Patents by Inventor Herman E. Sheffield

Herman E. Sheffield 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: 4595978
    Abstract: Although TTL-PROMs possess many advantages over their CMOS-PROM counterparts, their use in controlling on-off operations of indicators such as flashing navigational lights has been limited when battery power is required due to the high power consumption of such TTL-PROMs. Accordingly, a programmable control circuit is provided which includes a TTL-PROM together with a plurality of lower power consumption CMOS units and which minimizes the power consumption of the TTL-PROM. The TTL-PROM has a plurality of memory cells programmed with a plurality of code words. A CMOS addressing means is coupled to this PROM to generate address words to address the memory cells. This addressing serves to activate the PROM to output the appropriate code words in a parallel format. A CMOS parallel-series converter is coupled to receive the parallel format code words from the PROM and convert these to a serial code output signal. This serial code output signal is then used to drive the indicator device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1986
    Assignee: Automatic Power, Inc.
    Inventor: Herman E. Sheffield
  • Patent number: 4218139
    Abstract: A device and method are disclosed for measuring solar energy during a testing period which uses a cell to provide an electrical signal in response to received solar energy and a resistor connected to the cell for providing an adjusted electrical signal at a valve chosen to represent a specified value of solar energy. A pulse train is provided which has a reduced frequency proportional to the adjusted electrical signal, the number of pulses are counted and this accumulated number is displayed, the number being representative of the solar energy received by the cell during the testing period. Batteries are used to supply power to the device and a normally open switch activates the display which is normally inactive during the testing period to conserve the life of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1980
    Inventor: Herman E. Sheffield
  • Patent number: 3982242
    Abstract: A receiver is disclosed connected to a McCulloh loop, having an N or line side and a G or ground side, for receiving coded alarm signals from a plurality of McCulloh transmitters. The receiver is especially adapted for supplying the alarm signals to a computer and has N and G process logic circuits to ensure that the polarity of the output signals supplied to the computer from the logic circuits remains the same regardless of the polarity of input signals supplied to the logic circuits. The receiver also has an inhibit circuit to prevent the G process logic circuit from supplying its output to the computer except upon the occurrence of a fault condition in the McCulloh loop, a fault sensing circuit for sensing a fault in the McCulloh loop and for connecting the ground side of the loop and the line side of the loop together and a sampling circuit for testing the McCulloh loop during a fault condition to resume normal operation in the loop upon the clearance of the fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1976
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Herman E. Sheffield, Paul D. Welshans