Patents by Inventor Gerald M. Heiling

Gerald M. Heiling 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: 5136410
    Abstract: A fully redundant safety interlock system is provided comprising, means for detecting the loss of light on a fiber optic link; controller means, coupled to said means for detecting, for determining the safety condition of the link based on the output of said means for detecting, and for controlling the radiant energy output of an optical transmitter, based on the determined safety condition, via redundant output control signals; and means, coupled to said controller means, responsive to said redundant control signals, for interconnecting the output of said controller means to transmitter drive circuitry to thereby adjust the radiant energy output by the transmitter. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the controller means includes an electronic implementation of two independent state machines, each of which redundantly determines the connection state of the optical link between two optical link cards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: IBM Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald M. Heiling, David A. Knodel, Michael J. Peterson, Brian A. Schuelke, David W. Siljenberg, Ronald L. Soderstrom, John T. Trnka
  • Patent number: 5069522
    Abstract: An optical fiber link card communication module, and process for fabricating the module, where the module provides a parallel electrical interface to the user, facilitates high speed serial transmission of data over an optical data link, and contains a plurality of converters for performing conversions between both electrical and optical signals. A preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates fabricating the optical communication module on a single multilayer card with all the transmitter electrical components being located on one side of the card, all receiver electrical components being located on the other side of the card, and the transmitter and receiver components being separated by shielding layers in the card. By using two transmitter/receiver pairs (with the transmitters and receivers being located on respective sides of the card) an embodiment of the invention provides for double full duplex communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy R. Block, Marcia B. Ebler, Ladd W. Freitag, Gerald M. Heiling, Spencer C. Holter, Dennis L. Karst, David W. Siljenberg, Ronald L. Soderstrom, John T. Trnka
  • Patent number: 5039194
    Abstract: An optical fiber link card communication module, and process for fabricating the module, where the module provides a parallel electrical interface to the user, facilitates high speed serial transmission of data over an optical data link, and contains a plurality of converters for performing conversions between both electrical and optical signals. The module further includes edge mounted optical components having leads mounted on the surface of a card (as opposed to standard pin-in-hole type leads) to minimize lead capacitance and inductance from the optical components to the card electronics, on board card control means for the converters and safety shut down means on the same card as the electrical and optical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1991
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy R. Block, Marcia B. Ebler, Ladd W. Freitag, Gerald M. Heiling, Spencer C. Holter, Dennis L. Karst, David W. Siljenberg, Ronald L. Soderstrom, John T. Trnka
  • Patent number: 4917453
    Abstract: An optical communication signal source package and assembly for coupling optical signals to the end of an optical fiber includes first and second semiconductor laser diodes capable of being operated in a redundant fashion for increased reliability or to provide wavelength division multiplexing for increases in bandwidth and information carrying capability. The laser diodes are supported with their mounting flanges in a common plane and are oriented to provide parallel beams of polarized light having perpendicular E-field vectors. A connector carried by the support positions the optical fiber at the target area where an optics system focuses the light beams. An optical coupling device such as a polarizing beam splitter or a holographic beam separator is responsive to the orthogonal light beams to direct both light beams toward the optical fiber with minimum decrease in amplitude. The package includes no moving parts or highly frequency selective components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1990
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy R. Block, Gerald M. Heiling, Dennis L. Karst, David C. Kobliska, Tong Lu, Ronald L. Soderstrom
  • Patent number: 4850044
    Abstract: An optical serial data bus for connecting logic cards used in a data processing system. The bus uses semiconductor lasers and PIN diodes as transmitters and receivers, transmitting through free space without the use of lenses or other optical elements. Each logic card communicates only with the adjacent cards on either side to minimize the transmission distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy R. Block, Ronald L. Soderstrom, Gerald M. Heiling, Charles J. Rocca
  • Patent number: 4305080
    Abstract: A driver circuit for a thermal printing element varies the power applied to the element, depending upon its recent history of energization, in order to maintain uniform print density desprite temperature variation in the element. A capacitor charges and discharges to measure time intervals since the last element energization to control the voltage applied by an output transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1981
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Earl A. Cunningham, David E. Cutshall, Gerald M. Heiling, Ronald L. Soderstrom, James M. Thompson
  • Patent number: 4184063
    Abstract: A non-impact thermal printer is formed using a pivoted stiffner-frame on which is mounted a printed circuit card-print head assembly. The card is slotted with the print heads mounted at the distal ends of the cantilevered portions to enable close compliance between print head read/write units and the print media through the torsional resilience of the circuit card cantilevered portions. Compact, simple structure is provided by having the printer control circuitry mounted on the same printed circuit card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1980
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald M. Heiling, LaVerne F. Knappe, John L. Regehr