Patents by Inventor Brian Lang

Brian Lang 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: 11765796
    Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance for increasing visibility into the cooking cavity. The microwave cooking appliance may include a door. The door may include a conductive mesh layer. The door may include a frame supporting the conductive mesh layer. The door may include a conductive and/or sealing engagement between the conductive mesh layer and the frame. The door may include a leak detection device. The leak detection device may be adjacent the conductive and/or sealing engagement. The door may include a user interface display and/or a touch screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Guo Jun Zhang, Brian Langness, Daniel J. Trice, Pierce Woodling
  • Patent number: 11739979
    Abstract: An anti-tip bracket assembly for a window air conditioning unit is disclosed, and more particularly, an anti-tip bracket assembly that pertains to securing a window air conditioning unit within a window assembly while allowing a user to open and close the window assembly in a safe and convenient manner is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: David Leezer, Adam Schultz, Brian Langness
  • Patent number: 11616747
    Abstract: Systems and methods of the disclosure include receiving a message from a user at a user client device for a multi-agent entity. The message initiates a message thread between the user and the multi-agent entity. An administrator user for the multi-agent entity is determined and the message thread is forwarded to the administrator at an administrator client device. The method facilitates an exchange of security information between the administrator client device and the user client device. The method includes receiving a message thread forwarding a command from the administrator client device to forward the message thread to an agent of the multi-agent entity at an agent client device. The command can comprise a payload containing the security information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: WhatsApp LLC
    Inventors: Brian Lange Acton, Mubarik F Imam, Daniel Charles Cocuzzo
  • Publication number: 20220400860
    Abstract: A mounting bracket assembly for an appliance, such as an over-the-range cooking appliance, for mounting to an underside of a wall cabinet, where the cooking appliance includes having at least a rear-facing side and a top-facing side. The assembly includes a wall bracket configured to be secured to the wall near the wall cabinet and configured to support the enclosure on a ledge. The assembly also includes a cam rotatably mounted to the housing to rotatably engage a surface of the ledge to raise the appliance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Brian Langness
  • Publication number: 20220404030
    Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance having a connector system connecting the appliance to an external vent configuration. The connector system may include an adaptor. The connector system may include a mounting bracket to mount the microwave cooking appliance. The adaptor and/or mounting bracket may include one or more magnets to magnetically connect the adaptor with the mounting bracket. The connector system may include a sealing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Brian Langness, Eric Scalf
  • Publication number: 20220307756
    Abstract: A dynamic multi-zone anti-sweat heating system may be used in a refrigerator to reduce moisture on various surfaces of the refrigerator. Moreover, in some instances, the determination of when moisture is present and/or absent from a surface may be made based at least in part on detection of the presence or absence of an elevated thermal load on the surface while a heater is activated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Eric Scalf, Brian Langness
  • Publication number: 20220304119
    Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance having power management. The appliance may include at least one cord positionable between at least one stowed position to at least one deployed position. The appliance may include one or more strain relief members stopping the deployment of the cord. The microwave cooking appliance may include a cord housing. The microwave cooking appliance may include a pulley engaging the cord. The microwave cooking appliance may include a biasing member engaging the pulley and/or cord. The microwave cooking appliance may include a pin and slot engagement engaging the pulley and/or cord.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Brian Langness, Eric Scalf
  • Patent number: 11449840
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and methods are provided for facilitating payment for a third party's use of an application by a current user. The current user, or payor, initiates the process within the application by selecting one or more recipients. The system that hosts the application then determines which of the third parties are eligible. A target recipient may be ineligible because her application subscription never expires, because it doesn't expire within a threshold period of time, or for some other reason. The system identifies the target recipients that are eligible, and the payor may configure the gift payment (e.g., by choosing a duration of the subscription). The payor then chooses a method of electronic payment and, depending on the method selected, may redeem a coupon with the application host system, or the process may complete automatically. The payor and/or the recipient(s) may be notified of successful activation of the subscription(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: WHATSAPP LLC
    Inventors: Vicki Wancheng Lee, Eugene Fooksman, Brian Lange Acton, Michael B. Donohue
  • Patent number: 11336734
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for aggregating communication connections. Multiple users connect to a system (e.g., a web-based system) that hosts an application or service for exchanging communications. Users who exchange communications among themselves may be considered “associates.” When one user who is on-line with the application sends a communication through the system for an associate, the system determines whether the associate is on-line or off-line. If the associate is off-line, the system crafts and sends toward the associate a notification regarding the communication, including an address of the communication server to which the one user is connected. When the associate's device receives the notification, the application may attempt to connect to the specified address. In this way associated users' connections will aggregate or gravitate toward the same communication server, thereby eliminating the latency and cost of exchanging users' communications between multiple communication servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: WHATSAPP LLC
    Inventors: Jan Boris Koum, Bryan Dennis O'Connor, Brian Lange Acton
  • Publication number: 20220141927
    Abstract: An over-the-range cooking appliance for mounting to an underside of a wall cabinet, where the cooking appliance includes: an enclosure with a cooking cavity for food and where the enclosure includes at least a rear-facing side and a top-facing side; a wall bracket configured to be secured to the wall near the wall cabinet and configured to support the enclosure; and a cabinet bracket to support the enclosure from the underside of the wall cabinet. The cabinet bracket includes a first and second cooperating latch member, where the first cooperating latch member is mounted on the underside of the cabinet and the second cooperating latch member is mounted on the top-facing side of the enclosure. The cooperating latch members are respectively configured to latch to one another when the enclosure is supported on the wall bracket proximate the bottom of the rear-facing side thereof and tilted upwardly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Eric Scalf, Brian Langness, Daniel J. Trice, Guo Jun Zhang, Jared Speichinger
  • Patent number: 11316965
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments relate to techniques for transmitting ephemeral content messages. A sending client may establish an end-to-end encrypted session with possible recipients of the message, using a first decryption key during initial session setup. The client may send an ephemeral content message, including encrypted content and a second key, to the recipients through a server. The server may be unable to retrieve the encrypted content due to a lack of the second key. The server may filter a list of intended recipients, and may forward the ephemeral content message to the recipients on the filtered list. The recipients may retrieve the second key from the message, and use the first and second keys to decrypt the encrypted content. The sending client may change the second key each time the recipient list changes from the perspective of the sending client, as determined at the time the ephemeral content message is transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: WHATSAPP INC.
    Inventors: Randall Sarafa, Eugene Fooksman, Brian Lange Acton, Jan Boris Koum, Michael B. Donohue, Ehren Andrew Kret
  • Publication number: 20220057109
    Abstract: An anti-tip bracket assembly for a window air conditioning unit is disclosed, and more particularly, an anti-tip bracket assembly that pertains to securing a window air conditioning unit within a window assembly while allowing a user to open and close the window assembly in a safe and convenient manner is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: David Leezer, Adam Schultz, Brian Langness
  • Patent number: 11168920
    Abstract: An anti-tip bracket assembly for a window air conditioning unit is disclosed, and more particularly, an anti-tip bracket assembly that pertains to securing a window air conditioning unit within a window assembly while allowing a user to open and close the window assembly in a safe and convenient manner is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: David Leezer, Adam Schultz, Brian Langness
  • Publication number: 20210341175
    Abstract: An anti-tip bracket assembly for a window air conditioning unit is disclosed, and more particularly, an anti-tip bracket assembly that pertains to securing a window air conditioning unit within a window assembly while allowing a user to open and close the window assembly in a safe and convenient manner is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: David Leezer, Adam Schultz, Brian Langness
  • Patent number: 11159478
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, graphical user interface and methods are provided for conducting electronic voice communications with status notifications. A user of a first portable device executing a communication application selects a multi-function control that automatically initiates an audio recording, which is automatically sent toward another participant of an active communication session when the control is released. The same multi-function control may be used to transmit a textual message. A representation of the recording is displayed on the user's device, with an indicator that changes appearance when the other participant plays the recording. In addition, when one user initiates an audio recording that will be automatically sent to another user, the other user's device is advised of the initiation of recording and displays that status for the other user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: WHATSAPP LLC
    Inventors: Jan Boris Koum, Michael B. Donohue, Brian Lange Acton, Erik James Reed, Dima Stukalov
  • Patent number: 11146519
    Abstract: Techniques for multi-agent messaging authorization are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a message processing component operative to receive an incoming message for a multi-agent entity from a user client device associated with a user account; determine an agent client device associated with the agent account; and send the incoming message to the agent client device associated with the agent account; and an agent management component operative to determine the agent account associated with the multi-agent entity to receive the incoming message. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: WHATSAPP LLC
    Inventors: Brian Lange Acton, Mubarik F Imam, Daniel Charles Cocuzzo
  • Publication number: 20210307129
    Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance for increasing visibility into the cooking cavity. The microwave cooking appliance may include a door. The door may include a conductive mesh layer. The door may include a frame supporting the conductive mesh layer. The door may include a conductive and/or sealing engagement between the conductive mesh layer and the frame. The door may include a leak detection device. The leak detection device may be adjacent the conductive and/or sealing engagement. The door may include a user interface display and/or a touch screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Guo Jun Zhang, Brian Langness, Daniel J. Trice, Pierce Woodling
  • Publication number: 20210307130
    Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance for increasing visibility into the cooking cavity. The microwave cooking appliance may include a door. The door may include a conductive mesh layer. The door may include a frame supporting the conductive mesh layer. The door may include a conductive and/or sealing engagement between the conductive mesh layer and the frame. The door may include a leak detection device. The leak detection device may be adjacent the conductive and/or sealing engagement. The door may include a user interface display and/or a touch screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Brian Langness, Pierce Woodling
  • Publication number: 20210307128
    Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance for increasing visibility into the cooking cavity. The microwave cooking appliance may include a door. The door may include a conductive mesh layer. The door may include a frame supporting the conductive mesh layer. The door may include a conductive and/or sealing engagement between the conductive mesh layer and the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Brian Langness, Pierce Woodling
  • Patent number: 11109712
    Abstract: An appliance includes a microwave oven and a toaster oven apparatus in combination, the toaster oven being contained entirely within the interior of the microwave oven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Paul R. Staun, Brian Langness