Patents Examined by Alex Devito
  • Patent number: 9719908
    Abstract: A device for electrofracturing a material sample and analyzing the material sample is disclosed. The device simulates an in situ electrofracturing environment so as to obtain electrofractured material characteristics representative of field applications while allowing permeability testing of the fractured sample under in situ conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen J. Bauer, Steven F. Glover, Tom Pfeifle, Jiann-Cherng Su, Kenneth Martin Williamson, Scott Thomas Broome, William Payton Gardner, Gary Pena
  • Patent number: 9702899
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer-readable storage mediums are disclosed for a pedometer with lag correction. In some implementations, a method comprises: determining, by a first pedometer of an electronic device, a first step count based on sensor data provided by a motion sensor of the electronic device; determining, by a second pedometer of the electronic device, a second step count based on a window of the sensor data; responsive to determining that a step was detected by the second pedometer, determining a third step count based on the window of sensor data; and determining a corrected step count based on the third step count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac Thomas Miller, Glenn Donald MacGougan, Xiao Xiao
  • Patent number: 9696288
    Abstract: Provided is a technique to identify a sample substance attached to an inspection target easily and precisely, while improving the rate of operation and reducing the number of persons required for inspection. A trace detecting system includes detection means to detect the size (vertical and horizontal dimensions) of an inspection target, and selects an air nozzle capable of spraying air jet at 15 m/s or more to the surface of the inspection target for air jet spraying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo Kashima, Masakazu Sugaya, Koichi Terada, Yasunori Doi, Yasutaka Suzuki, Hisashi Nagano, Yuichiro Hashimoto, Yasuaki Takada
  • Patent number: 9695769
    Abstract: An air flow rate adjusting apparatus adjusts an output of an air flow meter based on a dimension of a gap between a back surface of a sensor chip and a bottom surface of a recess of a support plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidehito Tsujii, Takao Ban
  • Patent number: 9645110
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a sensor element having electrode take-out portions; a tubular separator having a flange portion, surrounding the electrode take-out portions, and spaced from a metallic shell; a tubular outer sleeve covering the separator, connected to the metallic shell, and having an inward convex portion that contacts the rearward-facing surface of the separator and restricts rearward movement of the separator; a seal member disposed on the rear of the separator and accommodated in a rear portion of the outer sleeve such that it is spaced from the separator; and an annular retainer fixed to the outer sleeve and in contact with a contact surface which forms at least a portion of the forward-facing surface of the flange portion. The separator has a rotation restriction surface for restricting its rotation in the circumferential direction, and the retainer has an engagement surface which contacts the rotation restriction surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takehiro Oba, Yuichi Yamada, Shingo Ito, Makoto Kume
  • Patent number: 9642244
    Abstract: An embodiment of a micro-electro-mechanical system of the MEMS type comprising at least one micro-electro-mechanical device of the MEMS type and one junction with a duct suitable to being associated with an external apparatus. Said junction being a printed circuit board PCB comprising at least two layers with juxtaposed faces, a channel being present in at least one face of at least one of said at least two layers suitable for realizing the duct with the juxtaposition of the other face of at least another one of at least two layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventor: Fulvio Vittorio Fontana
  • Patent number: 9612228
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a presence of at least one analyte in a gas sample. The apparatus comprises a pump for drawing a gas sample from an ambient air, a passage having first and second ends, a chamber connected to the first end and containing a concentrating element for collecting at least one analyte from the gas sample, a chromatographic separator connected to a second end of the passage, and a gas source for streaming a carrier gas via the chamber to transfer the at least one analyte toward at least one chemical detector, via the chromatographic separator, in a first direction. The pump draws the gas sample via the chamber in a second direction and the first and second directions are substantially opposing to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: S.T.I. Security Technology Integration Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuval Ovadia, Amos Linenberg
  • Patent number: 9610541
    Abstract: A method of accelerated testing of a membrane module for resistance to cyclic stress during operation of an industrial membrane separation process comprising loading at least one membrane module into a test cell of a test plant; conducting said industrial membrane separation process while subjecting said membrane module to cyclic stresses during a plurality of membrane operating cycles, each cycle being of significantly lesser duration than used for operation of said industrial membrane separation process in an operating plant; and testing said membrane module for component failure caused by said cyclic stresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: CENTRAL GIPPSLAND REGION WATER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew Hodgkinson, James Stanley Kay, Stuart Douglas Harrison
  • Patent number: 9606074
    Abstract: An improved Pirani sensor uses a measuring element disposed within a fluid between a base plate and a cover. The measuring element is held by suspension members that are connected to the base plate. A heating element is thermally conductively connected to the suspension members. Using the sensor the characteristic of the fluid is determined by evaluating the heat transfer from the thermal element through the fluid into the cover when heating power is applied to measuring element. Parasitic conductive heat loss from the measuring element into the suspension members is compensated by applying power to the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Inventor: Heinz Plöchinger
  • Patent number: 9599495
    Abstract: The invention relates to a thermal flow sensor comprising: a support, at least one element intended to be vibrated relative to the support, suspension means for said vibrating element relative to the vibrating element, means for heating the vibrating element, means for electrostatic excitation of the vibrating element so as to vibrate it at its resonance frequency, piezoelectric gauges for detecting the resonance frequency variation of the vibrating element, the gauges forming means for heating the vibrating element by Joule effect and the suspension means comprising two beams formed by nanowires so as to reduce the heat losses from the vibrating element toward the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
    Inventors: Laurent Duraffourg, Philippe Andreucci, Eric Colinet, Guillaume Jourdan, Julien Arcamone
  • Patent number: 9587941
    Abstract: A sensor unit (2) comprising a pressure sensor (9) is worn by a person. A fall of the person causes a height change as well an orientation change of the pressure sensor. To enlarge the detectability of the fall the air pressure is positioned such that in a pre-fall condition the contribution of an error to the sensor's measurement is maximal. This error is caused by gravity acting on the membrane of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventor: Warner Rudolph Theophile Ten Kate
  • Patent number: 9574987
    Abstract: A sample of porous material is placed in a calorimeter cell and a pressure in the cell is increased starting from a pressure value of a first step by filling the cell with a wetting fluid. Measurements are taken of a heat flow to the cell and a fluid volume at each step. Then, the pressure in the cell is decreased to the pressure value of a first step with continued measurements of the heat flow to the cell. Increase and following decrease of the fluid pressure in the cell are repeated at least once. Then a temperature in the cell is decreased below a wetting fluid crystallization point. Once the fluid has been fully crystallized in sample pores, the temperature in the cell is increased above a wetting fluid melting point. Wetting limiting angle of the pores filled with fluid, and pore sizes are determined based on the results of heat flow measurements with due consideration of heat effect of fluid compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alexander Nikolaevich Nadeev, Dmitry Alexandrovich Korobkov, Evgeny Mikhailovich Chuvilin, Sergey Sergeevich Safonov, Oleg Yurievich Dinariev
  • Patent number: 9575047
    Abstract: A method of evaluating stabilization fluids for use in a subterranean formation having a clay composition is disclosed. The method features providing a plurality of replicant core samples representative of the composition of a subterranean formation. A plurality of stabilization fluids are introduced to the plurality of replicant core sample such that an eluted mixture is extracted from a second end of each replicant core sample. Afterwards, at least one property of the eluted mixture from each replicant core sample is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Lucas Kurtis Fontenelle, Kurt William Hoeman
  • Patent number: 9568411
    Abstract: The present invention is one that, even while cooling exhaust gas without dilution, makes it possible to accurately measure particle concentration, and provided with: a particle concentration measurement device; a sampling cooling pipe that cools the exhaust gas collected from an exhaust gas transfer pipe to a measurable temperature of the particle concentration measurement device without dilution, and introduces the cooled exhaust gas into the particle concentration measurement device; a temperature sensor that detects temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into an exhaust gas inlet; and a calculation device that, from the detected temperature by the temperature sensor and the temperature of the exhaust gas introduced into the particle concentration measurement device, corrects measured particle concentration by the particle concentration measurement device in real time to calculate the particle concentration of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust gas transfer pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Horiba, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ichiro Asano, Masayoshi Shinohara, Kazuo Hanada
  • Patent number: 9568391
    Abstract: A pipeline monitoring unit and method are disclosed. The unit includes a pressure monitoring unit couplable to a pipeline and arranged to monitor fluid pressure in the pipeline over time when coupled to the pipeline and generate data on the fluid pressure at a first sampling rate. A processing unit is arranged to process the data from the pressure monitoring unit to downsample at least a portion of the data from the pressure monitoring unit to a second sampling rate, the second sampling rate being less than the first sampling rate, to generate working data and monitor the samples in the working data for samples having predetermined characteristics to identify a transient event. Upon identifying a transient event, data including at least a portion of the data from the pressure monitoring unit having the first sampling rate is communicated to a remote system for analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Syrinix Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul Linford, Ben Smither
  • Patent number: 9562822
    Abstract: An integrated hose assembly, as well as a monitoring assembly and method of its use are disclosed. The integrated hose assembly includes a hose assembly with a hose having a first conductive layer electrically connected to a nipple and a second conductive layer electrically connected to a socket. The first and second conductive layers are separated by an insulating layer. The integrated hose assembly further includes a monitoring assembly that includes a housing rotatably mounted around at least a portion of the hose assembly, a first flexibly resilient conductive lead seated within the housing and electrically contacting a first outer surface of the hose assembly such that the first flexibly resilient conductive lead is electrically connected to a nipple, and a second flexibly resilient conductive lead seated within the housing and electrically contacting a second outer surface of the hose assembly such that the second flexibly resilient conductive lead is electrically connected to a socket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Paul Wells, James Dean Betsinger
  • Patent number: 9557257
    Abstract: A vibrating member (500) for a vibrating densitometer (800) is provided. The vibrating member (500) includes an inner surface (531) with one or more arcuate portions (730). The inner surface (531) of the vibrating member (500) also includes one or more raised portions (530) sized and located to increase a frequency separation between a resonant frequency of a desired vibrational drive mode and a resonant frequency of one or more undesired vibrational modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Megan Casey, Anthony William Pankratz
  • Patent number: 9557205
    Abstract: A redundant level measuring system comprises a chamber for fluidic coupling to a process vessel whereby material level in the vessel equalizes with material level in the chamber. A float including a magnet in the chamber rises and falls with material level in the chamber. A magnet actuated visual indicator is mounted to the chamber for indicating level of the magnet in the chamber. A measurement instrument includes an antenna and a measurement circuit. The instrument is mounted atop the chamber with the antenna extending downwardly into the chamber. The measurement circuit measures time of flight of a through air signal representing level of the material in the chamber. A shield in the chamber isolates the float from the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Magnetrol International, Incorporated
    Inventors: Don Patrick Sanders, Michael J. Mulrooney, Boyce Carsella
  • Patent number: 9546988
    Abstract: A pulsed ion multifunctional detector used for both high performance liquid chromatograph and ion chromatograph, and experiment chromatograms attached also show that the detector has excellent multipurpose function in liquid chromatograph. The casing of the instrument is provided with a sample solution inlet, a sample solution outlet, a power supply socket, a liquid crystal display, an operation keyboard and a detection signal output interface. In the casing is provided a detection electromechanical member, which includes a central controller, a detection cell, a preposed subtracting module, a polarity transformation module, a noise processing module and an output amplifier module. The pulsed ion multifunctional detector can sensitively and accurately measure ion current of sample ionized directly in the detection cell, and subtract baseline background generated by various mobile phases and automatically eliminate dynamic noise and drift of the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Inventors: Jiade Yu, Chingchuen Chan, Qing Lu
  • Patent number: 9541475
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for size-specific detection of particles entrained in fluids are provided. A particle size selector separates particles entrained in a sample fluid stream using a curved channel. Shroud fluid streams are interposed between the sample fluid stream and walls of the channel. Centrifugal forces arising from fluid flow through the curved channel separate differently-sized particles into different transverse sections of the channel. A detector downstream from the particle size selector specifically detects particles in one or more transverse sections of the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: The University of British Columbia
    Inventors: Winnie Chu-Hui Chu, Allison Schaap, Boris Stoeber