Patents Examined by Phung T Nguyen
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Patent number: 6940422Abstract: An emergency vehicle traffic light preemption system for preemption of traffic lights at an intersection to allow safe passage of emergency vehicles. The system includes a real-time status monitor of an intersection which is relayed to a communications controller for transmission to emergency vehicles as well as to a central dispatch office. The system also provides for audio warnings at an intersection to protect pedestrians who may not be in a position to see visual warnings or for various reasons cannot hear the approach of emergency vehicles. A transponder mounted on an emergency vehicle provides autonomous control so the vehicle operator can attend to getting to an emergency and not be concerned with the operation of the system. Activation of a Code 3 situation provides communications with each intersection being approached by an emergency vehicle and indicates whether the intersection is preempted or if there is any conflict with other approaching emergency vehicles.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2003Date of Patent: September 6, 2005Assignee: California Institute of TechnologyInventors: Aaron D. Bachelder, Conrad F. Foster
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Patent number: 6937149Abstract: A garage door opener remote controller unit is mountable on the handlebar of a motorcycle or other handlebar steered vehicle and includes a radio frequency transmitter and a push button actuator for sending a door control signal. The controller unit includes a housing and opposed mounting parts for mounting the controller unit on a handlebar assembly. The controller unit is mounted on a handlebar assembly by screw type fasteners which secure the controller unit housing and mounting parts in assembly. At least one of the mounting parts may include a recess or channel for training vehicle control cables and electrical conductors therethrough and along the handlebar.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2003Date of Patent: August 30, 2005Assignee: Overhead Door CorporationInventor: Michael T. McMahon
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Patent number: 6927684Abstract: A remotely activated control device responsive to a specific transmitter operating in a frequency band assigned to radio telephone equipment, such as cellular telephone networks, cordless telephones, etc. The control device includes a radio receiver which provides a received pulse train to an assurance logic circuit. The assurance logic circuit determines if the received pulse train is limited to no more than a transmitter identification code and an action code, the combination of which is less than the code required to activate a relay network or initiate a radio telephone connection. Pulse trains accepted by the assurance logic circuit are compared to a stored code by a comparitor. The stored code includes the identification of a specific transmitter or group of transmitters and at least one action code. If the received pulse train matches the stored code, a switching circuit is activated to control a user supplied device.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2003Date of Patent: August 9, 2005Inventors: Victor Joyner, Kevin P. Reilly, Harold A. Gell
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Patent number: 6924734Abstract: A vehicular remote control apparatus warns a driver when the driver moves from the inside of a vehicle to the outside of the vehicle while an engine is operating. The vehicular remote control apparatus is located inside the vehicle and includes a transmitter-receiver for generating a first request signal and a portable device for generating a transmission signal in response to the first request signal and transmitting the transmission signal to the transmitter-receiver. The first request signal is transmitted to outside the vehicle. The transmitter-receiver includes a determining device for determining whether the engine is operating and a warning signal transmission device for generating a first warning signal if the engine is operating when receiving the transmission signal and transmitting the first warning signal to the portable device located outside the vehicle. The portable device includes a warning device for giving a warning when the portable device receives the first warning signal.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2003Date of Patent: August 2, 2005Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki SeisakushoInventors: Chikao Nagasaka, Toru Nakamura, Toshiyuki Isogai, Shinji Kishida
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Patent number: 6844808Abstract: Base stations in an outdoor warning siren system monitor the system communication radio frequency to detect the command signals used to activate remotely located warning units. A valid command signal includes a portion identifying the base station generating the signal. When a base station detects a signal bearing its identification, the base station compares the detected signal to its own station ID. If the detected signal matches the detecting station's ID then a system breach is declared. The outdoor warning siren system may respond to a breach by automatically de-activating any alarms activated by the unauthorized signal and/or producing a breach indication to emergency personnel who may respond according to the situation.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2003Date of Patent: January 18, 2005Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.Inventors: Thomas M. Fredericks, Kenneth S. Lemieux
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Patent number: 6756908Abstract: A plurality of wires (33, 34; 35, 36) are disposed near the bottom (23-25) of blade root sockets (16-18) of a rotating disk 39 of a gas turbine engine by vapor deposition and etching, the wires including connections to excitation nodes (40, 42) and detection nodes (41, 43). A nearby stationary member of the engine mounts an oscillator amplifier (55) which drives a coil (57) that excites the circuitry, and a coil (62) drives an amplifier (65) and a processor (67) which provides an indication of whether or not one or more of the wires are broken by a crack.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2001Date of Patent: June 29, 2004Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Frank D. Gass, Gonzalo J. Rey
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Patent number: 6741167Abstract: A trailer vehicle is provided with an audible alarm that is sounded when a removable activator pin in a electrical circuit is withdrawn as a consequence of initial rotation of a trailer vehicle roadway wheel during movement of the trailer vehicle from a parked condition.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2000Date of Patent: May 25, 2004Inventor: Lynn Mulkey
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Patent number: 6727821Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring and controlling the operation of an electrical power transformer includes a processor with input transducers for providing to the processor inputs indicative of electrical current in a winding of the transformer and ambient temperature outside the transformer. The processor is arranged using an algorithm based upon heat transfer to repeatedly calculate a first prediction, based upon the present values of electrical current and ambient temperature, of a time period before the hot spot temperature exceeds a pre-set allowable maximum and a second prediction, based upon the current value of power, of a time period before the accumulated loss of life exceeds a pre-set allowable maximum. If the shorter time period of the two calculations is less than a pre-set value, for example one half hour, the processor generates an alarm signal and a display counting down the time remaining in the period, together with a second alarm signal at a shorter second time of for example one quarter hour.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2002Date of Patent: April 27, 2004Assignee: Perseus 2000, LLCInventors: Mark Anthony Weekes, Robert George Coish, Zhiying Zhang, Glenn William Swift
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Patent number: 6707393Abstract: A traffic signal light is caused to have improved visual perceptibility and distinctiveness by the addition of blue light sources that interact with the conventional red and green lights to alter their hues. The blue light sources have a rapidly varying intensity, producing a flickering effect. The combination of the change in hue and flickering effect causes the red and green lights to attract greater visual attention and to be more readily distinguished from other lights encountered during driving, especially during night-time driving.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2002Date of Patent: March 16, 2004Inventor: Elburn S. Moore
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Patent number: 6696957Abstract: A system and method for remotely ascertaining movement or non-movement of an individual in order to determine a possible emergency condition. The system includes a plurality of base systems, a central monitoring system, and a plurality of client systems. Each base system is associated with a site to be monitored and includes at least one monitoring device for generating information in response to detected movement of an individual. The central monitoring system is remotely located from the base systems and is coupled thereto for receiving the generated information. The central monitoring system includes a database for storing and retrieving at least a portion of the generated information from each base system. Each client system is remotely located from the base systems and central monitoring system and is couplable to the central monitoring system for retrieving at least a portion of the stored information in the database.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2002Date of Patent: February 24, 2004Inventor: Isaac Shepher
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Patent number: 6646562Abstract: A hooking-type fully automatic electric meter with a function of fully automatic detecting and choosing a measuring mode among the electric current, voltage and resistance measuring modes. A user only needs to turn on the electric power of the electric meter without performing any other procedures; he can get an accurate reading of the volume of electricity on the display screen. The meter is different from the manually selected clamping type meters with different functional positions for measuring the values of electric current, voltage and resistance. With the meter, damage to the main body of the electric meter in operating electric measuring and to the safety of the user himself can be avoided. This can significantly raise the industrial safety in measuring large volume of electric current, and can save actions and time for operating the electric meter, and convenience and efficiency in operating can be increased.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2002Date of Patent: November 11, 2003Assignee: APPA Technology Corp.Inventor: Shan-Wen Chang
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Patent number: 6642838Abstract: A system detects the presence of an occupant in a land vehicle after the engine of the land vehicle has been turned off. The system activates an alarm and a cooling system as well as unlocks the doors of the vehicle. Thus, help can be notified and the temperature of the vehicle near the occupant can be maintained cool until help arrives. A GPS system can be included in some forms of the invention as well as a plurality of different alarms.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2002Date of Patent: November 4, 2003Inventors: Charles A. Barnas, Linda Barnas
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Patent number: 6624749Abstract: In an indicating instrument (1) intended for a motor vehicle, a plurality of display levels (2, 3, 4) partially superposed on one another permit a display at staggered depths. As a result, not only three-dimensional forms of display but also a preferred arrangement of the essential information according to the operating conditions can be provided on the first display level (2). For unproblematical exchange or later retrofitting, the display levels (2, 3, 4) fixed in a housing of the display instrument (1) a plug-in connection (11). The indicating instrument (1) can consequently be adapted to individual requirement in a simple way.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2000Date of Patent: September 23, 2003Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AGInventor: Horst Winterkorn
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Patent number: 6621422Abstract: An apparatus for communicating with law enforcement during vehicle travel and associated methods are provided. The apparatus preferably includes a department server in communication with a vehicle computer and also in communication with a plurality of law enforcement databases. The vehicle computer includes mobile data communications software and officer communications enhancing software. The officer communications enhancing software preferably includes one or more of an audio communicator to transmit enhanced audio law enforcement data received from the mobile data communications software to the officer, an incident form completing enhancer to generate and populate incident forms, and a quick mapper to quickly generate and display a site overview map such as a top plan street view to an officer.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2001Date of Patent: September 16, 2003Assignee: Advanced Public Safety, Inc.Inventor: Jeff Rubenstein
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Patent number: 6611205Abstract: An emergency control system for opening or closing a gate resides within a controller for regulating operation of the opening/closing mechanism of the gate. A safety station is in communication with the controller and includes means to signal the emergency control circuit to open or close the gate by using either of two pushbutton switches. Sensing means which detect an unsafe condition in the area of the gate such as human entrapment is connected to the controller and initiates an alarm mode operation of the controller when an unsafe condition is detected and turns on a sound alarm. Pushing either of the safety button switches turns off the sound alarm and moves the gate. Movement of the gate is stopped if the pressed button is released while the gate is in motion which otherwise continues to its limit. The emergency control circuit is responsive to input signals from the safety station only when the controller is in the alarm mode.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2002Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignee: Allstar CorporationInventors: David C. Guthrie, Charles P. Coggins
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Patent number: 6600410Abstract: A security arrangement for motor vehicle equipped with a programmed monitoring system (1) and with at least one specific system (2) to which the monitoring system transmits commands. The arrangement comprises hard-wired logic (4) mounted between a control facility (3) and the specific system, as is the monitoring system. This logic makes it possible to block a command (OV) transmitted by the monitoring system to the specific system, when this command corresponds to that which is obtained in respect of an instruction (C) received by the control facility and when such an instruction has not been received from the control facility by the hard-wired logic. The arrangement is intended to be fitted to a vehicle comprising a programmed monitoring system, such as a “hands-free” monitoring system, and one or more specific systems, for example an electrical anti-theft system or electrical supply monitoring system.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2001Date of Patent: July 29, 2003Assignee: Valeo ElectroniqueInventor: Jacques Morillon
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Patent number: 6587045Abstract: The position of an operated winker lever (104) is held by a moderation pin (108) and a moderation ridge portion (151). Further, a position detection means detects a position at which the winker lever (104) is held. Moreover, a projection portion (121) and a guide portion, which respectively interlock with an operating plate (131) of a solenoid (103) and a winker lever (104), are engaged with each other. Thus, as the magnetized operating plate (131) moves, the winker lever (104) is returned to a neutral position.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2001Date of Patent: July 1, 2003Assignee: Yazaki CorporationInventor: Yukiharu Sano
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Patent number: 6577236Abstract: A FM CW cable guided radar for the detection and location of outdoor perimeter intruders. Helically wound outer conductors on coaxial transmit and receive transmission lines provide a slow wave structure to support the propagation of external electromagnetic fields. The two leaky coaxial lines are enclosed in an extruded plastic jacket with the outer conductors in continuous electrical contact along the length of the cable. A chirp frequency modulation provides a continuous target response having a baseband frequency that is proportional to the distance along the length of the cable. After location determination, the amplitude of the response is compared to a location specific threshold to determine if an intruder is present.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2001Date of Patent: June 10, 2003Inventor: Robert Keith Harman
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Patent number: 6570498Abstract: An integrated access system includes an access device, a locking mechanism, a sensor, a controller, and a video device. The controller is coupled to the locking mechanism and the sensor and controls the locking mechanism in response to the access device being detected by the sensor. The video device captures images of a presenter of the access device. A housing houses the sensor and the video device.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2001Date of Patent: May 27, 2003Assignee: Best Access SystemsInventors: Kenneth L. Frost, Roger Keith Russell
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Patent number: RE38584Abstract: A meteorological information system useable by aircraft pilots and others. A receiver-calculator unit receives raw meteorological data and site-specific physical data from a ground-based weather station having a signal transmitter for broadcasting signals conveying data about weather conditions at the station. The transmitted raw data signals are received by the receiver-calculator unit in the aircraft. The receiver-calculator unit may feature an input with which the operator inputs information about the physical character, such as the heading, of the runway of interest. The receiver-calculator unit processes both received raw weather data and received site-specific physical data, and/or operator-input data, to derive additional meteorological information. The raw and derived weather conditions information is displayed by the unit to be available to the aircraft pilot during landing or take-off maneuvers.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2001Date of Patent: September 14, 2004Assignee: Belfort Instrument, Inc.Inventor: Bruce R. Robinson