leads and provide a stable mount to a printed circuit board or the like. End portions of the foil windings, having conductive opposite sides, are cut and formed into stacks. The stack configuration forms the self leads of the foil winding and facilitates the winding's exit from the coil. The self leads extend from the coil and are formed to reach to the printed circuit board (PCB). The self leads are strong enough to mount the coil to the PCB. The ends of the self leads are trimmed to fit through holes in the PCB. After insertion, the layers of the self leads are bent in opposing directions to substantially block the hole, prevent extraction, and prevent solder from flowing through the holes. The self leads are then soldered to the board. A bobbin having discontinuous flanges facilitates the exits of the self leads from the coil. The invention is useful in coils, inductors, transformers, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Iota Engineering Co.
    Inventor: Newton E. Ball
  • Patent number: 6925210
    Abstract: An image processing method takes advantage of the recursive rendering capabilities of graphics hardware devices to blur images in real-time, without a significant amount of computational precision. The image blurring method makes copies of the image to be blurred, transforms the copies using different transformation amounts, and then averages the transformed images together into a blended image. This general process is repeated a predetermined number of times, using the blended image in the subsequent steps, to generate a blurred image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Inventor: Michael Herf
  • Patent number: 6920795
    Abstract: An apparatus for sensing one or more physical characteristics of a fluid flowing in a fluid line, in one embodiment having an isolator block mounted onto a fluid line and in another embodiment, having an adapter plate coupled with isolator plate mounted onto a fluid line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Red Wing Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Bischoff, Robert Gooch
  • Patent number: 6915965
    Abstract: An air delivery system, wherein the air delivery system is coupled to a hose delivering water or fire-extinguishing foam, for providing air to emergency workers and disaster victims. The system includes a high-pressure air hose coupled at one end to an air-supply source and adapted to be coupled at a plurality of outlets along the delivery system to bottles capable of containing pressurized air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Inventor: Dave Siebert