Patents by Inventor Benjamin Floyd

Benjamin Floyd 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: 12392107
    Abstract: A machine, including a bucket linkage that defines dig block constraints, including: a reach inside and outside limits; swing first and second limits; and a depth limit. Sensors can be positioned on the machine to count dig passes. One or more memory devices have instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the processors to: generate an excavation plan, including: determining a number of elevations; determining a number of rings in each elevation; and determining a number of sectors in each ring; and direct the excavator to perform dig passes in order to sequentially excavate each sector, wherein the sectors in each elevation are excavated from the reach outside limit to the reach inside limit and from the swing first limit to the swing second limit; wherein the system moves to the next sector when a threshold number of dig passes is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2025
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Hodel, Benjamin Floyd
  • Publication number: 20240417569
    Abstract: The present invention provides water-based primer compositions comprising polyolefin type adhesion promoters. Preferably, the polyolefin type adhesion promoter is a maleated polyolefin type adhesion promoter. The primer compositions improve adhesion of water-based inks and coatings to low-treatment substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2024
    Publication date: December 19, 2024
    Applicant: SUN CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce Marshall, Benjamin Floyd
  • Publication number: 20240328125
    Abstract: Autonomous systems enable a machine, such as an excavator, to dig in a specified area with little to no human intervention. However, conventional autonomous systems require costly exteroceptive systems to monitor the terrain surface during the autonomous dig operation. Accordingly, embodiments are disclosed for estimating a terrain surface using only proprioceptive sensors, such as the linkage sensors on the work implement of an excavator. The terrain surface may be estimated by fitting a surface to one or more touchpoints collected using the work implement. The estimated terrain surface may be updated during a dig operation using a model of material flow and/or by collecting additional touchpoints. Embodiments enable a remote operator to visualize this terrain surface in a camera view by projecting the estimated terrain surface onto an image plane with a representation that depicts one or more terrain parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin J. HODEL, Adam Martin NACKERS, Justin Lee STEINLAGE, Mo WEI, Benjamin FLOYD
  • Publication number: 20240295095
    Abstract: A machine, including a bucket linkage that defines dig block constraints, including: a reach inside and outside limits; swing first and second limits; and a depth limit. Sensors can be positioned on the machine to count dig passes. One or more memory devices have instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the processors to: generate an excavation plan, including: determining a number of elevations; determining a number of rings in each elevation; and determining a number of sectors in each ring; and direct the excavator to perform dig passes in order to sequentially excavate each sector, wherein the sectors in each elevation are excavated from the reach outside limit to the reach inside limit and from the swing first limit to the swing second limit; wherein the system moves to the next sector when a threshold number of dig passes is reached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Inventors: Benjamin Hodel, Benjamin Floyd
  • Publication number: 20220145089
    Abstract: The present invention provides water-based primer compositions comprising polyolefin type adhesion promoters. Preferably, the polyolefin type adhesion promoter is a maleated polyolefin type adhesion promoter. The primer compositions improve adhesion of water-based inks and coatings to low-treatment substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: SUN CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce Marshall, Benjamin Floyd
  • Publication number: 20020118820
    Abstract: An electronic assembly and digital subscriber line splitter. The splitter includes a subrack housing, a plurality of splitter port cards, a connector card and an edge card. The splitter port cards each include a plurality of splitter ports and are disposed within the housing between, and in substantially perpendicular relation to, the first side and the second side. The connector card is disposed adjacent, and in substantially parallel relation, to the back of the housing and includes a plurality of external connectors that extend through the openings through the back of the housing. The edge card is disposed in substantially parallel relation to the connector card, includes a plurality of internal connectors disposed in electrical communication with the external connectors of the connector card, and is removably attached to each of the splitter port cards such that each splitter port is in electrical communication with one of the external connectors of the connector card.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2001
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Inventors: George E. Sinclair, Kevin Durkee, Benjamin Floyd