Patents by Inventor David A. Eckhardt
David A. Eckhardt 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).
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Publication number: 20240053018Abstract: Pellet grills including a control system that implements, manages, and/or controls various ignition-based protocols are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a cooking chamber, a burn pot, an ignitor, and a controller. The ignitor extends into the burn pot and is configured to ignite pellet fuel located within the burn pot. The controller is configured to detect a temperature pattern of the cooking chamber corresponding to a flame out condition of the burn pot. The controller is further configured, in response to detecting the temperature pattern, to command the ignitor to activate during a first duration. The controller is further configured to determine, following expiration of the first duration, whether a temperature of the cooking chamber increased during the first duration. The controller is further configured, in response to determining that the temperature has not increased during the first duration, to command the ignitor to activate during a second duration.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2023Publication date: February 15, 2024Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, Laasya P. Vadlamani
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Patent number: 11885499Abstract: Pellet grills including a control system that implements, manages, and/or controls various ignition-based protocols and/or processes are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a cooking chamber, a burn pot, an ignitor, and a controller. The ignitor extends into the burn pot and is configured to ignite pellet fuel located within the burn pot. The controller is configured to command the ignitor to activate during a first duration. The controller is further configured to determine, following expiration of the first duration, whether a temperature of the cooking chamber has reached a threshold temperature. The controller is further configured, in response to determining that the temperature has not reached the threshold temperature, to command the ignitor to activate during a second duration.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2023Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: Weber-Stephen Products LLCInventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, Laasya P. Vadlamani
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Publication number: 20230204216Abstract: Pellet grills including a control system that implements, manages, and/or controls various ignition-based protocols and/or processes are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a cooking chamber, a burn pot, an ignitor, and a controller. The ignitor extends into the burn pot and is configured to ignite pellet fuel located within the burn pot. The controller is configured to command the ignitor to activate during a first duration. The controller is further configured to determine, following expiration of the first duration, whether a temperature of the cooking chamber has reached a threshold temperature. The controller is further configured, in response to determining that the temperature has not reached the threshold temperature, to command the ignitor to activate during a second duration.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2023Publication date: June 29, 2023Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, Laasya P. Vadlamani
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Patent number: 11624505Abstract: Pellet grills including a control system that implements, manages, and/or controls various ignition-based protocols and/or processes are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a cooking chamber, a burn pot, an ignitor, and a controller. The ignitor extends into the burn pot and is configured to ignite pellet fuel located within the burn pot. The controller is configured to command the ignitor to activate during a first duration. The controller is further configured to determine, following expiration of the first duration, whether a temperature of the cooking chamber has reached a threshold temperature. The controller is further configured, in response to determining that the temperature has not reached the threshold temperature, to command the ignitor to activate during a second duration.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2020Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS LLCInventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, Laasya P. Vadlamani
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Patent number: 11371712Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a burn pot configured to combust pellet fuel received within the burn pot. The pellet grill further includes an auger configured to deliver the pellet fuel to the burn pot. The pellet grill further includes an auger motor operatively coupled to the auger. The pellet grill further includes one or more processors configured to determine whether a shutdown sequence of the pellet grill has been initiated. The one or more processors are further configured, in response to determining that the shutdown sequence has been initiated, to command the auger motor to reverse a direction of rotation of the auger. The reversal is to cause pellet fuel which the auger has not yet delivered to the burn pot to be purged in a direction away from the burn pot.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Assignee: WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS LLCInventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Patent number: 11359817Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a one or more processors configured to detect an improper shutdown of a control system of the pellet grill. The one or more processors are further configured to generate a notification in response to the control system regaining power following detection of the improper shutdown, the notification indicating that the control system was improperly shutdown. The one or more processors are further configured to cause the notification to be presented at a user interface of the pellet grill.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignee: WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS LLCInventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Patent number: 11248799Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a main body defining a cooking chamber. The example pellet grill further includes a burn pot located within the main body. The burn pot includes an upper end, a lower end located opposite the upper end, and a sidewall extending between the upper end and the lower end. The sidewall has an opening. The example pellet grill further includes an ignitor extending into the burn pot through the opening of the sidewall. The example pellet grill further includes an ignitor carrier removably coupled to the ignitor. The ignitor carrier extends away from the burn pot and is accessible from outside the main body.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS LLCInventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, David A. Larson
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Patent number: 11248801Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes an ignitor configured to be activated. The ignitor has a duty cycle associated with a number of activations of the ignitor. The example pellet grill further includes one or more processors configured to determine whether the duty cycle has violated a threshold. The one or more processors are further configured, in response to determining that the duty cycle has violated the threshold, to generate a notification indicating that the threshold has been violated. The one or more processors are further configured to cause the notification to be presented at a user interface of the pellet grill.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS LLCInventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Publication number: 20210293413Abstract: Pellet grills including a control system that implements, manages, and/or controls various ignition-based protocols and/or processes are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a cooking chamber, a burn pot, an ignitor, and a controller. The ignitor extends into the burn pot and is configured to ignite pellet fuel located within the burn pot. The controller is configured to command the ignitor to activate during a first duration. The controller is further configured to determine, following expiration of the first duration, whether a temperature of the cooking chamber has reached a threshold temperature. The controller is further configured, in response to determining that the temperature has not reached the threshold temperature, to command the ignitor to activate during a second duration.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2020Publication date: September 23, 2021Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, Laasya P. Vadlamani
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Publication number: 20200237153Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a burn pot configured to combust pellet fuel received within the burn pot. The pellet grill further includes an auger configured to deliver the pellet fuel to the burn pot. The pellet grill further includes an auger motor operatively coupled to the auger. The pellet grill further includes one or more processors configured to determine whether a shutdown sequence of the pellet grill has been initiated. The one or more processors are further configured, in response to determining that the shutdown sequence has been initiated, to command the auger motor to reverse a direction of rotation of the auger. The reversal is to cause pellet fuel which the auger has not yet delivered to the burn pot to be purged in a direction away from the burn pot.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Publication number: 20200237150Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes an ignitor configured to be activated. The ignitor has a duty cycle associated with a number of activations of the ignitor. The example pellet grill further includes one or more processors configured to determine whether the duty cycle has violated a threshold. The one or more processors are further configured, in response to determining that the duty cycle has violated the threshold, to generate a notification indicating that the threshold has been violated. The one or more processors are further configured to cause the notification to be presented at a user interface of the pellet grill.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Publication number: 20200237148Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes an auger and an auger motor operatively coupled to the auger. The example pellet grill further includes one or more processors configured to determine whether the auger is jammed. The one or more processors are further configured, in response to determining that the auger is jammed, to command the auger motor to modify a direction of rotation of the auger.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Publication number: 20200237149Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a main body defining a cooking chamber. The example pellet grill further includes a burn pot located within the main body. The burn pot includes an upper end, a lower end located opposite the upper end, and a sidewall extending between the upper end and the lower end. The sidewall has an opening. The example pellet grill further includes an ignitor extending into the burn pot through the opening of the sidewall. The example pellet grill further includes an ignitor carrier removably coupled to the ignitor. The ignitor carrier extends away from the burn pot and is accessible from outside the main body.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, Ethan Albrecht, David Eckhardt, David A. Larson
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Publication number: 20200237154Abstract: Pellet grills and associated methods of operation are disclosed. An example pellet grill includes a one or more processors configured to detect an improper shutdown of a control system of the pellet grill. The one or more processors are further configured to generate a notification in response to the control system regaining power following detection of the improper shutdown, the notification indicating that the control system was improperly shutdown. The one or more processors are further configured to cause the notification to be presented at a user interface of the pellet grill.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventors: Brian C. Donnelly, Ryan P. Lundberg, David Eckhardt
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Patent number: 8667001Abstract: A distributed database system has multiple compute nodes each running an instance of a database management system (DBMS) program that accesses database records in a local buffer cache. Records are persistently stored in distributed flash memory on multiple storage nodes. A Sharing Data Fabric (SDF) is a middleware layer between the DBMS programs and the storage nodes and has API functions called by the DBMS programs when a requested record is not present in the local buffer cache. The SDF fetches the requested record from flash memory and loads a copy into the local buffer cache. The SDF has threads on a home storage node that locate database records using a node map. A global cache directory locks and pins records to local buffer caches for updating by a node's DBMS program. DBMS operations are grouped into transactions that are committed or aborted together as a unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2012Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Sandisk Enterprise IP LLCInventors: Darpan Dinker, Andrew David Eckhardt, Darryl Manabu Ouye, Brian Walter O'Krafka, Earl T. Cohen, Thomas M. McWilliams
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Publication number: 20120259889Abstract: A distributed database system has multiple compute nodes each running an instance of a database management system (DBMS) program that accesses database records in a local buffer cache. Records are persistently stored in distributed flash memory on multiple storage nodes. A Sharing Data Fabric (SDF) is a middleware layer between the DBMS programs and the storage nodes and has API functions called by the DBMS programs when a requested record is not present in the local buffer cache. The SDF fetches the requested record from flash memory and loads a copy into the local buffer cache. The SDF has threads on a home storage node that locate database records using a node map. A global cache directory locks and pins records to local buffer caches for updating by a node's DBMS program. DBMS operations are grouped into transactions that are committed or aborted together as a unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2012Publication date: October 11, 2012Inventors: Darpan Dinker, Andrew David Eckhardt, Darryl Manabu Ouye, Brian Walter O'Krafka, Earl T. Cohen, Thomas M. McWilliams
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Patent number: 8229945Abstract: A distributed database system has multiple compute nodes each running an instance of a database management system (DBMS) program that accesses database records in a local buffer cache. Records are persistently stored in distributed flash memory on multiple storage nodes. A Sharing Data Fabric (SDF) is a middleware layer between the DBMS programs and the storage nodes and has API functions called by the DBMS programs when a requested record is not present in the local buffer cache. The SDF fetches the requested record from flash memory and loads a copy into the local buffer cache. The SDF has threads on a home storage node that locate database records using a node map. A global cache directory locks and pins records to local buffer caches for updating by a node's DBMS program. DBMS operations are grouped into transactions that are committed or aborted together as a unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2008Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Schooner Information Technology, Inc.Inventors: Darpan Dinker, Andrew David Eckhardt, Darryl Manabu Ouye, Brian Walter O'Krafka, Earl T. Cohen, Thomas M. McWilliams
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Publication number: 20090240664Abstract: A distributed database system has multiple compute nodes each running an instance of a database management system (DBMS) program that accesses database records in a local buffer cache. Records are persistently stored in distributed flash memory on multiple storage nodes. A Sharing Data Fabric (SDF) is a middleware layer between the DBMS programs and the storage nodes and has API functions called by the DBMS programs when a requested record is not present in the local buffer cache. The SDF fetches the requested record from flash memory and loads a copy into the local buffer cache. The SDF has threads on a home storage node that locate database records using a node map. A global cache directory locks and pins records to local buffer caches for updating by a node's DBMS program. DBMS operations are grouped into transactions that are committed or aborted together as a unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 24, 2008Publication date: September 24, 2009Applicant: Schooner Information Technology, Inc.Inventors: Darpan Dinker, Andrew David Eckhardt, Darryl Manabu Ouye, Brian Walter O'Krafka, Earl T. Cohen, Thomas M. McWilliams
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Patent number: 6158899Abstract: A solution to the problem of I/O card faults caused by spurious RF energy induced by ESD related currents in the vicinity of an aperture in a chassis is to reduce the efficiency of the radiating antenna created by the aperture and decouple any remaining spurious RF energy from any would-be receiving antenna in the I/O card. A conductive boot covers the I/O cable as it emerges from the chassis. The boot is physically attached and AC coupled (as well as probably ohmically connected) to the chassis at one end and tapers down to a small aperture at a distal end to permit egress of the I/O cable. The aperture at the distal end is considerable smaller than the aperture at the chassis, which is no longer visible to ESD induced currents anyway, since its edge has been replaced by the surface of the boot. The smaller aperture is a less efficient antenna at the frequencies of interest and it is now further removed from components that might act as receiving antennae.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 1999Date of Patent: December 12, 2000Assignee: Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventors: Ronald K Arp, Matthias A Lester, David A Eckhardt
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Patent number: 5619502Abstract: A communication subsystem is disclosed including a static scheduler and a dynamic scheduler. The static scheduler accesses a scheduling list that specifies either a virtual circuit or a dynamic scheduling indication for each cell slot on a communication link. The static scheduler selects the virtual circuit specified by the scheduling list if the scheduling list specifies the virtual circuit for the cell slot and the dynamic scheduler selects a virtual circuit from a dynamic scheduling list for transfer of the outbound communication cell if the scheduling list specifies the dynamic scheduling indication for the cell slot. The communication subsystem also includes a counter that counts if an idle communication cell is transferred over the communication link due to an underrun such that the virtual circuit specified by the dynamic scheduling list is skipped if the counter indicates the underrun.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 1994Date of Patent: April 8, 1997Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Kevin Kahn, David Eckhardt