Patents by Inventor Christopher J. Robson
Christopher J. Robson 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: 10151404Abstract: A flow control valve and a valve-position monitoring and control system coupled to the valve member and configured to precisely determine valve conditions related to the rotary position of the valve member. The system has an array of spaced apart transducers in an arcuate arrangement and in a fixed, non-moveable position relative to the valve's housing. A magnetic-field source is fixed to and rotates with the valve member as a unit. The magnetic-field source includes magnetic members adjacent to and out of physical engagement with the transducers. The magnetic member moves along an arcuate path parallel to the arcuate arrangement of the transducers as the valve member rotates through the plurality of rotary positions. The magnetic-field source provides magnetic flux detectable by at least a plurality of the transducers to precisely determine the rotational position of the magnetic-field source and/or the valve member, and the fluid flow rate through the control valve.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2016Date of Patent: December 11, 2018Assignee: Flow Control Industries, Inc.Inventor: Christopher J. Robson
-
Publication number: 20160334030Abstract: A flow control valve and a valve-position monitoring and control system coupled to the valve member and configured to precisely determine valve conditions related to the rotary position of the valve member. The system has an array of spaced apart transducers in an arcuate arrangement and in a fixed, non-moveable position relative to the valve's housing. A magnetic-field source is fixed to and rotates with the valve member as a unit. The magnetic-field source includes magnetic members adjacent to and out of physical engagement with the transducers. The magnetic member moves along an arcuate path parallel to the arcuate arrangement of the transducers as the valve member rotates through the plurality of rotary positions. The magnetic-field source provides magnetic flux detectable by at least a plurality of the transducers to precisely determine the rotational position of the magnetic-field source and/or the valve member, and the fluid flow rate through the control valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2016Publication date: November 17, 2016Inventor: Christopher J. Robson
-
Patent number: 9341282Abstract: A flow control valve and a valve-position monitoring and control system coupled to the valve member and configured to precisely determine valve conditions related to the rotary position of the valve member. The system has an array of spaced apart transducers in an arcuate arrangement and in a fixed, non-moveable position relative to the valve's housing. A magnetic-field source is fixed to and rotates with the valve member as a unit. The magnetic-field source includes magnetic members adjacent to and out of physical engagement with the transducers. The magnetic member moves along an arcuate path parallel to the arcuate arrangement of the transducers as the valve member rotates through the plurality of rotary positions. The magnetic-field source provides magnetic flux detectable by at least a plurality of the transducers to precisely determine the rotational position of the magnetic-field source and/or the valve member, and the fluid flow rate through the control valve.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2013Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Flow Control Industries, Inc.Inventor: Christopher J. Robson
-
Patent number: 9110474Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods related to a constant-flow control valve and BTU meter assembly that has a pressure independent, constant-flow control valve assembly connectable to the fluid-based heating or cooling system. A valve stem is connected to a valve member and is rotatable as a unit relative to a valve body to change the position of valve member to change a fluid flow rate through the valve. The valve member's position relative to the fluid path is directly related to the fluid flow rate. Pressure sensors measure the pressure of fluid entering and exiting the valve body. A BTU meter assembly is connected to the valve stem, which is rotatable relative to the BTU meter assembly. A position sensor of the BTU meter assembly detects a rotational position of the valve stem relative to the BTU body.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2014Date of Patent: August 18, 2015Assignee: Flow Control Industries, Inc.Inventors: Paul K. Skoglund, Art Smith, Ben Trueblood, Christopher J. Robson, Mark W. Kirchner
-
Publication number: 20150053283Abstract: A flow control valve and a valve-position monitoring and control system coupled to the valve member and configured to precisely determine valve conditions related to the rotary position of the valve member. The system has an array of spaced apart transducers in an arcuate arrangement and in a fixed, non-moveable position relative to the valve's housing. A magnetic-field source is fixed to and rotates with the valve member as a unit. The magnetic-field source includes magnetic members adjacent to and out of physical engagement with the transducers. The magnetic member moves along an arcuate path parallel to the arcuate arrangement of the transducers as the valve member rotates through the plurality of rotary positions. The magnetic-field source provides magnetic flux detectable by at least a plurality of the transducers to precisely determine the rotational position of the magnetic-field source and/or the valve member, and the fluid flow rate through the control valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2013Publication date: February 26, 2015Applicant: Flow Control Industries, Inc.Inventor: Christopher J. Robson
-
Publication number: 20140371926Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods related to a constant-flow control valve and BTU meter assembly that has a pressure independent, constant-flow control valve assembly connectable to the fluid-based heating or cooling system. A valve stem is connected to a valve member and is rotatable as a unit relative to a valve body to change the position of valve member to change a fluid flow rate through the valve. The valve member's position relative to the fluid path is directly related to the fluid flow rate. Pressure sensors measure the pressure of fluid entering and exiting the valve body. A BTU meter assembly is connected to the valve stem, which is rotatable relative to the BTU meter assembly. A position sensor of the BTU meter assembly detects a rotational position of the valve stem relative to the BTU body.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2014Publication date: December 18, 2014Inventors: Paul K. Skoglund, Art Smith, Ben Trueblood, Christopher J. Robson, Mark W. Kirchner
-
Patent number: 5638450Abstract: A two way communications path is established between a pager device and a paging service provider. The pager device generates a control command for the paging service provider, converts the control command into signals recognizable by a telephone network, and transmits the signals to the paging service provider over the telephone network. The paging service provider receives the signals from the pager device over the telephone network, generates one or more messages for the pager device in response to these signals, and sends the message(s) to the pager device over a wireless paging network. The pager device receives the message(s) over the wireless paging network.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 1996Date of Patent: June 10, 1997Assignee: Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventor: Christopher J. Robson
-
Patent number: 5583949Abstract: Optical character recognition is achieved by a system which comprises a scanner for scanning a document, an edge extractor for identifying edges in the image produced by the scanner to produce an outline of each object identified in the image, a segmentation facility for grouping the object outlines into blocks, means for identifying features of the outlines, and a final classification stage for providing data in an appropriate format representative of the characters in the image. Also disclosed are a novel edge extractor, a novel page segmentation facility and a novel feature extraction facility.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 1995Date of Patent: December 10, 1996Assignee: Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventors: Raymond W. Smith, Christopher J. Robson
-
Patent number: 5511160Abstract: An information retrieval device displays portions of a document requested by a user. The information retrieval device has a controller connected to a display screen, input selector switches, such as buttons, and non-volatile memory, such as a removable ROM. One or more documents, such as a book or magazine, is stored in the non-volatile memory. When the device is turned on, a first portion of a document is displayed on a display screen. When the user wants to see a different portion of the document, or a different document altogether, she presses one of the buttons. Upon detection that a button was enabled, an action is performed that changes the display on the display screen. The action performs can vary in complexity: it may simply cause the next page of the document to be displayed, or may execute a nested hypertext link to cause related information contained in the same or a different document to update only a portion of the display screen.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1993Date of Patent: April 23, 1996Assignee: Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventor: Christopher J. Robson
-
Patent number: 5491785Abstract: An information retrieval device displays portions of a dynamically modifiable document requested by a user. The information retrieval device has a controller connected to a display screen, input selector switches, such as buttons, and memory, such as non-volatile flash memory. One or more documents, such as a newspaper or magazine, is stored in the memory. A receiver, such as a pager, modem, or FM radio receiver, is connected to and dynamically updates the memory. When the device is turned on, a first portion of a document is displayed on a display screen. When the user wants to see a different portion of the document, or a different document altogether, she presses one of the buttons. Upon detection that a button was enabled, an action is performed that changes the display on the display screen.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1993Date of Patent: February 13, 1996Assignee: Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventors: Christopher J. Robson, Gregory J. May