Patents by Inventor Harvey J. Nickerson
Harvey J. Nickerson 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).
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Publication number: 20160235020Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In some embodiments, a serial communication bus is provided between a control unit of a modular irrigation controller and an expansion module.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 21, 2016Publication date: August 18, 2016Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel D. Leatherman, James R. Musselman
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Patent number: 9348338Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In some embodiments, a serial communication bus is provided between a control unit of a modular irrigation controller and an expansion module.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2009Date of Patent: May 24, 2016Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel D. Leatherman, James R. Musselman
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Publication number: 20160135390Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In one implementation, an expansion module is provided that includes a microcontroller capable of sending and receiving data communications to and from a main microcontroller of the controller that executed irrigation programs, the data communications relating to an irrigation program.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel D. Leatherman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Susan E. Basch, Sergio R. Perez Araujo, Jose Macias Galarza, Bill Merkt, Adam A. Dunford
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Publication number: 20160113220Abstract: The present embodiments provide systems, processes and/or methods of controlling irrigation. In some embodiments, methods are provided that receive (4112) water usage information corresponding to a first volumetric water usage at a site location having an irrigation controller (130), wherein the first volumetric water usage corresponds to volumetric water usage from a beginning of a budget period of time to a first time within the budget period of time; determine (4114) automatically whether a volumetric water budget at the site location will be met for the budget period of time based on at least the first volumetric water usage, the volumetric water budget corresponding to a specified volume of water for use during the budget period of time; determine (4116) automatically, in the event the volumetric water budget will not be met, an adjustment to the irrigation by the irrigation controller; and output (4118) signaling to effect the adjustment.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2016Publication date: April 28, 2016Inventors: Ryan L. Walker, Harvey J. Nickerson, Blake Snider
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Patent number: 9258952Abstract: The present embodiments provide systems, processes and/or methods of controlling irrigation. In some embodiments, methods are provided that receive (4112) water usage information corresponding to a first volumetric water usage at a site location having an irrigation controller (130), wherein the first volumetric water usage corresponds to volumetric water usage from a beginning of a budget period of time to a first time within the budget period of time; determine (4114) automatically whether a volumetric water budget at the site location will be met for the budget period of time based on at least the first volumetric water usage, the volumetric water budget corresponding to a specified volume of water for use during the budget period of time; determine (4116) automatically, in the event the volumetric water budget will not be met, an adjustment to the irrigation by the irrigation controller; and output (4118) signaling to effect the adjustment.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2010Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Ryan L. Walker, Harvey J. Nickerson, Blake Snider
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Publication number: 20150230417Abstract: Methods and devices are provided to automatically determine plant water requirements and adjust irrigation. In one implementation, a method comprises: receiving, from a user via a user interface of an irrigation control unit and at a time after an initial commercial sale, a region identifier corresponding to a region of the irrigation controller; identifying a set of historical values from a plurality of sets of historical values pre-stored in a memory of the irrigation control unit; receiving a current value of at least one other environmental variable from at least one sensor; receiving at least one historical value from the identified set of historical values from the memory; determining the plant water requirements using the at least one historical value and the current value; outputting an adjustment control message to the irrigation controller; and adjusting execution of the irrigation schedule, the irrigation schedule defined for a peak irrigation period.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2015Publication date: August 20, 2015Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, John R. German
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Patent number: 9043964Abstract: Methods and devices are provided to automatically determine plant water requirements and adjust irrigation. In one implementation, a method comprises: receiving, from a user via a user interface of an irrigation control unit and at a time after an initial commercial sale, a region identifier corresponding to a region of the irrigation controller; identifying a set of historical values from a plurality of sets of historical values pre-stored in a memory of the irrigation control unit; receiving a current value of at least one other environmental variable from at least one sensor; receiving at least one historical value from the identified set of historical values from the memory; determining the plant water requirements using the at least one historical value and the current value; outputting an adjustment control message to the irrigation controller; and adjusting execution of the irrigation schedule, the irrigation schedule defined for a peak irrigation period.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2013Date of Patent: June 2, 2015Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, John R. German
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Publication number: 20150045973Abstract: A method and decoder-based irrigation controller, and method and programming chart, are provided. In some embodiments, a decoder-based irrigation controller comprises a microcontroller; and a first connector coupled to the microcontroller and configured to couple to a reader, wherein the reader comprises an optical reader configured to read an optically readable pattern, wherein the first connector is further configured to couple an input from the reader to the microcontroller; and wherein the microcontroller is configured to interpret the input from the reader and perform an action at the decoder-based irrigation controller according to the input.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2014Publication date: February 12, 2015Inventors: Jonathan I. Marsters, Harvey J. Nickerson, Sundarraj Karthikeyan, Douglas H. Callison, Steven A. Hollington, Darin K. Price
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Patent number: 8897899Abstract: A method and programming chart having viewable indicia thereon for programming a decoder-based controller is disclosed. The programming chart comprises a specific portion comprising a station number area for one or more stations being controlled by a decoder-based irrigation controller, a decoder address area adapted to receive an entry indicating an address of a decoder being associated with each of the one or more stations and a plurality of other information areas for each of the one or more stations to receive information pertaining to each of the one or more stations. Furthermore, a method is provided for programming a decoder-based irrigation controller comprising associating a decoder unit with at least a first station, removing a decoder address indicator provided with the decoder unit and recording the decoder address indicator onto a programming chart onto an area designated for a decoder address associated with the first station.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2010Date of Patent: November 25, 2014Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Jonathan I. Marsters, Harvey J. Nickerson, Sundarraj Karthikeyan, Douglas H. Callison, Steven A. Hollington, Darin K. Price
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Publication number: 20140249684Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In one implementation, an expansion module is provided that includes a microcontroller capable of sending and receiving data communications to and from a main microcontroller of the controller that executed irrigation programs, the data communications relating to an irrigation program.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2014Publication date: September 4, 2014Applicant: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel D. Leatherman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Susan E. Basch, Sergio R. Perez Araujo, Jose Macias Galarza, Bill Merkt, Adam A. Dunford
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Publication number: 20140229025Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2014Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 8738188Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2013Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 8649910Abstract: Methods and devices are provided to automatically determine plant water requirements and adjust irrigation in order to make efficient use of water. In one implementation an irrigation control unit comprises at least one input configured to be coupled to and receive signals from a temperature sensor, the signals corresponding to current values of temperature. The unit also includes a memory storing historical values of a plurality of variables and a processor coupled to the at least one input and the memory. The processor is configured to determine plant water requirements at least in part using the historical values of the plurality of variables and the current values of the temperature.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2012Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, John R. German
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Publication number: 20140031996Abstract: Methods and devices are provided to automatically determine plant water requirements and adjust irrigation. In one implementation, a method comprises: receiving, from a user via a user interface of an irrigation control unit and at a time after an initial commercial sale, a region identifier corresponding to a region of the irrigation controller; identifying a set of historical values from a plurality of sets of historical values pre-stored in a memory of the irrigation control unit; receiving a current value of at least one other environmental variable from at least one sensor; receiving at least one historical value from the identified set of historical values from the memory; determining the plant water requirements using the at least one historical value and the current value; outputting an adjustment control message to the irrigation controller; and adjusting execution of the irrigation schedule, the irrigation schedule defined for a peak irrigation period.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2013Publication date: January 30, 2014Applicant: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, John R. German
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Publication number: 20130158724Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In some embodiments, a modular controller supports expansion modules received in any one of the plurality module mounting locations, the expansion modules having different numbers of the station output connectors.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2012Publication date: June 20, 2013Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel D. Leatherman, James R. Musselman
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Patent number: 8417390Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, methods of implementing irrigation control are provided that detect a presence of a first module coupled with a control unit of an irrigation controller, the control unit operating in accordance with a bootloader set of code and a first set of code to implement irrigation control, identify that the first module stores a second set of code, and activate the bootloader set of code to replace the first set of code with the second set of code. Also described are various different types of modular controllers, expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of the controller and these modules in the controller.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2010Date of Patent: April 9, 2013Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20120259473Abstract: Methods and devices are provided to automatically determine plant water requirements and adjust irrigation in order to make efficient use of water. In one implementation an irrigation control unit comprises at least one input configured to be coupled to and receive signals from a temperature sensor, the signals corresponding to current values of temperature. The unit also includes a memory storing historical values of a plurality of variables and a processor coupled to the at least one input and the memory. The processor is configured to determine plant water requirements at least in part using the historical values of the plurality of variables and the current values of the temperature.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2012Publication date: October 11, 2012Applicant: RAIN BIRD CORPORATIONInventors: Harvey J. NICKERSON, John R. GERMAN
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Publication number: 20120239211Abstract: The present embodiments provide systems, processes and/or methods of controlling irrigation. In some embodiments, methods are provided that receive (4112) water usage information corresponding to a first volumetric water usage at a site location having an irrigation controller (130), wherein the first volumetric water usage corresponds to volumetric water usage from a beginning of a budget period of time to a first time within the budget period of time; determine (4114) automatically whether a volumetric water budget at the site location will be met for the budget period of time based on at least the first volumetric water usage, the volumetric water budget corresponding to a specified volume of water for use during the budget period of time; determine (4116) automatically, in the event the volumetric water budget will not be met, an adjustment to the irrigation by the irrigation controller; and output (4118) signaling to effect the adjustment.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 6, 2010Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Ryan L. Walker, Harvey J. Nickerson, Blake Snider
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Patent number: 8265797Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In some embodiments, authentication procedures are provided for one or both of a modular irrigation controller and an expansion module to determine if they are authorized to operate together.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2009Date of Patent: September 11, 2012Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel D. Leatherman, Ken R. Venegas, Roger S. Neitzel, Susan E. Basch, Andrew M. Nguyen, James R. Musselman
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Patent number: 8244404Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, the irrigation controllers are modular in that various functional components of the irrigation controller are implemented in removable modules that when inserted into position within the controller, expand the capabilities of the controller. Also described are various different types of expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of these modules in the controller. In some embodiments, authentication procedures are provided for one or both of a modular irrigation controller and an expansion module to determine if they are authorized to operate together.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2010Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventor: Harvey J. Nickerson