Patents by Inventor Erika Thomas

Erika Thomas 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: 10996116
    Abstract: In a method for determining a temperature of a revolving drum of a laundry dryer, said drum has an outer wall and thereon at least one strip-shaped delimited detection region comprising thermochromic material having a transition temperature in the range of a temperature that is to be expected and to be determined. Optical detection means arranged adjacent to the revolving part are configured, in particular as a reflected light barrier, to detect the color transition of the thermochromic material in the event of the transition temperature being exceeded or undershot. At the revolving drum the thermochromic material or, if appropriate, the color transition thereof is detected by means of the detection means. A temperature of the drum is then determined as corresponding to the transition temperature in such a way that the temperature thereof is determined as corresponding to one of the two temperature ranges below the transition temperature or above the transition temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: E.G.O. Elektro-Geraetebau GmbH
    Inventors: Jordi Alvarez Raventos, Ewald Bayer, Gerd Knappe, Hannes Kuemmerle, Kay Schmidt, Erika Thomas, Steffen Weiss, Oliver Zabel
  • Patent number: 10902505
    Abstract: User-defined criterion defines goods and services of interest to a user. An aggregated listing of the goods and services is generated that spans multiple retailers within a geographic range of a current location of the user. The aggregating listing is presented to the user for making a retail decision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Erika Thomas
  • Publication number: 20200041358
    Abstract: In a method for determining a temperature of a revolving drum of a laundry dryer, said drum has an outer wall and thereon at least one strip-shaped delimited detection region comprising thermochromic material having a transition temperature in the range of a temperature that is to be expected and to be determined. Optical detection means arranged adjacent to the revolving part are configured, in particular as a reflected light barrier, to detect the color transition of the thermochromic material in the event of the transition temperature being exceeded or undershot. At the revolving drum the thermochromic material or, if appropriate, the color transition thereof is detected by means of the detection means. A temperature of the drum is then determined as corresponding to the transition temperature in such a way that the temperature thereof is determined as corresponding to one of the two temperature ranges below the transition temperature or above the transition temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Jordi Alvarez Raventos, Ewald Bayer, Gerd Knappe, Hannes Kuemmerle, Kay Schmidt, Erika Thomas, Steffen Weiss, Oliver Zabel
  • Patent number: 9992227
    Abstract: A remote, secure maintenance and support system, method, network entity and computer program product are provided. The system can include site terminal(s) and/or a site server (collectively “site device(s)”), a data center in communication with the site device(s) over a first secure tunnel, and at least one client terminal in communication with the data center over a second secure tunnel. The site device(s) can be configured to periodically transmit to the data center one or more error messages over the first secure tunnel. The data center can, in turn, be configured to make the error messages accessible to at least one authorized technician operating one of the client terminals. The client terminal can be configured to retrieve at least one of the error messages over the second secure tunnel and to take an action associated with resolving the error message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Erika Thomas, Jeff Hughes, David Turner, Jason Henriksen, Donald Davidson, Benjamin Alderson, James Fortuna
  • Publication number: 20160117757
    Abstract: User-defined criterion defines goods and services of interest to a user. An aggregated listing of the goods and services is generated that spans multiple retailers within a geographic range of a current location of the user. The aggregating listing is presented to the user for making a retail decision.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventor: Erika Thomas
  • Publication number: 20150379649
    Abstract: Historical and real-time metric data is captured for a retail establishment. When a customer comes for service at the retail establishment, a real-time suggestion as to what service location and what service personnel should be assigned to that customer based on evaluation of the metric data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Kimberly Denise Sullivan, Erika Thomas, Kirstin Sue Martin, Jennifer Shea Lyle
  • Publication number: 20100174812
    Abstract: A remote, secure maintenance and support system, method, network entity and computer program product are provided. The system can include site terminal(s) and/or a site server (collectively “site device(s)”), a data center in communication with the site device(s) over a first secure tunnel, and at least one client terminal in communication with the data center over a second secure tunnel. The site device(s) can be configured to periodically transmit to the data center one or more error messages over the first secure tunnel. The data center can, in turn, be configured to make the error messages accessible to at least one authorized technician operating one of the client terminals. The client terminal can be configured to retrieve at least one of the error messages over the second secure tunnel and to take an action associated with resolving the error message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Inventors: Erika Thomas, Jeff Hughes, David Turner, Jason Henriksen, Donald Davidson, Benjamin Alderson, James Fortuna