Patents Examined by Sujoy Kundu
  • Patent number: 8818742
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for detecting theft and status of electrical power. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for detecting theft and status of electrical power. The method can include monitoring switch state of a main circuit breaker, monitoring load-side voltage, monitoring load current, determining one or more conditions associated with power usage based at least in part on one or more of the monitored switch state, the monitored load-side voltage, or the monitored load current and transmitting information representing the one or more determined conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Adil Ansari
  • Patent number: 8812241
    Abstract: A computerized method for normalizing the results of clinical laboratory tests to a reference scale includes providing a measured value of a clinically significant parameter, providing a set of patient data, and providing a set of method data, including an indication of a method used by a testing instrument used to measure the measured value. One or more correlation factors are retrieved including a method correlation factor from a computer readable database based on the method data. The method correlation factor corresponds to the method used by the testing instrument used to measure the measured value. A normalized value of the clinically significant parameter is calculated based upon the one or more correlation factors. The normalized value may correspond to a value on the reference scale regardless of the method used by the testing instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Prairie Ventures, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Rodney S. Markin
  • Patent number: 8811790
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, in which a waveguide structure including a waveguide layer of ZnS—SiO2 is deposited on a first layer, wherein a first refractive index of the first layer is lower than the refractive index of the waveguide layer. A sensor arrangement includes a planar optical waveguide, a light source, a sensor, an application unit for applying an analyte on top of the planar waveguide and a processor connected to the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Sony DADC Austria AG
    Inventors: Hans-Peter Niederberger, Josef Schuller, Gottfried Reiter
  • Patent number: 8812250
    Abstract: Ion mobility spectrometry systems, devices, and associated methods of operation are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for performing ion mobility spectrometry includes ionizing a sample in gas phase and applying an electric field to the ionized sample in the gas phase, thereby moving the ionized sample along a drift region. The applied electric field has a plurality of strength values with respect to time, and the individual strength values being generally constant during a corresponding period of time. The method further includes detecting an ion intensity and a drift time of the ionized sample moving through the drift region under the applied electric field with the plurality of strength values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Washington State University
    Inventors: Herbert H. Hill, Eric J. Davis
  • Patent number: 8812267
    Abstract: A contamination level determination system for hydraulic oil is provided with a pilot filter arranged in a line of a hydraulic circuit of a hydraulic working machine to remove, from the hydraulic oil, foreign matter of particle sizes that may cause an operation failure of the hydraulic working machine. A first light-blocking sensor senses passage of foreign matter on an upstream side of the pilot filter. A second light-blocking sensor senses passage of foreign matter on a downstream side of the pilot filter. An onboard controller unit functions to determine a frequency of sensing of foreign matter by the first light-blocking sensor, to determine a frequency of sensing of foreign matter by the second light-blocking sensor, and to determine a contamination level on the upstream side of the pilot filter on the basis of results of the determinations from both sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidetoshi Satake
  • Patent number: 8805618
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of detecting seawater contamination from an offshore hydrocarbon well facility comprising seabed wellheads connected by hydrocarbon conduits to a seabed pipeline head from which a hydrocarbon pipeline leads to a remote hydrocarbon receiving facility, each said wellhead being provided with a protective cover to which is removably attached a sensor unit, each said sensor unit comprising a biological sensor and a data transmitter coupled by a data transmission line to said remote facility, said well facility further comprising a seawater velocity sensor, a seawater conductivity sensor and a temperature sensor also coupled by a data transmission line, wherein data from said data transmission line is analysed to determine indicia of seawater contamination at said well facility and of the seawater flow at said well facility and thereby to provide a signal indicative of seawater contamination above a preselected limit deriving from said well facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Biota Guard AS
    Inventors: Odd Ketil Andersen, Steinar Sanni, Frank Blaker, Eirik Sønneland
  • Patent number: 8805641
    Abstract: Methods and systems may provide for a plurality of kinematic sensors to be coupled to a corresponding plurality of shanks of an individual, a processor, and a memory to store a set of instructions. If executed by the processor, the instructions can cause the system to calculate a timed up and go (TUG) time segment based on angular velocity data from the plurality of kinematic sensors. The instructions may also cause the system to calculate a derived parameter based on the angular velocity data, and generate a falls risk assessment based on at least one of the TUG time segment and the derived parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Intel-GE Care Innovations LLC
    Inventor: Barry R. Greene
  • Patent number: 8805630
    Abstract: A method for use in semiconductor fabrication is provided that includes providing manufacturing data of a semiconductor process, providing a plurality of functional transformations, optimizing each of the functional transformations based on the manufacturing data, selecting one of the functional transformations that has a least deviation with respect to the manufacturing data, predicting performance of the semiconductor process using the selected transformation function, and controlling a fabrication tool based on the predicted performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Chun-Hsien Lin
  • Patent number: 8805647
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods, systems, apparatus, and computer software/program code products adapted for operating in, or in conjunction with, an otherwise conventional computing system, and which enable evaluating, monitoring and predicting the performance of computer systems and individual elements or groups of elements within such computer systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: George Smirnov, Leon Fairbanks, Kenneth Hu, David Kaeli
  • Patent number: 8798947
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for the detection of charge density distribution at the surface of a material sample. The apparatus comprises an electric potential sensor for measuring surface charge on a material sample, wherein the electrical potential sensor includes a probe for capacitively coupling the electric potential sensor to the surface of the material sample, an amplifier for generating a measurement output, the probe being connected to an input of the amplifier and the measurement output being supplied at an output of the amplifier, and a feedback arrangement driven from the output of the amplifier for enhancing the input impedance of the amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: The University of Sussex-Falmer
    Inventors: Helen Prance, Robert John Prance, Philip Watson, Sam Thomas Beardsmore-Rust
  • Patent number: 8793098
    Abstract: Three-axis acceleration component data from an acceleration sensor is split into three stationary components and three movement components. The axial direction of movement is detected based on the movement component having the maximum value. A shake duration is detected based on a time period from when this maximum movement component exceeded a an upper limit value of a specific range until it once again reaches a value in the specific range after falling below a lower limit value, or on a time period from when the movement component fell below the lower threshold value until it once again reaches the specific range after exceeding the upper threshold value. The magnitude of movement is determined by comparing the shake duration to a certain period, or by comparing the vector integral value over the shake duration to a certain threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Lapis Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazunori Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 8793097
    Abstract: A graphical representation of a feature and associated tolerance includes a memory storing a description of the feature including at least one nominal dimension of the feature and an associated tolerance; a graphical representation of a nominal definition of the feature; and a graphical representation of the tolerance zones, derived from the nominal definition of the feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Quality Vision International, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Sheehan
  • Patent number: 8793072
    Abstract: The invention is a method of monitoring an underground formation into which a gas is injected or from which a gas is produced, by a stratigraphic inversion of seismic data with anamorphosis of impedances. Pre-injection and post-injection seismic data are acquired. A pre-injection seismic impedance cube IP1 is determined by a stratigraphic inversion of the pre-injection seismic data. An anamorphosis function ? is defined by a function comprising a positive lower limit B1, an upper limit B4, an identity interval defined between limits B2 and B3, with B1<B2<B3<B4. A value for each limit B1, B2, B3 and B4 is associated with each cell of the cube. Post-injection seismic impedances IP2 are determined by a stratigraphic inversion of the post-injection seismic data wherein the anamorphosis function ? is applied to seismic impedances IP2. The gas is located within the zone by identifying the cells where IP2<IP1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: IFP Energies Nouvelles
    Inventors: Michel Leger, Vincent Clochard
  • Patent number: 8788243
    Abstract: A system and method for performing performance testing of video game software from a host computer or external to the game platforms. The system includes a plurality of game platforms, of one, two, or more configurations, running a video game and a communications hub communicatively linked with the game platforms. The testing system includes a metrics gathering framework linked with the communications hub. During operation, the metrics gathering framework requests a metric value from the game platforms via the communication hub, receives the metric values from the game platforms, and stores the metric values in memory of the computer system. In this manner, the majority of the performance test is performed externally or “off-console” so as to avoid polluting the testing environment such as by hindering game performance. The testing may include determining a metric value is out-of-tolerance, and, in response, requesting additional performance data to facilitate troubleshooting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Kelly Peterson, Seth Behunin, Fraser Graham
  • Patent number: 8788219
    Abstract: Method of determining an edge of a first anomaly in a wall of a pipeline from a first set of data elements representing measurements of the wall of the pipeline. An element of the first set comprises a first coordinate, a second coordinate, and a parameter being indicative for the presence and/or severity of the first anomaly a position along the wall indicated by the first and second coordinate. The method comprises determining a data element that is associated with a maximum in the severity of the first anomaly; evaluating a value of the parameter by comparing with a predetermined threshold; determining an initial edge data element for which the parameter has reached the threshold; determining a next edge data element; determining further edge data elements; and determining the edge of the first anomaly by combining the first and second coordinates of the determined edge data elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Röntgen Technische Dienst B.V.
    Inventors: Martin Fingerhut, Deli Yu
  • Patent number: 8788228
    Abstract: Method for validating a single waveform or series of waveforms that are intended for evaluating signals within an automated testing environment. Test signal data is supplied by an external source. The method creates a golden template from a known, good instance of the waveform under test and algorithmically applies it to other waveforms under test to determine compliance. In the application to video waveforms, timing parameters, deflection parameters and image content parameters are simultaneously tested resulting in efficient concrete and tangible results. Instead of providing the known, good instance of the waveform under test to a processor that implements the method, descriptive parameters of the known, good instance of the waveform may be provided to the processor that calculates data points of the expected video waveforms and then determines rules for the waveform based on the calculated data points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Advanced Testing Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: William Biagiotti, Eli Levi, William Harold Leippe
  • Patent number: 8788235
    Abstract: A method for diagnosing an actuator for a boost pressure system of an internal combustion engine, in which the actuator is controlled using a triggering signal, and a state variable of the boost pressure system which is at least an indirect function of the triggering signal is detected. The triggering signal is periodic, and a curve of the values of the state variable is analyzed with regard to at least one periodic characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Bleile, Thomas Oertel
  • Patent number: 8781766
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are various embodiments of systems and methods for calculating a fault location in electric power delivery system based on a traveling wave created by an electrical fault in the electric power delivery system. According to one embodiment, an intelligent electronic device may be configured to detect a transient traveling wave caused by an electrical fault. A first traveling wave value of the transient traveling wave may be determined and a corresponding first time associated with the first traveling wave may be determined. The IED may receive a second time associated with a second traveling wave value of the transient traveling wave detected by a remote IED. The distance to the remote IED may be known. An estimated fault location may be generated based on the time difference between the first time and the second time. Additional methods of calculating the fault location may also be employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, Armando Guzman-Casillas, Veselin Skendzic, Mangaoathirao Venkata Mynam
  • Patent number: 8781780
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electro-optical distance measurement, wherein a light from a light source (6) is projected toward an object to be measured (2), a reflection light reflected by the object to be measured is received at a photodetection unit (8), the light from the light source is received by the photodetection unit as an inner light via an inner optical path (11), and a distance to the object to be measured is measured according to the result of photodetection of the reflection light and the inner light of the photodetection unit, and wherein a correction information is acquired based on the inner light, the acquired correction information is stored, a correction value is obtained from the correction information based on the reflection light and the inner light, and a distance is calculated from the correction value and the result of photodetection of the reflection light and the inner light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kanokogi, Masahiro Ohishi
  • Patent number: 8781774
    Abstract: The invention relates according to a first aspect to a hybridization device (1) comprising a virtual platform (2), a bank (3) of Kalman filters each estimating a correction vector (dX0-dXn) comprising a plurality of components, said device formulating a hybrid output (SH) corresponding to inertial measurements (PPVI) calculated by the virtual platform (2) and corrected by a stabilization vector (dC) exhibiting one and the same plurality of components, characterized in that it comprises a correction formulation module (4) configured so as to formulate each of the components (dC[state]) of the stabilization vector (dC) as a function of all the corresponding components (dX0[state]-dXn[state]) of the correction vectors (dX0-dXn).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Sagem Defense Securite
    Inventors: Sébastien Vourc'h, Stanislas Szelewa, Thibault Lartigue