Patents Examined by Laura Nguyen
  • Patent number: 8614631
    Abstract: Techniques for automatically providing flood warnings to individuals are provided. The techniques include receiving a message regarding a water level observed in connection with a totem display at a geographic area, using the message and one or more items of available data to generate a flood level prediction for the geographic area, and sending a flood warning to one or more registered individuals if the flood level prediction for the geographic area exceeds a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Claudio Santos Pinhanez
  • Patent number: 8610592
    Abstract: The invention relates to a proximity switch for the detection of objects, comprising a sleeve-type housing, comprising a transducer unit disposed at a measuring end of said sleeve-type housing, the transducer unit comprising a transducer receptacle and a transducer element disposed therein for detecting a physical measurand, comprising a connecting piece disposed at a connecting end of said sleeve-type housing, comprising an electronic assembly disposed on a printed circuit board accommodated in said sleeve-type housing and having a control and evaluation unit adapted to control said transducer element, to evaluate signals measured by said transducer element and to emit switching signals to an environment, wherein variously colored light-emitting diodes are disposed on said printed circuit board at the measuring end and at the connecting end for indicating operational and/or switching states, wherein said transducer receptacle exhibits a transparent region disposed around a housing axis and/or a transparent r
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Pepperl + Fuchs GmbH
    Inventor: Dierk Schoen
  • Patent number: 8610563
    Abstract: A tag information processing apparatus, including: a receiving section (101) for receiving read-out information of an RFID tag (100), the read-out information obtained through N reading operations (where N represents an integer equal to or greater than 2) carried out for an RFID tag-reading area; a detection frequency information obtaining section (102) for obtaining detection frequency information on the basis of the read-out information received by the receiving section (101), the detection frequency information indicating a detection frequency at which the read-out information of the RFID tag (100) is detected in the N reading operations; a movement determining section (103) for determining whether or not the RFID tag (100) has been moved out of the RFID tag-reading area, wherein, in a case where the detection frequency information obtained by the detection frequency information obtaining section (102) indicates that the detection frequency at which the read-out information of the RFID tag (100) is detecte
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventor: Naomasa Iwahashi
  • Patent number: 8576081
    Abstract: Provided are a physiological condition estimation device and a vehicle control device capable of preventing an error in the operation of an apparatus, such as a vehicle, and improving the safety of the operation of the apparatus. The physiological condition estimation device includes an eye-open time acquiring unit that acquires the eye-open time of the driver, a variation calculating unit that acquires a variation in the eye-open time acquired by the eye-open time acquiring unit, and a drowsiness predicting unit that determines the physiological condition of the driver on the basis of the variation in the eye-open time acquired by the variation calculating unit. In this way, since the physiological condition is determined on the basis of the variation in the eye-open time, it is possible to detect a slight reduction in the arousal level and estimate a significant reduction in the arousal level to a value that will cause an error in the driving of the vehicle in the future.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Hatakeyama, Yutaka Hirano, Hiroki Okamura
  • Patent number: 8547206
    Abstract: A noncontact IC medium direction detecting apparatus (1), method, and computer readable medium are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventor: Hidekatsu Nogami
  • Patent number: 8525700
    Abstract: The various embodiments herein provide a system and method for managing information display for vehicles on cross roads. The system includes at least one panel to display a traffic regulatory information and advertisements, a central server, a programmable logic controller (PLC) connected to the central server, a plurality of sensors to detect the at least one panel position and any moving foreign objects. A display unit is managed online from a traffic control center to receive and display a real-time traffic information and a plurality of timers are provided for calculating a time schedule information of the traffic lights based on the traffic. The sensors control and transmit the time schedule information to the PLC. The time schedule information and traffic algorithms are transmitted by the PLC to a central control system for processing and estimating an optimum time schedule of traffic lights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Inventors: Mohammadreza Rejali, Mojtaba Tavanaei Pooya
  • Patent number: 8525667
    Abstract: A sick signal, embedded intelligent continuous pulse monitor and monitoring method thereof is covered by a flexible material so that the flexible material is fitted to a pulse's position of a human body (such as wrist or ankle) and comprises: a processing unit connected with a pulse detecting unit to receive a pulsing frequency of an artery; at least one control unit to control and transmit a signal to the processing unit to be calculated; at least one display unit to receive a processed signal via the processing unit and display the processed signal; a signal transmitting unit connected with the processing unit to transmit the processed signal to an external device. Moreover, when the pulse is over a predetermined value in response to actual age of the patient, the display unit makes warning signal to provided related information to the patient or caregiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Inventors: Sung-Lien Lin, Shang-Ting Lin
  • Patent number: 8482415
    Abstract: This disclosure describes embodiments of alarm systems and methods for use in devices such as medical ventilators. Embodiments described below provide for an apparatus of an interactive multilevel alarm system. Embodiments of the alarms also provide, at a glance, current alarm and device status information and historical alarm information to the operator. Embodiments also direct interaction with the alarming functions of the device by the operator. In some embodiments, additional visual indicators may be provided to identify non-normal or noteworthy operating conditions, such as the use of a therapeutic gas by a mechanical ventilator, so that the operator can assess the impact of that non-normal condition on any current and historical alarm information simultaneously provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Gabriel Sanchez, Nirav Patel
  • Patent number: 8471700
    Abstract: Security systems may include sensing, networked communications, stealth, alarms, and countermeasures, any or all of which may adapt to threats. These systems may also include armor and barriers of concrete and/or steel. They can adapt to severity of threats, weather, and/or other situational aspects. They can anticipate at least some threats in order to obtain early warning and react more quickly to those threats. They can adapt by altering their configurations, including alterations in communication networking structures and methods, and changes in data-storage and processing duties at processing nodes. Defensive and/or offensive countermeasures can be employed to deter, confuse, trap, and/or disable terrorists. The systems are capable of self-maintenance, self-healing, and self-restoration as threats subside. The systems can include subsystems capable of autonomous operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Kontek Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Merrill, Kevin Charles Kriegel, Roger Allen Nolte, Barclay J. Tullis
  • Patent number: 8461990
    Abstract: A device for monitoring a space by changing a sequence of a serial interconnection of closing contacts, in particular of cover switches in a security housing, having a series circuit variation apparatus, a security cover, at least two closing contacts, and a protective circuit, wherein said at least two closing contacts each have an open, electrically nonconductive state and a closed, electrically conductive state, wherein said security cover is set up to put each of said at least two closing contacts in a closed, electrically conductive state, wherein said protective circuit is set up to detect an opening of at least one of said at least two closing contacts, wherein said series circuit variation apparatus serially interconnects said at least two closing contacts, wherein the sequence of the serial interconnection of said at least two closing contacts can be changed by said series circuit variation apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Verifone GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Ostermöller
  • Patent number: 8427342
    Abstract: A method and system of the invention locates an available vehicle parking space. In the method, parked information indicative of a parked condition is stored in a first vehicle. The first vehicle may detect a change in condition from the parked condition to a vacating condition. The first vehicle then communicates the change in condition from the first vehicle to a neighboring searching vehicle and the searching vehicle detects the change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Bayerishe Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Alexander Busch
  • Patent number: 8421640
    Abstract: An automatic signaling system to prevent a tractor from being accidently lifted with the cargo by a ship to shore gantry crane. The embodiment includes multiple sensors to detect a lifted condition and radio output upon a lifted condition. The radio output channel is determined by an automatic identification system that identifies the crane the tractor is under. Upon receiving a lifted signal the cranes hoist will be stopped and disabled but will still allow lowering until the lifted signal stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Inventor: Edward Wayne Larson
  • Patent number: 8344856
    Abstract: A position detecting system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a moving machine capable of moving along a predetermined path, plural storage media configured to store position information and arranged in parallel along the path, and a reading unit provided on the moving machine side and configured to read the position information of the storage media arranged in a reading range corresponding to the reading unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Noda
  • Patent number: 8279050
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, electronic mixing is provided between multiple instruction channels from multiple users of a single controlled object such that each user can have partial control over the object at the same time. The percentage of partial control is adjusted between users according to any combination of the number of users, preset or user set percentages, randomness, or computer generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Inventor: David Coombs
  • Patent number: 8258922
    Abstract: A receiving module, checking module, and a controller are provided. The receiving module is configured for receiving external wireless signals. The checking module is configured for checking whether a current wireless signal comprises checking codes of a control signal which is configured for controlling the electronic device and, if yes, generating an activation signal. The controller is configured for switching the electronic device into a power-saving mode if no external wireless signal is received after a predetermined time period and switching the electronic device into a normal mode if the activation signal is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wen Shu, Ching-Chih Lin, Te-Hua Lee