Patents by Inventor Donald S. McGinn

Donald S. McGinn 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: 6885745
    Abstract: A protection arrangement for a telephone subscriber line interface circuit is disclosed. The arrangement is particularly useful for protecting an electronic telephone set from over-voltage and over-current fault conditions. The arrangement provides a FET that operates in saturation mode to connect an office battery to the subscriber line under normal operation. The FET also provides isolation capabilities for protecting the line circuit from an over-current condition on the subscriber line. Over-voltage protection is provided by way of an isolation relay between the line circuit and the subscriber line. Both the FET and isolation relay are operated by a controller that uses timers in the methods of over-voltage and over-current protection that it performs. A further capability of the arrangement is that it resets itself after the fault condition has ended. This feature is particularly useful in the case of fault conditions of short duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks, Ltd.
    Inventors: Martin R. Handforth, Gerard J. Hupe, Donald S. McGinn, Rolf G. Meier, Canute Planthara, Raymond K. Wong
  • Patent number: 5333192
    Abstract: A line interface circuit for coupling signals between a telephone line and a hybrid circuit includes a loop driver circuit for supplying energizing current to the telephone line and for driving the telephone line with alternating current signals. A loop current detector connected in series between the telephone line and the loop driver circuit, generates a voltage signal in response to current flow in the telephone line. Amplifier circuits are arranged to be responsive to differential signals on the telephone line, and to signals from the hybrid circuit, for generating a composite signal. The composite signal and the voltage signal are combined in a network having an output connected to control the operation of the loop driver circuit so that the telephone line is terminated with a preferred impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventor: Donald S. McGinn
  • Patent number: 5103387
    Abstract: High voltage converters are disclosed. The converters include at least a pair of transistor switches provided on the secondary windings of a flyback transformer. The transistor switches are controlled to be conducting, variably conducting and non-conducting so that the power flow between the transformer and a load can be controlled. Various configurations of a connection switch network are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Stanley D. Rosenbaum, Donald S. McGinn, Brian A. F. S. Sutherland
  • Patent number: 4849846
    Abstract: A circuit for protecting sensitive telephone equipment from voltage or current overloads on the TIP or RING line includes a resistor serially positioned in the line and a triac triggered by a voltage differential across the resistor. A pair of fast diodes is positioned on the line adjacent to the telephone equipment for momentarily clamping the voltage on the line at that point between ground and the voltage supply of the equipment. The mementary clamping of the voltage creates the voltage differential across the resistor which triggers the triac. The fast diodes are capable of passing current for a time sufficient to allow the triac to begin shunting current to ground. An enhanced form of the protection circuit includes a second pair of diodes extending in parallel with the fast pair of diodes and positioned on the line between the pair of fast diodes and the triac. Inclusion of the second pair of diodes allows the circuit to utilize a triac with a slower turn-on time and a higher on-state voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Francis Y. Hung, Donald S. McGinn