Patents Examined by Hoi Lau
  • Patent number: 9393695
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to a method for performing industrial automation control in an industrial automation system may include detecting, via a sensor system, positions and/or motions of one or more humans and/or one or more objects in an industrial automation system and distinguishing, via a programmed computer system, between one or more humans and one or more objects based upon the detected positions and/or motions. The method may then include implementing a control and/or notification action based upon the distinction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Scott, Thong T. Nguyen, David D. Brandt, Tony Gibart, Gary D. Dotson
  • Patent number: 9396646
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods, devices, and systems to monitor activity. One method to monitor activity includes monitoring activity of an individual including detecting a sensor activated by an individual during the individual's daily activities. The embodiment also includes comparing the sensor activation to a predetermined sensor activation timeframe, determining whether to initiate an alert based upon the comparison, and checking for at least one other sensor activation to confirm whether an alert should be initiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Healthsense, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Bischoff, Alan P. Shilepsky, Lina Long
  • Patent number: 9396624
    Abstract: Various doorbell monitoring devices and methods are presented herein. Such arrangements may be configured to be integrated with a previously-installed doorbell and a previously-installed chime unit. A first power source may be configured to power the doorbell monitor device separate from the previously-installed doorbell and the previously-installed chime unit. A plurality of electrical connectors may be present and may be configured to be attached with preexisting terminals of the previously-installed chime unit. An actuation sensor may be present and configured to detect an actuation of the previously-installed doorbell via the two or more electrical connectors. A communication module may also be present and configured to transmit a wireless signal indicative of the ring to a receiver device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
    Inventors: Daniel Wilson, Roopkumar Parthasarathy rao
  • Patent number: 9361771
    Abstract: A door lock mechanism is disclosed that includes door lock and alarm features. The mechanism includes a controller and a sensor useful to detect motions that are representative of attempted access through a door to which the door lock mechanism is attached. The controller can set an alarm condition if a measured motion, such as a measured acceleration, meet and/or exceeds a threshold. If an appropriate access control credential is provided through a user device then the alarm condition may not be set by the controller. The door lock mechanism can be coupled to a remote station via a communications link if needed, such as a radio frequency link. The remote station can additionally be in communication with the door lock mechanism via a network. The remote station can be used to send and receive messages regarding door lock mechanism status, configuration, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC
    Inventors: Timothy Noonan Comerford, David Mathew Baty, William Brian Ainley, Raymond F Rettig, John Robert Ahearn, Joe Lyon
  • Patent number: 9353938
    Abstract: An illuminated wind indicator including a wind chime assembly with a moveable pendulum assembly. The pendulum assembly includes a suspension member to support moveable suspension of the pendulum assembly proximate the wind chime assembly and further includes a component configuration of components including power and control circuitry, at least one solar panel, at least one light source and a striker, wherein each of the components has a distance relationship to the suspension member, where the power and control circuitry, the at least one solar panel and the at least one light source is electrically connected to form an illumination circuit that is separate and spaced apart from the wind chime assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Inventor: Simon Nicholas Richmond
  • Patent number: 9352849
    Abstract: A power safety system is configured to provide power information in an aircraft. The power safety system includes a power safety instrument having a power required indicator and a power available indicator, each being located on a display. A position of the power required indicator and the power available indicator represent the power available and power required to perform a hover flight maneuver. The power safety system may be operated in a flight planning mode or in a current flight mode. The power safety system uses at least one sensor to measure variables having an effect on the power required and the power available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: James M. McCollough, Erik Oltheten, Nicholas Lappos
  • Patent number: 9349293
    Abstract: An approach is provided for determining at least one intention to perform at least one crossing of at least one object within proximity of at least one first vehicle. The approach involves determining at least one second vehicle within proximity of the at least one crossing, the at least one first vehicle, or a combination thereof. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, a signaling among at least one first device associated with the at least one first vehicle and at least one second device associated with the at least one second vehicle, wherein the signaling causes, at least in part, a synchronization of at least one movement, at least one stop, the at least one intention to perform the at least one crossing, or a combination thereof among the at least one first vehicle, the at least one second vehicle, at least one cloud service, or a combination thereof in response to the at least one request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: HERE GLOBAL B.V
    Inventors: Jerome Beaurepaire, Philippe Beaurepaire, Marko Tapio Tuukkanen
  • Patent number: 9336673
    Abstract: A Bluetooth electronic tether device having an on/off switch, an indicator light, a speaker, a battery pack, a Bluetooth wireless interconnection device, a CPU, and an alarm, the indicator light indicating a condition of communication between the Bluetooth wireless interconnection device within the electronic tether unit and an existing Bluetooth equipped mobile device, and a cessation of communication between the device and the existing Bluetooth equipped mobile device initiates the alarm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Inventor: Alex Schulte
  • Patent number: 9311810
    Abstract: A system includes a standard functionality hosting device. The hosting device includes standard functionality hosting logic that includes machine-readable instructions stored on a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium configured to implement, control, or implement and control management functionalities defined by a standard, for one or more devices that are not independently enabled to implement, control, or implement and control the management functionalities. Further, the hosting device includes a processor configured to implement the alarm standard hosting logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Johnny Downor
  • Patent number: 9305444
    Abstract: A security device for an item of merchandise is provided. The security device includes a non-programmable locking mechanism comprising a mechanical lock and a programmable locking mechanism comprising a monitoring circuit operatively coupled to an alarm. The security device is configured to secure an item of merchandise from theft or removal when the mechanical lock is locked and to be separated from the item of merchandise when the mechanical lock is unlocked. The alarm is configured to provide an alarm signal if the security device is separated from the item of merchandise while the monitoring circuit is armed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: InVue Security Products Inc.
    Inventor: James K. Sankey
  • Patent number: 9299252
    Abstract: A method for checking communication messages in vehicle-to-environment communication, a communication message being received and evaluated, and to a receiver suitable for carrying out the method. In order to check a communication message, a feature obtained from the content of the communication message is compared to a feature that corresponds to said feature, the corresponding feature being obtained by a sensory system that is independent of the vehicle-to-environment communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Marc Menzel, Ulrich Stählin
  • Patent number: 9299237
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining an inattentive state of an operator of a vehicle and for providing information to the operator of the vehicle by obtaining face images of the operator of the vehicle, obtaining images of an environment of the vehicle, determining one or more areas of interest in the environment of the vehicle based on the images of the environment, obtaining, from a relevance and priority database, relevance and priority values corresponding to the one or more areas of interest, determining a probability of attention of the operator of the vehicle to the one or more areas of interest based on the images of the environment and the relevance and priority values, determining an attention deficiency based on the determined probability of attention and the face images, and providing the information to the operator of the vehicle based on the determined attention deficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Pujitha Gunaratne, Richard W. Backs
  • Patent number: 9293933
    Abstract: A charging indication apparatus and a method thereof are provided. A switching signal for controlling an operation frequency of a power conversion circuit is divided to obtain a divided frequency signal, and according to the divided frequency signal, a backlight module is controlled to emit a backlight source serving as a charging indication signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Acer Incorporated
    Inventors: Po-Yu Li, Kuan-Chi Juan, Meng-Chieh Tsai, Chih-Chieh Yin
  • Patent number: 9283887
    Abstract: An emergency vehicle control system includes, among other things, one or more functional warning units positioned in various positions in an emergency vehicle. A central controller is configured to generate a desired state of the functional warning units and encode the desired state into a packet. Each of multiple remote controllers is functionally connected to at least one of the functional warning units. A functional connection between the central controller and the multiple remote controllers is configured to transmit the encoded packet from the central controller to each of the remote controllers. The remote controllers are configured to parse the desired state of each of the functional warning units in the encoded packet and set the state of each of the functional warning units based on the parsed encoded packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Emergency Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Carpenter, Kyle Israels, William S. Buehler, Michael Walma
  • Patent number: 9283123
    Abstract: A system for monitoring incontinence in one or more subjects comprises display means; input means operable by a user; one or more transmitters, each transmitter being associated with one or more subjects being monitored; the one or more transmitters being configured to transmit signals containing continence-related data for the one or more subjects, wherein the continence-related data has been obtained over time from a continence sensor associated with an absorbent article worn by each respective subject; a receiver unit configured to receive signals from the one or more transmitters; and processing means in communication with at least the receiver unit, the processing means including a display processor configured to process the received signals and communicate display information to the display means for display of a visual representation of continence-related information derived from continence sensors in the absorbent articles worn by the one or more subjects being monitored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Fred Bergman Healthcare Pty. Ltd.
    Inventors: Philippa Mary Lewis, Karen Maree Carey, Alan Michael Cottenden, David Albert Barda, Peter Curran, Don Black
  • Patent number: 9280637
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for providing a multi-action button for mobile devices are provided. Alerts are received and multi-action buttons are determined corresponding to the alerts and clinicians associated with mobile devices. The multi-action buttons are displayed on the mobile devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: CERNER INNOVATION, INC.
    Inventors: Jay Christopher Vaglio, Matt Ryan Anderson
  • Patent number: 9280898
    Abstract: A object detection assembly for remotely sensing an underground object includes a mount that is operationally coupled to an excavator bucket. An upper plate is coupled to the mount. A transceiver is coupled to the upper plate. The transceiver may detect an object when the excavator bucket excavates Earth. The transceiver is operationally coupled to a vehicle. The transceiver alerts a driver of the vehicle to the presence of the object. A lower plate is coupled to the mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Inventors: Tony Richmond, Kelli Richmond
  • Patent number: 9269238
    Abstract: A novelty door knocker having an electronic sound effect or effects, the door knocker with mechanical arm, plate, switch or proximity sensor enabled to trigger a sound effect, and a battery-powered circuit for controlling and coordinating the acoustics with the trigger. The door knocker may be decorated with or shaped as a cartoon figure for use on a child's bedroom door, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Inventor: Beverly Means
  • Patent number: 9260057
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp using a fluid lens and a control method of the vehicle lamp are provided. The vehicle lamp notifies the driving status of a vehicle to the drivers of following vehicles via a tail lamp. In particular the vehicle lamp includes a light source and a fluid lens that changes a curvature shape of the fluid lens based on an input current and generates a light emission image that corresponds to a driving status of a vehicle to the exterior of the vehicle lamp. Additionally, the input current varies based on the driving status of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: SL Corporation
    Inventor: Seon Tae Kim
  • Patent number: 9262659
    Abstract: A tracking system for items to be ionizing radiation sterilized is provided which utilizes an attached RF ID tag that is ionizing radiation proof or enclosed in an ionizing radiation proof holder. The RF ID tag is coded with a unique identification and certification data on the ionizing radiation sterilization. An RF ID tag reader is provided, which is usable by a user to obtain the identification and sterilization data from the RF ID tag on the item. The RF ID tag reader includes a user input for at least one trackable event and can write data based on the at least one trackable event back onto the RF ID tag. The RF ID tag reader is at least one of connectable to a PC or the internet, or is compatible for uploading the identification and any user input to an internet accessible device. A database is provided, having item related information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NewAge Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Baker, Jeffrey Johnson, Gary Rozenblat, George Younan, Michael C. Needling, David Greer