Patents by Inventor Frank A. Stephens

Frank A. Stephens 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: 9258359
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for federating operations, in an optimized way using wide area networks are provided. Example systems provide an API for generating and handling federated requests as an aggregation. In one example Wide Area Network Aggregation System, WANAS provides an API, a connection manager, and connection iterators to manage inter-site connections and requests, and inter-pod requests and messaging. These components cooperate to distribute a task across multiple physically disparate sites using a representative connection to the site and fan out of requests to other pods within the site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank Stephen Taylor
  • Publication number: 20160024715
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and an apparatus useful to installing and removing endless belts in a conveyor system and more preferably continuous fabrics, belts, felts and webs used in the papermaking process. According to the present invention a pair of guide rolls to move a first continuous fabric from a first fabric position to a second fabric position and a second fabric from the second fabric position to the first fabric position, passing the fabrics over one another as the position of the fabrics are exchanged. The movement of the first and second fabrics may be done at the same time so as to further enhance the efficiency of changing fabrics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Hada, Robert Eugene Krautkramer, Mark John Hassman, Robert James Seymour
  • Publication number: 20160014591
    Abstract: A mobile device utilizes a two-stage dialing solution when roaming on a visited mobile operator (MO) network to implement centralized routing so that a home network portion of a hybrid network is inserted into the path of outbound calls. A remote centralized routing (CR) service interoperates with a CR client on the mobile device. When a call is initiated to a remote party, the CR client calls into an arbitrary roaming routing number that is terminated in the home network. Once the call is connected between the mobile device and home network, the CR client sends a dialing string that includes a destination number of the remote party. The CR service calls the destination number and then bridges the calls to the mobile device and remote party to establish an end-to-end call path between the local and far ends of the call that traverses the home network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Mahendra Sekaran, Vijay Kishen Hampapur Parthasarathy, Anish Desai, Ramkumar Natarajan, Jeffrey Kay, John Bruner, Ray Froelich, Tript Singh Lamba, Bayo Olatunji, Amey Parandekar, Vishal Ghotge, Andrew Peter Schoorl, Eugen Pajor, Shaun Pierce, Dhigha Sekaran, Frank Stephen Serdy, JR., John Skovron, Reid Kuhn
  • Publication number: 20150305949
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent product includes a topsheet defining an interior face of the disposable absorbent product configured to face a wearer thereof during use. A backsheet overlays the topsheet, with the backsheet defining an exterior face of the disposable absorbent product configured to face away from the wearer during use. An absorbent core is disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet for storing fluid secreted by the wearer of the disposable absorbent product. The absorbent core includes at least one absorbent structure and a wrapping element that envelops the at least one absorbent structure. The wrapping element has a main substrate layer and an adhesive coating layer thereon that is substantially adhered to the substrate layer and which defines an impermeable film layer on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Applicant: SCA Hygiene Products AB
    Inventors: Frank Stephen GLAUG, Michael Franklin KALMON
  • Patent number: 9126792
    Abstract: Coreless rolls of tissue, such as rolls of bath tissue or paper towels, are produced by winding tissue logs on a mandrel having retractable pins. During winding, the pins extend and penetrate the first several windings of the log as it is initially wound, which prevents slippage. After the winding is complete, the pins retract to allow the tissue log to slide off of the mandrel for subsequent slitting into individual product rolls and packaging. The penetration of the pins into the first several windings of the log tends to mechanically entangle and structurally unify those windings to create a “soft core”. At the same time, the properties of the tissue sheets within the soft core are the same as the other sheets within the roll and are therefore usable by the consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Hada, James Leo Baggot, Robert Eugene Krautkramer, Steven James Wojcik
  • Publication number: 20150237081
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for federating operations, in an optimized way using wide area networks are provided. Example systems provide an API for generating and handling federated requests as an aggregation. In one example Wide Area Network Aggregation System, WANAS provides an API, a connection manager, and connection iterators to manage inter-site connections and requests, and inter-pod requests and messaging. These components cooperate to distribute a task across multiple physically disparate sites using a representative connection to the site and fan out of requests to other pods within the site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank Stephen TAYLOR
  • Publication number: 20150237117
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for federating operations, in an optimized way using wide area networks are provided. Example systems provide an API for generating and handling federated requests as an aggregation. In one example Wide Area Network Aggregation System, WANAS provides an API, a connection manager, and connection iterators to manage inter-site connections and requests, and inter-pod requests and messaging. These components cooperate to distribute a task across multiple physically disparate sites using a representative connection to the site and fan out of requests to other pods within the site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: VMware, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank Stephen TAYLOR
  • Patent number: 9095479
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent product includes a topsheet defining an interior face of the disposable absorbent product configured to face a wearer thereof during use. A backsheet overlays the topsheet, with the backsheet defining an exterior face of the disposable absorbent product configured to face away from the wearer during use. An absorbent core is disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet for storing fluid secreted by the wearer of the disposable absorbent product. The absorbent core includes at least one absorbent structure and a wrapping element that envelops the at least one absorbent structure. The wrapping element has a main substrate layer and an adhesive coating layer thereon that is substantially adhered to the substrate layer and which defines an impermeable film layer on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: SCA HYGIENE PRODUCTS AB
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Glaug, Michael Franklin Kalmon
  • Patent number: 8834978
    Abstract: Spirally wound paper products are disclosed having desirable roll bulk, firmness and softness properties. The rolled products can be made from a multiple ply tissue webs formed according to various processes. Tissue webs having basis weights greater than about 40 grams per square meter were wound into rolls having a Kershaw roll firmness of less than about 9 mm and a roll bulk of greater than about 15 cc/g. Similarly, tissue webs having basis weights less than about 40 grams per square meter were wound into rolls having a Kershaw roll firmness of less than about 9 mm and a roll bulk of greater than about 18 cc/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Alan Hermans, Samuel August Nelson, Paulin Pawar, Frank Stephen Hada, Robert Eugene Krautkramer
  • Publication number: 20140251308
    Abstract: A novel portable solar energy system includes a solar concentrator, a thermal storage device, an azimuth adjustment system, an elevation system, and a heat exchanger, all mounted on a rotatable support frame. In a particular embodiment, the thermal storage device remains at a fixed vertical height and fixed tilt orientation when adjustments are made to the azimuth adjustment system and/or the elevation adjustment system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Wyle, Alan J. Spero
  • Publication number: 20140238210
    Abstract: The present invention provides a perforating station comprising two or more discrete perforating stations, the stations synchronized with one another to cut a line of perforations across a web, such as a web of tissue paper, moving at high speeds. By providing two or more synchronized perforating stations the perforating station may increase the number of impacts per minute compared to prior art perforating devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: James Leo Baggot, Robert Eugene Krautkramer, Kyle Andrew Krautkramer, Gregory Michael Bixler, Matthew Robert Wilson, Frank Stephen Hada
  • Publication number: 20140224919
    Abstract: Coreless rolls of tissue, such as rolls of bath tissue or paper towels, are produced by winding tissue logs on a mandrel having retractable pins. During winding, the pins extend and penetrate the first several windings of the log as it is initially wound, which prevents slippage. After the winding is complete, the pins retract to allow the tissue log to slide off of the mandrel for subsequent slitting into individual product rolls and packaging. The penetration of the pins into the first several windings of the log tends to mechanically entangle and structurally unify those windings to create a “soft core”. At the same time, the properties of the tissue sheets within the soft core are the same as the other sheets within the roll and are therefore usable by the consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Michael Bixler, Daniel Mark Heinz, Vivek Moreshwar Karandikar, Frank Stephen Hada, James Leo Baggot
  • Publication number: 20140175335
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for supplying municipal solid waste (MSW), and/or other types of solid waste comprising both organic waste material and inorganic waste material, into a plasma gasifier reactor (PGR) in which the solid waste is to be processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.
    Inventors: Alan Donald Anderson, Francis Peter Petrocelli, Frank Stephen Winger
  • Publication number: 20140135722
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent product includes a topsheet, a backsheet overlaying the topsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet for absorbing fluid secreted by a wearer of the product. The product also includes a wetness indicating material in the topsheet, the backsheet, or the absorbent core, with the wetness indicating material having a water-soluble element and an inodorous component trapped by the water-soluble element. The water-soluble element is configured to degrade in the presence of fluid secreted by the wearer of the product, thereby releasing the inodorous component into the surrounding air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Inventors: Eugene Patrick DOUGHERTY, Jr., Frank Stephen GLAUG, Raymond Martin CARTER
  • Patent number: 8701653
    Abstract: A novel thermal storage device includes a container of metallic phase change material (MPCM). The MPCM has a high latent heat of fusion and a high thermal conductivity in its solid state. A thermal energy receiver is adapted to receive thermal energy from a thermal energy source and transfer the thermal energy directly to the MPCM, without the need for an intermediate thermal transfer fluid. A thermal energy discharge mechanism transfers thermal energy directly from the MPCM to a device that uses the thermal energy. In a solar energy embodiment, the thermal energy receiver is formed from a material (e.g., polished copper) that has a relatively low absorptivity value and a relatively low emissivity coefficient, which unexpectedly results in the attainment of a highly efficient solar receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Inventors: Alan J. Spero, Frank Stephen Wyle
  • Patent number: 8652597
    Abstract: Spirally wound paper products are disclosed having desirable roll bulk, firmness and softness properties. The rolled products can be made from a multiple ply tissue webs formed according to various processes. Tissue webs having basis weights greater than about 40 grams per square meter were wound into rolls having a Kershaw roll firmness of less than about 9 mm and a roll bulk of greater than about 15 cc/g. Similarly, tissue webs having basis weights less than about 40 grams per square meter were wound into rolls having a Kershaw roll firmness of less than about 9 mm and a roll bulk of greater than about 18 cc/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Alan Hermans, Samuel August Nelson, Paulin Pawar, Frank Stephen Hada, Robert Eugene Krautkramer
  • Publication number: 20130153703
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for winding a moving web upon a mandrel is disclosed. A moving web with a leading edge is conveyed towards a mandrel. The mandrel is adapted to allow the moving web to adhere to the mandrel at a specific circumferential location on the mandrel. To enable control of the location of the mandrel, the mandrel further includes a reference input to identify the specific circumferential location. A position sensor is used to determine the position of the reference input. The position of the specific circumferential location of the mandrel is controlled with a position drive control that controls the rotational speed of the mandrel. The position drive control sets the rotational speed of the mandrel to allow transfer of the leading edge of the moving web near the specific circumferential location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Inventors: Gregory Michael Bixler, Daniel Mark Heinz, Vivek Moreshwar Karandikar, Frank Stephen Hada, James Leo Baggot
  • Publication number: 20130015228
    Abstract: A cut-off method and apparatus capable of breaking a moving web is disclosed herein. The cut-off method and apparatus include a conveying surface over which a moving web is conveyed and a web cut-off assembly opposing the conveying surface. The web cut-off assembly includes a first arm with a first web gripping surface and a second arm with a second web gripping surface, the first and second web gripping surfaces being movable relative to one another. To complete a breaking event, the first and second web gripping surfaces contact the moving web at a first contact point and second contact point. The contact points move from a first spaced apart relationship to a second spaced apart relationship causing a break in the web between the first and second web gripping surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Hada, James Leo Baggot, Matthew Robert Wilson, Robert Eugene Krautkramer, Kyle Andrew Krautkramer
  • Patent number: 8246782
    Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a wet paper web from a press nip to a drying cylinder of a papermaking machine, and for structuring the web, includes an impermeable transfer belt that passes through the press nip along with the paper web, and a permeable structuring fabric for transfer of the web onto the drying cylinder, the structuring fabric being arranged in a loop within which a suction transfer device is disposed. A web-contacting surface of the belt has a non-uniform distribution of microscopic-scale depressions, and a suction zone of the transfer device includes a transfer point spaced a distance D from the press nip. The belt is arranged to bring the web into contact with the structuring fabric in the suction zone for a length L, such that suction is exerted on the paper web to transfer the paper web from the belt onto the structuring fabric at the transfer point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Metso Paper Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Paul Douglas Beuther, Frank Stephen Hada, Jeffrey Dean Holz, Hans Ivarsson, Ingvar Berndt Erik Klerelid, Johan Ulf Ragard
  • Patent number: 8244235
    Abstract: The functionality of a mobile device is extended to connect to and communicate with a piece of equipment, data storage peripherals and secure networks. Specifically, a mobile device is extended in capability and functionality through the integration with a portable mobile device extender to facilitate seamless connection and communication with a piece of equipment, data storage peripherals and/or secure networks. Another aspect of the disclosure is to effectively enhance real world imagery by merging, on a mobile device, images and video from the real world with and projections from laser or video from a projection device, controlled by the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Titansan Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Ruotolo, Filip Toon Peters