Patents by Inventor Charles Ford

Charles Ford 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: 20140262354
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a fire-extinguishing system and method for injecting foamant into a stream of water. The system can include a flow meter determining a flow rate of the stream of water and a foam pump having an inlet coupled to a supply of foamant and an outlet coupled to the stream of water. The system includes a servo motor driving the foam pump. The servo motor includes a sensor used to determine a rotor shaft speed and/or a rotor shaft torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Jonathan Gamble, Ron Flanary, Robert L. Hosfield, Harold McCabe, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Patent number: 8659249
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods of controlling a motor, such as a servo motor. One method can include monitoring a current temperature of the motor and a power stage of the motor substantially continuously and substantially in real-time. This method can include determining optimum settings for a first time interval to remove power and the second time interval to provide power in order to deliver maximum output while remaining below the maximum rated temperature of the motor. One method can include pulsing power to the motor for a second time interval after a first time interval has elapsed and tailoring pulse shapes of the power provided to the motor for the second time interval. One method can include calculating a maximum phase current based on the rotor shaft torque for each real-time speed of the motor that correlates to the maximum allowable current draw from the power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Moog Inc.
    Inventors: Ron Flanary, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Patent number: 8297369
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a fire-extinguishing system for injecting foamant into a stream of water. The system can include a flow meter determining a flow rate of the stream of water and a foam pump having an inlet coupled to a supply of foamant and an outlet coupled to the stream of water. The system includes a servo motor driving the foam pump. The servo motor includes a sensor used to determine a rotor shaft speed and/or a rotor shaft torque. A controller can control an operating speed of the servo motor using closed-loop control depending on the flow rate and the rotor shaft speed and/or the rotor shaft torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Sta-Rite Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Gamble, Ron Flanary, Robert L. Hosfield, Harold McCabe, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20120181964
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods of controlling a motor, such as a servo motor. One method can include monitoring a current temperature of the motor and a power stage of the motor substantially continuously and substantially in real-time. This method can include determining optimum settings for a first time interval to remove power and the second time interval to provide power in order to deliver maximum output while remaining below the maximum rated temperature of the motor. One method can include pulsing power to the motor for a second time interval after a first time interval has elapsed and tailoring pulse shapes of the power provided to the motor for the second time interval. One method can include calculating a maximum phase current based on the rotor shaft torque for each real-time speed of the motor that correlates to the maximum allowable current draw from the power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Ron Flanary, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Patent number: 8183810
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method of operating a motor connected to a power device having a reduced current rating. The motor can include an increased torque constant and/or an increased back electromagnetic force constant in order to decrease a peak current in relation to the reduced current rating of the power device. The method can include increasing a length of time the motor can operate at the peak current without overheating. A phase angle of the motor can be advanced in order to achieve a continuous operating point with the power device having the reduced current rating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Hoffman Enclosures, Inc.
    Inventors: Ron Flanary, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Patent number: 8164293
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods of controlling a motor, such as a servo motor. One method can include monitoring a current temperature of the motor and a power stage of the motor substantially continuously and substantially in real-time. This method can include determining optimum settings for a first time interval to remove power and the second time interval to provide power in order to deliver maximum output while remaining below the maximum rated temperature of the motor. One method can include pulsing power to the motor for a second time interval after a first time interval has elapsed and tailoring pulse shapes of the power provided to the motor for the second time interval. One method can include calculating a maximum phase current based on the rotor shaft torque for each real-time speed of the motor that correlates to the maximum allowable current draw from the power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hoffman Enclosures, Inc.
    Inventors: Ron Flanary, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20110057595
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods of controlling a motor, such as a servo motor. One method can include monitoring a current temperature of the motor and a power stage of the motor substantially continuously and substantially in real-time. This method can include determining optimum settings for a first time interval to remove power and the second time interval to provide power in order to deliver maximum output while remaining below the maximum rated temperature of the motor. One method can include pulsing power to the motor for a second time interval after a first time interval has elapsed and tailoring pulse shapes of the power provided to the motor for the second time interval. One method can include calculating a maximum phase current based on the rotor shaft torque for each real-time speed of the motor that correlates to the maximum allowable current draw from the power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Ron Flanary, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20110056707
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a fire-extinguishing system and method for injecting foamant into a stream of water. The system can include a flow meter determining a flow rate of the stream of water and a foam pump having an inlet coupled to a supply of foamant and an outlet coupled to the stream of water. The system includes a servo motor driving the foam pump. The servo motor includes a sensor used to determine a rotor shaft speed and/or a rotor shaft torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Jonathan Gamble, Ron Flanary, Robert L. Hosfield, Harold McCabe, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20110056708
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a fire-extinguishing system for injecting foamant into a stream of water. The system can include a flow meter determining a flow rate of the stream of water and a foam pump having an inlet coupled to a supply of foamant and an outlet coupled to the stream of water. The system includes a servo motor driving the foam pump. The servo motor includes a sensor used to determine a rotor shaft speed and/or a rotor shaft torque. A controller can control an operating speed of the servo motor using closed-loop control depending on the flow rate and the rotor shaft speed and/or the rotor shaft torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Jonathan Gamble, Ron Flanary, Robert L. Hosfield, Harold McCabe, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20110057590
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method of operating a motor connected to a power device having a reduced current rating. The motor can include an increased torque constant and/or an increased back electromagnetic force constant in order to decrease a peak current in relation to the reduced current rating of the power device. The method can include increasing a length of time the motor can operate at the peak current without overheating. A phase angle of the motor can be advanced in order to achieve a continuous operating point with the power device having the reduced current rating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Ron Flanary, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20110056710
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a fire-extinguishing system and method for injecting foamant into a stream of water. The system can include a flow meter determining a flow rate of the stream of water and a foam pump having an inlet coupled to a supply of foamant and an outlet coupled to the stream of water. The system includes a servo motor driving the foam pump. The servo motor includes a sensor used to determine a rotor shaft speed and/or a rotor shaft torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Jonathan Gamble, Ron Flanary, Robert L. Hosfield, Harold McCabe, Martin Piedl, Charles Ford, Troy Anderson
  • Publication number: 20080040204
    Abstract: A method for generating a sales volume forecast includes receiving user input specifying a hypothetical asking price and a future date and accessing, for each of multiple past time periods, historical data reflecting a sales volume for an item over the past time period and a corresponding price difference between an asking price and a coinciding market price for the item, the price difference also being associated with the past time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Inventors: Charles Ford, Wei Cao
  • Publication number: 20070279261
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for lossless run-length data encoding is disclosed. In the first stage of the method, an input data sequence is transformed without increasing its volume in order to obtain long sequences of identical digits. In the second stage, every such sequence is replaced with a unique shorter sequence. The compressed data is decoded performing corresponding inverse operations. The method is very efficient for compression of some classes of digital images with long sequences of the same number, such as graphics, texts, signatures, and fingerprints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Inventors: Vladimir Todorov, Roumen Kountchev, Mariofanna Milanova, Roumiana Kountcheva, Charles Ford
  • Publication number: 20070111001
    Abstract: A fiber mat of improved tensile strength and a process of making same is disclosed. The fiber mat comprises: fibers; a resinous fiber binder; and a binder modifier comprising a dibasic unsaturated acid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: William Bittle, Betty Roberts, Charles Ford, Emily Tenney
  • Publication number: 20070014428
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for digital watermarking of multimedia signals. The input multimedia signal is represented using an inverse difference pyramid decomposition. Spectrum coefficients may be calculated for each level of the pyramid using a new kind of complex Hadamard transform, the matrix of which is distinguished from the known ones by the fact that only one-fourth of its coefficients are complex numbers. The phases of a previously selected part of the low-frequency coefficients are modified with the watermark data, limiting the angles of the phase changes in a gap of several degrees only. After an inverse complex Hadamard Transform, the values of the coefficients from all pyramid levels are summed up and the result is the watermarked signal. The watermark can contain multiple independent levels for each level of the pyramid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2005
    Publication date: January 18, 2007
    Inventors: Roumen Kountchev, Vladimir Todorov, Roumiana Kountcheva, Mariofanna Milanova, Charles Ford
  • Patent number: 4339078
    Abstract: An inert solvent containing a coating material to be reacted is mixed with a liquid activator which is fed through an orifice into contact with the coating material and then into a mixing chamber. The mixing chamber is provided with special agitating means for obtaining effective mixing of the coating material with the activator. This activating means may comprise a chain held in place within the mixing chamber with washers at either end of the chamber. The mixed coating material and activator is then fed through a conduit into an applicating gun which applies the coating on a container or transportation vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1982
    Assignee: ACF Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Charles Ford, Arthur Gill, Jr., John W. Smith, Louis L. Freeman, Jr