Patents Examined by Carol Tsai
  • Patent number: 8195410
    Abstract: A system, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Inventors: Cliff A. Gronseth, John E. Tobey
  • Patent number: 8190392
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a trigger in a test and measurement apparatus are provided. The method comprises the steps of loading a first trigger configuration to a first trigger element of the test and measurement apparatus and loading a second trigger configuration to a second trigger element of the test and measurement apparatus so that these trigger elements operate substantially simultaneously. It is then determined whether the input signal generates a trigger in accordance with the one or more trigger configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: LeCroy Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony Cake, Peter J Pupalaikis, David Graef, William Driver, Michael Hertz, Laxmikant Joshi
  • Patent number: 8180572
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and systems for the analysis of the dissociation behavior of nucleic acids and the identification of nucleic acids. In one aspect, methods and systems are disclosed for resolving a denaturation curve of a sample containing a first and second nucleic acid into a resolved denaturation curve for the first nucleic acid and a resolved denuration curve for the second nucleic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc.
    Inventor: Weidong Cao
  • Patent number: 8175843
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods for statistical analysis and summarization of a stability study on a pharmaceutical product using of a macro integrated into statistical analysis software. The method includes inputting and summarizing data observed for a stability study on a pharmaceutical product, statistically analyzing the data, including using at least one regression function to characterize the time-response relationship of at least one stability response variable, to estimate a shelf life of the pharmaceutical product or confirm the shelf life of an existing pharmaceutical product, and providing standardized output data and graphical presentations of observed stability response data. Also, a computer loaded with a general statistical analysis software and a macro integrated with the software such that the computer is capable of performing these computer-implemented methods using the software and macro.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rene Kubiak, James Schwenke, Volker Krzykalla, Hans-Juergen Lomp, Cornelia Schepers
  • Patent number: 8170812
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting deposit buildup within an ultrasonic flow meter are disclosed. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are ultrasonic flow meters comprising a spool piece configured to couple within a flow of fluid, a first transducer pair mechanically mounted to the spool piece and configured to fluidly couple to the flow of fluids (wherein the first transducer pair comprises an upstream transducer and a downstream transducer in operational relationship to the upstream transducer and defines a first chord there between), and electronics electrically coupled to the first transducer pair. The electronics is configured to detect deposit buildup over an inner surface of the ultrasonic flow meter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Daniel Measurement and Control, Inc.
    Inventor: Henry Charles Straub, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8170820
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating one or more transfer functions for converting waveforms. The method comprises the steps of determining a system description, representative of a circuit, comprising a plurality of system components, each system component comprising at least one component characteristic, the system description further comprising at least one measurement node and at least one output node, each of the at least one measurement nodes representative of a waveform digitizing location in the circuit. One or more transfer functions are determined for converting a waveform from one or more of the at least one measurement nodes to a waveform at one or more of the at least one output nodes. The generated transfer functions are then stored in a computer readable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: LeCroy Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Pupalaikis, Lawrence W. Jacobs, Stephen M. Sekel
  • Patent number: 8170807
    Abstract: Among other things, at least two different independent providers of body composition management services are enabled to have online access through respective graphical user interfaces to body composition information and plans that are associated with respective clients of the providers and that are stored on the server. The graphical user interfaces are different for different independent providers. At least some of the information and plans associated with the clients of the different independent providers are stored in a common format in a common database maintained by the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Inventors: John Thomas Barnett, Michael R. D'Angelo
  • Patent number: 8170810
    Abstract: In a method for monitoring the load on rotor blades of wind energy installations by measuring acceleration on at least one rotor blade of a wind energy installation and determining load on the rotor blade from the picked-up acceleration signals, dynamic, even uncritical load states can be detected, in differentiated fashion, and combined in a suitable form for evaluation in order to influence, if possible prior to the onset of damage to the rotor blade, the mode of operation of the wind energy installation, in particular the design of the pitch control or angle setting of stall-regulated rotor blades, on the basis both of all of the rotor blades together and of a single rotor blade. Frequency of occurrence of the load values over a certain period of time is determined from amplitudes of the acceleration signal or amplitudes of selected natural oscillations of the frequency spectra are obtained by Fourier transformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Igus—Innovative Technische Systeme GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Volkmer
  • Patent number: 8170836
    Abstract: A low-power triggered data acquisition system and method utilizes low-powered circuitry, comparators, and digital logic incorporated into a miniaturized device interfaced with self-generating transducer sensor inputs to detect, identify and assess impact and damage to surfaces and structures wherein, upon the occurrence of a triggering event that produces a signal greater than a set threshold changes the comparator output and causes the system to acquire and store digital data representative of the incoming waveform on at least one triggered channel. The sensors may be disposed in an array to provide triangulation and location of the impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Invocon, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Champaigne, Jonathan Sumners
  • Patent number: 8170824
    Abstract: Various aspects of the present invention are shown and described, each of which has stand alone utility in a navigated medical environment. A receiver position calibration system and method facilitates calibration of a reference frame prior to each navigated procedure. A concept and application of confidence weights is introduced. Confidence weights can be applied to distance calculations to mitigate the effects of interference and increase the tolerance of the navigated medical system. Multi-path interference is minimized through the transmission of a signal having a pattern of unique frequencies and filtering of the distance calculations for each frequency to identify the ‘best’ distance in the presence of multi-path interference. A position determination method and system that transmits a signal having multiple frequency components permits positions to be identified with high resolution over a large area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Inventors: James P. Jacobs, Mark Robert Schneider, Guohua Min
  • Patent number: 8160837
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine statistical dominance point descriptors for multidimensional data are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises determining a first joint dominance value for a first data point in a multidimensional data set, data points in the multidimensional data set comprising multidimensional values, each dimension corresponding to a different measurement of a physical event, the first joint dominance value corresponding to a number of data points in the multidimensional data set dominated by the first data point in every dimension, determining a first skewness value for the first data point, the first skewness value corresponding to a size of a first dimension of the first data point relative to a combined size of all dimensions of the first data point, and combining the first joint dominance and first skewness values to determine a first statistical dominance point descriptor associated with the first data point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Graham Cormode, Philip Korn, Divesh Srivastava
  • Patent number: 8150645
    Abstract: Measurement of the uncertainty used for quality control typically involves a plurality of factors. When the uncertainty exceeds a clinical permissible value, time is required for a medical technologist to investigate and to determine the factor causing the uncertainty. It is thus beneficial to automatically investigate factors in complicated uncertainty, particularly from the view point of reagents and samples which are subject to quality change and that are prone to affect the measurement quality. Quality control samples having a plurality of concentration levels are measured to calculate the average, coefficient of variation, standard deviation, and other numerical values. When quality control samples having n (n?2) different concentration levels are measured, variation patterns determine the factor causing the uncertainty, the factor being specific to each of 3n different combinations of variation patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kumiko Kamihara, Tomonori Mimura, Shinichi Fukuzono
  • Patent number: 8150649
    Abstract: There is described a method for operating an automation system which comprises at least two measuring modules, each connected to a higher order processing unit in order to communicate therewith. The higher order processing unit is informed of an event that is recorded by one of the at least two measuring modules. The processing unit then informs any available measuring module of the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Borger, Walter Kreb, Ulrich Lehmann, Robert Schwab, Hans-Günther Sieberling, Raimund Trockel
  • Patent number: 8145443
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a Fourier transform-based phasor estimation method and apparatus capable of eliminating the influence of exponentially decaying DC offsets. According to a Fourier transform-based phasor estimation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, an input signal is sampled, and samples of one-cycle data of the input signal are separated into at least two sample groups. A Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) is performed on each of the sample groups. A DC offset included in the input signal is calculated on a basis of results of the DFT on each of the sample groups, and an error caused by the DC offset is calculated using the calculated DC offset. A phasor of a fundamental frequency component included in the input signal is estimated by eliminating the calculated error, caused by the DC offset, from the results of the DFT on the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Myongji University Industry and Academia Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Sang Hee Kang, Dong Gyu Lee
  • Patent number: 8145433
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and systems for the analysis of the dissociation behavior of nucleic acids and the identification of nucleic acids. In one aspect, methods and systems are disclosed for identifying a nucleic acid in a sample including an unknown nucleic acid and for detecting a single nucleotide polymorphism in a nucleic acid in a sample. In another aspect, methods and systems are disclosed for identification of a nucleic acid in a biological sample including at least one unknown nucleic acid by fitting denaturation data including measurements of a quantifiable physical change of the sample at a plurality of independent sample property points to a function to determine an intrinsic physical value and to obtain an estimated physical change function, and identifying the nucleic acid in the biological sample by comparing the intrinsic physical value for at least one unknown nucleic acid to an intrinsic physical value for a known nucleic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc.
    Inventors: Deborah Boles, Kenton C. Hasson, Sami Kanderian
  • Patent number: 8140289
    Abstract: In one aspect, a network-centric processing (NCP) system includes sensors configured to monitor activities associated with testing of an asset, a first system configured to provide the testing on the asset, a second system configured to provide training of personnel using the asset, a third system configured to record problems associated with the testing and the training of the asset as input for an acquisition process and a network connected to the first system, the second system, the third system and the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Timothy R. Morris
  • Patent number: 8140288
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed for identifying force-ripple and/or side-forces in actuators used for moving a multiple-axis stage. The identified force-ripple and/or side-forces can be mapped, and maps of corresponding position-dependent compensation ratios useful for correcting same are obtained. The methods are especially useful for stages providing motion in at least one degree of freedom using multiple (redundant) actuators. In an exemplary method a stage member is displaced, using at least one selected actuator, multiple times over a set distance in the range of motion of the subject actuator(s). Each displacement has a predetermined trajectory and respective starting point in the range. For each displacement, respective section force-command(s) are extracted and normalized to a reference section force-command to define a section compensation-ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Pai-Hsueh Yang, Bausan Yuan, Kazuo Masaki, Kazuhiro Hirano, Xiao-Feng Yang, Scott Coakley, Michael B. Binnard
  • Patent number: 8135554
    Abstract: Transmission of probe configuration data is initiated upon recognition by the probe of a prescribed condition. Probe configuration data protocol includes a data frame, subdivided into a desired number of time slots. Unlike measurement data protocol, where inter-pulse pair timing within a slot varies based on a magnet position or temperature sensor resistance, configuration data protocol in accordance with the invention uses fixed inter-pulse timing to represent the various states of digital data. In such manner, at least a portion of the time slots making up the particular data frame can be used for containing data sent from the probe, and which can then be interpreted by the receiving processing device as at least one bit of binary code allocated to each individual slot of the portion of time slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Inventor: Jonathan A. Levy
  • Patent number: 8131493
    Abstract: Method and system providing an automated workflow for installing and/or calibrating laboratory equipment. The workflow empowers an end user to perform installation and calibration thereby reducing the costs associated with such activities. The automated workflow taught herein, can greatly reduce the incidence of calibration error by providing for verification of certain events during the calibration process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Applied Biosystems, LLC
    Inventors: Bruce De Simas, Leslie Dow
  • Patent number: 8126672
    Abstract: An ear-type thermometer which measures body temperature using a temperature detection element 21 that detects ambient temperature and an infrared detection element 22 that detects infrared radiation from a measurement site within the aural cavity, the 2 elements housed in a probe 3, wherein the ear-type thermometer comprises a probe cover 10 which can be detachably provided with the probe, a detection switch 60 which detects that the probe cover is attached or detached to the probe, and two temperature conversion coefficients 52a and 52b which corrects body temperature based on the detection result from the two detection elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Yamaguchi, Hideo Harada