Patents Examined by Sara Samson
  • Patent number: 10817679
    Abstract: A system comprising an RFID Reader and an array of RFID Tags, where the tags have the ability to measure physical signal properties such as FM deviation and Received Signal Strength as examples and use these measurements to create a means to refrain from responding to the Reader, unless the measured values fall inside a range determined by a built in algorithm or decision tree or by the Reader and transmitted to the array of Tags in an outbound message. The system may also use non-physical parameters, including tokens sent by the Interrogator/Reader to the Tag field. Moreover, physical parameters may be divided into maskable and unmaskable parameters. Signal frequency is not maskable by the environment, for example, but signal amplitude and phase are maskable by the environment during propagation. Additionally, the number, the nature and the range of each Multidimensional Variable are set by the Interrogator at the start of a session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Inventors: Allen Hollister, Gary Barta, John T. Armstrong
  • Patent number: 10157541
    Abstract: A vehicle surveillance system includes: a photographing unit configured to photograph a target vehicle; a positional information acquisition unit configured to acquire positional information indicating a position of the photographing unit; a surveillance information generation unit configured to extract a vehicle number from an image acquired by the photographing unit and generate surveillance information on the basis of at least the vehicle number and the positional information; and a surveillance information output unit configured to output the surveillance information generated by the surveillance information generation unit. The photographing unit, the positional information acquiring unit, the surveillance information generation unit, and the surveillance information output unit are installed in a mobile surveillance vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuma Okazaki, Takeshi Fukase
  • Patent number: 10121033
    Abstract: An authentication method includes RFID tags authenticating RFID readers. A tag sends a tag identifier and a reader challenge to a reader in response to one or more commands from the reader. The reader then either derives a response to the reader challenge itself or has a verification authority derive the response. The response may be derived from parameter(s) in the reader challenge, and may be derived using a cryptographic key. The reader then sends the response to the tag along with one or more commands. The tag verifies the response before executing action(s) associated with the command(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Robshaw, Christopher J. Diorio
  • Patent number: 10121374
    Abstract: Systems, methods, devices and computer-readable mediums are disclosed for parking event detection and location estimation. In some implementations, a method comprises: determining, by a processor of a mobile device, a first activity state indicative of a possible parking event; obtaining, by the processor, a speed of the mobile device from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) of the mobile device; obtaining, by the processor, pedometer data from a digital pedometer of the mobile device; determining, by the processor, a second activity state indicative of a possible parking event based at least in part on the GNSS speed and pedometer data; and responsive to the second activity state, estimating, by the processor, a location of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Pejman Lotfali Kazemi, Lili Cao, Sunny Kai Pang Chow, Gunes Dervisoglu, Anh Phan, Ryan David Shelby, Ronald K. Huang
  • Patent number: 10115288
    Abstract: An automatic battery fluid level monitoring system is provided. The automatic monitoring system includes a fluid consumption algorithm, programmed into a microprocessor based motor controller, connected through a communications link to a microprocessor based battery charger. The battery charger is electrically connected to a flooded type battery as well as a power connection such as being plugged into an outlet, the electrical connection from an alternator, or the like. Once the fluid consumption algorithm indicates that the fluid level is too low, a battery fluid indicator is activated utilizing a visual and/or audio display. After the battery is refilled, a fluid added reset is triggered, which deactivates the battery fluid indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: INGERSOLL-RAND COMPANY
    Inventors: Russell W. King, Matthew S. Brackx, Daniel J. Harris
  • Patent number: 10102728
    Abstract: A method of operating a smoke detector comprising an illuminator, a light sensor, and a carbon monoxide sensor includes the step of measuring a voltage signal in response to an electromagnetic signal emitted by the illuminator. The method comprises the step of determining a smoke concentration using the voltage signal, and the step of determining a carbon monoxide concentration using the carbon monoxide sensor. The method includes comparing the smoke concentration and the carbon monoxide concentration to a warning zone criteria, and the step of calculating a rate of increase of at least one of smoke and carbon dioxide based on a determination that the warning zone criteria is unmet. The method comprises generating an alarm in response to a determination of a warning condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Kunal Kishore Bajaj, Andrii Korchak
  • Patent number: 10089865
    Abstract: An onboard system installed in a vehicle that performs traffic processing for the vehicle, the onboard system comprising an onboard unit that communicates with an external device to perform charge processing; and a notification device that outputs a notification signal to an external device according to whether an expected onboard unit is connected or the expected onboard unit is disconnected via a connection unit connectable to the onboard unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuma Okazaki, Ryota Hiura
  • Patent number: 10068449
    Abstract: Systems (100, 1300) and methods (1700, 1800) for detaching a tag (1304) from an article. The methods comprise: detecting when the tag is in proximity to a detaching unit (1302); verifying that the article has been accepted for a purchase transaction or has been successfully purchased using information received from the tag; mechanically coupling a tag body to the detaching unit when it has been verified that the article has been accepted for a purchase transaction or has been successfully purchased; detecting when a pin (1306) of the tag is no longer in proximity of the detaching unit; and mechanically decoupling the tag body from the detaching unit when the pin is no longer in proximity to the detaching unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH
    Inventor: Edward P. Ellers
  • Patent number: 10063515
    Abstract: A method is presented for taking an unknown field of transponders and converting them to a slotted Aloha architecture and increasing the throughput allowed by the slotted Aloha architecture by using several different techniques including shortening the time of empty and collided timeslots, implementing a unique random number generator that creates random numbers that are uniquely based on an individual tags location, and on an ability to estimate the total number of transponders and control the offered rate such that throughput is always maximum. While these techniques work well together and produce the most benefit when used together, they are independent techniques and any one may be used alone without the others. Thus a system might use the estimated total number of transponders technique and the timeslot shortening technique, but use a standard random number generator rather one based on transponder location with only a small decrease in overall performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Inventors: Allen Hollister, Gary Barta, John T. Armstrong
  • Patent number: 10052239
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides diaper prediction and correction system and method. This system includes a diaper sensor, a server and a mobile device. The server is configured to store crowdsourcing data including a plurality of sensing criteria corresponding to a plurality of geographic regions, different genders, a plurality of ages, a plurality of diaper data. The mobile device is configured to execute a mobile application to pair with the diaper sensor and to transmit a location information, a wearer's sex and age, and a brand or a model of a diaper to the server, so that the server selects a corresponding sensing criterion from the sensing criteria and returns the corresponding sensing criterion to the mobile device, and the mobile device is based on the corresponding sensing criterion to determine whether a diaper sensing signal from the diaper sensor reflect that the diaper needs to be replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: CVILUX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ming-Hui Wen, Wei-Nan Liu, Sean Jeremy Wilson
  • Patent number: 10037686
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for preventing false alarms during alarm sensitivity threshold changes in fire alarm systems. Some methods can include determining a current state of a connected system, determining a current alarm sensitivity threshold of the connected system, determining a future alarm sensitivity threshold of the connected system, and identifying a future false alarm when the current state would trigger an actual alarm under the future alarm sensitivity threshold but fails to trigger the actual alarm under the current alarm sensitivity threshold. Responsive to identifying the future false alarm, some methods can include executing a first action to prevent the future false alarm from occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: George John Magyar, George P. Mancini
  • Patent number: 10032349
    Abstract: An anti-theft device for monitoring Type C USB connector. An alarm module has a first terminal and a second terminal. A male plug has a first conductive member in electrical communication with the first terminal and a second conductive member in electrical communication with the second terminal. When the male plug is positioned within the receptacle, a closed electric circuit forms between the first and second conductive members. The alarm module supplies an electric current to the first terminal and monitors the electric current flowing to the second terminal. Responsive to detecting an interruption in the electric current flowing between the first and the second terminals, the alarm module transmits an alarm signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Vanguard Products Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Kelsch, Chung-Ping Lee, John N. Figh, Jr., Lucas P. Swartwood, Bruno M. L. Telles, Ryan G. Bernosky
  • Patent number: 9978250
    Abstract: The present technology relates to apparatuses, methods and systems for detecting hygiene compliance, particularly in hospital and clinical settings, where hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are of concern. A temperature signature can be determined and then used to ascertain whether a user is compliant with a given hygiene standard. The present technology also relates to sanitizing compositions used in conjunction with such apparatuses, methods and systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: SIDRA MEDICAL AND RESEARCH CENTER
    Inventors: Avez Ali Rizvi, Saif Reza Ahmed, Deepak Kaura
  • Patent number: 9957061
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for notifying a flight crew of a fire condition in a cargo container of an aircraft. For instance, particular embodiments involve installing at least one notification device on a cargo container that is in communication with at least one of a fire-detection system or a fire-suppression system for the cargo container. In these particular embodiments, the notification device is configured to emit energy when the fire-detection system detects the fire condition in the cargo container or the fire-suppression system activates as a result of the fire condition. Further, particular embodiments of the invention involve installing at least one detector positioned to detect the energy emitted by the notification device. In these particular embodiments, the detector is configured to send a signal to notify the flight crew of the fire condition after detecting the energy emitted by the notification device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith M. Stehman, Richard S. Fisher
  • Patent number: 9959242
    Abstract: Communication accessories, such as keyfobs (KFs) and/or transmitter/receiver dongles, which can transmit and receive signals to enable connectivity between owners of different portable devices even when the devices are off or when in a sleep mode, are described. In some examples, the keyfobs and/or the dongles are programmed with connectivity tokens, such as being programmed with Facebook (FB) information, FB accounts or FBIDs, LinkedIn ID, or generically social network user information, that can be used to authenticate different smart portable devices belonging to different users to facilitate networking. Once the keyfobs and/or dongles are authenticated, they will buzz, sound, or otherwise alert their respective owners that one or more social network users, such as a FB user or a LinkedIn user, are within the general vicinity and that further actions through smart portable devices may be needed to connect the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Hoang Nhu
    Inventor: Hoang Nhu
  • Patent number: 9940490
    Abstract: An authentication method includes RFID tags authenticating RFID readers. A tag sends a tag identifier and a reader challenge to a reader in response to one or more commands from the reader. The reader then either derives a response to the reader challenge itself or has a verification authority derive the response. The response may be derived from parameter(s) in the reader challenge, and may be derived using a cryptographic key. The reader then sends the response to the tag along with another command. The tag verifies the response before executing instruction(s) included in the command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: IMPINJ, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Robshaw, Harley Heinrich, Yael Maguire, Theron Stanford, Christopher J. Diorio, Scott A. Cooper
  • Patent number: 9922512
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a security panel configured to interface with virtual sensors. The security panel includes a sensor subsystem configured to receive sensor input from a plurality of physical sensors. A virtual sensor subsystem is configured to receive a virtual sensor input from an enrolled virtual sensor source as a virtual sensor and provide the virtual sensor input to the sensor subsystem. A monitoring subsystem is configured to provide an alert based on detection of an alert condition associated with at least one of the physical sensors and to provide the alert based on detection of a virtual alert condition associated with the virtual sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: UTC FIRE AND SECURITY AMERICAS CORPORATION, INC.
    Inventor: Prashanth Giri
  • Patent number: 9909913
    Abstract: An onboard system that reduces a mental pressure on a driver includes a remaining amount detector that detects a remaining amount of a power source remaining in a vehicle, a lighting detector that detects that a low power source indicator provided in the vehicle lights up, a lighting remaining amount storage unit that stores, as a lighting remaining amount, the remaining power source amount detected by the remaining amount detector at a timing at which the lighting detector detects the lighting of the low power source indicator, a notification remaining amount detector that detects a remaining power source amount larger by a predetermined amount than the lighting remaining amount stored in the lighting remaining amount storage unit, and a notifier that notifies information for promoting supply of the power source after the remaining power source amount larger than the lighting remaining amount by the predetermined amount is detected before the lighting remaining amount is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: TECHTOM LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Tomita, Isamu Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 9905090
    Abstract: A system is provided that automatically generates one or more haptic effects from source data, such as audio source data. The system fits the one or more haptic effects to the source data by analyzing the source data and identifying one or more haptic effects that are the most similar to the source data. The system matches the identified one or more haptic effects with the source data. The system subsequently outputs the identified one or more haptic effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: IMMERSION CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher J. Ullrich, Danny Grant, Victor Aaron Viegas, Juan Manuel Cruz-Hernandez
  • Patent number: 9898880
    Abstract: A wearable device (“WD”) stores a token after its wearer completes a successful strong authentication on a primary protected device (“primary PD”). Other protected devices (“secondary PDs”) recognize the stored token as representing a strong authentication and grant the user access while the user continues to wear the WD within a “digital leash-length” proximity. The WD constantly monitors whether the user continues to wear the device. Upon sensing that the user has removed the WD, the WD deletes, disables, or invalidates the token, The user must then repeat the strong authentication to gain further access to the protected devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Ramune Nagisetty, Melissa A Cowan, Jason Martin, Richard A Forand, Wen-Ling M Huang, Conor P Cahill