Patents by Inventor Carl Picciotto

Carl Picciotto 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).

  • Capacitive sensor for sensing the amount of material in a container
    Patent number: 6472887
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is a capacitive sensor for sensing the amount of material in a container. This embodiment includes an oscillator that generates an oscillating signal. This oscillator includes an integrating amplifier that is formed by (1) an operational amplifier that has a low-impedance output and a virtually-grounded input, and (2) a capacitor that has a capacitance which depends on the amount of material in the container. The capacitor connects between the low impedance output and the virtually-grounded input of the operational amplifier In some embodiments, the operational amplifier includes a first amplifier and a second amplifier that are connected in series, with an output of the second amplifier fed back through the capacitor to the input of the first amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Barclay J. Tullis, Carl Picciotto, Jun Gao