Patents by Inventor Charles A. Miller

Charles A. Miller 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: 9957030
    Abstract: A keel cooler assembly comprising a liquid coolant tube including a plurality of turbulence enhancers for improving the heat transfer of the liquid coolant without substantially increasing pressure drop of the liquid coolant. In one embodiment, the turbulence enhancers generate turbulent wakes in the liquid coolant for disrupting laminar boundary layers for improving heat transfer. In another embodiment, the turbulence enhancers generate and propagate turbulent vortexes in the liquid coolant to enhance mixing of the bulk liquid coolant for improving heat transfer. In other embodiments, turbulators, including inserts or impediments, are provided having various configurations and being arranged in predetermined patterns for enhancing turbulence of the liquid coolant for improving keel cooler heat transfer efficiency without substantially increasing pressure drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Duramax Marine, LLC
    Inventors: P. Charles Miller, Jr., Frank E. Horvat
  • Patent number: 9946890
    Abstract: A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can detect startup of the AV and transmit credentials to a backend system. When the credentials are authenticated, the secure start system can receive a tunnel key from the backend system. Using the tunnel key, the secure start system can establish a private communications session with a backend vault of the backend system and retrieve a set of decryption keys from the backend vault. Using the set of decryption keys, the secure start system can verify and decrypt a cryptographically signed, encrypted, and compressed file system for execution by a compute stack of the AV—where execution of the file system by the compute stack enables autonomous operation of the AV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Valasek, Charles Miller
  • Publication number: 20180090134
    Abstract: A portable terminal has a network interface that receives a set of instructions having a sequence of at least one location and audio properties associated with the at least one location from a server. An audio circuit receives audio signals picked up by a microphone and processes the audio signals in a manner defined by the audio properties associated with the at least one location. A speech recognition module receives processed signals from the audio circuit and carries out a speech recognition process thereupon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Kurt Charles Miller, Arthur McNair, Vanessa Cassandra Sanchez, Philip E. Russell, Allan Strane
  • Publication number: 20180077978
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a compressive force finger guard sized to cover at least a portion of the distal phalanx portion of a finger. Illustratively, the compressive force finger guard includes a longitudinally-extending body portion; wherein the longitudinally-extending body portion includes an opening therein sized to receive at least a portion of the fingertip; and a cap tip located on an end of the longitudinally-extending body portion; and wherein the cap tip includes a flange that extends from the longitudinally-extending body portion generally transverse to the longitudinally-extending body portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Applicant: The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Miller Destro, Oran Junior Weaver
  • Publication number: 20180058800
    Abstract: A magazine that includes a pre-pack and a gas regulator system, with the pre-pack including a gas canister and non-lethal projectiles in addition to a drive mechanism for introducing non-lethal projectiles into gun chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Glenn Sandgren, Juan D. Tobón, Nathaniel Jacob Leon, Christopher Blodgett, Daniel Luby, Charles Miller
  • Patent number: 9874631
    Abstract: An ultrasound probe and an ultrasound imaging system include a 2D transducer array including a plurality of transducer elements organized to form a transmit aperture and a receive aperture, where the transmit aperture and the receive aperture do not overlap with each other. The probe and system include a plurality of distribution nodes and a plurality of sets of transmit switches. Each set of transmit switches includes a plurality of transmit switches and each set of transmit switches is associated with a different one of the plurality of transducer elements in the transmit aperture. Each set of transmit switches is configured to selectively connect the associated transducer element to any one of the plurality of distribution nodes when in a continuous-wave Doppler mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Steven Charles Miller, Kjell Kristoffersen, Bruno Hans Haider
  • Publication number: 20170371432
    Abstract: In various embodiments, methods and systems for implementing integrated free space and surface inputs are provided. An integrated free space and surface input system includes a mixed-input pointing device for interacting and controlling interface objects using free space inputs and surface inputs, trigger buttons, pressure sensors, and haptic feedback associated with the mixed-input pointing device. Free space movement data and surface movement data are tracked and determined for the mixed-input pointing device. An interface input is detected for the mixed-input pointing device transitioning from a first input to a second input, such as, from a free space input to a surface input or from the surface input to the free space input. The interface input is processed based on accessing the free space movement data and the surface movement data. An output for the interface input is communicated from the mixed-input pointing device to interact and control an interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Anatolie Gavriliuc, Shawn Crispin Wright, Jeffrey Alan Kohler, Quentin Simon Charles Miller, Scott Francis Fullam, Sergio Paolantonio, Michael Edward Samples, Anthony James Ambrus
  • Publication number: 20170353695
    Abstract: A networked communication session is defined vis-à-vis parameter information received from a first device, and access to the networked communication session is provided to the first device. Access to the networked communication session is further provided to each of additional device(s) in accordance with information associated with each of the additional device(s). A composited interactive audio/video feed is generated and transmitted that comprises audio/video input received during the networked communication session from each of the devices. Each of the devices is configured via a gesture-based user interface to enable user-based selection and respective manipulation of at least a portion of the composited audio/video feed that results in a customized representation of the composited audio-video feed at a particular one device that is not represented at a particular other of the device(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Edo Segal, Charles Miller, Dmytro Panin
  • Patent number: 9804753
    Abstract: Various embodiments relating to selection of a user interface object displayed on a graphical user interface based on eye gaze are disclosed. In one embodiment, a selection input may be received. A plurality of eye gaze samples at different times within a time window may be evaluated. The time window may be selected based on a time at which the selection input is detected. A user interface object may be selected based on the plurality of eye gaze samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Ramsby, Tony Ambrus, Michael Scavezze, Abby Lin Lee, Brian Mount, Ian Douglas McIntyre, Aaron Mackay Burns, Russ McMackin, Katelyn Elizabeth Doran, Gerhard Schneider, Quentin Simon Charles Miller
  • Patent number: 9787945
    Abstract: A networked communication session is defined vis-à-vis parameter information received from a first device, and access to the networked communication session is provided to the first device. Access to the networked communication session is further provided to each of additional device(s) in accordance with information associated with each of the additional device(s). A composited interactive audio/video feed is generated and transmitted that comprises audio/video input received during the networked communication session from each of the devices. Each of the devices is configured via a gesture-based user interface to enable user-based selection and respective manipulation of at least a portion of the composited audio/video feed that results in a customized representation of the composited audio-video feed at a particular one device that is not represented at a particular other of the device(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: TOUCHCAST LLC
    Inventors: Edo Segal, Charles Miller, Dmytro Panin
  • Publication number: 20170269940
    Abstract: A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can include a compute stack and a communications router. The communications router can include an encrypted router drive and an input interface to receive a boot-loader that includes a basic decryption key to decrypt the encrypted router drive and enable network communications with a backend system. The secure start system can utilizes a tunnel key from the backend system to establish a private communications session with a backend data vault, and retrieve a set of decryption keys from the backend data vault, via the private communications session, to decrypt a plurality of encrypted drives of the AV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Valasek, Charles Miller
  • Publication number: 20170272943
    Abstract: A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can detect startup of the AV and transmit credentials to a backend system. When the credentials are authenticated, the secure start system can receive a tunnel key from the backend system. Using the tunnel key, the secure start system can establish a private communications session with a backend vault of the backend system and retrieve a set of decryption keys from the backend vault. Using the set of decryption keys, the secure start system can verify and decrypt a cryptographically signed, encrypted, and compressed file system for execution by a compute stack of the AV—where execution of the file system by the compute stack enables autonomous operation of the AV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Valasek, Charles Miller
  • Patent number: 9746675
    Abstract: A head-mounted display device is disclosed, which includes an at least partially see-through display, a processor configured to detect a physical feature, generate an alignment hologram based on the physical feature, determine a view of the alignment hologram based on a default view matrix for a first eye of a user of the head-mounted display device, display the view of the alignment hologram to the first eye of the user on the at least partially see-through display, output an instruction to the user to enter an adjustment input to visually align the alignment hologram with the physical feature, determine a calibrated view matrix based on the default view matrix and the adjustment input, and adjust a view matrix setting of the head-mounted display device based on the calibrated view matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Quentin Simon Charles Miller, Drew Steedly, Denis Demandolx, Youding Zhu, Qi Kuan Zhou, Todd Michael Lyon
  • Publication number: 20170177082
    Abstract: Embodiments are described herein for determining a stabilization plane to reduce errors that occur when a homographic transformation is applied to a scene including 3D geometry and/or multiple non-coplanar planes. Such embodiments can be used, e.g., when displaying an image on a head mounted display (HMD) device, but are not limited thereto. In an embodiment, a rendered image is generated, a gaze location of a user is determined, and a stabilization plane, associated with a homographic transformation, is determined based on the determined gaze location. This can involve determining, based on the user's gaze location, variables of the homographic transformation that define the stabilization plane. The homographic transformation is applied to the rendered image to thereby generate an updated image, and at least a portion of the updated image is then displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Ashraf Ayman Michail, Roger Sebastian Kevin Sylvan, Quentin Simon Charles Miller, Alex Aben-Athar Kipman
  • Patent number: 9658686
    Abstract: Various embodiments relating to using motion based view matrix tuning to calibrate a head-mounted display device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the holograms are rendered with different view matrices, each view matrix corresponding to a different inter-pupillary distance. Upon selection by the user of the most stable hologram, the head-mounted display device can be calibrated to the inter-pupillary distance corresponding to the selected most stable hologram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Quentin Simon Charles Miller, Drew Steedly, Denis Demandolx, Youding Zhu, Qi Kuan Zhou, Todd Michael Lyon
  • Patent number: 9661256
    Abstract: A system and method for providing uninterrupted video content in a portion of a display while simultaneously providing other content. A coordinated presentation is provided that comprises a content unit and a plurality of controllable display units. The content unit plays video content, a first controllable display unit plays first interactive video content and a second controllable display unit plays second interactive video content. Information regarding a selection event that occurred in the first controllable display unit is received, and a representation of the coordinated presentation is generated. The representation of the coordinated presentation is provided in a third controllable display unit without interrupting the playing of the video content. The first interactive video content is provided in the content unit, wherein the first interactive video content replaces the video content and without interrupting the playing of the first interactive video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: TOUCHCAST LLC
    Inventors: Edo Segal, Charles Miller, Daniel Guerrero
  • Patent number: 9652893
    Abstract: Embodiments are described herein for determining a stabilization plane to reduce errors that occur when a homographic transformation is applied to a scene including 3D geometry and/or multiple non-coplanar planes. Such embodiments can be used, e.g., when displaying an image on a head mounted display (HMD) device, but are not limited thereto. In an embodiment, a rendered image is generated, a gaze location of a user is determined, and a stabilization plane, associated with a homographic transformation, is determined based on the determined gaze location. This can involve determining, based on the user's gaze location, variables of the homographic transformation that define the stabilization plane. The homographic transformation is applied to the rendered image to thereby generate an updated image, and at least a portion of the updated image is then displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Ashraf Ayman Michail, Roger Sebastian Kevin Sylvan, Quentin Simon Charles Miller, Alex Aben-Athar Kipman
  • Patent number: 9639985
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for detecting angular displacement of a display element relative to a reference position on a head mounted display device for presenting a mixed reality or virtual reality experience. Once the displacement is detected, it may be corrected for to maintain the proper binocular disparity of virtual images displayed to the left and right display elements of the head mounted display device. In one example, the detection system uses an optical assembly including collimated LEDs and a camera which together are insensitive to linear displacement. Such a system provides a true measure of angular displacement of one or both display elements on the head mounted display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Steven John Robbins, Drew Steedly, Nathan Ackerman, Quentin Simon Charles Miller, Andrew C. Goris
  • Publication number: 20170074978
    Abstract: An ultrasound probe and an ultrasound imaging system include a 2D transducer array including a plurality of transducer elements organized to form a transmit aperture and a receive aperture, where the transmit aperture and the receive aperture do not overlap with each other. The probe and system include a plurality of distribution nodes and a plurality of sets of transmit switches. Each set of transmit switches includes a plurality of transmit switches and each set of transmit switches is associated with a different one of the plurality of transducer elements in the transmit aperture. Each set of transmit switches is configured to selectively connect the associated transducer element to any one of the plurality of distribution nodes when in a continuous-wave Doppler mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Steven Charles Miller, Kjell Kristoffersen, Bruno Hans Haider
  • Publication number: 20170073143
    Abstract: A joint compound system is provided including a main container of base joint compound; and an additive container isolated from the base joint compound and housing at least one and preferably multiple additive packages constructed and arranged so that the additive packages are protected from exposure to moisture prior to their ultimate mixing with the base joint compound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Joshua D. SHELDON, Nancy L. BERNICKE-GRUSSING, Jeffrey F. GRUSSING, Salvatore C. IMMORDINO, JR., Tyler KINCAID, Charles MILLER