Patents by Inventor Edward James Morton

Edward James Morton 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).

  • Publication number: 20110176660
    Abstract: A drive-through scanning system comprises a radiation generating system arranged to generate radiation at two different energy levels and direct the radiation towards a scanning volume, detectors arranged to detect the radiation after it has passed through the scanning volume, and a controller arranged to identify a part of a vehicle within the scanning volume, to allocate the part of the vehicle to one of several categories, and to control the radiation generating system and to select one or more of the energy levels depending on the category to which the part of the vehicle is allocated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110142203
    Abstract: A gantry scanner system includes a radiation source, a plurality of detectors and a support frame supporting the detectors. The support frame includes an elongate support member arranged to support the detectors, cable support means arranged to support power cables or signal cables connected to the detectors, and cover means arranged to cover the support member, the cable support means and the detectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110135060
    Abstract: This invention provides a scanning system for scanning an object in a scanning zone. The scanning system includes both a radiation source arranged to irradiate the object with radiation having a peak energy of at least 900 keV and a scatter detector arranged to detect radiation scattered from the object wherein the radiation source is arranged to irradiate the object over a plurality of regions to be scanned within a single irradiation event. The scatter detector includes a plurality of detection elements, each detection element being arranged to detect scattered radiation from a predefined part of the scanning zone and a signal processor arranged to calculate scatter intensity across the plurality of detector elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110135056
    Abstract: A crane including support means arranged to support a load and to move the load along a path, and a scanner including a radiation source and radiation detection means arranged to scan a scanning volume. The path is arranged to pass through the scanning volume so that the scanner can scan the load as it moves along the path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 7949101
    Abstract: The present invention is directed toward an X-ray scanner that has an electron source and an anode. The anode has a target surface with a series of material areas spaced along it in a scanning direction. The material areas are formed from different materials. The electron source is arranged to direct electrons at a series of target areas of the target surface, in a predetermined order, so as to generate X-ray beams having different energy spectra.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110116599
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for scanning an object comprising providing a first detector region having a thickness of at least 2 mm and a second detector region having a thickness of at least 5 mm wherein the second detector region is arranged to receive radiation that has passed through the first detector region. The method comprises irradiating the object with radiation having a peak energy of at least 1 MeV, and detecting the first profile radiation after it has interacted with or passed through the object in order to provide information relating to the object. Detecting the first profile radiation comprises detecting the first profile radiation at the first detector region, receiving the first profile radiation that has passed through the first detector region at the second detector region, and detecting the first profile radiation at the second detector region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: RAPISCAN SECURITY PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110116600
    Abstract: The invention provides methods, systems and detector arrangements for scanning an object moving in a first direction that includes the steps of irradiating the object with radiation having a peak energy of at least 900 keV, providing a first detector region having a thickness of at least 2 mm and a second detector region having a thickness of at least 5 mm where the second detector region is arranged to receive radiation that has passed through the first detector region, and detecting the radiation after it has interacted with or passed through the object in order to provide information relating to the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110098870
    Abstract: A mobile scanning system with a scanner including a radiation source and detectors mounted on a vehicle and arranged to scan an object, a controller mounted on the vehicle and arranged to control the scanner, an operator system arranged to be located remote from the vehicle and to communicate with the controller to enable an operator to interact remotely with the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110091007
    Abstract: The present application is directed toward the generation of three dimensional images in a tomography system having X-ray sources offset from detectors, in particular in a system where the sources are located on a plane, while detectors are located on multiple parallel planes, parallel to the plane of sources and all the planes of detectors lie on one side of the plane of sources. A controller operates to rebin detected X-rays onto a non-flat surface, perform two dimensional reconstruction on the surface, and generate the three dimensional image from reconstructed images on the plurality of surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Inventors: Marta Betcke, William Robert Breckon Lionheart, Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 7929663
    Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring in real time the movement of a plurality of substances in a mixture, such as oil water and air flowing through a pipe comprises an X-ray scanner arranged to make a plurality of scans of the mixture over a monitoring period to produce a plurality of scan data sets, and control means arranged to analyze the data sets to identify volumes of each of the substances and to measure their movement. By identifying volumes of each of the substances in each of a number of layers and for each of a number of scans, real time analysis and imaging of the substance can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110064192
    Abstract: The present invention provides a four-sided scanning system for vehicles that uses a combination of backscatter and transmission based X-ray imaging to achieve material discrimination. In one embodiment, the system is designed as a mobile, drive-through system, which can be folded and stowed in a truck and can be conveniently deployed at any place when required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Andreas F. Kotowski
  • Publication number: 20110060426
    Abstract: The present application is directed toward cargo scanning systems having scanners, each arranged to scan a respective object and generate a set of scan data, processors arranged to process each set of scan data to determine whether it meets a predetermined threat condition, workstations, and data management system arranged to direct data that meets the threat condition to one of the workstations for analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 7903789
    Abstract: An X-ray tube includes an emitter wire enclosed in a suppressor. An extraction grid comprises a number of parallel wires extending perpendicular to the emitter wire, and a focusing grid comprises a number of wires parallel to the grid wires and spaced apart at equal spacing to the grid wires. The grid wire are connected by means of switches to a positive extracting potential or a negative inhibiting potential, and the switches are controlled so that at any one time a pair of adjacent grid wires are connected together to form an extracting pair, which produce an electron beam. The position of the beam is moved by switching different pairs of grid wires to the extracting potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Russell David Luggar, Paul De Antonis
  • Publication number: 20110038453
    Abstract: The present invention is a self-contained mobile inspection system and method and, more specifically, improved methods and systems for detecting materials concealed within a wide variety of receptacles and/or cargo containers. In particular, the present invention is an improved method and system with a novel boom structure that reduces the weight of the boom. The single, light-weight boom of the inspection system is relatively compact in a stowed configuration and has a low height and center of gravity lending to greater maneuverability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Francis Baldwin, Andreas F. Kotowski
  • Publication number: 20110019797
    Abstract: The present invention provides for an improved scanning process with a stationary X-ray source arranged to generate X-rays from a plurality of X-ray source positions around a scanning region, a first set of detectors arranged to detect X-rays transmitted through the scanning region, and at least one processor arranged to process outputs from the first set of detectors to generate tomographic image data. The X-ray screening system is used in combination with other screening technologies, such as NQR-based screening, X-ray diffraction based screening, X-ray back-scatter based screening, or Trace Detection based screening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 7876879
    Abstract: An X-ray imaging inspection system for inspecting items comprises an X-ray source (10) extending around an imaging volume (16), and defining a plurality of source points (14) from which X-rays can be directed through the imaging volume. An X-ray detector array (12) also extends around the imaging volume (16) and is arranged to detect X-rays from the source points which have passed through the imaging volume, and to produce output signals dependent on the detected X-rays. A conveyor (20) is arranged to convey the items through the imaging volume (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20110007876
    Abstract: The present invention is a shielded anode having an anode with a surface facing an electron beam and a shield configured to encompass the anode surface. The shield has at least one aperture and an internal surface facing the anode surface. The shield internal surface and anode surface are separated by a gap in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm. The shield of the present invention is fabricated from a material, such as graphite, that is substantially transmissive to X-ray photons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Inventors: Edward James Morton, Russell David Luggar, Paul De Antonis
  • Publication number: 20100303329
    Abstract: The present invention is an X-ray system having a source-detector module, which includes X-ray sources and detectors, for scanning an object being inspected, a scan engine coupled to the source-detector module for collecting scan data from the source detector module, an image reconstruction engine coupled to the scan engine for converting the collected scan data into one or more X-ray images, and a scan controller coupled with at least one of the source detector module, the scan engine, and the image reconstruction engine optimize operations of the X-ray system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20100303295
    Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring in real time the movement of a plurality of substances in a mixture, such as oil water and air flowing through a pipe comprises an X-ray scanner arranged to make a plurality of scans of the mixture over a monitoring period to produce a plurality of scan data sets, and control means arranged to analyze the data sets to identify volumes of each of the substances and to measure their movement. By identifying volumes of each of the substances in each of a number of layers and for each of a number of scans, real time analysis and imaging of the substance can be achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Publication number: 20100303287
    Abstract: The present specification discloses an X-ray scanning system with a non-rotating X-ray scanner that generates scanning data defining a tomographic X-ray image of the object and a processor executing programmatic instructions where the executing processor analyzes the scanning data to extract at least one parameter of the tomographic X-ray image and where the processor is configured to determine if the object comprises a liquid, sharp object, narcotic, currency, nuclear materials, cigarettes or fire-arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventor: Edward James Morton