Patents by Inventor Eric Towers

Eric Towers 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: 7357043
    Abstract: A portal is provided with a detector for detecting trace amounts of substances of interest that may be retained on the surface or interior of a vehicular subject. The portal relies upon the continuous process by which microscopic flakes of dust, dirt, pollen, and other surface and interior contaminants as well as adsorbed analyte media and analyte vapors continuously separate from the surface of vehicular subjects and escape from the interior of vehicular subjects. The portal further leverages the existence of a vehicular thermal plume consisting of a layer of warm air adjacent to the vehicular subject. The warm air rises in the cooler surrounding air and transports the microscopic flakes of surface contaminants, desorbed analyte, and analyte vapors upwardly. The portal capitalizes on this phenomenon by providing at least a partial enclosure with a funnel-shaped collector above the vehicular subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Nomadics, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Cumming, Eric Towers, Mark Prather
  • Patent number: 7324199
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting the optical spectrum of an optical input signal. The system includes a tunable optical filter having a microresonator that is tunable across a plurality of states and a processor. The input signal is coupled into the microresonator, which is continuously tuned across a spectral range that is narrow relative to the targeted detection range. Signal information such as center wavelength, power distribution, and power strength are extracted from the measured output intensities resulting from the interaction of the unknown input signal with the tunable resonator at various tuned states. The processor includes a transfer function database with the resonant spectra of the tunable optical filter at predefined states. The processor applies an iterative non-linear deconvolution algorithm, and preferably an accelerated Richardson-Lucy algorithm, to calculate the spectrum of the input signal using the transfer function information and the intensity measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Nomadics, Inc.
    Inventors: Shiou-jyh Ja, Eric Towers, Robert Shelton, Brian Strecker
  • Publication number: 20070109550
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting the optical spectrum of an optical input signal. The system includes a tunable optical filter having a microresonator that is tunable across a plurality of states and a processor. The input signal is coupled into the microresonator, which is continuously tuned across a spectral range that is narrow relative to the targeted detection range. Signal information such as center wavelength, power distribution, and power strength are extracted from the measured output intensities resulting from the interaction of the unknown input signal with the tunable resonator at various tuned states. The processor includes a transfer function database with the resonant spectra of the tunable optical filter at predefined states. The processor applies an iterative non-linear deconvolution algorithm, and preferably an accelerated Richardson-Lucy algorithm, to calculate the spectrum of the input signal using the transfer function information and the intensity measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Shiou-jyh Ja, Eric Towers, Robert Shelton, Brian Strecker
  • Publication number: 20070056392
    Abstract: A portal is provided with a detector for detecting trace amounts of substances of interest that may be retained on the surface or interior of a vehicular subject. The portal relies upon the continuous process by which microscopic flakes of dust, dirt, pollen, and other surface and interior contaminants as well as adsorbed analyte media and analyte vapors continuously separate from the surface of vehicular subjects and escape from the interior of vehicular subjects. The portal further leverages the existence of a vehicular thermal plume consisting of a layer of warm air adjacent to the vehicular subject. The warm air rises in the cooler surrounding air and transports the microscopic flakes of surface contaminants, desorbed analyte, and analyte vapors upwardly. The portal capitalizes on this phenomenon by providing at least a partial enclosure with a funnel-shaped collector above the vehicular subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Colin Cumming, Eric Towers, Mark Prather
  • Publication number: 20050226775
    Abstract: A detector for detecting vapors emitted from analytes includes a housing, a pump and a sensing assembly. The housing has an inlet, an outlet and an enclosed sensing volume therebetween. The pump communicates with the housing for moving a carrier sequentially through the enclosed sensing volume at a predetermined flow rate. The sensing assembly senses the vapors of the analyte delivered by the carrier as the carrier passes through the housing. The sensing assembly includes a sensing unit constructed of an amplifying fluorescent polymer, a source of excitation, a detector, and a convertor assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Inventors: Craig Aker, Colin Cumming, Mark Fisher, Michael Fox, Marcus IaGrone, Dennis Reust, Mark Rockley, Eric Towers