Patents by Inventor Glenn R. Shaffer

Glenn R. Shaffer 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: 7618011
    Abstract: A consist manager for controlling a consist having a lead locomotive and at least one trailing locomotive. A graphical user interface displays a lead locomotive image and at least one trailing locomotive imagers. The graphical user interfaces allows a user to selectively identify train characteristics of each of the first and second locomotives. The consist manager receives a control command and determines a first power operating mode of the first locomotive and a second power operating mode of the second locomotive as a function of the control command and the identified train characteristics. The consist manager controls the first locomotive according to the first power operating mode and controls the second locomotive according to the second operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Todd S. Oleski, Ajith Kuttannair Kumar, Glenn R. Shaffer, Charles E. Cooper, Christopher L. Sheridan, James A. Natalo
  • Patent number: 7590485
    Abstract: A system for improving fuel efficiency of a railroad train located on a railroad train having a locomotive consist including one or more railroad locomotives, said system including a position-determining device, a track profile database including terrain and contour data about a railroad track, and a processor including an algorithm to calculate a load of said train and a feed forward algorithm to determine an acceleration rate and/or a deceleration rate of said train based on said calculated load and forth coming terrain and contour of a railroad track, wherein said change in condition of the track is determined on-board the locomotive consist and the locomotive consist power setting is adjusted to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on the calculated load of the train as the train is proximate to the change in track condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Glenn R. Shaffer, Daniel Ballesty
  • Publication number: 20090204317
    Abstract: A system for improving fuel efficiency of a railroad train located on a railroad train having a locomotive consist including one or more railroad locomotives, said system including a position-determining device, a track profile database including terrain and contour data about a railroad track, and a processor including an algorithm to calculate a load of said train and a feed forward algorithm to determine an acceleration rate and/or a deceleration rate of said train based on said calculated load and forth coming terrain and contour of a railroad track, wherein said change in condition of the track is determined on-board the locomotive consist and the locomotive consist power setting is adjusted to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on the calculated load of the train as the train is proximate to the change in track condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Glenn R. Shaffer, Daniel Ballesty
  • Patent number: 7522990
    Abstract: A method of controlling the operation of a railroad train having a locomotive consist comprising one or more railroad locomotives to improve locomotive consist fuel efficiency, the method including calculating on-board the locomotive consist a load of the train being moved by the locomotive consist based on measuring the movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings, determining on-board the locomotive consist a current location of the train, identifying on-board the locomotive consist a change in condition of the track prior to the train reaching the change in track condition, and adjusting on-board the locomotive consist the locomotive consist power setting to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on the calculated load of the train as the train is proximate to the change in track condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Glenn R. Shaffer, Daniel Ballesty
  • Publication number: 20030222981
    Abstract: A video recorder system carried on-board a railroad locomotive for recording images relating to events of interest in a vicinity of the locomotive and transmitting the images to a location off-board of the locomotive, the system comprising: an audio/video system with a camera mounted on the locomotive for imaging an environment in a vicinity of the locomotive, the camera transmitting imaging data indicative of images acquired; and data storage on-board the locomotive in communication with the camera for storing the imaging data. The system also includes a processor on-board the locomotive in communication with the data storage for identifying and retrieving selected imaging data of interest from the data storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2003
    Publication date: December 4, 2003
    Inventors: Jeffrey James Kisak, Glenn R. Shaffer, Daniel Ballesty, Wing Yeung Chung