Patents Examined by A. Anthony Knight
  • Patent number: 7330779
    Abstract: A system for controlling operation of a progressing cavity pump to maintain the motor operating under power disturbance conditions. For a blackout condition, a backspin controller uses regenerative power to provide controlled deceleration of the pump, counteracting backspin and preventing backspinning freely. For a brownout condition, a power dip controller weakens the motor field to maximize pump production consistent with reduced input power availability. For a phase loss or voltage imbalance condition, a phase loss controller reduces motor power output to keep drive system output power at or below single phase capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Unico, Inc.
    Inventor: Harry W. Schulz
  • Patent number: 7328193
    Abstract: The apparatus according to the present invention stores examples constituted by an article, a summary of the article and an evaluation of the summary in a solution data storage unit. Groups of sets of solutions and features are extracted from the stored examples and what kind of solution is the most straightforward for which case is learned using machine learning techniques, with the results of this learning being stored in the learning results data storage unit. Sets of features are then extracted from the inputted summary and what kind of solution is the most easily attained in the case of the extracted set of features is extrapolated and outputted as an evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: National Institute of Information
    Inventor: Masaki Murata
  • Patent number: 7324856
    Abstract: A system that facilitates generation of code from a HMI representation of objects in an industrial automation environment. A component analyzes the HMI representation of objects, and a code generation component generates code based at least upon the analyzed HMI object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Clifton Harold Bromley
  • Patent number: 7321880
    Abstract: A method and system for document analysis and retrieval. A remote host in a first computing system transmits a first portion and at least one additional portion of a document to a web service host in a second computing system. The web service host reconstructs the entire document from the received first portion and at the least one additional portion. After reconstructing the entire document, the web service host implements at least one of extracting, generating, and determining steps. The extracting step extracts text from the entire document to configure the text in a text format. The generating step generates document keys associated with the text from analysis of the text in the text format. The determining step determines from given categories of a document taxonomy, a set of closet categories to the document based on comparing the category keys of the given categories with the document keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Desiree D. G. Gosby
  • Patent number: 7321810
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments provide a method comprising: for an electrical power system comprising a plurality of committed electrical power generating units: for each of the committed electrical power generating units, obtaining an optimal power output temporal trajectory, the optimal power output temporal trajectory constrained by a ramping limit of the committed electrical power generating unit; obtaining an optimal power reserve temporal trajectory for each of the committed electrical power generating units; and assigning each of the optimal power output temporal trajectories to the respective electrical power generating units so that, over a predetermined consecutive set of time intervals, an integrated cost of system power output is minimized and a system reserve requirement is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashmin Mansingh, Haso Peljto, Mike York, Dingguo Chen
  • Patent number: 7321801
    Abstract: An automatic gain adjustment device and method capable of accurately adjusting a gain with a simple structure. In an automatic gain adjustment method of a feedback control system that uses a phase difference between an output signal obtained from a controlled object and an input signal while controlling the object based on the input signal, a phase shift amount is set to cause a frequency of the input signal to coincide with the crossover frequency at which the open loop gain forming the feedback control system becomes 0 dB, and a phase of the input signal is shifted based on the phase shift amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yasushi Saito
  • Patent number: 7319910
    Abstract: A method and device for controlling a movement of a movable machine element of a machine tool or production machine with at least two drive axles are disclosed. At least one mechanical characteristic frequency is determined for each drive axle of the machine, and the lowest mechanical characteristic frequency is selected from the determined mechanical characteristic frequencies. For each drive axle of the machine, desired values are supplied to a control unit associated with the drive axle, whereby the desired values of the drive axles having a mechanical characteristic frequency higher than the lowest mechanical characteristic frequency are time-delayed. The disclosed method and device modify a method referred to as “Input Shaping” so that geometrically linked drive axles can be operated simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Wolfgang Papiernik
  • Patent number: 7319992
    Abstract: Described is a method and apparatus for generating a customized dynamic virtual reality environment. The dynamic virtual reality environment communicates with a participant via a virtual personal assistant utilizing an input/output arrangement. The virtual personal assistant engages the participant in a natural language conversation to obtain the participant's preferences and personal information. The virtual personal assistant utilizes an artificial intelligence engine to recognize a plurality of natural languages. Information obtained from the conversation may be translated into a request for information, services or products. The virtual personal assistant may retrieve any of these from a plurality of remote servers via a communications network and present the data to the participant. Information obtained from the conversation may be used to evolve both the virtual reality environment and the virtual personal assistant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: The Mission Corporation
    Inventor: Maria Gaos
  • Patent number: 7319907
    Abstract: The invention is a state machine having a host controller that controls a level-i controller, wherein the level-1 controller controls the level-2 controller. The level-2 controller controls system component controllers, which in turn control system components to execute a process segment. For example, the machine includes a host controller that selects a set of states to be executed, a level-1 controller that activates the set of states in a predetermined order, wherein each state includes commands, and a level-2 controller that controls system components according to the commands. A method of executing a process includes identifying a set of states to be executed, issuing state commands that need to be issued to execute the current state in the set of states, and activating a next state only after all expected status reports have been received for the current state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: International Remote Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Harvey Kasdan, Kenneth S. Gold, Jon Frank Tindel, Ken A. Atterholt, David Alan Fridge
  • Patent number: 7317954
    Abstract: A virtual control panel controls the functionality of an electrosurgical generator in response to interrogating, preferably optically, an object, such as a user's finger, interacting with a control panel image as an act of control input over the functionality of the generator. The control panel image is presented, preferably by optical projection, on a display surface of a display surface structure. The control panel image may include, in addition to a contact control area where interaction with the object is interrogated, a display area where information describing the functionality of the generator is presented, preferably by optical projection. A virtual pad can be used with the virtual control panel to divide and separate control and display functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: ConMed Corporation
    Inventor: Francis T. McGreevy
  • Patent number: 7317955
    Abstract: A virtual control system for an operating room establishes virtual control devices to control surgical equipment and patient monitoring equipment and to display control, status and functionality information concerning the surgical equipment and condition information of the patient. The virtual control devices permit direct interaction by the surgeon while maintaining a sterile field, and avoid the use of actual physical devices and electrical cables connecting them to the surgical equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: ConMed Corporation
    Inventor: Francis T. McGreevy
  • Patent number: 7313552
    Abstract: A Boolean Network rule engine for evaluation of rules is described that comprises: a rules interface for receiving a set of rules, each rule having at least one condition; a network builder for building a Boolean Network representation of the set of rules including transducers linked by logic gates, each transducer generating a Boolean value based on evaluating an item of input data against a condition of a rule; and a runtime evaluation engine for receiving input data, detecting changed items of input data, activating links among transducers and logic gates of the Boolean Network representation based on the changed items of input data so as to utilize transducers and logic gates of the Boolean Network representation relevant to rule evaluation outcome, evaluating rules based on the input data and active transducers and logic gates and returning results of rule evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Sybase, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian K. Lorenz, Jihong Jin
  • Patent number: 7313449
    Abstract: Graphical programming or modeling environments, such as a block diagram environment, are disclosed in which graphical programs or models are configured using handshaking communication between entities of the graphical programs or models. The graphical programming or modeling environments provide mechanisms for the handshaking configuration of graphical programs/models before the graphical programs/models are executed in the graphical programming/modeling environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
    Inventors: John Ciolfi, Haihua Feng
  • Patent number: 7313512
    Abstract: In an emulated computing environment, a method is provided for licensing software of one or more guest computer systems. A license key server is provided in the host computer system for monitoring the initiation of unlicensed software, including operating system software, in the guest computer system. A determination is made by the license key server as to whether additional a license is available for each unlicensed software application. If a license is available, a license is granted and the count of available licenses is decremented. If a license is not available, a license is not granted and the unlicensed software application in the guest computer system is disabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Eric P. Traut, René A. Vega
  • Patent number: 7310560
    Abstract: A drive device for a load (18a) comprises a device for detecting accidental collisions with a motor (14a), a first, respectively a second position sensor (15a, 16a) disposed upstream, respectively downstream of a transmission assembly (12a) providing first and second values of position. A calculation unit (20) makes it possible to calculate an error signal (d) corresponding to the difference of these position values. Ways to discriminate are devised so as to analyze the successive error signals as a function of the path (xR) traversed by the load in a spatial reference frame (xR, d). Filters with rectangular spatial window or with exponential spatial window are particularly adapted for discriminating between errors due to an accidental collision and those due to other causes attributable to normal operation. One thus obtains particularly reliable and sensitive collision detection with a very low detection threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Charmilles Technologies SA
    Inventor: Friedhelm Altpeter
  • Patent number: 7308323
    Abstract: A configuration output system for use with a building automation system is provided. The configuration output system includes a database and an output engine block. The database contains a configuration data set selected by a user. The output engine block is operable to generate a plurality of types of outputs representing the configured building automation system as a function of the configuration data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James L. Kruk, R. Scott Lambert, Brian P. Gillespie, Toby Lange, Latasha Gardner
  • Patent number: 7308389
    Abstract: A wire harness constituted by bundling a plurality of pieces of line streak members by a predetermined exterior member is regarded to be an elastic body having a circular shape and coupled with a plurality of beam elements maintaining a linearity to form a model and a shape of the wire harness is predicted by utilizing a finite element method. When an end portion of the wire harness is displaced by an input apparatus, a shape 1c physically in equilibrium is automatically calculated by the finite element method and is drawn again. That is, the shape physically in equilibrium is automatically calculated and drawn by following a shape design by well-known operation by CAD at a background thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Masayoshi Sawai, Akiko Nakano
  • Patent number: 7305370
    Abstract: A neural network system includes a random access memory (RAM); and an index-based weightless neural network with a columnar topography; wherein patterns of binary connections and values of output nodes' activities are stored in the RAM. Information is processed by pattern recognition using the neural network by storing a plurality of output patterns to be recognized in a pattern index; accepting an input pattern and dividing the input pattern into a plurality of components; and processing each component according to the pattern index to identify a recognized output pattern corresponding to the input pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Inventors: Yang Ming Pok, Alexei Mikhailov
  • Patent number: 7305374
    Abstract: A method of testing changes to externalized rules is provided. The method comprises using a rules change management engine and receiving from it a test request for a rules change for a rule. Further, the method comprises providing regression test buckets for testing a version of a rule against each of a plurality of exploiting systems that exploits the rule, and determining for the test request for the rules change received, which of the regression test buckets should be executed against which of the plurality of exploiting systems that exploits the rule and running, using a test rules management system, the regression test buckets that are determined should be executed. The method further comprises reporting results of the regression test buckets that are run to the rules change management engine, such that the rules change management engine is able to determine whether or not to implement the rules change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Holmes, Joshy Joseph, Aron T. Lien, Emily M. Wasser
  • Patent number: 7305271
    Abstract: A computer program product for controlling an apparatus for continuous casting of metals. The computer program product includes a computer readable medium and computer program instructions recorded on the computer readable medium executable by a processor for performing the steps of supplying a molten metal to a casting mold with an elongated horizontal cross section, applying at least one magnetic field to the to exert an influence on the movement of the molten metal, generating a stationary magnetic field with a variable strength across the elongated cross section of the casting mold in the vicinity of, or below, where the molten metal is supplied, and generating a variable magnetic field in an area of the upper surface of molten metal in a region that is centrally located with respect to the elongated cross section and in the vicinity of where the molten metal is supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: ABB AB
    Inventor: Jan-Erik Eriksson