Patents by Inventor Frank Carroll Beall

Frank Carroll Beall 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).

  • Method and apparatus for non-intrusively detecting hidden defects caused by bio-deterioration in living trees and round wood materials
    Patent number: 5804728
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting internal bio-deterioration in round wood used in various applications (e.g. utility poles, pier pilings, round wood beams, posts and poles in structures, and living trees). The method includes the steps of securing a pulsing transducer adjacent one point on the surface of the round wood and securing a receiving transducer substantially diametrically opposite to the pulsing transducer. The pulsing transducer transmits ultrasonic signals through the round wood, which propagate through possibly deteriorated areas within the round wood. The receiving transducer receives the propagating ultrasonic signals, and a plurality of acousto-ultrasonic parameters contained in the received ultrasonic signals are processed and analyzed. The processing step includes the step of storing the averaged signals, and processing the stored signals on a real time basis to determine the acousto-ultrasonic parameters in the time and frequency domains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Frank Carroll Beall, Richard Len Lemaster, Jacek Marek Biernacki
  • Method and apparatus for non-destructively detecting hidden defects caused by bio-deterioration in living trees and round wood materials
    Patent number: 5760308
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting internal bio-deterioration in round wood used in various applications (e.g. utility poles, pier pilings, round wood beams, posts and poles in structures, and living trees). The method includes the steps of securing a pulsing transducer adjacent one point on the surface of the round wood and securing a receiving transducer substantially diametrically opposite to the pulsing transducer. The pulsing transducer transmits ultrasonic signals through the round wood, which propagate through possibly deteriorated areas within the round wood. The receiving transducer receives the propagating ultrasonic signals, and a plurality of acousto-ultrasonic parameters contained in the received ultrasonic signals are processed and analyzed. The processing step includes the step of storing the averaged signals, and processing the stored signals on a real time basis to determine the acousto-ultrasonic parameters in the time and frequency domains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Frank Carroll Beall, Richard Len Lemaster, Jacek Marek Biernacki