Patents Examined by Ronald Hartman, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8630722
    Abstract: A system and method of managing therapy provided to patients in an institution. The system monitors all aspects of the medication delivery to a patient, as well as other information related to the patient, such as values of vital signs, laboratory results and patient factors such as history, diagnosis, allergies and the like. The system includes one or more databases of information, including institutionally developed rules, guidelines and protocol representing the best medical practices of the institution. The system provides alerts and/or recommendations based on the application of the rules to the information being monitored, and alerts care givers accordingly, providing for dynamic adjustment of the patient's therapy. The system also monitors the status of the alerts, and if no action is taken in a selected period of time, may escalate the priority of the alert and/or halt the delivery of medication to the patient until the alert is resolved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: CareFusion 303, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Condurso, Cynthia Yamaga, Robert Butterfield, Simon Morling, Clifton Pait, Patricia West, Timothy W. Vanderveen, Richard Crass
  • Patent number: 8626348
    Abstract: A community based energy management method which avoids energy peaks oftentimes associated with the restart of appliances after the delayed start of an appliance due to energy use restrictions is lifted by a utility company. The method includes the application of a queue model, such as a first-in, first-out model for the restart time of any delayed electrical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Sears Brands, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Betsy Owens, Jim Belich, Jaime A. Borras
  • Patent number: 8626347
    Abstract: A household appliance system comprising an appliance control system having a common appliance interface provided on an appliance and a demand side management module connected to the common appliance interface. The module corresponds to one select utility of a plurality of utilities and is configured to communicate with the one select utility of the plurality of utilities. The appliance control system operates the appliance based on communications with the one select utility through the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric K. Watson, John K. Besore, Michael Thomas Beyerle, David C. Bingham, Darin Franks, Byron K. Guernsey, Darko Ilickovic, Mallika Ravindra Patel, Brian Michael Schork
  • Patent number: 8626349
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to power management and the like, and more particularly, to an apparatus, a system, a method, and a computer-readable medium for providing power controlling functionality to generate configurable power signals and to deliver power during fault conditions. In at least some embodiments, a power control unit can generate power signals having configurable attributes as a function of a mode of operation, a fault type, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Global Embedded Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Stanley Stanczak, Louis Stephen Smutek, Alan Wayne Brown, David Allen Backus
  • Patent number: 8620482
    Abstract: An estimation unit can estimate, on a real-time basis, a maximum power generation capacity of a single cycle or combined cycle gas turbine power plant. For example, the actual power output and the maximum power generation capacity can be calculated relying on a mathematical process model. Subsequently, the calculated actual power output can be compared with the measured power output yielding a model-estimation error. Based on the model-estimation error, a correction signal can be deduced, to correct the calculated maximum power generation capacity. A controller can maintain a specified power reserve. The controller can use an estimate of the maximum power generation capacity as a reference, subtract a load offset, and apply the resulting signal as upper limit of the load set-point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Eric Andre Müller
  • Patent number: 8620478
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus (1) and method for protecting a building (3) from pests or other nuisances in the vicinity of buildings. The apparatus (1) comprises a monitor (7) having the ability to acquire environmental condition information relating to environmental conditions in a vicinity of the building (3), and a treatment controller (9) which is capable of using the environmental condition information received from the monitor (7) to provide an amount of treatment agent which, for those environmental conditions, remains below a safety threshold for habitation of the building (3) and reduces a population of the pests. The present invention circumvents the need to evacuate inhabitants of the buildings before any treatment agent is administered to the ground lying therebeneath. Further, near-continuous protection and treatment of buildings is also possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Prestige Air-Technology Limited
    Inventor: Paul Ian Nichols
  • Patent number: 8620467
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for assembling a complex product in a parallel process system wherein a collection of components are provided for assembling the complex product. The present invention involves transferring the collection of components to one of a plurality of similar computerized assembly cells through the use of a transport system. The collection of components is automatically assembled into the complex product through the use of the computerized assembly cells. The complex product is then transferred from one of the assembly cells to a computerized test cell, where the complex product is tested to ensure for the proper dimensioning and functioning of the complex product. The complex product is then transferred from the test cell via the transport system to either a part reject area or conveyor, if the product is defective, or to an automatic dunnage load or part return system, if the product is not defective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Comau Inc.
    Inventors: Richard A. Wallace, John Graham, Theodore Robert Brown
  • Patent number: 8620460
    Abstract: A controller equipped with a user interface having multiple-day programming capabilities, including methods of programming such devices, are disclosed. The user interface may include one or more menus or screens that can be used to program a schedule for one or more selected days during the week. An illustrative method of programming the controller may include the steps of entering a scheduling routine, selecting multiple days for schedule modification, changing the schedule parameters for one or more periods during the selected days, and then exiting the scheduling routine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Gabriel A. Bergman, Eugene J. Takach, Marcus D. Stoner, John B. Amundson, Philip O. Readio, Paul G. Schwendinger, Jeff D. Boll, Ian Thomson, Colin T. Ferguson, George J. Mcleod, James A. Wolfbauer
  • Patent number: 8612055
    Abstract: A fluid delivery system comprises a pump configured to deliver a therapeutic agent to a patient, a memory storing a therapy program defining the delivery of the therapeutic agent to the patient by the pump and a default infusion schedule based on the therapy program, and a processor configured to control the pump to deliver the therapeutic agent to the patient according to the therapy program, to determine an error condition that prevents the pump from continuing to deliver therapy according to the therapy program, and, upon determination of the error condition, to control the pump to deliver the therapeutic agent to the patient according to the default infusion schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Irfan Z. Ali, Steven M. Goetz, David C. Ullestad, Emem D. Akpan, Mark D. Salzwedel, Jiaying Shen
  • Patent number: 8606399
    Abstract: A device for constructing an assembly of building components includes an articulating arm unit and a gripper/nailer mounted on an end of the articulating arm unit. The gripper/nailer includes a gripping unit for grasping building components and positioning them in a predetermined arrangement and a nailing unit for inserting a fastener to secure the building components together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Williams Robotics, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey P. Williams, Siroberto Scerbo
  • Patent number: 8600560
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for controlling computer room air conditioning units (CRACs) in data centers. An example embodiment includes: receiving an alert message from a reporting wireless network sensor of a plurality of wireless network sensors via a wireless sensor network, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to an environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) in a data center; and using the information indicative of a modification needed to an environmental condition at a networked controller to command a device capable of modifying the environmental condition to modify the environmental condition in a manner corresponding to the information in the alert message, commanding the device including controlling fan speed in the CRAC to correct an indication of instability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: SynapSense Corporation
    Inventors: Garret Smith, Raju Pandey, Ray Pfeifer
  • Patent number: 8600525
    Abstract: A method includes identifying an initial solution to a quadratic programming (QP) problem associated with a process. The method also includes performing an iterative procedure having one or more iterations. Each iteration includes determining whether any constraint associated with the process is violated in the solution. Each iteration also includes selecting a violated constraint, determining a step direction and a step length associated with the selected violated constraint, and updating the solution based on the step direction and the step length. Determining the step direction and the step length includes using a Schur complement based on an active set of constraints associated with the solution. The Schur complement is nonsingular during all iterations of the iterative procedure except when the active set is empty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell ASCa Inc.
    Inventors: Ghulam Mustafa, Jiadong Wang, Tongwen Chen, Danlei Chu, Johan U. Backstrom
  • Patent number: 8594824
    Abstract: A method for patterning a workpiece in a direct write machine in the manufacturing of a multilayer stack, wherein a first circuit pattern comprising patterns for connection points is transformed according to determined fitting tolerances to fit to connection points of a second circuit pattern and to circuit pattern(s) of specific features such as random placed dies, or group of dies, on or in the workpiece. The second layer may be a previously formed layer or a layer to be formed on the same workpiece or on a different workpiece for the stack. Pattern data associated with selected die is transformed into adjusted circuit pattern data using the transformation defined by the transformed positions such that the circuit pattern is fitted to the selected die(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Micronic Mydata AB
    Inventors: Mikael Wahlsten, Per-Erik Gustafsson
  • Patent number: 8588986
    Abstract: A method for transmission network control, the transmission network being configured for use in providing electricity from a generator to an end user, the method including receiving a sensitivity parameter, identifying a switchable set of switches within the transmission network using the sensitivity parameter, determining a candidate switch from the switchable set to change a corresponding state, wherein the state can be changed from open to closed and closed to open, determining a proposed change of state of the candidate switch, updating an optimal power flow (OPF) problem as a function of the candidate switch and the proposed change of state, determining and storing in a memory a solution to the updated OPF problem, generating an updated sensitivity parameter based on the stored solution to the updated OPF problem, and determining, using the updated sensitivity parameter, if the stored solution to the updated OPF problem meets a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: CRA International, Inc.
    Inventors: Aleksandr Rudkevich, Pablo Ruiz
  • Patent number: 8588983
    Abstract: A system incorporating an actuator. The actuator may have a motor unit with motor controller connected to it. A processor may be connected to the motor controller. A coupling for a shaft connection may be attached to an output of the motor unit. The processor may incorporate a diagnostics program. The processor may be connected to a polarity-insensitive two-wire communications bus. Diagnostic results of the diagnostics program may be communicated from the processor over the communications bus to a system controller. If the diagnostic results communicated from the processor over the communications bus to the system controller indicate an insufficiency of the actuator, then an alarm identifying the insufficiency may be communicated over the communications bus to the system controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Cory Grabinger, Torrey William McNallan, Daniel Waseen, Adrienne Thomle, Scott McMillan
  • Patent number: 8588985
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to power management and the like, and more particularly, to an apparatus, a system, a method, and a computer-readable medium for providing power controlling functionality to generate configurable power signals and to deliver power during fault conditions. In at least some embodiments, a power control unit can generate power signals having configurable attributes as a function of a mode of operation, a fault type, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Global Embedded Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Stanley Stanczak, Louis Stephen Smutek, Alan Wayne Brown, David Allen Backus
  • Patent number: 8565928
    Abstract: A system and method of operating an energy data management and control system has a first communication network to transmit and receive data to and from a user interface, a second communication network to transmit and receive data to and from a Utility company, and a third communication network to access data from and provide data to accessories within a home. The system reformats the data from any of the first, second and third communication networks for communication with another of the first, second and third communication networks, wherein at least one of the communication networks operate on a protocol different from another one of the communications networks. The data defines various operations of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, Michael Francis Finch, Robert Marten Bultman, Timothy Dale Worthington, David C. Bingham, Jeff Donald Drake, William Anthony Watts, Kevin Farrelly Nolan, Cathy Diane Emery, Henry Kobraei
  • Patent number: 8554384
    Abstract: A method for presenting saving opportunities for electronic devices is disclosed. Experience based data learned from past power behavior of one or more devices is received. One or more power saving opportunities are generated based on the experience based data. Estimated cost savings is calculated. A notification message is presented to a user that describes the power saving opportunities and associated cost savings for the opportunities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Control4 Corporation
    Inventors: William B. West, Wallace Eric Smith, Paul E. Nagel
  • Patent number: 8543248
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an energy management system is provided, which has the DSM function of controlling energy loads. The system has a database and a load adjustment range prediction unit. The unit predicts a load adjustment range by using the history data stored in the database and outputs the load adjustment range thus predicted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yutaka Iino, Yasuhiro Taguchi
  • Patent number: 8538562
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for interactively and dynamically undertaking exercise are disclosed which utilize camera means to provide 2D or 3D data relating to locations or movements of exercise undertaken by a person. This data is analyzed by a computer and in a typical example an instructor's image is displayed and both visual and audio assistance to the person is provided via a computer program either resident locally or remotely located. Applications to exercise involving treadmills, bicycles, dance, weight lifting and other exercises are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Motion Games, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy R. Pryor, Marie C. Pryor