Patents Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
  • Publication number: 20130145269
    Abstract: A video annotation interface includes a video pane configured to display a video, a video timeline bar including a video play-head indicating a current point of the video which is being played, a segment timeline bar including initial and final handles configured to define a segment of the video for playing, and a plurality of color-coded comment markers displayed in connection with the video timeline bar. Each of the comment markers is associated with a frame or segment of the video and corresponds to one or more annotations for that frame or segment made by one of a plurality of users. Each of the users can make annotations and view annotations made by other users. The annotations can include annotations corresponding to a plurality of modalities, including text, drawing, video, and audio modalities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
    Inventor: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Patent number: 8400697
    Abstract: A disclosed optical scanner apparatus can include a member having spaced apart proximal and distal portions. An optical scanning device can be configured to direct optical radiation, which is moveably coupled to the proximal portion of the member and can be configured to rotate in a plane of movement to a first position to direct the optical radiation along a first path and can be configured to rotate in the plane of movement to a second position to direct the optical radiation along a second path. A MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) actuator can be coupled to the optical scanning device, where the MEMS actuator can be configured to move in a first direction to move the optical scanning device to the first position and can be configured to move in a second direction to move the optical scanning device to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignees: Duke University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Stephen W. Smith, Kenneth L. Gentry, Jason Zara, Stephen M. Bobbio
  • Patent number: 8401691
    Abstract: The present invention provides dynamic metrology methods and systems for: periodically determining an actual position of one or more of a machine and a tool with respect to a workpiece using one or more laser interferometers; tracking a tracked position of the one or more of the machine and the tool with respect to the workpiece using one or more accelerometers; and altering a controlled position of the one or more of the machine and the tool with respect to the workpiece when either the actual position or the tracked position of the one or more of the machine and the tool with respect to the workpiece diverges from a desired position of one or more of the machine and the tool with respect to the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Kevin Scott Smith, Robert J. Hocken
  • Publication number: 20130063801
    Abstract: A disclosed scanner apparatus includes a member having spaced apart proximal and distal portions. An electromagnetic radiation device is configured to direct electromagnetic radiation therefrom and is moveably coupled to the distal portion of the member. The electromagnetic radiation device is configured to move in a first plane of movement to a first position to direct the electromagnetic radiation along a first path and configured to move in the plane of movement to a second position to direct the electromagnetic radiation along a second path. A MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) actuator is coupled to the electromagnetic radiation device, wherein the MEMS actuator is configured to move in a first direction to move the electromagnetic radiation device to the first position and configured to move in a second direction to move the electromagnetic radiation device to the second position. Other scanning and robotic structure devices are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicants: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE, DUKE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Stephen W. SMITH, Kenneth L. GENTRY, Jason ZARA, Stephen M. BOBBIO
  • Patent number: 8380461
    Abstract: A system and method of determining lift deflection during construction of aggregate columns allows for real time monitoring of construction to ensure meeting defined parameters. The amount of deflection of a tamper head during tamping is determined multiple times for each lift. When the amount of deflection matches a predetermined value, tamping is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignees: Geopier Foundation Company, Inc., University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Kord J. Wissmann, John Hildreth, Barry Sherlock
  • Patent number: 8374828
    Abstract: The computerized method, software, and product of this invention implements a process for computationally designing proteins and/or associated molecular targets with desired quantitative stability/flexibility relationships (QSFR). QSFR is an innovative, high dimensional metric calculated using an improved Distance Constraint Model (DCM). This invention includes three distinct aspects: (i.) utilizing QSFR in computational molecular design of protein sequences, or variations of molecular structures, to have specific stability and flexibility relationships deemed important for biochemical function for specified thermodynamic and solvent conditions; (ii.) utilizing QSFR to optimize thermodynamic and/or solvent conditions necessary for a specified molecular system to exhibit protein function characteristics, such as improved catalytic efficiency; and (iii.) utilizing QSFR to computationally screen or design small molecules and/or design its putative receptor so as to exhibit a desired affect on protein function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Donald J Jacobs, Dennis R. Livesay
  • Patent number: 8349252
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preserving biological material comprising the steps of: providing a vitrification solution comprised of the biological material and a vitrification agent where the solution has a temperature in the range from 0.1° C. to 17.9° C.; microwaving the vitrification solution for a first period of time; allowing the vitrification solution to rest for a second period of time; repeating steps b and c until the vitrification solution enters into a glassy state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Gloria Elliott, Nilay Chakraborty
  • Patent number: 8313271
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for machining a part from a workpiece. The workpiece is divided into a plurality of sectors and a plurality of fiducials are disposed within each sector. The separation distance between each fiducial is then calibrated to a workpiece distance unit. The present invention then includes the steps of a) positioning the workpiece into the desired position relative to a cutting machine; b) calibrating the cutting machine to the workpiece distance units of one sector; c) cutting one sector with the calibrated cutting machine; d) repeating steps a-c until the part is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Kevin Scott Smith
  • Patent number: 8307197
    Abstract: A processor including a Boolean logic unit, wherein the Boolean logic unit is operated for performing the short-circuit evaluation of a Normal Form Boolean expression/operation, a plurality of input/output interfaces in communication with the Boolean logic unit, wherein the plurality of input/output interfaces are operated for receiving a plurality of compiled Boolean expressions/operations and transmitting a plurality of compiled results, and a plurality of registers coupled to the plurality of input/output interface circuits, wherein the plurality of multi-bit registers include an instruction register, a first address register and a second address register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Kenneth Elmon Koch, III
  • Patent number: 8294982
    Abstract: A fiber, such as a photonic bandgap fiber, is provided, the fiber including a core and a cladding. The core can extend longitudinally and can have a gain medium configured to provide laser amplification to laser radiation propagating along the core. For example, the gain medium may include a dopant configured to provide amplification, when activated by one or more modes of excitation radiation, of laser radiation propagating along said core. The cladding can be radially exterior to the core, and can be configured to provide a low-loss propagation the one or more modes of excitation radiation and a lossy propagation of all modes of laser radiation along the core, the lossy propagation higher than the low-loss propagation, in particular when the one or more modes of excitation radiation is substantially absent from the core. Associated methods and apparatuses are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Tsinghua Her
  • Patent number: 8240234
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for chip breaking, controlling cutting tool wear, and the like in turning, boring, and other applications, including: engaging a workpiece with a cutting tool in a feed direction along a toolpath, superimposing an oscillation in the feed direction on the toolpath, and dynamically or non-dynamically varying the oscillation superimposed in the feed direction on the toolpath such that interrupted cuts and chips of a predetermined length or less are produced. These systems take full advantage of computer numerical control (CNC) methodologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignees: University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC
    Inventors: Bethany A. Woody, Kevin Scott Smith, David J. Adams, William E. Barkman, Edwin F. Babelay, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8244504
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method analyzes the thermodynamic and mechanical properties of a molecule or collection of molecules within a chemical environment under given thermodynamic conditions. The system is based on user-defined rules for a free energy decomposition and its reconstitution, explicit solute and implicit solvent specifications, and a selection of thermodynamic conditions. One template structure or multiple template structures define an explicit solute specification. Each template structure consists of a list of atoms and their coordinates. Input data is processed to produce a flexibility and stability test and return global thermodynamic properties, such as free energy, enthalpy, entropy and heat capacity as a function of temperature. Implemented via pebble game theory, global mechanical properties are determined based on the statistics of rigid and flexible regions that thermally fluctuate over ensembles of accessible states consistent with selected order parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Donald J. Jacobs
  • Publication number: 20120195692
    Abstract: A system and method of determining lift deflection during construction of aggregate columns allows for real time monitoring of construction to ensure meeting defined parameters. The amount of deflection of a tamper head during tamping is determined multiple times for each lift. When the amount of deflection matches a predetermined value, tamping is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicants: University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Geopier Foundation Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Kord J. Wissmann, John Hildreth, Barry Sherlock
  • Patent number: 8220484
    Abstract: The present invention provides a monitoring system for a conduit network including one or more conduit sections joined at one or more conduit nodes, including: one or more sensor devices disposed at selected ones of the one or more conduit nodes, wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for sensing a blockage or breakage in an associated conduit section, and wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for communicating blockage or breakage information to a central location. Optionally, each of the sensor devices includes one of an audio sensor device and a radio frequency sensor device. Each of the sensor devices is operable for sensing the blockage or breakage in the associated conduit section by measuring an attribute of a transmitted/received signal, alone or in combination with another sensor device. Each of the sensor devices is operable for communicating the blockage or breakage information to the central location via a wireless link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Ivan Howitt
  • Publication number: 20120091369
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical microprobe device and method for focusing multimodal radiation with wavelength-scale spatial resolution and delivering the focused radiation to a specimen, including: a radiation source; and one or more of a plurality of optically transparent or semitransparent spheres and a plurality of optically transparent or semitransparent cylinders optically coupled to the radiation source; wherein the one or more of the plurality of optically transparent or semitransparent spheres and the plurality of optically transparent or semitransparent cylinders periodically focus radiation optically transmitted from the radiation source such that radiation ultimately transmitted to the specimen has predetermined characteristics. Preferably, the spheres or cylinders are assembled inside one of a hollow waveguide, a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, a capillary tube, and integrated in a multimode fiber. Alternatively, the spheres or cylinders are assembled on a substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
    Inventor: Vasily N. Astratov
  • Patent number: 8159219
    Abstract: The disclosure provides Hall effect device configurations capable of measuring magnetic fields in two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D) along with associated microelectromechanical system (MEMS) manufacturing methods. The present invention includes various geometric layout configurations for 2D and 3D Hall effect devices with multidimensional magnetic field sensing elements. Advantageously, the present invention can provide, simultaneously and independently, absolute measurement of each of the components (i.e., x-, y-, and z-components) of a magnetic field. Additionally, the geometric layout configurations enable the Hall effect devices to be constructed with MEMS fabrication techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Horacio V. Estrada, Yaroslav Maksymiv
  • Patent number: 8145585
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an automated method for the detection and identification of money service business transactions, including: performing a preprocessing operation, wherein the preprocessing operation includes filtering a dataset; performing a feature extraction operation, wherein the feature extraction operation includes extracting predetermined features from a transaction signal; performing a statistical analysis operation for the testing of significance of extracted features and dimension reduction; and performing one or more of a nonlinear classification operation and a linear classification operation, wherein the nonlinear or linear classification operation includes classifying data that appears to be related to a money service business transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Kayvan Najarian, Alireza Darvish
  • Publication number: 20120046394
    Abstract: Novel structural materials composed of industrial hemp fiber with recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) as well as methods for the production of the same are disclosed. The material's mechanical strength outperforms that of conventional lumber and could compete with glass fiber reinforced composites, particularly in tensile strength. In addition, this material offers many other significant advantages including insect free, high moisture resistance, no harmful chemical treatments, and no rapid corrosion in water environments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Na Lu, Ralph Robert Johnson
  • Patent number: 8119392
    Abstract: This invention relates to biomaterials, biocompatible photoresists, and electroactive photoresists, and methods to engineer the interactions between biomaterials and cells. In one aspect, this invention provides for modifying surface topography through micro-patterning techniques that require no organic solvent development to reveal the lithographic patterns. Cells can be cultured on these surfaces directly and exhibit strong cell alignment features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventors: Kenneth E. Gonsalves, Wei He
  • Patent number: 8119589
    Abstract: Salp15, biologically functional equivalents and fragments thereof, and nucleic acid molecules encoding the same are disclosed. Recombinant host cells, recombinant nucleic acids and recombinant proteins are also disclosed. Salp15 gene products and Salp15 polypeptide fragments have biological activity in modulating CD4+ T cell activation through specific binding to CD4. Thus, therapeutic methods involving modulating T cell activation using Salp15 and biologically active polypeptide fragments thereof are also disclosed. The specific binding of Salp15 and fragment peptides thereof to CD4 can inhibit HIV infection of T cells, and thus methods of using Salp15 for inhibiting HIV infection are also disclosed. Screening methods for selecting substances having an ability to modulate activation of T cells are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Juan Anguita