Patents by Inventor Greg Mendolia

Greg Mendolia 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: 10177731
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Publication number: 20180109235
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 9853622
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 8942657
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Publication number: 20130241664
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: Research In Motion RF, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 8463218
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Research In Motion RF, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 8325097
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus, comprising a tunable antenna including a variable reactance network connected to the antenna a closed loop control system adapted to sense the RF voltage across the variable reactance network and adjust the reactance of the network to maximize the RF voltage. The variable reactance network may comprise a parallel capacitance or a series capacitance. Further, the variable reactance networks may be connected to the antenna, which may be a patch antenna, a monopole antenna, or a slot antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion RF, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Keith Manssen, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 8269683
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a method, comprising improving the radiated harmonic distortion of a transmitting antenna system by sensing the RF voltage present on a variable reactance network within the antenna system; controlling the bias signal presented to the variable reactance network; and maximizing the RF voltage present on the variable reactance network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion RF, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, Greg Mendolia, Keith Manssen
  • Publication number: 20120157026
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention an apparatus, comprising an apparatus, comprising an adaptively-tuned antenna including a variable reactance network connected to the antenna, an RF field probe located near the antenna, an RF detector to sense voltage from the field probe, a controller that monitors the RF voltage and supplies control signals to a driver circuit and wherein the driver circuit converts the control signals to bias signals for the variable reactance network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: Paratek Microwave, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, Greg Mendolia, Keith Manssen
  • Publication number: 20120058739
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, determining from nodal voltages sampled at an input port of a matching network an impedance of a variable load coupled to an output port of the matching network, generating at least one control signal according to the nodal voltage, and tuning the matching network with the at least one control signal. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: PARATEK MICROWAVE, INC.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Publication number: 20120049975
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, determining at a port of a matching network reflection information from a signal sampled across at least one predetermined fixed-value reactance component, generating at least one control signal according to the reflection information, and tuning the matching network with the at least one control signal, where the matching network comprises one or more controllable variable reactive elements each with an independent control voltage. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: PARATEK MICROWAVE, INC.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 8125399
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention an apparatus, comprising an apparatus, comprising an adaptively-tuned antenna including a variable reactance network connected to the antenna, an RF field probe located near the antenna, an RF detector to sense voltage from the field probe, a controller that monitors the RF voltage and supplies control signals to a driver circuit and wherein the driver circuit converts the control signals to bias signals for the variable reactance network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Paratek Microwave, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, Greg Mendolia, Keith Manssen
  • Patent number: 8112852
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a method, comprising manufacturing capacitors by creating a wafer using a substrate as a sacrificial carrier for the construction of said capacitor; and removing said sacrificial carrier wafer once said capacitor processing is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Paratek Microwave, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Mendolia, Bill Macropoulos
  • Publication number: 20110063042
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising an input port and a dynamic impedance matching network capable of determining a mismatch at the input port and dynamically changing the RF match by using at least one matching element that includes at least one voltage tunable dielectric capacitor. The matching network may be a “Pi”, a “T”, or “ladder” type network and the apparatus may further comprise at least one directional coupler capable of signal collection by sampling a portion of an incident signal, a reflected signal or both.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: PARATEK MICROWAVE, INC.
    Inventors: Greg Mendolia, James Andrew Martin, III, Izz Khayo, Cornelis Frederik Du Toit, Heinz Bachmann, William McKinzie
  • Patent number: 7865154
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising an input port and a dynamic impedance matching network capable of determining a mismatch at the input port and dynamically changing the RF match by using at least one matching element that includes at least one voltage tunable dielectric capacitor. The matching network may be a “Pi”, a “T”, or “ladder” type network and the apparatus may further comprise at least one directional coupler capable of signal collection by sampling a portion of an incident signal, a reflected signal or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Paratek Microwave, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Mendolia, James Andrew Martin, III, Izz Khayo, Cornelis Frederik du Toit, Heinz Bachmann, William McKinzie
  • Publication number: 20100156552
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: PARATEK MICROWAVE, INC.
    Inventors: William E. McKinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 7711337
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention an apparatus, comprising an adaptive impedance matching module (AIMM) adapted to minimize the magnitude of an input reflection coefficient seen at an RFin port under boundary conditions of a variable load impedance ZL, a tuner connected to the AIMM and including a plurality of variable reactance networks with independent control signals, wherein node voltages are sampled within the tuner; and a microcontroller or digital signal processor (DSP) calculates complex reflection coefficient information from the sampled voltages, the microcontroller or DSP providing a coarse and fine tune function that feeds bias signals to control impedance matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Paratek Microwave, Inc.
    Inventors: William E. Mckinzie, III, Heinz Bachmann, Greg Mendolia
  • Publication number: 20090284895
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a method, comprising manufacturing capacitors by creating a wafer using a substrate as a sacrificial carrier for the construction of said capacitor; and removing said sacrificial carrier wafer once said capacitor processing is complete.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Inventors: Greg Mendolia, Bill Macropoulos
  • Publication number: 20090078456
    Abstract: At least an embodiment of the present technology provides a method of manufacturing a mechanically adapting interconnecting device for multi-substrate packages comprising placing a metal laminate on each side of a polymer composite, forming a channel in the metal laminate; and metallizing the laminate to create a metal connection inside the channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventors: William Macropoulos, Izzac Khayo, Greg Mendolia
  • Patent number: 7471146
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising an integrated circuit, wherein a first portion of the integrated circuit is placed on a top tier substrate and a second portion of the integrated circuit is placed on a bottom tier substrate stacked adjacent the top tier substrate and wherein the first portion and the second portion of the integrated circuit are interconnected; and printed spiral arms stacked vertically on both the top and bottom surface of the top tier substrate thereby creating high Q inductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Paratek Microwave, Inc.
    Inventors: William Macropoulos, Greg Mendolia, James G. Oakes, Izz Khayo