Patents by Inventor Bruce Allen

Bruce Allen 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).

  • Publication number: 20180063306
    Abstract: A case for a cell phone or tablet, the case having a shell configured to receive a cell phone or tablet device nested therein, the shell having a front side having a device pocket for receiving an electronic device, a rear side comprising a recess, wherein the recess has edges and has a plurality of ferrous metal pads affixed within the recess, each magnet having a magnet position within the recess, a removable plate configured to fit within the recess and having a front and back, comprising, a plurality of magnets affixed on the front of the plate in positions corresponding with the magnet positions, and an accessory affixed to the rear of the plate. The recess may also have a catch at an edge of the recess, and wherein the plate further comprises a protrusion at a side configured to be retained within the catch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventor: Bruce Allen Scannell, JR.
  • Patent number: 9887775
    Abstract: A synchronized infrared beacon/infrared detector system. The system may include (A) an infrared beacon module configured to generate a time-varying encoded infrared signal, (B) an infrared detector module configured to capture the encoded infrared signal generated by the beacon module, (C) a synchronizer configured to generate a synchronization signal that controls timing of the beacon module and the detector module, and (D) a processor, in communication with the detector module, configured to analyze the infrared signal captured by the detector module. The infrared signal may be modulated at frequencies undetectable by human vision. The synchronizer signal may be produced independent of the capture of, and without input from, the infrared signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Irina Puscasu, Bruce Allen Poirier
  • Patent number: 9871325
    Abstract: An interconnect system includes a circuit board including a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, a plurality of signal conductors and a plurality of ground conductors including respective contact pads in a mating area of the substrate for engaging corresponding contacts of an electrical connector, and a plurality of ground vias extending at least partially through the substrate between the first and second surfaces. The ground vias are coupled to corresponding ground conductors. The ground vias include lossy plugs at least partially filling the ground vias. The lossy plugs are manufactured from lossy material capable of absorbing electrical resonance propagating through the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sandeep Patel, Bruce Allen Champion, Linda Ellen Shields, Michael John Phillips, Thomas Taake de Boer, John Joseph Consoli
  • Patent number: 9859658
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and a plurality of ground wafers and signal wafers. A front side is configured to mate with a mating connector. The ground wafers and signal wafers are stacked next to one another along a stack axis. The ground wafers are interleaved between adjacent pairs of the signal wafers. Each signal wafer includes at least one signal conductor held by a signal holder that is composed of a first material. Each ground wafer includes at least one ground conductor held by a ground holder that is composed of second material. The second material is a lossy material and the first material is a low loss dielectric material that has a loss tangent that is lower than a loss tangent of the lossy material. The signal conductors and the ground conductors are configured to engage and electrically connect to the mating connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Champion, Chad William Morgan
  • Patent number: 9782713
    Abstract: An air cleaner includes a housing and an access cover. The internal volume of the housing can be reached through an opening in a side wall of the housing. A filter element having fluted filter media is removable and replaceable from the air cleaner. The housing is constructed and arranged to cam the element into sealing engagement with the housing. The access cover includes structure to help support and ensure proper seating of the filter element within the housing. A method of installing the filter element in the air cleaner includes sliding a portion of the filter element against a slide surface in the housing. A method of servicing an air cleaner includes tilting the filter element against a tilt surface in the housing to release a seal between the filter element and the housing. The filter element can have a handle to assist in servicing of the air cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Donaldson Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry R. Nepsund, Bradley A. Kuempel, Donald F. Engel, Bruce Allen Boehrs, Sheldon Anderson, Richard L. Bucholtz, Thomas John Lundgren
  • Patent number: 9768557
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing having a first end and a second end with a mating slot formed between the first and second ends configured to receive a mating connector having contact pads. A leadframe assembly is disposed in the housing. The leadframe assembly has a contact array including ground contacts and signal contacts interspersed between corresponding ground contacts. The leadframe assembly has an overmold body supporting the ground and signal contacts. The overmold body has lossy ground absorbers coupled to corresponding ground contacts. The lossy ground absorbers are manufactured from lossy material absorbing electrical resonance propagating through the leadframe assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael John Phillips, Thomas Taake de Boer, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli, Sandeep Patel, Linda Ellen Shields
  • Patent number: 9748697
    Abstract: Pluggable connector includes a plug housing configured to couple to a communication cable. The plug housing has a plug cavity. The pluggable connector also includes a module board that is disposed within the plug cavity and configured to be communicatively coupled to the communication cable. The module board has a mating edge configured to interface with a mating connector. The module board includes a plurality of signal pathways and a plurality of ground pathways in which the signal pathways are interleaved between corresponding ground pathways. The signal and ground pathways include respective contact pads that are disposed proximate to the mating edge for engaging corresponding contacts of the mating connector. Each of the ground pathways has separate first and second trace segments and a damping component that electrically joins the first and second trace segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignees: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION, TYCO ELECTRONICS JAPAN G.K.
    Inventors: Sandeep Patel, Linda Ellen Shields, Bruce Allen Champion, Chad William Morgan, Masayuki Aizawa
  • Patent number: 9748681
    Abstract: A ground contact module includes a ground leadframe and a ground dielectric body. The ground leadframe has ground contacts extending between corresponding mating ends and terminating ends with transition portions therebetween. The ground dielectric body holds the ground leadframe and has a low loss layer overmolded over the ground leadframe and encasing the transition portions of the ground contacts. The ground dielectric body has lossy wings received in pockets in the low loss layer. The lossy wings are electrically coupled to corresponding ground contacts and are manufactured from lossy material capable of absorbing electrical resonance propagating through the contact module stack. The lossy wings are separate and discrete from the low loss layer and are attached to the at least one low loss layer in proximity to the corresponding ground contacts. Each lossy wing is electrically coupled to only one of the ground contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Champion, Michael John Phillips, Michael Eugene Shirk
  • Publication number: 20170207579
    Abstract: An interconnect system includes a circuit board including a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, a plurality of signal conductors and a plurality of ground conductors including respective contact pads in a mating area of the substrate for engaging corresponding contacts of an electrical connector, and a plurality of ground vias extending at least partially through the substrate between the first and second surfaces. The ground vias are coupled to corresponding ground conductors. The ground vias include lossy plugs at least partially filling the ground vias. The lossy plugs are manufactured from lossy material capable of absorbing electrical resonance propagating through the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Sandeep Patel, Bruce Allen Champion, Linda Ellen Shields, Michael John Phillips, Thomas Taake de Boer, John Joseph Consoli
  • Patent number: 9692183
    Abstract: A receptacle connector includes a housing having a slot configured to receive a mating connector therein. Signal contacts are held by the housing. The signal contacts include signal mating segments and signal mounting segments. The signal mating segments include signal mating interfaces that are exposed within the slot for engagement with the mating connector. Ground contacts are held by the housing. The ground contacts include ground mating segments and ground mounting segments. The ground mating segments include ground mating interfaces that are exposed within the slot for engagement with the mating connector. A ground bus electrically commons the ground contacts with each other. The ground contacts and the ground bus are integrally fabricated as a single, unitary, continuous structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael John Phillips, Matthew Ryan Schmitt, Bruce Allen Champion, Brandon Michael Matthews, Steve Douglas Sattazahn
  • Publication number: 20170170606
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing having a first end and a second end with a mating slot formed between the first and second ends configured to receive a mating connector having contact pads. A leadframe assembly is disposed in the housing. The leadframe assembly has a contact array including ground contacts and signal contacts interspersed between corresponding ground contacts. The leadframe assembly has an overmold body supporting the ground and signal contacts. The overmold body has lossy ground absorbers coupled to corresponding ground contacts. The lossy ground absorbers are manufactured from lossy material absorbing electrical resonance propagating through the leadframe assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Michael John Phillips, Thomas Taake de Boer, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli, Sandeep Patel, Linda Ellen Shields
  • Publication number: 20170158965
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods of utilizing a Fischer-Tropsch (“FT”) tail gas purge stream for recycling are disclosed. One or more methods include removing an FT tail gas purge stream from an FT tail gas produced by an FT reactor, treating the FT tail gas purge stream with steam in a water gas shift (“WGS”) reactor, having a WGS catalyst, to produce a shifted FT purge stream including carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and removing at least a portion of the carbon dioxide from the shifted FT purge stream, producing a carbon dioxide stream and a treated purge stream. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: SGC Energia Co LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Logue, Scott Golczynski
  • Publication number: 20170157784
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a pocket cutter. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a pocket cutter apparatus with a retractable blade. Embodiments of the pocket cutter apparatus are further comprised of a thumb slider switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas Scimone, Scott Herbst, Bruce Allen Eisenhauer
  • Patent number: 9666961
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack comprising a front housing and a rear housing coupled to the front housing at a seam. The housing stack defines plural contact cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing between mating and mounting ends. A lossy spacer is disposed at the seam between the front and rear housings. The lossy spacer has plural contact cavities aligned with corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. Signal and ground contacts are disposed in corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. The signal contacts extend through the lossy spacer such that the signal contacts do not directly engage the lossy spacer. The ground contacts extend through the contact cavities in the lossy spacer such that the ground contacts are coupled by the lossy spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael James Horning, Leo Joseph Graham, Wayne Samuel Davis, Bruce Allen Champion, Dave Helster, Chad William Morgan
  • Patent number: 9666990
    Abstract: A plug connector includes a plug body having a terminating end terminated to an electrical component and a mating end mated with a mating electrical connector. The plug body has first and second outer sides. The plug body has pockets between the first and second outer sides. A plug shroud extends from the plug body at the terminating end that is configured to be coupled to the electrical component. A contact array is held by the plug body and includes signal and ground contacts. The signal and ground contacts are exposed along the first and second outer sides. At least some of the ground contacts are aligned with corresponding pockets. Resonance-control lossy inserts are provided in corresponding pockets adjacent corresponding ground contacts. The lossy inserts are manufactured from lossy material capable of absorbing electrical resonance propagating through the plug body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Taake de Boer, Michael John Phillips, John Joseph Consoli, Sandeep Patel, Bruce Allen Champion, Linda Ellen Shields
  • Patent number: 9666998
    Abstract: A ground contact module includes a ground leadframe having a ground contact with a transition portion extending between mating and terminating ends. A ground dielectric body holds the ground leadframe. The ground dielectric body has a low loss layer overmolded over the ground leadframe. The ground dielectric body has a lossy band separate and discrete from the low loss layer and attached thereto in proximity to the ground contact such that the lossy band is electrically coupled to the ground contact. The lossy band is manufactured from lossy material having conductive particles in a dielectric binder material and absorbs electrical resonance propagating through the contact module stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Taake de Boer, Michael John Phillips, John Joseph Consoli, Sandeep Patel, Bruce Allen Champion, Linda Ellen Shields
  • Publication number: 20170122291
    Abstract: The present subject matter is directed to a method for managing and/or categorizing trip faults of an electrical component, such as power converter, of a wind turbine. The method includes receiving, via a local controller of the wind turbine, an indication of at least one trip fault in the electrical component of the wind turbine. The method also includes determining, via the local controller, a unique identifier for the trip fault. More specifically, the unique identifier contains information regarding a type of the trip fault and at least one of an origin or a cause, of the trip fault. Further, the method includes sending, via the local controller, the unique identifier to a supervisory controller of the wind turbine. Thus, the method also includes implementing, via the supervisory controller, a control action based on the unique identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: Sidney Allen Barker, James Thomas Bailey, Bruce Allen Gerritsen, Minesh Ashok Shah, Ramy Michael Souri, Raju Singamsetti, Achchugatla Vikramaditya
  • Publication number: 20170096604
    Abstract: A method of producing reformed gas as part of a Fischer-Tropsch (“FT”) hydrocarbon synthesis is disclosed, including the steps of superheating at least a first portion of an FT tail gas produced as a by-product of an FT synthesis process, and forming a mixed gas by injecting at least a portion of an FT water stream, produced as a by-product of an FT synthesis process, into the superheated FT tail gas to form a mixed gas. The mixed gas is used as a feed to a front end of a syngas preparation unit. The amount of at least a portion of the FT water stream is selected to keep the mixed gas at least mostly and preferably entirely in a vapor phase. In some embodiments, a water-gas shift reactor converts the mixed gas to a converted mixed gas upstream of the front end. Other methods, apparatuses and systems are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Leo Bonnell, Miguel A.F. Santos, Scott Golczynski, Bruce Allen Logue
  • Publication number: 20170069986
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack comprising a front housing and a rear housing coupled to the front housing at a seam. The housing stack defines plural contact cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing between mating and mounting ends. A lossy spacer is disposed at the seam between the front and rear housings. The lossy spacer has plural contact cavities aligned with corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. Signal and ground contacts are disposed in corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. The signal contacts extend through the lossy spacer such that the signal contacts do not directly engage the lossy spacer. The ground contacts extend through the contact cavities in the lossy spacer such that the ground contacts are coupled by the lossy spacer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Michael James Horning, Leo Joseph Graham, Wayne Samuel Davis, Bruce Allen Champion, Dave Helster, Chad William Morgan
  • Patent number: D789199
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Inventor: Bruce Allen Kerill