Patents by Inventor Craig A. Bixler

Craig A. Bixler 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: 10167968
    Abstract: A check valve according to some embodiments of the disclosure includes a body forming a cavity and which defines an entrance opening, a wall extending from the body at an end opposite to the entrance opening, and rare-earth magnets attached to the wall. The body and wall are formed of a flexible and resilient material. The wall includes elongated wall portions joined together by end portions and a passageway extending from the cavity to a slit at the end of the wall. Interior surfaces of the wall portions abut against each other in an at rest condition, and the interior surfaces of the wall portions are separated from each other in a flow permitting condition such that the passageway is opened. The attractive force generated by the magnets cause the wall portions to move to the at rest condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Inventor: Craig A. Bixler
  • Patent number: 7997934
    Abstract: A differential pair connector has a housing floor, an array of differential pairs passing through the housing floor, and a conductive grid integrated into the housing floor for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The conductive grid can have various structures, such as conductive inserts, plated regions and/or a conductive housing floor surrounding non-conductive inserts protecting the differential pins. Although any suitable means can be used to fasten the conductive grid into the housing floor, the grid is preferably press fitted into the top of the housing floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig A. Bixler, John C. Laurx, Neil A. Martin
  • Publication number: 20100330840
    Abstract: A differential pair connector has a housing floor, an array of differential pairs passing through the housing floor, and a conductive grid integrated into the housing floor for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The conductive grid can have various structures, such as conductive inserts, plated regions and/or a conductive housing floor surrounding non-conductive inserts protecting the differential pins. Although any suitable means can be used to fasten the conductive grid into the housing floor, the grid is preferably press fitted into the top of the housing floor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig A. Bixler, John C. Laurx, Neil A. Martin
  • Patent number: 7811134
    Abstract: A differential pair connector has a housing floor, an array of differential pairs passing through the housing floor, and a conductive grid integrated into the housing floor for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The conductive grid can have various structures, such as conductive inserts, plated regions and/or a conductive housing floor surrounding non-conductive inserts protecting the differential pins. Although any suitable means can be used to fasten the conductive grid into the housing floor, the grid is preferably press fitted into the top of the housing floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig A. Bixler, John C. Laurx, Neil A. Martin
  • Patent number: 7722400
    Abstract: A differential pair connector includes a housing having receptacles for receiving differential pair conductors and electrically conductive shielding tabs extending away from the housing between the receptacles for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The tabs insert into a mated connector when an interconnect is formed. By inserting into the second connector, the shield tabs extend a larger ground plane around each differential pair, thus significantly reducing crosstalk within the connector. The connector can be a high density GbX® style daughter card connector mated to a GbX® style backplane connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig A. Bixler, John C. Laurx, Neil A. Martin, Tom Carlson
  • Patent number: 7632149
    Abstract: A differential pair connector has a housing floor, an array of differential pairs passing through the housing floor, and a conductive grid integrated into the housing floor for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The conductive grid can have various structures, such as conductive inserts, plated regions and/or a conductive housing floor surrounding non-conductive inserts protecting the differential pins. Although any suitable means can be used to fasten the conductive grid into the housing floor, the grid is preferably press fitted into the top of the housing floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig A. Bixler, John C. Laurx, Neil A. Martin
  • Publication number: 20090291592
    Abstract: A differential pair connector has a housing floor, an array of differential pairs passing through the housing floor, and a conductive grid integrated into the housing floor for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The conductive grid can have various structures, such as conductive inserts, plated regions and/or a conductive housing floor surrounding non-conductive inserts protecting the differential pins. Although any suitable means can be used to fasten the conductive grid into the housing floor, the grid is preferably press fitted into the top of the housing floor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: MOLEX INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Craig A. Bixler, John C. Laurx, Neil A. Martin
  • Publication number: 20080096433
    Abstract: A differential pair connector includes a housing having receptacles for receiving differential pair conductors and electrically conductive shielding tabs extending away from the housing between the receptacles for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The tabs insert into a mated connector when an interconnect is formed. By inserting into the second connector, the shield tabs extend a larger ground plane around each differential pair, thus significantly reducing crosstalk within the connector. The connector can be a high density GbX® style daughter card connector mated to a GbX® style backplane connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Applicant: MOLEX INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, John Laurx, Neil Martin, Tom Carlson
  • Publication number: 20080096424
    Abstract: A differential pair connector has a housing floor, an array of differential pairs passing through the housing floor, and a conductive grid integrated into the housing floor for reducing crosstalk between the differential pairs. The conductive grid can have various structures, such as conductive inserts, plated regions and/or a conductive housing floor surrounding non-conductive inserts protecting the differential pins. Although any suitable means can be used to fasten the conductive grid into the housing floor, the grid is preferably press fitted into the top of the housing floor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, John Laurx, Neil Martin
  • Patent number: 7333002
    Abstract: By combining the information acquired from a location system that is tracking equipment and/or personnel within a hospital environment, automatic assignment of the “re-located” patient monitoring equipment can be made in concert with a nurse call system. By utilizing time-based elimination criteria, monitoring equipment that is coupled to generic port can be automatically processed for port priorities, and equipment assignment changes. An event subscription manager with location bridges and nurse call bridges facilitate the automatic association of the patient monitoring equipment to the respective nurse call system and intended information therein. By use of the automatic association paradigms, manual alarm and assignment tasks can be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: GE Security, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Scott Hutchinson, Brent Bergwall
  • Patent number: 7322856
    Abstract: A high speed connector includes a plurality of wafer-style components in which two columns of conductive terminals are supported in an insulative support body, the body including an internal cavity disposed between the two columns of conductive terminals. The terminals are arranged in horizontal pairs, and the internal cavity defines an air channel between each horizontal pair of terminals arranged in the two columns of terminals. The terminals are further aligned with each other in each row so that horizontal faces of the terminals in the two rows face each other to thereby promote broadside coupling between horizontal pairs of terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: John C. Laurx, Craig A. Bixler, Kent E. Regnier, David E. Dunham, Brian P. O'Malley
  • Patent number: 7292135
    Abstract: A system for automatically integrating various patient monitoring equipment into a nurse call system is implemented by incorporating a software system agent that translates communications in the patient monitoring equipment communication channel to a software system readable format. By translating the patient monitoring system's communications, a software system or computer can interpret the communications and act accordingly by signaling staff members, doctors, etc., in a manner that was not feasible by the hardware of the patient monitoring system. By interpreting the communications and having a nurse call system translation feature in the software system agent, nurse call systems can be “coupled” to the patient monitoring system to enable a synergy between systems that were here thereto incompatible or had limited functional capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Edwards Systems Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Scott Hutchinson, Brent Bergwall
  • Publication number: 20070021002
    Abstract: A high speed connector includes a plurality of wafer-style components in which two columns of conductive terminals are supported in an insulative support body, the body including an internal cavity disposed between the two columns of conductive terminals. The terminals are arranged in horizontal pairs, and the internal cavity defines an air channel between each horizontal pair of terminals arranged in the two columns of terminals. The terminals are further aligned with each other in each row so that horizontal faces of the terminals in the two rows face each other to thereby promote broadside coupling between horizontal pairs of terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Inventors: John Laurx, Craig Bixler, Kent Regnier, David Dunham, Brian O'Malley
  • Publication number: 20060267740
    Abstract: By combining the information acquired from a location system that is tracking equipment and/or personnel within a hospital environment, automatic assignment of the “re-located” patient monitoring equipment can be made in concert with a nurse call system. By utilizing time-based elimination criteria, monitoring equipment that is coupled to generic port can be automatically processed for port priorities, and equipment assignment changes. An event subscription manager with location bridges and nurse call bridges facilitate the automatic association of the patient monitoring equipment to the respective nurse call system and intended information therein. By use of the automatic association paradigms, manual alarm and assignment tasks can be minimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Publication date: November 30, 2006
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Scott Hutchinson, Brent Bergwall
  • Publication number: 20060214786
    Abstract: A system for automatically integrating various patient monitoring equipment into a nurse call system is implemented by incorporating a software system agent that translates communications in the patient monitoring equipment communication channel to a software system readable format. By translating the patient monitoring system's communications, a software system or computer can interpret the communications and act accordingly by signaling staff members, doctors, etc., in a manner that was not feasible by the hardware of the patient monitoring system. By interpreting the communications and having a nurse call system translation feature in the software system agent, nurse call systems can be “coupled” to the patient monitoring system to enable a synergy between systems that were here thereto incompatible or had limited functional capabilities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2005
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Scott Hutchinson, Brent Bergwall
  • Publication number: 20060111939
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for receiving data, organizing the data, and constructing hospital staff assignments based on the data. Where hospital staff assignments are instructions that designate which hospital staff members are responsible for which hospital beds. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a data source, a managing device, a messaging device, and a network linking the aforementioned devices. In operation, the data source updates the managing device when data is newly added or modified, and the managing device organizes and provides relevant data to an assignment device. Based on the relevant data, the assignment device constructs efficient staff assignments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Mohmet Unluturk
  • Publication number: 20060109278
    Abstract: Techniques for locating an array of melded colors onto a software application's component window in order to create three-dimensional and multicolor graphics within the component window. The techniques include decoding a first and second color into their respective individual color components, performing a transition operation on the foregoing color components to determine transition colors, dividing a portion of the component window into subcomponents, and locating the transition colors into the subcomponents and, thereby, create three-dimensional and multicolor graphics within the component window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Ping Li, David Brown
  • Publication number: 20060112187
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for receiving relevant data, presenting the relevant data to users, and enabling users to construct and route an outgoing message. Using this apparatus and method, hospitals can provide efficient and personalized service by viewing up-to-date information about each admitted patient and, if necessary, routing relevant portions of the information, via a text message, to those responsible for patient care.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Inventors: Mehmet Unluturk, Craig Bixler, Ping Li
  • Publication number: 20060082589
    Abstract: Techniques for superimposing highlights and shadows onto a background in order to simulate a brush texture graphical style within a software application's component window. The techniques include decoding a user-selected base-color into its individual color components, performing a contrast operation on the individual color components to determine highlight and shadow colors, and superimposing the highlight and shadow colors onto the user selected background.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2004
    Publication date: April 20, 2006
    Inventors: Craig Bixler, Ping Li, David Brown
  • Publication number: 20060075360
    Abstract: Dynamic Highlight Prompting provides graphical interface screens that have moderate complexity, and that selectively highlight the most likely selections at each step in multistep processes. Dynamic Highlight Prompting allows a novice or occasional user to follow an understandable sequence, while allowing a proficient user to choose valid, non-highlighted selections to bypass inefficient operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Inventor: Craig Bixler