Patents Examined by Jeffery Hofsass
  • Patent number: 8878658
    Abstract: A bicycle shift notification apparatus is provided with a transmission state determining component, a bicycle shift notification device and a controller. The transmission state determining component determines a current operating state of a bicycle transmission having a plurality of speed stages. The bicycle shift notification device produces a notification based on a determination of the current operating state by the transmission state determining component. The controller is operatively coupled to the bicycle shift notification device. The controller activates the bicycle shift notification device to produce the notification in accordance with a preselected notification pattern based on determining that a predetermined condition exists. The controller does not activate the bicycle shift notification device to produce the notification while determining that the predetermined condition does not exist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventor: Nobukatsu Hara
  • Patent number: 8872622
    Abstract: A unique identifier and Authentication System is created to Authenticate to interested parties the BRAND “SOURCE” of: articles (such as clothing, accessories, jewels, fragrances, manufactures, etc.); of authorized dealers for such articles (wholesalers, retailers, etc.); of authorized service entities for such articles: and for the like; of the BRAND “SOURCE” which the provider of the article desires to authenticate its Brand source to the party acquiring the article(s) to substantiate to that acquiring party that they are receiving a genuine article and/or dealing with a “SOURCE” authorized entity. The Authentication System accommodates not only camera enabled imagers and hard wiring but also camera enabled smart phones and internet communications. In addition to responding, in real time, to Authentication Inquiries the system establishes a communication link between the “SOURCE” and the inquirer for marketing and other APP like matters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Valmarc Corporation
    Inventors: Pasquale Vincent Costa, Ernest G. Henrichon, Jr., Curtis W. Howes, Eric P. Johanson
  • Patent number: 8860567
    Abstract: An automated vehicle crash warning system may include a lighting system configured to be attached to the outside of the vehicle; a vehicle crash detector configured to detect a crash of the vehicle; and a light controller configured to cause the lighting system to illuminate when a crash of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle crash detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Forcelights, LLC
    Inventors: Sunny P. Smith, Gene Y. Fridman
  • Patent number: 8854200
    Abstract: A method and system for managing tire pressure in a vehicle are disclosed. The system is a tire pressure monitoring system associated with the tire pressure sensors. The method includes the general steps of informing the operator that air pressure in a tire is below a desired level, causing the sensor to undertake a rapid sampling of pressure of the tire during an interim state while the vehicle is being driven, advising the operator to manually add pressure to the tire in discrete increments of, for example, between 5 and 10 seconds, causing the sensor to undertake a rapid sampling of tire pressure while air is being manually added to the tire, and causing the sensor to transmit tire air pressure data until the operator stops adding air. The method may also include the step of providing the operator with feedback when a predetermined tire air pressure is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dilip B. Patel, Steven Yellin Schondorf, Greg Swadling, Mohsen Katiba, Thomas Michael McQuade
  • Patent number: 8854219
    Abstract: A weather forecast system, method of forecasting weather and a computer program product therefor. A forecasting computer applies a grid to a forecast area and provides a weather forecast for each grid cell. Population movement sensors sense population movement in the area. A swarm detector detects patterns in area population movement that indicate swarm activity, from which the swarm detector predicts swarm patterns. A planning module receives area weather forecasts and swarm patterns, and provides swarm path indications to the forecasting system for adjusting the grid applied to the forecast area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Marcos Dias De Assuncao, Bruno Da Costa Flach, Maira Athanazio de Cerqueira Gatti, Takashi Imamichi, Marco Aurelio Stelmar Netto, Raymond Harry Rudy
  • Patent number: 8847773
    Abstract: A system that includes, a carbon monoxide detector and first and second connectors, the carbon monoxide detector connected across the first and second conductors, the first and second conductors having a voltage imposed on the conductors that supply power to the carbon monoxide detector, the carbon monoxide detector signals detected carbon monoxide by clamping the first and second conductors to a first voltage less than the imposed voltage; and the carbon monoxide detector signaling a fault within the carbon monoxide detector by clamping the first and second conductors to a second voltage less than the imposed voltage where the second voltage is different than the second voltage and also different than the first voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy A. Rauworth, Fred N. Merkle
  • Patent number: 8842022
    Abstract: A traffic control sensor system which provides outputted signals to a receiving traffic control system to assist the traffic control system in making real-time informed green light decisions. Such signals received by the traffic control system include calls for a green light for monitored traffic lanes approaching an intersection. The traffic control sensor system employs various techniques to reduce the number of vehicles that are dropped or occluded. A vehicle is considered to be dropped or occluded whenever the traffic control sensor system first detects the vehicle entering a user defined zone within the approaching lanes to the intersection, and then fails to detect or monitor such vehicle exiting the user defined zones. Occlusion or dropping may occur whenever a sensor is malfunctioning, certain environmental conditions are present, or during any time the sensor's detection signal is interrupted such as from cross traffic entering the monitored intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: MS Sedco, Inc.
    Inventors: Leroy Samuel Wignot, Wei Wang
  • Patent number: 8842011
    Abstract: An anti-sweep device having a mechanism that allows a customer to take a pre-determined number of items from a peg or display hook, after which the hook is locked for a pre-determined period of time before allowing another predetermined number of items to be taken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Inventor: Michael Casey
  • Patent number: 8841995
    Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method for controlling illumination in a vehicle passenger compartment are disclosed. In one aspect, a display system for a motor vehicle passenger compartment, comprises: at least one indicia visible to an operator of the vehicle and configured to indicate a vehicle operating condition; an indicia light configured to illuminate the indicia; a display device visible to an operator of the vehicle; and a controller, in communication with the indicia light and the display device, programmed to: operate the display system in a first mode wherein the indicia light is activated to illuminate the indicia, and in response to a first control signal indicative of a change from the first mode to a second mode, reduce illumination of the indicia by the indicia light and control the display device to output information indicative of the vehicle operating condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Vishnu Jayamohan, John Curl
  • Patent number: 8836514
    Abstract: A method for handling sudden and substantial pressure changes in invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring, a blood pressure monitoring apparatus, and a computer program product for a blood pressure monitoring apparatus are disclosed. To provide a user of a patient monitor a possibility to readily adapt the alarm functionality of blood pressure measurement to a clinical task without a need to go through a complicated nullifying process of a high priority alarm, a touchable user interface element is produced onto a touch screen of patient monitor if a sudden and substantial change is detected in measured arterial blood pressure of the subject. The user interface element is indicative of an alarm and configured to enable the user to modify alarm functionality of the patient monitor for an intentional clinical task that caused the sudden and substantial change in the measured arterial blood pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Borje Rantala
  • Patent number: 8836519
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to detecting fluid in medical tubing. In certain aspects, a method is performed by a data processing apparatus. The method includes controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes receiving a signal from the ultrasonic receiver during an activation of the ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes determining that fluid is absent or present in a portion of the medical fluid tube based on a comparison between the signal and a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Nigel Wright, Samuel Ernest Magargi, III, Jeremy Thomas Harbaugh, Michael John Zang, Regis Joseph Winniewicz, Jr., Joseph Stephen Beri, Douglas Mark Zatezalo, Tom Monahan, Ronald Robert Fox
  • Patent number: 8816865
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring the quality of steam used in a process is disclosed. A pressure and temperature sensor is exposed to the steam on either side of an inline pressure drop device such as an orifice or pressure reducing valve. The measurements are transmitted to a controller that calculates the steam quality percentage or superheat value. An alarm is issued if the steam quality is beyond a predetermined tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Inventor: Walter T. Deacon
  • Patent number: 8810400
    Abstract: Tapes for marking valuable components and their housings and supporting posts are described along with a process for utilizing the tapes including the steps of sequentially marking the copper and the equipment with a MR marking (e.g. barcodes, Q-R codes and/or EF transmitters). EF or related broadcasting transmitters or their equivalent would be thin enough and responsive to a signal; machine reading a MR sequence on copper that is brought; marking the copper sold before, after or at the point of sale; identifying the location and coding the copper as stolen at the point of theft, utilizing a nationwide system of copper marking tied to the buyer's information; visually marking the copper in a non-sequential way, potentially by region or state in order to minimize the amount of overlap and would also include the concepts of mandatory scanning of copper products at installation or recycling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Inventor: Gregory M Friedlander
  • Patent number: 8797167
    Abstract: Computer-based systems and computer-implemented methods are described for monitoring medication events for an individual. Computer-based systems include systems for monitoring medication events relating to an individual, including: circuitry for analyzing data for an identifier of a first medication event for an individual; circuitry for analyzing the data for at least one attribute of an individual; circuitry for analyzing the data for at least one attribute relating to a medication during the first medication event; circuitry for analyzing the data for at least one feature of visual information and at least one feature of non-visual information relating to the individual during the first medication event; circuitry for analyzing the received data for a time associated with the first medication event; circuitry for determining a compliance likelihood for the first medication event based on the analyses of the received data; and circuitry for indicating the determined compliance likelihood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Mahalaxmi Gita Bangera, Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T. Kare, Eric C. Leuthardt, Elizabeth A. Sweeney, Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8797188
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a low power operated loop type vehicle detecting apparatus, and particularly, to a low power operated loop type vehicle detecting apparatus that comprises an LC resonator with a loop coil installed in a detecting area, a resonance oscillation circuit unit, and a vehicle behavior determination unit. The vehicle detecting apparatus further comprises: a behavior determination clock generator for generating a behavior determination clock; a count controller for setting clock count time in a steady-state period; a behavior determination clock counter for counting the behavior determination clock during the clock count time set by the count controller; and a vehicle behavioral state determiner for determining a vehicle behavioral state in a detecting area, based on the counting value of the behavior determination clock counter. Power consumption can thereby be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Moru Inven Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeong Jun Lee
  • Patent number: 8786422
    Abstract: A visual warning device has both a warning function to provide various colored flashing lights and a lighting function to adjustably project the lighting in preferable direction, which at least comprises a lighting device comprising an interior spotlight fixedly placed in the inside of the visual warning device and a beacon-like waterproof cover for mostly shielding the interior spotlight by outside exposure securely fastened onto the visual warning device, so that the interior spotlight has no required for an additional waterproof means pivotally mounted thereon as before; in particular, the interior spotlight further has both a vertical drive means and a horizontal drive means designed by uncovered structure, due to both the vertical drive means and the horizontal drive means unnecessarily concealed or placed in the inside of the interior spotlight as before, the interior spotlight has much simpler structure than before and more saving cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Inventor: Mao-Shen Wang
  • Patent number: 8786444
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for evaluating in patient monitoring whether a signal is sensed optimally by receiving a signal, transforming the signal using a wavelet transform, generating a scalogram based at least in part on the transformed signal, identifying a pulse band in the scalogram, identifying a characteristic of the pulse band, determining, based on the characteristic of the pulse band, whether the signal is sensed optimally; and triggering an event. The characteristics of the pulse band and scalogram may be used to provide an indication of monitoring conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Inventors: James Nicholas Watson, Paul Stanley Addison, Edward M. McKenna, James P. Ochs
  • Patent number: 8786421
    Abstract: A method is provided for enhancing safety and traffic efficiency for vehicles transmitting information on an expected behavior of a driver of an ego vehicle in response to a stimulus including the steps of (i) sensing a parameter of the stimulus in order to generate a stimulus signal function of the sensed parameter, (ii) monitoring the stimulus signal function of the sensed parameter, (iii) calculating an expected future driver's behavior in response to the stimulus using said stimulus signal, (iv) comparing the expected future driver behavior with a standard driver behavior, and (v) emitting a warning signal to the surrounding of the ego vehicle in case the expected future driving behavior is not a standard behavior. Additionally, a system operating according to said method is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Volvo Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Marco Dozza
  • Patent number: 8786426
    Abstract: A system for monitoring operating functions of railway devices such as switch machines of turnouts and signal lamps is described. The system comprises a wireless network for communication among operating parameter local detection units associated to individual railway devices and a data collection server and/or remote portable units. The local units detecting operating parameters can be powered via power lines of a railway device to be monitored and for a period of time during which a power signal powering the monitored railway device is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Alstom Transport SA
    Inventors: Valerio Rosetti, Diego Marino
  • Patent number: RE45012
    Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed herein are directed to weight monitoring systems for recovering, processing, monitoring, and managing various commodities or products stored in a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Inventors: David H. Jones, Douglas A. Kunnel, Robert J. Megdal