Patents by Inventor Benjamin Kyle Shepherd

Benjamin Kyle Shepherd 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: 7317467
    Abstract: A control system for a cooling fan of a laser printer enables selection of fan speed based on the actual degree of usage of the printer. The system provides first and second sets of fan speeds where each set contains information corresponding to a plurality of fan speeds. Information regarding the current operational condition of the fuser of the printer is periodically obtained, preferably during a preset interval. The fan is then operated at one of the fan speeds of the first or second set of fan speeds, with the selection of the first or second set and the selection of one of the fan speeds based on the current operational condition of the fuser. In this manner, the speed of the fan is substantially continuously controlled based on the operational condition of the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Kyle Shepherd, Kevin Dean Schoedinger, Phil Wright
  • Patent number: 7012390
    Abstract: An improved variable speed fan controller for use in devices such as laser printers. The controller automatically adjusts its output signal to fans such that a fan quickly settles into an appropriate operating speed, even if the fan has been newly installed into the equipment. The controller can store values in non-volatile memory, if desired, to keep track of recent changes in the fan's operating parameters and corresponding control signal values. The controller is able to control relatively inexpensive fans that don't necessarily operate at a predictable fan rotating speed under repeatable conditions and control signals, by controlling the fan to an initial or predetermined rotating speed; if the fan isn't running within a suitable range of rotational speeds, then determining whether a fine or coarse adjustment should be made to the fan's rotational speed. The controller makes appropriate adjustments until the fan's rotational speed is within acceptable operating tolerances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Anthony Able, David Herman Alverson, Danny Keith Chapman, David Ross Cutts, Jr., Brian Michael Jacobs, Matthew David Miles, Michael Todd Phillips, Benjamin Kyle Shepherd, Mark Stephen Underwood, Marshall Lee White