Patents by Inventor Gary Ross

Gary Ross 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).

  • Secure tag
    Patent number: 7699230
    Abstract: A secure tag comprising: a carrier doped with one or more rare earth ions, and a barrier material associated with the carrier and substantially blocking low-wavelength radiation to shield the rare earth ions from low-wavelength radiation. This enables a secure tag to be fabricated that does not photoluminescence strongly in response to a low-wavelength excitation radiation source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Gary A. Ross
  • Thermos with beverage consumption apparatus which enables liquid to be consumed directly from the thermos when a valve is opened
    Patent number: 7681754
    Abstract: A thermos (with or without a vacuum) with an improved beverage consumption apparatus which enables a liquid to be consumed directly from the thermos when a valve is pushed to the opened condition so that liquid can exit the interior of the thermos. Thermos also contains an improved larger easily locatable circumferential closing ring which facilitates closure of the container when the user is in a darkened area or driving a moving vehicle so that the consumer must have one hand on the steering wheel and is not necessarily looking at the thermos. The thermos also comprises an improved sealing cap to facilitate valve closure. The thermos also contains an improved valve sealing means to assure that even a tiny amount of liquid will not seep out of the thermos when the thermos is placed into a container such as a briefcase which contains written material and valuable electronic objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Inventor: Gary Ross
  • Evaluating soiling of a media item
    Publication number: 20090324084
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating a soiling level of a media item, such as a banknote. The method comprises receiving an image of a media item including a plurality of pixels, each pixel having an associated intensity. Two sets of pixels are created, where each pixel in the first set has a higher intensity than each pixel in the second set. A representative intensity value from the first set and a representative intensity value from the second set are calculated. A soiling value from the ratio of the representative intensity value of the second set to the representative intensity value of the first set is calculated. The media item is captured if the soiling value fulfils a capture criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventors: Gary A. Ross, Chao He
  • Security markers for identifying a source of a substance
    Publication number: 20090321623
    Abstract: A method of identifying a source of a substance incorporating one or more luminescent markers comprises illuminating the substance to stimulate emission from at least one of the luminescent markers. A luminescent signature is generated from the detected luminescent emission. The source of the substance is identified based on a match between the generated luminescent signature and a pre-defined luminescent signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventors: Gary A. Ross, Graham I. Johnson, Barrie Clark, Simon J. Forrest
  • Media Identification
    Publication number: 20090324053
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying a media item. The apparatus includes a module for receiving media items and capturing an image of a received media item. The method involves ascertaining external dimensions of the media item from the captured image; creating a monochromatic image based on high contrast boundaries within the captured image; matching the monochromatic image to one of a plurality of templates of media items of approximately the same external dimensions as the media item; and providing details of the matched template, including type and orientation of the media item corresponding to the matched template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventors: Gary A. Ross, Chao He
  • Currency validation
    Patent number: 7639858
    Abstract: A method for developing a template of a reference document, such as a bank note and using that template to validate other test documents. The method involves using images of a plurality of reference documents, such as banknotes and segmenting each image in a like manner into a plurality of segments. Each segment is then classified using a one-class classifier to determine a reference classification parameter. These parameters are used to define a threshold reference classification parameter. Optionally, the step of segmenting is optimized to determine a preferred number of segments, and a preferred combination of these for use in a subsequent validation process. Preferably, this is done using a stochastic algorithm such as a genetic algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Gary A. Ross, Chao He, Mark A. Girolami
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING SHEETS OF FOIL
    Publication number: 20090277919
    Abstract: A dispenser for dispensing folded sheets (160) of foil comprises first advancement means (119, 121) for controllably advancing a strip (161) of foil in a feed direction (F); folding means (147, 135, 139, 129) for folding a leading edge of said strip of foil (161); cutting means (141, 133) for cutting said strip (161) of foil to form a sheet (160) of foil; second advancement means (123, 125) for flattening the fold formed in the leading edge of said sheet (160) of foil and dispensing said folded sheet (160) of foil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Applicant: Procare UK Limited
    Inventors: Gary Ross, Andrew Nancollis
  • Partition Transparent Memory Error Handling in a Logically Partitioned Computer System With Mirrored Memory
    Publication number: 20090282300
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors and uncorrectable errors in a mirrored memory system prevents costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, a memory relocation mechanism in the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. When a correctable error occurs, the memory relocation mechanism uses data from a partner mirrored memory block as a data source for the memory block with the uncorrectable error and then relocates the data to a newly allocated memory block to replace the memory block with the uncorrectable error.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
  • Partition Transparent Correctable Error Handling in a Logically Partitioned Computer System
    Publication number: 20090282210
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors to prevent costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. Similarly, the hypervisor can move direct memory access (DMA) memory locations using an I/O translation table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
  • Spectrophotometer Comprising Two Detectors for Overlapping Wavelength Ranges
    Publication number: 20090213371
    Abstract: A spectrophotometer has a first photodetector (24) and a second photodetector (25) which is displaced spatially from the first photodetector in the direction of increasing wavelength in the spectrum. At any given time the second photodetector receives light at a wavelength which is substantially greater than that being received simultaneously by the first photodetector at that time. The first photodetector has first range of wavelengths over which it is operable and a first upper operating limit, and the second photodetector has a second range of wavelengths over which it is operable and a second upper operating limit, the second range overlapping the first range and the second upper operating limit being greater than the first upper operating limit. Thus the range of operation is extended, and data in two different ranges is processed simultaneously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: ZINIR LIMITED
    Inventors: Ian Goodyer, Tracy Ann Nutall, Rudi Labarbe, Nicholas Salvatore Arini, Andrew Seddon, Nick Stock, Gary Ross, Ralf Patz
  • DATASPACE PROTECTION UTILIZING VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS ON A MULTI-NODE COMPUTER SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20090187984
    Abstract: A method and apparatus provide data security on a parallel computer system using virtual private networks. An access setup mechanism sets up access control data in the nodes that describes which virtual networks are protected and what applications have access to the protected private networks. When an application accesses data on a protected virtual network, a network access mechanism determines the data is protected and intercepts the data access. The network access mechanism in the kernel may also execute a rule depending on the kind of access that was attempted to the virtual network. Authorized access to the private networks can be made via a system call to the access control mechanism in the kernel. The access control mechanism enforces policy decisions on which data can be distributed through the system via an access control list or other security policies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Inventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
  • Radio receiver that changes function according to the output of an internal voice-only detector
    Patent number: 7558547
    Abstract: A radio receiver includes a voice-only detection mechanism that detects when the current radio station is transmitting mostly voice, and that changes the function of the receiver depending on whether or not the current radio station is transmitting mostly voice. In a first embodiment, the radio receiver mutes its audio output when the voice-only detection mechanism detects a voice broadcast, or mutes its audio output when the voice-only detection mechanism detects a music broadcast. In a second embodiment, the radio receiver changes to a different radio station when a voice-only signal is detected, or when a music signal is detected. The second embodiment preferably includes a spectrum analyzer that can store a frequency spectrum “signature” of a radio signal, and a second tuner that scans the available radio stations for a signal that matches the stored signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary Ross Ricard, James William Bonalumi
  • Security markers for reducing receipt fraud
    Patent number: 7501646
    Abstract: A method of reducing receipt fraud comprises attempting to detect emission from a receipt associated with one or more luminescent markers that are incorporated in a valid receipt. The receipt is validated when the attempt is successful.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Gary A. Ross, Michael J. Van Demark, Simon J. McCouaig
  • Biometric system
    Patent number: 7493496
    Abstract: A biometric system (10) for assisting a user in providing a biometric reading is described. The system (10) comprises: a biometric capture unit (12) for capturing biometric data from a user; and feedback means (30) for providing the user with an indication of the extent to which a measurement has been captured. The feedback means (30) may be implemented by a display, a loudspeaker (508), or both. The system may also include anonymizing means (66) for providing the feedback means (30) with an anonymized version of the data measured from the biometric capture unit (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Martin R. Smith, Michael Coutts, Gary A. Ross
  • Security markers for marking a person or property
    Patent number: 7488954
    Abstract: A method of identifying a source of a marking fluid applied to a person or an object comprises applying a marking fluid including one or more security markers to a person or an object and illuminating the applied marking fluid to excite the security markers. Photoluminescent emission from the security markers in response to the excitation is measured and compared with one or more pre-defined photoluminescent signatures associated with the source of the marking fluid. The source of the marking fluid is identified based on a match between the detected photoluminescent emission and at least one of the pre-defined photoluminescent signatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Gary A. Ross, Graham I. Johnson, Barrie Clark, Simon J. Forrest
  • DATABASE RETRIEVAL WITH A UNIQUE KEY SEARCH ON A PARALLEL COMPUTER SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20090037376
    Abstract: An apparatus and method retrieves a database record from an in-memory database of a parallel computer system using a unique key. The parallel computer system performs a simultaneous search on each node of the computer system using the unique key and then utilizes a global combining network to combine the results from the searches of each node to efficiently and quickly search the entire database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
  • DATABASE RETRIEVAL WITH A NON-UNIQUE KEY ON A PARALLEL COMPUTER SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20090037377
    Abstract: An apparatus and method retrieves a database record from an in-memory database of a parallel computer system using a non-unique key. The parallel computer system performs a simultaneous search on each node of the computer system using the non-unique key and then utilizes a global combining network to combine the local results from the searches of each node to efficiently and quickly search the entire database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
  • Executing an overall quantity of data processing within an overall processing period
    Patent number: 7487065
    Abstract: Exemplary methods, systems, and products are described for executing an overall quantity of data processing within an overall processing period that include executing repeatedly through a series of iterations a portion of the overall quantity of data processing that can be completed in a set processing period, wherein each iteration includes the set processing period and a variable delay period and calculating the variable delay period for an iteration in dependence upon the set processing period, a portion of the overall quantity of data processing performed during the set processing period of the iteration, the overall quantity of data processing, and the overall processing period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Troy David Armstrong, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
  • Apparatus to brew coffee and tea
    Patent number: D611752
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Inventor: Gary Ross
  • Double walled glass with spherical base
    Patent number: D613996
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Inventor: Gary Ross