Patents by Inventor Fred Thomas

Fred 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: 8784056
    Abstract: A system includes a creep indicating member on a rotating component, and a measurement device configured to measure a change in radial position of the creep indicating member. The system allows determination of, for example, rotating component life expectancy in a turbine, without exposing the rotating component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8762637
    Abstract: According to an example, a data storage apparatus may include a non-volatile primary storage medium, a coupling interface to removably receive a non-volatile solid state device, a communication line connected to the non-volatile primary storage medium and the coupling interface, and a storage controller connected to the communication line. The storage controller may determine a memory type of the non-volatile solid state device, cache a first type of data in the non-volatile solid state device in response to a determination that the non-volatile to solid state device is of a first memory type, and cache a second type of data in the non-volatile solid state device in response to a determination that the non-volatile solid state device is of a second memory type, in which the second type of data differs from the first type of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Fred Thomas, Walter A. Gaspard
  • Patent number: 8746049
    Abstract: A creep indication system and a method for determining a creep amount are disclosed. The system includes a first creep indicating member on a first rotating component and a second creep indicating member on a second rotating component. The second creep indicating member has at least one different creep characteristic from the first creep indicating member. The system further includes at least one measurement device configured to measure a change in radial position of at least one of the first creep indicating member or the second creep indicating member. The method includes measuring a first creep amount of a first creep indicating member and measuring a second creep amount of a second creep indicating member. The method further includes estimating a temperature of a rotating component using the first creep amount and the second creep amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Fred Thomas Willett, Jr., Paul Stephen DiMascio
  • Publication number: 20140081885
    Abstract: The current invention is for a system and method for providing “concierge” services to beneficiaries of a covered person provided immediately after death; and for providing “concierge” services to claimants of dismemberment, and continuing throughout the duration of the benefits claim process. The method for this service is offered to the employees and dependents insured through corporate sponsored group life and accident insurance programs. The method includes filing, handling and expediting insurance benefit claims and payouts; corporate sponsored retirement programs and stock benefits transfer, or “roll-over”, to an Individual Retirement Account; handling employee death related communications, paperwork and processing; and providing financial counseling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Inventor: Fred Thomas Maxwell, II
  • Publication number: 20140072415
    Abstract: A seal assembly for sealing between a rotating component and a stationary component in a turbomachine. The seal assembly includes a plurality of radially inwardly projecting, axially spaced teeth extending from the stationary component, wherein at least one of the plurality of teeth has at least one axially extending hole therethrough. Axial flow of an operating fluid through the holes acts as an air-curtain to interrupt swirl flow in a seal cavity, therefore reducing steam force that could act to destabilize rotordynamics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Xiaoqing Zheng, Daniel Mark Brown, Jason Winfred Jewett, Fred Thomas Willett, JR.
  • Patent number: 8668439
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an insert for a turbine cooling circuit includes: a radial cooling passage for receiving downstream fluid; an axial passage extending from the radial cooling passage within a lower portion of the insert; and a plurality of radial passages extending from the axial passage, each radial passage extending to a bottom of a partially circumferential dovetail slot of the insert. In another embodiment, an insert for a turbine cooling includes: a plurality of radial passages, each radial passage extending from a bottom of a partially circumferential dovetail slot of the insert; an axial passage extending from the plurality of radial passages within a lower portion of the insert; and an exhaust passage extending from the axial passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8662826
    Abstract: A cooling circuit for a drum rotor of a multi-stage steam turbine including tangential female dovetail slots in the drum rotor for tangential entry dovetailed buckets. Axial female dovetail slots are cut into drum rotor projections between stages of the tangential entry buckets for mounting axial inserts. The axial inserts may include axial and radial cooling passages allowing cooler external steam to cool the drum rotor flow through tangential cooling spaces between the tangential female dovetail slots and the tangential entry dovetailed buckets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Fred Thomas Willett, Jr., William Edward Adis
  • Publication number: 20140037445
    Abstract: A turbine is provided and includes a turbine shell including shrouds at multiple stages thereof, and constraining elements, disposed at least at first through fourth substantially regularly spaced perimetrical locations around the turbine shell, which are configured to concentrically constrain the shrouds of the turbine shell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Inventors: Henry Grady Ballard, JR., Fred Thomas Willett, JR.
  • Patent number: 8616839
    Abstract: A turbine is provided and includes a turbine shell including shrouds at multiple stages thereof, and constraining elements, disposed at least at first through fourth substantially regularly spaced perimetrical locations around the turbine shell, which are configured to concentrically constrain the shrouds of the turbine shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Henry Grady Ballard, Jr., Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20130305720
    Abstract: Systems and methods for actively controlling the temperature in at least portions of a steam path associated with a steam turbine are disclosed. An active temperature control unit is configured to activate one or more attemperators to maintain temperatures in at least a portion of the steam path below a pre-determined threshold. By maintaining the temperature, those portions of the steam path may use less expensive materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Kamlesh Mundra, Nestor Hernandez Sanchez, Fred Thomas Willett, Raymond Pang
  • Publication number: 20130280047
    Abstract: A stator seal for a turbine assembly includes a seal base securable to a turbine stator and including an annular inner surface, and an abradable coating disposed on the annular inner surface. The abradable coating and the annular inner surface have a predefined cross-sectional profile including a transient operation section that facilitates axial expansion and a steady state operation section that facilitates a tighter clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Fred Thomas Willett, JR., Michael Earl Montgomery, Peter John Eisenzopf, Richard James Miller
  • Publication number: 20130283320
    Abstract: A method includes receiving an indicator from a service provider via a network. The indicator is received with first media content and includes data to cause a selectable image to be displayed with the first media content. The selectable image indicates an availability of second media content that is different than the first media content. The method includes, in response to receipt of the indicator, displaying the selectable image with the first media content at a display device. The method further includes, in response to receiving a removal message before receiving an input indicating a selection of the selectable image, removing the selectable image from display at the display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Wayne R. Howe, Fred Thomas Danner, III, John R. Mauney
  • Publication number: 20130227611
    Abstract: An interactive media delivery system enables interactive media programming to a multimedia device and also tracks a subscriber's use of the multimedia device. For example, the device tracks events, such as a change in programming, a change in channel selection, and/or the subscriber's interaction with a particular interactive services application. Each event may be stored as an event record in a database, and one or more of the event records may be merged with content data to form event timelines of programming or other activity to the multimedia device over a selected time period. Further, timelines may be analyzed to generate ratings and other information about programming and may also be correlated with demographics data for marketing analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Edward Rowland Grauch, John Christopher Batten, Fred Thomas Danner, III, Scott R. Swix, John R. Stefanik
  • Publication number: 20130195644
    Abstract: A steam turbine with a drum rotor utilizing individual nozzle ring assemblies in the IP section incased by a single shell. In one embodiment, a steam turbine has a high pressure (HP) section with a double shell drum and an intermediate pressure (IP) section with a single shell drum, with the IP section including a plurality of individual nozzle ring assemblies axially spaced along the single shell casing, such that each nozzle ring assembly surrounds the drum rotor. In other embodiments, a low pressure section (LP) of the steam turbine can have a single-flow or dual-flow connection to a condenser, and the condenser can be positioned to the side, vertically below, or axially aligned with the LP section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Robert Gerard Baran, Kenneth Michael Koza, Richard James Miller, JR., James Edward Olson, Robert James Piechota, Kevin John Lewis Roy, Fred Thomas Willett
  • Patent number: 8490145
    Abstract: A system and method are described for providing interactive television services and for switching between television programs, such as to an interactive program session from another program. An interactive server, capable of providing requested interactive video services to a set of subscribers in a given geographic area, is coupled to a network to which subscriber set top boxes are also coupled. Television programming, which may be furnished by any number of sources, is accompanied by a signal that indicates the availability of other programming, such as interactive television service related to the program being viewed, as well as information to be used in requesting such service. The user, when notified by this signal, may input to the set top box a request for a second program, such as an interactive program or application. The identity of the original program channel is stored, and a session with the video service provider is established over the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Wayne R. Howe, Fred Thomas Danner, III, John R. Mauney
  • Publication number: 20130173213
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining axial clearance data between a rotor and a stator are disclosed. At least one radial clearance sensor is positioned on the stator and is configured to gather radial clearance data, i.e., measurements of a radial distance between the rotor and the stator taken at discrete time intervals. A computing device is operably connected with the at least one radial clearance sensor and is configured to use the radial clearance data to determine axial clearance data, i.e., an axial distance between the stator and the rotor. In one embodiment, the computing device uses, among other data points, an indication of a loss of signal from at least one radial clearance sensor to extrapolate the axial clearance data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2012
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Fred Thomas Willett, JR., Emad Andarawis Andarawis
  • Publication number: 20130164138
    Abstract: Systems, methods and devices adapted to ease installation of turbine bucket assemblies about a rotor and to reduce related stress concentrations in the rotor are disclosed. In one embodiment, an insert includes: a base portion adapted to complement an entry slot in a rotor of a turbine; and a neck portion extending radially outboard from the base portion, the neck portion adapted to complement a post of the rotor to form a substantially continuous dovetail about the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Fred Thomas Willett, JR., Laurence Scott Duclos, Michael Dennis Mack, Timothy Scott McMurray, Roy Paul Swintek
  • Patent number: 8414265
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes a body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, and a tip region, and a winglet arranged on the pressure side of the body in the tip region extending from a point in the tip region down stream of the leading edge to the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20130058786
    Abstract: A creep indication system and a method for determining a creep amount are disclosed. The system includes a first creep indicating member on a first rotating component and a second creep indicating member on a second rotating component. The second creep indicating member has at least one different creep characteristic from the first creep indicating member. The system further includes at least one measurement device configured to measure a change in radial position of at least one of the first creep indicating member or the second creep indicating member. The method includes measuring a first creep amount of a first creep indicating member and measuring a second creep amount of a second creep indicating member. The method further includes estimating a temperature of a rotating component using the first creep amount and the second creep amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Fred Thomas Willett, JR., Paul Stephen DiMascio
  • Patent number: 8376687
    Abstract: A steam turbine includes a rotor having a plurality of early stages and a stator portion surrounding a portion of the rotor and arranged such that a leakage region exists between the stator portion and the rotor and having a cooling steam channel that passes cooling steam from one portion of the stator portion to the leakage region. The turbine also includes at least one cooling steam transmission channel axially displaced about the rotor that receives the cooling steam from the leakage region and provides it to at least a portion of the early stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ravi Shankar Venkata Kasibhotla, Anantha Padmanabhan Bhagavatheeswaran, Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.