Patents Examined by M. N. Von Buhr
  • Patent number: 7774080
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing dental prostheses, wherein from a raw material area, such as a blank, a dental prosthesis is manufactured (milled out) at a manufacturing position, such as a milling position, the manufacturing position of one or more dental prostheses being determined on the basis of one or more predetermined criteria. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for checking a worked raw material area and/or a manufacturing arrangement for a raw material area, wherein it is checked whether one or more manufacturing shapes can still be manufactured from a number of predetermined manufacturing shapes. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a dental prosthesis, wherein from a raw material area a dental prosthesis is manufactured, wherein a raw material is selected from a plurality of raw material areas on the basis of one or more predetermined criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Institut Straumann AG
    Inventors: Stephan Holzner, Gerhard Weber
  • Patent number: 7751921
    Abstract: In order to detect an abnormality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a biaxial coordinate system having first and second axes respectively assigned two different monitoring parameters selected from plural apparatus status parameters representing statuses of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is prepared. As monitoring parameters, for example, a cumulative film thickness for deposition processes that have previously been performed in deposition apparatus and an opening of the pressure control valve located in a vacuum exhaust path to control the internal pressure of a reaction vessel are selected. Values of monitoring parameters obtained when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus was normally operating are plotted on the biaxial coordinate system. A boundary between a normal condition and an abnormality status is set around a plot group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koichi Sakamoto, Minoru Obata, Noriaki Koyama
  • Patent number: 7734380
    Abstract: A power management architecture for an electrical power distribution system, or portion thereof, is disclosed. The architecture includes multiple intelligent electronic devices (“IED's”) distributed throughout the power distribution system to manage the flow and consumption of power from the system using real time communications. Power management application software and/or hardware components operate on the IED's and the back-end servers and inter-operate via the network to implement a power management application. The architecture provides a scalable and cost effective framework of hardware and software upon which such power management applications can operate to manage the distribution and consumption of electrical power by one or more utilities/suppliers and/or customers which provide and utilize the power distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd.
    Inventors: Douglas S. Ransom, Martin A. Hancock, Ronald G. Hart, J. Bradford Forth, Michael E. Teachman, Andrew W. Blackett
  • Patent number: 7720558
    Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method of mapping contents of a substrate carrier is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) coupling a sensor to the substrate carrier or a loadport adapted to receive the substrate carrier; and (2) determining a presence or absence of a substrate in a slot of the substrate carrier using the sensor. Numerous other aspects are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin R. Elliott, Vinay Shah
  • Patent number: 7720561
    Abstract: The non-productive motion of an automatic composite tape laydown machine is optimized to increase the overall rate of the laydown. Ordering of tape courses is analyzed to determine the time required to move between courses using a time function that reflects operating characteristics and limitations of the tape laydown machine. The ordering is optimized by re-ordering, grouping and/or partitioning the tape courses so as to reduce the non-productive motion of the machine. The optimized ordering is used by a NC program that controls the operation of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Wei-Pai Tang, Brice Johnson, Daniel Edward Gonsor
  • Patent number: 7706906
    Abstract: A sensor net system including: a sensor node which includes: a sensor which obtains sensor data of a worker; a radio frequency circuit which notifies a server of the sensor data; and a server which includes: a relation list for correlating the sensor data with work status of the worker; a unit for confirming the work status of the worker based on the obtained sensor data by using the relation list; a unit for displaying the confirmed work status on a display unit connected to the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Ara, Norihiko Moriwaki, Kazuo Yano
  • Patent number: 7693611
    Abstract: A variable power supply is controlled to supply power at approximately a first supply level for an electronic device. The variable power supply is controlled to control a transition of the power from approximately the first supply level toward a second supply level prior to controlling the variable power supply to supply power at approximately the second supply level for the electronic device. One or more power supply controller parameters are dynamically controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael J. Mills
  • Patent number: 7689309
    Abstract: The dynamic response characteristics of an electro-hydraulic (EH) physical plant is represented by a model. The model includes a series of second order transfer functions, one for each operating point, of the EH physical plant. Command pressure, overshoot, rise time, damping coefficient, natural frequency and gain parameters are determined in developing each transfer function. The model can be used to advance the time in which the design and development of a control system for the EH physical plant can begin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Quan Zheng
  • Patent number: 7684899
    Abstract: A method and related non-linear level controller (NLLC) for controlling surge capacity in a processing system including at least one vessel receiving an inlet flow of a fluid including a liquid subject to variation and supplying an outlet flow to at least one downstream unit includes the step of computing a first parameter relating to a difference between a current inventory in the vessel and a prevailing inventory limit for the vessel and a second parameter relating to a difference between the current inventory and an inventory set point. An unforced time to reduce the first parameter by a first percentage (T*) is compared to a first time T1. The inlet flow or outlet flow is then controlled based on the first parameter if T*?T1 and based on the second parameter if T*>T1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Ravi Nath, Sanjay K Sharma
  • Patent number: 7680548
    Abstract: The future of the utility industry will be defined by how its leaders can transform the grid from a “passive” network of cables, wires, poles, and other hardware to a self-aware and fully controllable grid system—an Intelligent Grid System (IGS). We will discuss a novel set of design guidelines for utilities (and other industries) to build their own Open Intelligent Grid System with the lowest possible risk and cost, while achieving the architectural criteria, technical features and functions required. We will discuss how to avoid the dead ends to which limited design and architecture can lead, and we will lay out the design solutions that will overcome the business and technical challenges posed by an array of technology products and business imperatives. Using IGIN (Intelligent Grid Interface Node), one can integrate or connect hybrid networks for different purposes, such as power electric industry, telecommunication, computer network, and Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Digitalogic, Inc.
    Inventor: Ali Khorramshahi
  • Patent number: 7676280
    Abstract: A system is described herein for providing environmental management of a physical location using a sensor network having a plurality of environmental sensors and at least one primary actuator configured to provide an environmental change to the physical location. The system includes a communications module that operates to access the plurality of environmental sensors of the sensor network, and an application module that operates to: a) commission the plurality of environmental sensors of the sensor network; control an operation of the at least one primary actuator to provide environmental management of the physical location based on the commission of the plurality of environmental sensors of the sensor network; and c) provide a graphical layout of an environmental condition of the physical location based on both the commission of the plurality of environmental sensors and the control of the at least one primary actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Cullen E. Bash, Carlos J. Felix, William J. Navas, Maniel Sotomayor
  • Patent number: 7672748
    Abstract: An efficient manufacturing automation system and method is described. The system and method include bays, with each bay having a group of tools. Temporary storage locations are provided. A transport system facilitates movement of materials from the tools. The system and method enable direct transfer of materials from a first tool to a second tool or transfer of materials from a first tool to a temporary storage location when a second tool is unavailable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mohd Azizi Chik, Tin Tin Ung, Thangappan Krisnamuthi, Kian Wee Lim, Lip Hong Lim, Brandon Lee
  • Patent number: 7668623
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a saturated water spraying system configured to rapidly respond to rapid load changes by implementing a single integrated DCS control block. The integrate DCS control block may include a plurality of process control routines that are necessary to control the operation of the spraying system. For example, upstream and downstream PID control routines may determine and output control variables, and other control routines may be provided as necessary to handle disturbances within a boiler affecting the outlet and spray steam temperatures, and to ensure that the steam temperatures do not fall into the saturation region during operation of the boiler. Because the routines are part of the same control block, the common storage for the control block may be accessed by each of the routines without the necessity of establishing additional communication links for transferring the information as is required when using cascaded function blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Kephart, Charles H. Menten
  • Patent number: 7653449
    Abstract: An improved resource allocation system comprising a reliability decision engine (323), which allocates the portfolio's assets as required for the desired reliability portfolio. The reliability decision engine including two reliability decision engines, a basic reliability decision engine (325) and a robust reliability decision engine (327). The use of robust optimization makes it possible to determine the sensitivity of the optimized portfolio. Scenarios can be specified directly by the user or automatically generated by the system in response to a selection by the user. Inputs (329, 331) are applied to basic the basic reliability decision engine (325) and inputs (311) are applied to robust reliability decision engine (327).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Strategic Capital Network, LLC
    Inventors: Brian A. Hunter, Ashish Kulkarni, Soulaymane Kachani
  • Patent number: 7653454
    Abstract: A cassette control device by which high-speed processing can be expected even by using an arithmetical unit with current processing capability, even when the number of cassettes increases simultaneously with an increase in the number of nozzles which can suck electronic parts. There is provided storage unit (18) having storage regions in which programs for respective operation patterns of the cassettes (3-1 to 3-M) are set for each of the nozzles. An arithmetic unit (19) extracts a specific program required for driving in a specific operation pattern based on a command (17) inputted according to the content of packaging, from a specific region which is provided in the storage unit (18) to correspond to a specific nozzle to be used, and the arithmetic unit (19) operates the specific cassette using the specific program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Satoh, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Hirofumi Obara
  • Patent number: 7643896
    Abstract: An operation-related information display method includes storing information for identifying a printed-wiring board and information related to the printed-wiring board, identifying the printed-wiring board, obtaining information related to the printed-wiring board corresponding to the identified printed-wiring board, and when voluntary information is designated in the obtained information related to the printed-wiring board, displaying the designated information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masataka Hayashida
  • Patent number: 7640070
    Abstract: A real-time fault detection and classification (FDC) system, which is in use with a semiconductor fabrication process having a first sub-fabrication process and a second sub-fabrication process, includes a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) host adopting a SEMI equipment communication standard (SECS), a semiconductor tool for executing the first sub-fabrication process and generating first status data in conformity with the SECS, a non-semiconductor tool for executing the second sub-fabrication process and generating second status data in conformity with a predetermined connectivity standard different from the SECS, and a tool simulator connecting the tool simulator with the semiconductor tool and the non-semiconductor tool for receiving the first and second status data and transforming the second status data into third status data in conformity with the SECS such that the CIM host can classify the first and third status data according to a predetermined classification technique and get a control over eq
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Yi-Chun Chang, Chan-An Pao, Cheng-Tso Tsai
  • Patent number: 7640077
    Abstract: Static pressures are measured in an HVAC system and utilized to predict the condition of a filter in the HVAC system. As the filter becomes clogged, the static pressure can be expected to increase. Changes in the static pressure are determined periodically, and utilized to predict the condition of the filter. A display provides a user with an indication of the current condition of the filter, and a recommendation to replace the filter once it reaches a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventor: Rajendra K. Shah
  • Patent number: 7634329
    Abstract: An electrical power distribution system comprises a solid state power controller in communication with an aircraft system main data bus via a gateway module and a condition based maintenance module in communication with the solid state power controller via a communication network distinct from the main data bus. A method of load/feeder health assessment for an electrical power distribution system includes applying a controlled excitation to a load; sampling information from the load/feeder system for the load; characterizing a normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load; determining if the load characteristics are within the normal behavior profile for the load; and shutting down power to the load if load characteristics are not within the profile when immediate action is indicated or generating a health message for the load when immediate action is not required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Zhenning Z. Liu, Wenjiang Yu, Yang Ye, Rocco DiVito, Randy J. Fuller, Guangjun G. Liu
  • Patent number: 7627391
    Abstract: The jurisdiction online manager manages required jurisdictional inspections mandated by a plurality of different jurisdictions performed by non-governmental entities. A central computer system receives object data for an object and most other information via a global computer network, typically the Internet. Based upon the provided object data, the jurisdiction online manage can determine the controlling jurisdiction for the object. The controlling jurisdiction is the jurisdiction in which the object is located. After determining the controlling jurisdiction, the jurisdiction's inspection form or a similar inspection template can be provided to the inspectors, who will perform the actual physical inspections of the objects. After receiving inspection result data from the non-governmental inspection, the inspection result data is stored the system database. The inspection result data is then provided to the controlling jurisdiction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Praeses Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffery Manuel Key