Patents by Inventor Allen Walston

Allen Walston has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11871453
    Abstract: An electronic device, method, and computer-readable recording medium track the number of times a device loses lock on a first channel. Under a condition that the device loses lock or regains lock on the first channel a predetermined number of times over a time period, the electronic device, method, and computer-readable recording medium abandon the first channel and reinitialize to select a second channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Robert Allen Walston, Jonathan W. Guo
  • Patent number: 11643369
    Abstract: An article may include a substrate including a ceramic or a ceramic matrix composite. The substrate defines a hot side surface configured to face a heated gas environment and a cool side surface opposite the hot side surface. The article also includes a cool side coating on the cool side surface. The cool side coating comprises at least one material having a flow temperature equal to or slightly less than a temperature of the heated gas environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Walston, Benjamin John Bowin Lai, Adam Lee Chamberlain
  • Publication number: 20220070937
    Abstract: An electronic device, method, and computer-readable recording medium track the number of times a device loses lock on a first channel. Under a condition that the device loses lock or regains lock on the first channel a predetermined number of times over a time period, the electronic device, method, and computer-readable recording medium abandon the first channel and reinitialize to select a second channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Robert Allen WALSTON, Jonathan W. GUO
  • Patent number: 11180421
    Abstract: In some examples, techniques of repairing and/or reinforcing oxide-oxide ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials using a metallic material. In one example, a method including applying a metallic material at an edge of an oxide-oxide CMC substrate; and heating the metallic material to diffuse the metal material into the oxide-oxide CMC substrate at the edge. In another example, a method including applying a metallic material onto a damaged area of the oxide-oxide CMC; applying a reinforcing phase material onto the damaged area of the oxide-oxide CMC; and heating the metallic material to diffuse the metallic material into the oxide-oxide CMC and attach the reinforcing phase material to the damaged area of the oxide-oxide CMC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Walston, Benjamin John Bowin Lai, Sean E. Landwehr
  • Publication number: 20210078914
    Abstract: An article may include a substrate including a ceramic or a ceramic matrix composite. The substrate defines a hot side surface configured to face a heated gas environment and a cool side surface opposite the hot side surface. The article also includes a cool side coating on the cool side surface. The cool side coating comprises at least one material having a flow temperature equal to or slightly less than a temperature of the heated gas environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Walston, Benjamin John Bowin Lai, Adam Lee Chamberlain
  • Publication number: 20210061720
    Abstract: In some examples, techniques of repairing and/or reinforcing oxide-oxide ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials using a metallic material. In one example, a method including applying a metallic material at an edge of an oxide-oxide CMC substrate; and heating the metallic material to diffuse the metal material into the oxide-oxide CMC substrate at the edge. In another example, a method including applying a metallic material onto a damaged area of the oxide-oxide CMC; applying a reinforcing phase material onto the damaged area of the oxide-oxide CMC; and heating the metallic material to diffuse the metallic material into the oxide-oxide CMC and attach the reinforcing phase material to the damaged area of the oxide-oxide CMC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Walston, Benjamin John Bowin Lai, Sean E. Landwehr
  • Patent number: 10808565
    Abstract: In some examples, a system includes a blade including a blade tip and a blade track or blade shroud segment including a substrate and an abradable coating layer on the substrate. The substrate defines a leading edge and a trailing edge. The abradable coating layer includes a first tapered portion that substantially continuously tapers from a center portion of the substrate toward the leading edge of the substrate, a second tapered portion that substantially continuously tapers from the center portion of the substrate toward the trailing edge of the substrate, and a blade rub portion that extends between the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion. The abradable coating extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge, and the blade tip is configured to contact at least a portion of the blade rub portion upon rotation of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce plc, Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Walston, Roy Peter McIntyre, Daniel Kent Vetters
  • Patent number: 10680935
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media can be operable to facilitate the recovery of a failed data path. A determination may be made that one or more channels have become unavailable to a central device. The central device may identify an opportunity to attempt to recover the one or more unavailable channels, the opportunity being based upon a waiting period, time-of-day, device activity, or other parameter. A communication interface associated with the central device may be re-initialized so that the central device can attempt to recover the one or more unavailable channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Allen Walston, Angelo Bione
  • Publication number: 20190360351
    Abstract: In some examples, a system includes a blade including a blade tip and a blade track or blade shroud segment including a substrate and an abradable coating layer on the substrate. The substrate defines a leading edge and a trailing edge. The abradable coating layer includes a first tapered portion that substantially continuously tapers from a center portion of the substrate toward the leading edge of the substrate, a second tapered portion that substantially continuously tapers from the center portion of the substrate toward the trailing edge of the substrate, and a blade rub portion that extends between the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion. The abradable coating extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge, and the blade tip is configured to contact at least a portion of the blade rub portion upon rotation of the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Walston, Roy Peter McIntyre, Daniel Kent Vetters
  • Patent number: 9749179
    Abstract: Systems and methods for initializing a dual mode device can use a network type flag to determine whether a network type is set. The dual mode device can initialize using a network type corresponding to the network type flag. In some implementations, if the network type is incorrect, the dual mode device can update the network type flag and restart the dual mode device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC
    Inventor: Robert Allen Walston
  • Publication number: 20170063669
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media can be operable to facilitate the recovery of a failed data path. A determination may be made that one or more channels have become unavailable to a central device. The central device may identify an opportunity to attempt to recover the one or more unavailable channels, the opportunity being based upon a waiting period, time-of-day, device activity, or other parameter. A communication interface associated with the central device may be re-initialized so that the central device can attempt to recover the one or more unavailable channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Allen Walston, Angelo Bione
  • Patent number: 9268630
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer readable media can operate to protect against non-functional software updates. Some implementations can provide for storing both a new load and a previous load in non-volatile memory of a customer premise equipment (CPE) device. After storing both loads, a software update can be applied to the CPE device, the software update comprising the new load to be used as a primary load replacing the previous load used by the CPE device. The device can then be rebooted using the new load as the primary load and a determination can be made whether the CPE device is operating correctly using the new load as the primary load. If the CPE device fails to operate correctly using the new load as the primary load, the CPE device can revert to the previous load as the primary load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Allen Walston
  • Patent number: 9094123
    Abstract: After a user device unsuccessfully attempts to establish upstream communication with a central network equipment downstream frequency to which it has tuned, an identifier corresponding to the tuned-to downstream frequency is removed from a cache of the user device. The frequency identifier stored in the cache typically corresponds to a frequency to which the user device has previously successfully tuned. The frequency identifier is removed from the cache after a predetermined attempt period, which may be determined by the number of attempts to establish communication that are made after previous unsuccessful attempts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Allen Walston
  • Patent number: 9025507
    Abstract: An association table associates each program stream of a plurality of program streams with a MAC domain, with a channel frequency and with a multicast address. If a subscriber device selects a content program different from a current program, a determination is made whether the new program is serviced by a different MAC domain than the one serving the current program. If the selected new program is not serviced by the same domain that is serving the current program stream(s), the current MAC domain is informed that the subscriber device is ending the session therewith, the new frequency is tuned by the subscriber device and new content is received immediately after the new frequency is tuned. The subscriber device registers with the new MAC domain after receipt of new content has begun.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen Walston, Carol Ansley
  • Patent number: 8838186
    Abstract: Processing circuitry in a user device detects information concerning periodic station maintenance opportunities provided by a CMTS. The processor determines a quiet interval between the end of one station maintenance opportunity and the beginning of the subsequent opportunity. If offsite power to the user device is lost, the processor counts down a predetermined amount of time with a first timer and then periodically turns off RF circuitry of the device after the ending of a maintenance opportunity that follows the counting down of the first timer. The processor then begins a second timer to count the quiet interval. After counting down the quiet interval, the processor restores battery power to the RF circuitry for the duration of the maintenance opportunity. If an off-hook condition occurs while the second counter counts down the quiet interval, the processor restores battery power to the RF circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Allen Walston
  • Patent number: 8839227
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for downloading updated software from a head end to a cable modem that writes to flash memory an updated operating system code without overwriting the preexisting application code portion and also without overwriting the preexisting operating system code portion. Updated application code is not written until the updated operating system code has been verified as error-free.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Allen Walston
  • Patent number: 8631157
    Abstract: A downstream network device is booted into a final provisioned state by retrieving a configuration file a first time from an upstream network device, and checking if a currently booted software load of the downstream device matches a first software load (EE) described by the configuration file. If the currently booted software load of the downstream device does not match the EE, the downstream network device checks if the configuration file includes a description of a second software load (NE), and if so, the downstream network device checks if the currently booted software load matches the NE, and if not, the downstream network device downloads the first software load, boots the first software load, and retrieves the configuration file a second time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen Walston, Jose Barroso, David Bassett
  • Patent number: 8527810
    Abstract: Methods for collection of device reset history from a network communication device comprising: (a) determining whether a reset condition is triggered by software or hardware, (b) for a software triggered reset: (i) upon a software exception, retrieving related reset information, (ii) upon an operator initiation, retrieving related reset information, (iii) allocating space in non-volatile memory, (iv) storing retrieved current reset information together with a corresponding reset time, and (v) adding the current reset information to historical reset information, (c) proceeding with the reset, (d) executing startup code during reboot, (e) upon a hardware triggered reset; (i) retrieving hardware registry and other residual hardware information still present, (ii) allocating space in non-volatile memory, (iii) storing the current retrieved reset information together with a current time that corresponds approximately to the reset and (iv) adding the reset information to historical reset information, and (f) contin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Arris Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Wade Carter, Robert Allen Walston, Robert Wynn
  • Patent number: 8522232
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus can be used to decouple software loads on customer premise equipment devices. In various examples, simple network management protocol (SNMP) messages, configuration files or other types of notifications can be used to notify customer premise devices of software updates for non-data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) modules. The version of the software load included in a notification can be compared to existing software loads to determine whether the software load identified by the notification should be loaded to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Arris Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Wade Carter, Robert Allen Walston, Keith Mendel
  • Patent number: 8509256
    Abstract: Systems and methods can be used to reduce power consumption on a device. In some implementations, power consumption can be reduced by powering down modules. In other implementations, power consumption can be reduced by communicating configuration status messages to the terminating system to reduce communications. Power saving can extend backup battery power duration thereby affording users to access telephone services during a power outage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Allen Walston, Carol J. Ansley, Mark Lynch