Patents by Inventor Douglas A. Bell

Douglas A. Bell 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: 9312649
    Abstract: A connector includes a housing configured to accommodate a plurality of contact pins, the housing including a plurality of contact pin locations, wherein the plurality of contact pin locations include a first set of contact pin locations designated for a first channel and a second set of contact pin locations designated for a second channel, a first set of contact pins disposed at the first set of contact pin locations, the first set of contact pins configured to carry a first signal associated with the first channel, and a second set of contact pins disposed at the second set of contact pin locations, the second set of contact pins configured to carry a second signal associated with the second channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: THALES DEFENSE & SECURITY, INC.
    Inventors: Haidong Wang, Douglas Bell, Steven Kutchi
  • Publication number: 20160099613
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein include a transmitter that transmits a power transmission signal (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signal waves) to create a three-dimensional pocket of energy. At least one receiver can be connected to or integrated into electronic devices and receive power from the pocket of energy. The transmitter can locate the at least one receiver in a three-dimensional space using a communication medium (e.g., Bluetooth technology). The transmitter generates a waveform to create a pocket of energy around each of the at least one receiver. The transmitter uses an algorithm to direct, focus, and control the waveform in three dimensions. The receiver can convert the transmission signals (e.g., RF signals) into electricity for powering an electronic device. Accordingly, the embodiments for wireless power transmission can allow powering and charging a plurality of electrical devices without wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas BELL, Michael A. LEABMAN
  • Publication number: 20160099758
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein include a transmitter that transmits a power transmission signal (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signal waves) to create a three-dimensional pocket of energy. At least one receiver can be connected to or integrated into electronic devices and receive power from the pocket of energy. A wireless power network may include a plurality of wireless power transmitters each with an embedded wireless power transmitter manager, including a wireless power manager application. The wireless power network may include a plurality of client devices with wireless power receivers. Wireless power receivers may include a power receiver application configured to communicate with the wireless power manager application. The wireless power manager application may include a device database where information about the wireless power network may be stored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas BELL, Michael LEABMAN
  • Publication number: 20160100312
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein include a transmitter that transmits a power transmission signal (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signal waves) to create a three-dimensional pocket of energy. At least one receiver can be connected to or integrated into electronic devices and receive power from the pocket of energy. A wireless power network may include a plurality of wireless power transmitters each with an embedded wireless power transmitter manager, including a wireless power manager application. The wireless power network may include a plurality of client devices with wireless power receivers. Wireless power receivers may include a power receiver application configured to communicate with the wireless power manager application. The wireless power manager application may include a device database where information about the wireless power network may be stored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas BELL, Michael LEABMAN
  • Publication number: 20160056966
    Abstract: A system and method to control a wireless power transmission system by configuration of wireless power transmission control parameters is disclosed. The configuration of the system may be performed by an operator using a standard web browser on a computing device where the system configuration GUI presented to the operator may be functionally identical regardless of the computing device running the browser. The system configuration GUI may be connected to system through a system configuration API.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Douglas Bell
  • Publication number: 20160056635
    Abstract: Disclosed here are methods and systems to generate and distribute information about the status and usage of a wireless power transmission system. Specifically, the present disclosure may describe a process to generate information through various software running in different components of the wireless power transmission system. Additionally, the disclosure may also include a wireless power transmission system architecture which may include components, such as a remote information service, a remote information service manager, a remote information service database, one or more authorized computing devices, and a plurality of system information generators. System information generator may refer to components, such as wireless power transmitters, computing devices/non computing devices (coupled with power receiver devices), a system management service, and distributed system database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Inventor: Douglas Bell
  • Publication number: 20160054396
    Abstract: Disclosed here are wireless power delivery systems including one or more wireless power transmitters and one or more power receivers. Disclosed here are methods of using self-test software for fault detection in wireless power receivers. The methods include the analysis of one or more system operational metrics to evaluate the status of wireless power receivers. The results of the tests may be sent to wireless power transmitters to further analysis; all test results ultimately are sent to the operator of the wireless power delivery system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael A. Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160054395
    Abstract: Systems and methods to use software to automatically test the communication between wireless power transmitter and wireless power receiver are described. The described systems include one or more wireless power transmitters, one or more wireless power receivers and one or more electronic devices. Electronic devices may be able to communicate with wireless power transmitters and wireless power receivers using suitable communications channels. The disclosed methods may be employed for antenna direction management and for transmission of power from transmitter to receiver in a wireless power transmission system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael A. Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160056669
    Abstract: A system and method for a configuration web service to provide configuration of a wireless power transmitter within a wireless power transmission system is disclosed. The wireless power transmitter configuration network may include at least one wireless power transmitter connected to an energy power source and at least one computer device which may communicate with each other through wireless or wired network connections, where each wireless power transmitter may include a distributed system database coupled to web service software. The operator/user may browse the specific URL or IP address associated with the configuration web page, which the wireless power transmitter may host and render, to specify the wireless power transmitter's configuration information. The configuration web service may allow users to perform configurations with and without the need of an external network service in range and regardless of the physical location of the wireless power transmitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Douglas Bell
  • Publication number: 20160020830
    Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems and methods for communication between wireless power transmission systems and remote management systems. The described systems include one or more wireless power transmitters, one or more wireless power receivers and one or more electronic devices. Electronic devices may be able to communicate with wireless power transmitters and wireless power receivers using suitable communications channels. The disclosed systems are capable of performing system assessments and check-ups, periodically generating status reports and sending the status reports to a remote management system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael A. Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160020649
    Abstract: A system and method for smart registration of wireless power receivers within a wireless power network is disclosed. Each wireless power device may include a universally unique identifier (UUID). Each wireless power device bought by a customer may be registered, at the time of purchase or later. The registry may be stored in an energy domain service, where energy domain service may be one or more cloud-based servers. The method for smart registration may include the steps of detecting a customer device; establishing a connection with a wireless power receiver to read its UUID; sending wireless power transmitter manager's UUID and wireless power receiver's UUID to energy domain service; inspecting wireless power transmitter manager registry; verifying wireless power receiver registry; authorizing power transfer to wireless power receiver; and reporting energy consumption for subsequent billing of customer depending on billing policy of wireless power transmitter manager specified within registry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael A. Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160013656
    Abstract: Embodiments in the present disclosure may be directed to a system and method for providing health safety in a wireless power transmission system. The wireless power transmission system disclosed here may include one or more wireless power transmitters, one or more wireless power receivers, one or more mobile client devices each running GUI system management software, one or more remote information service servers, and one or more active or inactive system management servers. The presently active system management server may host web service for system management GUI. The servers may be local or located remotely within a cloud. The method may include a checklist of proscribed circumstances or criteria that may allow the user to specify the circumstances when wireless power should not be transmitted to the client device in use by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160013678
    Abstract: A system for selecting a deselecting charging devices in a wireless power network is disclosed here. The system includes a graphical user interface from which a user may select or deselect devices to be charged in a wireless power network. The disclosed system may store records from different components of a wireless power network into a database distributed throughout said network with copies stored within the memory of wireless power transmitters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160012695
    Abstract: Embodiments in the present disclosure may be directed to an off-premises alert system and method for one or more wireless power receivers in a wireless power network. The system and method may include automated software embedded on a wireless power receiver that may be triggered every time a wireless power receiver is turned on. The system and method may be employed in stores where customers may use wireless power receivers to charge their mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and the like, while being inside the store. The method may prevent customers from not returning the wireless power receiver by producing an audible alert in the power receiver. If customer fails to return wireless power receiver, the method may then automatically report details regarding the lost wireless power receiver to an appropriate authority through automatic communication connection through any intervening network cloud-based media.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Publication number: 20160013677
    Abstract: A system for managing power charging schedules in a wireless power network is disclosed here. The system includes a graphical user interface from which a user may perform scheduling functions in a wireless power network. The disclosed system may store power scheduling records in a database within a wireless power transmitter or other computers in a wireless power network. The wireless power transmitter may use scheduling records in the database to control when to transmit wireless power to a single power receivers or simultaneously to multiple power receivers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Patent number: 9222799
    Abstract: Present novel and non-trivial systems and methods for validating navigation data are disclosed. A processor receives navigation data from an external source such as a global positioning system (“GPS”); receives navigation data from a second source comprised of multiple sources; determines the validity of the GPS navigation data; and alerts the pilot if validity of the data falls outside a limit. In an embodiment related to lateral information (i.e., geographic position) data, the second navigation data is comprised of both GPS data and data provided from an internal source. In an embodiment related to altitude information data, the second navigation data is comprised of both GPS data and data provided by multiple internal sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas A. Bell, James H. Doty
  • Publication number: 20150340911
    Abstract: Embodiments in the present disclosure may be directed to a system and method that may be used to generate a unique identifier for one or more wireless power devices such as one or more wireless power receivers, wireless power transmitters, GUI management devices, and system management servers among others, within a wireless power network. The method may use automated software embedded on a chip that may run when a wireless power device boots up for the first time. The unique ID may allow easy associations of wireless power devices with user defined names.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Publication number: 20150340909
    Abstract: A system and method for a self-system analysis in a wireless power transmission network is disclosed. According to some aspects of this disclosure a wireless power transmission network may include one or more wireless power transmitter managers, one or more wireless power receivers, servers, and clouds within a local network to provide wireless power transfer to electronic devices. Wireless power devices in the network may establish, but is not limited to a WiFi connection to share information among all the wireless power devices in the system. Wireless power transmitter managers may monitor everything that happens in the network. If a problem is detected by the wireless power transmitter manager, an analysis of the issue may be done by any device in the network with a copy of the device database. Then a recommendation may be generated for enhancing the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Publication number: 20150340903
    Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems and methods for charging electronic devices using wireless power delivery systems. The described systems include one or more wireless power transmitters, one or more wireless power receivers and one or more electronic devices. Electronic devices may be able to communicate with wireless power transmitters and wireless power receivers using suitable communications channels. The disclosed systems are capable of associating a wireless power receiver with a customer to deliver power to a customer's device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman
  • Publication number: 20150326025
    Abstract: A method for controlling communication between wireless power transmitter managers is disclosed. According to some aspects of this embodiment, wireless power transmission system may include one or more wireless power transmitter managers and one or more wireless power receivers for powering various customer devices. A WiFi connection may be established between wireless power transmitter managers to share information between system devices. Wireless power transmitter manager may need to fulfill two conditions to control power transfer over a customer device; customer device's signal strength threshold has to be significantly greater than 50%, such as 55% or more of the signal strength measured by all other wireless power transmitter managers and has to remain significantly greater than 50% for a minimum amount of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: ENERGOUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas Bell, Michael Leabman