Patents by Inventor Christopher Frank

Christopher Frank 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: 11968271
    Abstract: Systems and methods for sender profile and/or recipient profile disambiguation and/or confirmation are disclosed. In instances where a sender profile is not indicated by a user sending a communication from a communal device, heuristic data may be utilized to infer the sender profile. Similar heuristic data may also be used when selection of the sender profile is associated with a low confidence level. Heuristic data may also be used to infer the recipient profile when the user does not indicate the recipient profile or when selection of the recipient profile is associated with a low confidence. Various confirmations may result from the sender and recipient profile disambiguation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christo Frank Devaraj, Christopher Geiger Parker, Sumedha Arvind Kshirsagar, James Alexander Stanton, Aaron Takayanagi Barnet, Venkatesh Kancharla, Gregory Michael Hart
  • Publication number: 20240129055
    Abstract: System and method for optimizing optical power management along one or more optical channels of an optical communication network (OCN), the OCN comprising a plurality of optical channels. The method comprises accessing a digital twin (DT) of the OCN, receiving a desired optimization instruction to optimize the one or more optical channels in view of at least one operational parameter, executing an optical power optimization module on the DT by simulating application of at least one network configuration of the at least one optical channel, each network configuration having a corresponding predicted optimized level indicative of expected performances of the at least one optical channel of the OCN for the corresponding network configuration. In response to the predicted optimization level of a given network configuration satisfying a criterion, the network configuration is identified as a target network configuration and applied on the OCN.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Yuren YOU, Mahdi HEMMATI, Christopher Frank JANZ
  • Patent number: 11950799
    Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to systems and methods for intravascular lesion disruption. In an embodiment, a catheter system for imparting pressure to induce fractures upon a vascular lesion within or adjacent a blood vessel wall is included. The system includes a catheter configured to advance to a vascular lesion, the catheter including an elongate shaft that defines at least a first orifice for fluid flow; a balloon, coupled to the elongate shaft, that surrounds the first orifice where the balloon can expand from a collapsed configuration suitable for advancing the catheter through a patient's vasculature to a first expanded configuration suitable for anchoring the catheter in position relative to a treatment site; and a propulsion system configured to propel a fluid from the first orifice toward the balloon wall to create an inertial impulse in a vessel wall to transfer momentum to the vascular lesion. Other embodiments are also included herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Frank Massimini, Roger W. McGowan, Christopher Smuk, Binh C. Tran
  • Patent number: 11940283
    Abstract: A method for matching a vehicle with a user including receiving a user ride request for a vehicle from a plurality of available vehicles from a user, receiving a threshold vehicle risk score preference for the user, receiving a user risk score for the user, receiving a threshold user risk score preference for the plurality of available vehicles, identifying a subset of the plurality of available vehicles having a vehicle risk score at or below the threshold vehicle risk score preference of the user and a threshold user risk score preference at or above the user risk score of the user, and presenting the user with ride options for selecting one of the subset of the plurality of available vehicles of the subset of available vehicles for the user ride request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger A. Kyle, Christopher Risberg, Nikhil Rajendra, Timothy Wang, Jordan Frank, Jiju Thomas, Daniel C. Bracken, Joshua Batie, Michael D. Dorazio, Randy Kaushek
  • Publication number: 20240081847
    Abstract: A photoacoustic catheter adapted for placement within a blood vessel having a vessel wall includes an elongate shaft, a balloon and a photoacoustic transducer. The elongate shaft can extend from a proximal region to a distal region. The elongate shaft can include a light guide that is configured to be placed in optical communication with a light source. The balloon is coupled to the elongate shaft, and can be configured to expand from a collapsed configuration suitable for advancing the photoacoustic catheter through a patient's vasculature to a first expanded configuration suitable for anchoring the photoacoustic catheter in position relative to a treatment site. The photoacoustic transducer can be disposed on a surface of the balloon and in optical communication with the light guide. The photoacoustic transducer can include a light-absorbing material and a thermal expansion material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger W. McGowan, Daniel Frank Massimini, Haiping Shao, Christopher Smuk
  • Publication number: 20240076262
    Abstract: A method for recovering a composition enriched in 3-hydroxypropionic acid from a fermentation broth comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or salts thereof comprises the steps of: (a) providing the fermentation broth having a pH of from about 2 to about 8 comprising: 3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or salts thereof, (b) acidifying the fermentation broth; (c) reducing the total sulfate ion and phosphate ion (d) distilling the resulting reduced ion aqueous solution and (e) recovering the product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Applicant: CARGILL, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Timothy Walter Abraham, Erik ALLEN, John J. HAHN, Paraskevas TSOBANAKIS, Eric Christopher BOHNERT, Christopher Lawrence FRANK
  • Patent number: 11922504
    Abstract: An asset management system is disclosed where a plurality of financial databases may connect with and be in communication with an asset management tool. The asset management tool is able to create an individual spending plan (scheduled distributions) and matching fixed income investment portfolio for a user based on inputted parameters with automatic distributions from the portfolio consistent with the individual spending plan occurring with a high degree of certainty. The asset management tool may communicate with the plurality of financial databases to put the individual spending plan and matching portfolio into action and is able to calculate and communicate an optimized surplus investment as a means of self-insuring so that the predefined schedule of distributions is met with the effective certainty one would expect from an insured/guaranteed income product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NISA Investment Advisors, LLC
    Inventors: William Patrick Marshall, Christopher Eric Goebel, Nicholas Frank Cangiani
  • Publication number: 20240070888
    Abstract: A system is provided for automatic identification and annotation of objects in a point cloud in real time. The system can automatically annotate a point cloud that identifies coordinates of objects in three-dimensional space while data is being collected for the point cloud. The system can train models of physical objects based on training data, and apply the models to point clouds that are generated by various point cloud generating devices to annotate the points in the point clouds with object identifiers. The solution of automatically annotated point cloud can be used for various applications, such as blueprints, map navigation, and determination of robotic movement in a warehouse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Alexander Ming Zhang
  • Publication number: 20230373722
    Abstract: A layer pick system optimizes usage of a layer picker gantry or robotic arm by arranging and/or displacing the gantry or arm in optimal locations with respect to one or more groups of pallets, and/or by grouping pallets by their attributes and arranging the same group of pallets close to each other. In some implementations, a plurality of pallets is categorized into multiple groups by different velocities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Daniël Walet, Elliott Gerard Wolf, Frank Baijens, Sudarsan Thattai
  • Patent number: 11807455
    Abstract: This document generally describes warehousing systems that can, in certain instances, improve the efficiency of warehousing operations and improve utilization of available space in a warehousing facility. The warehousing system may be implemented in an automated warehouse, such as an automated cold-storage facility, that uses programmable equipment to automate tasks associated with warehousing operations, such as transporting inbound storage items to specified storage positions of storage racks in the warehouse and removing outbound storage items from storage so that they may be loaded onto trucks for delivery away from the warehouse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Lineage Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: Elliott Gerard Wolf, Christopher Frank Eckman, Brian Gutschow
  • Publication number: 20230343031
    Abstract: This specification describes systems and methods for refining point cloud data. Methods can include receiving point cloud data for a physical space, iteratively selecting points along an x, y, and z dimension, clustering the selected points into 2D histograms, determining a slope value for each 2D histogram, and removing, based on the slope value exceeding a predetermined value, points from the point cloud data. Methods can also include iteratively voxelizing each 2D histogram into predetermined mesh sizes, summating points in each voxelized 2D histogram, removing, based on determining the summation is below a predetermined sum value, points from the point cloud data, keeping, based on determining that a number of points in each voxelized 2D histogram exceeds a threshold value, a center point, selecting, for each histogram, a point, identifying, nearest neighbors in the point cloud data, removing the identified nearest neighbors from the data, and returning remaining points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Brady Michael Lowe, Alexander Hall
  • Publication number: 20230333454
    Abstract: In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in an anti-fogging apparatus for a camera assembly. The anti-fogging apparatus includes a camera affixed to a substrate, and a thermally conductive plate, the thermally conductive plate positioned in front of the substrate and defining a first aperture aligned with a lens of the camera. The anti-fogging apparatus includes a transparent plate positioned in front of the thermally conductive plate such that the transparent plate covers said first aperture. The anti-fogging apparatus includes an insulating element positioned in front of the transparent plate and defining a second aperture aligned with the first aperture. The anti-fogging apparatus includes a heating element affixed to the thermally conductive plate. The anti-fogging apparatus includes a case enclosing the camera, the thermally conductive plate, the transparent plate, the insulating element, and the heating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventor: Christopher Frank Eckman
  • Publication number: 20230331486
    Abstract: An automated warehouse system can include automated pallet movers, a physical space in which the automated pallet movers operate, and a control system to provide commands to each of the automated pallet movers for operating in the physical space. The commands can include a pallet transportation command including a pallet identifier of a pallet to be transported by the automated pallet mover in the physical space, and a destination location to which the pallet is to be transported by the automated pallet mover. The commands can also include a control algorithm command that specifies a control algorithm for moving through the physical space. The automated pallet mover can be configured to transport the pallet to the destination location according to a route resulting from performance of the control algorithm, while other automated pallet movers concurrently transport other pallets to other destination locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Daniël Walet, Frank Baijens
  • Publication number: 20230334778
    Abstract: This specification describes systems and methods for generating a mapping of a physical space from point cloud data for the physical space. The methods can include receiving the point cloud data for the physical space, filtering the point cloud data to, at least, remove sparse points from the point cloud data, aligning the point cloud data along x, y, and z dimensions that correspond to an orientation of the physical space, and classifying the points in the point cloud data as corresponding to one or more types of physical surfaces. The methods can also include identifying specific physical structures in the physical space based, at least in part, on classifications for the points in the point cloud data, and generating the mapping of the physical space to identify the specific physical structures and corresponding contours for the specific physical structures within the orientation of the physical space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Brady Michael Lowe
  • Patent number: 11790546
    Abstract: A system is provided for automatic identification and annotation of objects in a point cloud in real time. The system can automatically annotate a point cloud that identifies coordinates of objects in three-dimensional space while data is being collected for the point cloud. The system can train models of physical objects based on training data, and apply the models to point clouds that are generated by various point cloud generating devices to annotate the points in the point clouds with object identifiers. The solution of automatically annotated point cloud can be used for various applications, such as blueprints, map navigation, and determination of robotic movement in a warehouse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Lineage Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Alexander Ming Zhang
  • Patent number: 11781914
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a focal plane array, readout electronics, and a computing system in which the number of active pixels is either set at a low-fraction of the total pixels thereby reducing the effect of radiation damage, or radiation damage over time is detected and automatically compensated. Machine learning is used to identify radiation damaged pixels and damaged regions which are subsequently eliminated and replaced by the computational system. The machine learning is used to identify changes in the fixed pattern signal/noise and/or noise of the system, and is then computationally corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Sivananthan Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Nigel Browning, Christopher Frank Buurma
  • Patent number: 11767168
    Abstract: A layer pick system optimizes usage of a layer picker gantry or robotic arm by arranging and/or displacing the gantry or arm in optimal locations with respect to one or more groups of pallets, and/or by grouping pallets by their attributes and arranging the same group of pallets close to each other. In some implementations, a plurality of pallets is categorized into multiple groups by different velocities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Lineage Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Daniél Walet, Elliott Gerard Wolf, Frank Baijens, Sudarsan Thattai
  • Patent number: 11734884
    Abstract: This specification describes systems and methods for refining point cloud data. Methods can include receiving point cloud data for a physical space, iteratively selecting points along an x, y, and z dimension, clustering the selected points into 2D histograms, determining a slope value for each 2D histogram, and removing, based on the slope value exceeding a predetermined value, points from the point cloud data. Methods can also include iteratively voxelizing each 2D histogram into predetermined mesh sizes, summating points in each voxelized 2D histogram, removing, based on determining the summation is below a predetermined sum value, points from the point cloud data, keeping, based on determining that a number of points in each voxelized 2D histogram exceeds a threshold value, a center point, selecting, for each histogram, a point, identifying, nearest neighbors in the point cloud data, removing the identified nearest neighbors from the data, and returning remaining points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Lineage Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Brady Michael Lowe, Alexander Hall
  • Patent number: 11734883
    Abstract: This specification describes systems and methods for generating a mapping of a physical space from point cloud data for the physical space. The methods can include receiving the point cloud data for the physical space, filtering the point cloud data to, at least, remove sparse points from the point cloud data, aligning the point cloud data along x, y, and z dimensions that correspond to an orientation of the physical space, and classifying the points in the point cloud data as corresponding to one or more types of physical surfaces. The methods can also include identifying specific physical structures in the physical space based, at least in part, on classifications for the points in the point cloud data, and generating the mapping of the physical space to identify the specific physical structures and corresponding contours for the specific physical structures within the orientation of the physical space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Lineage Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Brady Michael Lowe
  • Patent number: 11724882
    Abstract: An automated warehouse system can include automated pallet movers, a physical space in which the automated pallet movers operate, and a control system to provide commands to each of the automated pallet movers for operating in the physical space. The commands can include a pallet transportation command including a pallet identifier of a pallet to be transported by the automated pallet mover in the physical space, and a destination location to which the pallet is to be transported by the automated pallet mover. The commands can also include a control algorithm command that specifies a control algorithm for moving through the physical space. The automated pallet mover can be configured to transport the pallet to the destination location according to a route resulting from performance of the control algorithm, while other automated pallet movers concurrently transport other pallets to other destination locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Lineage Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Frank Eckman, Daniel Walet, Frank Baijens