Patents Examined by Irving A Campbell
  • Patent number: 9581586
    Abstract: The invention relates to measuring the effectiveness and an compliance of inhaler medication, such as for asthma treatment. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of determining the effectiveness of an inhaler medication, comprising taking a measurement of HFA-134(a) from an exhaled breath of an individual after the individual has inhaled a medication, and determining an effective administration of the medication based on the presence of a high level of HFA-134(a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Hye-Won Shin, Dan M. Cooper, Donald R. Blake
  • Patent number: 9579066
    Abstract: Disclosed are a system and method for determining a metric and/or indicator of a reliability of a blood glucose sensor in providing glucose measurements. In one aspect, the metric and/or indicator may be computed based, at least in part, on an observed trend associated with signals generated by the blood glucose sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Medtronic Minimed, Inc.
    Inventors: Rebecca K. Gottlieb, Ying Luo, Raghavendhar Gautham, Bradley Liang, Anirban Roy, Kenneth W. Cooper, Rajiv Shah, Barry Keenan
  • Patent number: 9574982
    Abstract: A method of measuring concentrations of gas mixtures is disclosed in which an ionic liquid and/or low vapor-pressure organic solvent is exposed to a gas mixture being tested to form a solution of the gas components in the liquid. The vapor pressure of the solution is then measured at one or more other temperatures and compared to predicted vapor pressures based on known individual vapor pressure profiles of the gas components in the liquid in order to determine the actual proportions of the components in the gas sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yinshan Feng, Parmesh Verma, Mary Teresa Lombardo
  • Patent number: 9546987
    Abstract: A liquid chromatograph control system for controlling an operation of a liquid chromatograph which uses a mobile phase composed of a mixture of solvents and which has the function of performing a gradient analysis while temporally changing the mixture ratio of the solvents. The system initially requests a user to set a basic gradient profile (Step S12), and subsequently, to set the number of steps to change the mixture ratio of the mobile phase at the beginning and/or at the end of the gradient process as well as the amount of change in the mixture ratio per step (Step S13). After that, based on the possible combinations of the mixture ratios of the mobile phase at the beginning and at the end of the gradient process computed from the contents of information entered in the previous steps, a plurality of gradient profiles corresponding to those combinations are created (Step S14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ohashi, Tadayuki Yamaguchi, Hidetoshi Terada
  • Patent number: 9546742
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an embodiment of a valve position indicator having an indicator cover having at least one window and a rotor configured to be at least partially within the indicator cover. The rotor has an indicator surface with one or more position indicators wherein at least one of the position indicators is configured to align with the window on the indicator cover, thus indicating the position of a valve. A light may be positioned proximate the rotor and configured to illuminate the position indicator. The valve position indicator may also include an array of LED lights bordering the rim of the indicator cover. The valve position indicator may alternatively include the array of LED lights without the indicator cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Bray International, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Brown, Dan Walker, James F. Schmidt, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9541427
    Abstract: A bead design allows the bead to be removably attached to a rail, allowing the bead to slide along the rail without coming off. The rail can be part of a bracket system to hang the rail in various desired locations. The beads can be made in various shapes and sizes, or with various textual indicators, to provide a user with a memory aid. A user can, for example, have a bead for each medicine dose they are required to take. A user can slide the bead to one side when the medicine is taken. Each bead can include an indicator, for example, 6 am, 2 pm, 10 pm that indicates a medicine to be taken 3 times a day. The beads can be used for other reminders and can be designed accordingly. A software application can be designed to mimic the bead and rail system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Inventor: Bradley Richard Hennenfent
  • Patent number: 9528897
    Abstract: A pressure indicator: a body having a pressure chamber which has an inlet for communication with a fluid; a resilient diaphragm having a periphery sealed against the body and having one side thereof exposed to the fluid within the chamber; an indicating arm having an inner end which is integrally formed with the other side of the diaphragm and an outer end arm which is adjacent to a scale, the arrangement being such that pressure of the fluid within the chamber causes resilient deformation of the diaphragm which in turn causes the outer end of the arm to move relative to the scale thereby indicating the pressure of the fluid in the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: CHIMDEN MEDICAL PTY LTD
    Inventor: Philip Stuart Esnouf
  • Patent number: 9528870
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a liquid reduction timing device useful for cooking. More specifically, the disclosed liquid reduction timing device indicates to a user that a liquid has been reduced to a predetermined level when the level of the liquid is equal to the station of a movable indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Inventor: Steven H. Romweber
  • Patent number: 9476821
    Abstract: Due to repeated use of a gauge portion, used to perform positioning and accuracy comparison measurement at the time of manufacture of various type of molds for metalworking, a gauge line on an outer circumferential surface portion of the gauge portion can disappear due to friction. A plug gauge body, which helps a user recognize the time for maintenance and replacement of the plug gauge, has a constricted portion formed on one side of a shank portion and a cylindrical gauge portion having a uniform diameter and extending from one side of the constricted portion, with the shank portion, the constricted portion, and the gauge portion, being formed axially, a wear checking gauge line having a predetermined depth and width formed so as to extend from one end portion of an outer circumferential surface portion of the gauge portion in the direction of the constricted portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: NIIGATA SEIKI CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Igarashi
  • Patent number: 9470663
    Abstract: A method of calibrating ultrasound velocity is provided, including receiving an ultrasound non-delayed data set; performing a beam-forming process on the ultrasound non-delayed data set with a plurality of velocities to generate a plurality of aperture images; performing a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) process to obtain a velocity and two sub-aperture images corresponding to an MAPE value located within an MAPE range; finding a first sub-aperture and a second sub-aperture corresponding to the two sub-aperture images, generating a first aperture image and a second aperture image with corresponding velocity; performing the MAPE process on the first aperture image and the second aperture image to generate an image error corresponding figure having an error curve; finding a trend curve according to the error curve; and finding a lowest point of MAPE value on the trend curve and finding a velocity correspondingly to obtain the calibrated ultrasound velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Pai-Chi Li, Yu-Ming Wei
  • Patent number: 9472130
    Abstract: A flag system having a modular construction is disclosed that includes a plurality of inserts and a plurality of flags. The flags are insertable through channels in the inserts and are able to rotate therein. The inserts are then slid into the open ends of channels in a channeled base that is fixed to a wall or other solid structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Inventors: Gary Sharpe, Lacey Fenner
  • Patent number: 9462913
    Abstract: A liquid storage system. The liquid storage system may include one or more storage tanks including a used oil tank and a virgin oil tank. A first tank may include a storage tank having an upright section and a base section. A volume extends between the upright and base section. An inlet and outlet are coupled to the volume for adding and extracting fluid from the storage tank, respectively. There is at least one shelf coupled to the upright section of the storage tank. A second tank may be situated adjacent the first tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Griffin Industries LLC
    Inventors: Brian J. Griffin, Martin W. Griffin
  • Patent number: 9463912
    Abstract: A lid includes a cover plate and at least one date display device. The cover plate includes at least one mounting area having a plurality of through holes. The date display device includes a plurality of digital display units each having a plurality of flexible protruding membranes to form a digit pattern. The protruding membranes are able to be selectively bent upward or downward to change the digit pattern. Each flexible protruding membrane is foldedly connected to the mounting area, covers a respective through hole, and is convertible between a protruding configuration that protrudes upward from the respective through hole and an indenting configuration that indents downward from the respective through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: FREE-FREE INDUSTRIAL CORP.
    Inventor: Sheng-Yu Liu
  • Patent number: 9461461
    Abstract: The invention relates to a defect indicator for an electronic device, in particular a surge arrester, comprising at least two thermal overcurrent protection devices which respond to different fault or overload states and each have a mechanical actuating device for triggering the fault signalling, wherein the mechanical actuating device is in the form of a bolt or pin which acts on a fault signalling element. According to the invention, the at least two overcurrent protection devices are arranged relative to one another in such a manner that the direction vectors of the bolts or pins intersect in an imaginary extension of the movement path thereof, wherein the particular bolt or pin acts on a respectively provided surface side of a displaceable armature and the armature occupies a variable position in the movement path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: DEHN + SÖHNE GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Bernhard Krauss, Stephan Hierl, Roland Eichenseer
  • Patent number: 9448154
    Abstract: Systems and methods for testing ignition properties of particles in a gas. Systems include a test chamber sized to hold a particle to be tested, a gas supply configured to deliver a gas to the test chamber, a heating device configured to heat the particle, and data acquisition equipment configured to collect data associated with the particle and/or the gas. Methods include generating a flow of gas around a particle that is fixed in space relative to the flow of gas in a test chamber, heating the particle and/or heating the gas, and collecting data associated with the particle and/or the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Eddie Kwon, John Jefferson Odell
  • Patent number: 9429590
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for accelerometer autocalibration in a mobile device are provided. In an example, a signal is received from the accelerometer. A substantially constant state of the signal, such as that caused by a freefall of the accelerometer, is detected. When the signal remains in the substantially constant state for at least a predetermined period of time, the signal's noise level is measured. A compensating signal based upon the measured noise level is determined and can be output to the accelerometer, thus compensating the accelerometer to mitigate the noise level. In examples, the compensating signal can be a reference voltage, a reference frequency, and/or a reference pulse train. In a further example, the compensating is performed only when the noise level of the signal is within a range for at least the predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Joseph Czompo
  • Patent number: 9429461
    Abstract: A method for capacitive fill level measurement of liquids and/or bulk materials in a container using at least one measuring sensor that is connected to a measuring electronics, wherein the measuring sensor is constructed from a plurality of, at least three, electrodes which are electrically insulated from one another and which, for measuring the fill level, are inserted into the container, and in the inserted state extend into the container, and wherein these at least three electrodes are connected to the measuring electronics and are operated in at least one first or in at least one second measuring mode. The invention further relates to a device for capacitive fill level measurement of liquids and/or bulk materials in a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Rechner Industrie-Elektronik GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Gebhardt, Armin Kohler, Martin Suenkeler, Thorsten Koob, Eduard Bischler
  • Patent number: 9423312
    Abstract: An impact indicator for impact detection and indication includes: a housing; and a detection assembly configured to detect receipt by the housing of an acceleration event. The detection assembly comprises first and second indicias displayable thereby, wherein the first indicia is displayed in an unactivated state of the impact indicator, and wherein in response to detecting the acceleration event, the second indicia is displayed, the second indicia further comprising an indication of a direction of the acceleration event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: ShockWatch, Inc.
    Inventors: Clinton A. Branch, Jeffrey W. Kilpatrick, Daniel B. Hafen
  • Patent number: 9404774
    Abstract: An instrument panel assembly for displaying vehicle information includes a pointer and a magnetic device. The pointer is operable to move about an axis to point at indicia defined by the assembly. The pointer is also operable to vary a length of the pointer in response to a magnetic field proximate to the pointer. The magnetic is device configured to cooperate with the pointer to vary the length of the pointer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen C. Blackmer, Steven A. Liburdi
  • Patent number: 9383183
    Abstract: A pressure indicator for a high-pressure accumulator system, and which includes a pressure indicating element having a channel. The pressure indicating element moves between a starting position and a pressure-indicating position in response to pressure on a side facing a pressure-monitoring region and which is counter to a force of at least one compression spring on the pressure indicating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: MAGNA STEYR Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG
    Inventors: Franz Mayr, Carsten Schmidt, Alexander Schärfl