Patents by Inventor James Cain

James Cain 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).

  • Publication number: 20070176752
    Abstract: A power management method for a transponder having a plurality of circuits including at least a first circuit having a first active state requiring at least a first power level, and a second circuit having a second active state requiring at least a second power level greater than the first power level includes receiving a reader device signal in the first circuit, determining in the first circuit, based on information included in the reader signal, whether the reader signal requires a circuit other than the first circuit to operate, and causing the first circuit to provide a wake-up signal and the reader signal to the second circuit if it is determined that the reader signal requires a circuit other than the first circuit to operate. The wake up signal causes the second circuit to move from an inactive state to the second active state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Applicant: University of Pittsburgh - Of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
    Inventors: Marlin Mickle, Peter Hawrylak, Raymond Hoare, Alex Jones, James Cain, Chuba Oyolu, Shenchih Tung
  • Publication number: 20070173214
    Abstract: A method of powering a wireless autonomous device having energy harvesting circuitry, on-board electronic circuitry, and RF transmitter circuitry using an RF transmitting profile that includes a plurality of RF pulses. That same profile may also be used to simultaneously communicate information to the wireless autonomous device in a number of ways, including different encoding schemes. A system including a plurality of wireless autonomous devices that employs the methods is also provided. Further, a method of designing a wireless autonomous device system and/or a wireless autonomous device to be used therein is provided that employs an equivalent circuit for the wireless autonomous device that is in the form of a lumped parameter RLC circuit with an energy source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Applicant: University of Pittsburgh-Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
    Inventors: Marlin Mickle, Minhong Mi, David Sammel, James Cain, Leonid Mats
  • Publication number: 20070012773
    Abstract: Described are methods of making an electronic device including an electronic component, such as an IC chip, connected to conducting traces provided on a substrate by depositing an electrically conductive polymer deposited onto the substrate. The electronic component may be placed on the substrate before or after the electrically conductive polymer is deposited. Once deposited, the electrically conductive polymer is cured. The electrically conductive polymer may be deposited in a number of ways, such as using a mask having a desired pattern and applying the electrically conductive polymer to the mask, by screen printing the electrically conductive polymer or by printing the electrically conductive polymer using ink jet printing techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Publication date: January 18, 2007
    Applicant: University of Pittsburgh - Of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
    Inventors: Marlin Mickle, James Cain, Michael Lovell, Junfeng Mei
  • Publication number: 20060267200
    Abstract: Described are methods of making an electronic device, such as an RFID tag, including fabricating an antenna by depositing an electrically conductive polymer onto a substrate. The electrically conductive polymer is electrically connected to an electronic component, such as an IC chip or a diode. The electronic component may be placed on the substrate before or after the electrically conductive polymer is deposited. Once deposited, the electrically conductive polymer is cured. The electrically conductive polymer may be deposited in a number of ways, such using a mask having a desired pattern and applying the electrically conductive polymer to the mask, by screen printing the electrically conductive polymer or by printing the electrically conductive polymer using ink jet printing techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2006
    Publication date: November 30, 2006
    Applicant: University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
    Inventors: Marlin Mickle, James Cain, Michael Lovell, Jungfeng Mei
  • Publication number: 20060271912
    Abstract: A method of generating software code for a processor of an IC based on a simple input description of the IC's standards. The method includes generating a macros description of each of the primitives from the standards and the response corresponding to each of the primitives, wherein the macros description includes information relating to a number of first fields for each of the primitives and a number of second fields for each response. The method further includes generating a blank version of a template that includes each of the second fields and receiving a completed version of the template, wherein the completed template specifies a behavior of the integrated circuit in response to the primitives. Finally, the method includes compiling the software code based on the macros description and the completed version of the template. Also, a software tool implementing the method is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Publication date: November 30, 2006
    Inventors: Marlin Mickle, James Cain, Swapna Dontharaju, Raymond Hoare, Alex Jones
  • Publication number: 20060238308
    Abstract: A transponder apparatus having an identifier associated therewith includes a receiver for receiving an RF signal transmitted by an interrogator, a power source and a processing unit that is operatively coupled to the power source and is capable of being in an inactive, sleep state (low current draw) and an active state. The transponder apparatus also includes a buffer device that is structured to: (i) receive an information signal based on the RF signal from the receiver, (ii) determine whether the information signal includes the identifier, and (iii) cause the processing unit to move from the inactive state to the active state and transmit at least a portion of the information signal to the processing unit only if it is determined that the information signal includes the identifier. An associated method is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Publication date: October 26, 2006
    Inventors: Marlin Mickle, Peter Hawrylak, Raymond Hoare, Alex Jones, James Cain, Chuba Oyolu, Shenchih Tung
  • Publication number: 20050028954
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a creping aid composition comprising a film-forming semi-crystalline polymer and a vehicle system comprising a cationic polymer resin, a water soluble anionic film forming polymer, and water, wherein the net Mutek charge of the vehicle system is less than about ?200 ?eq/g solid and the pH of the creping aid composition is greater than the pH of the vehicle system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Charles Neal, Edward Aprahamian, James Cain
  • Publication number: 20020165736
    Abstract: A system and methods for generating a profile concerning the prescription therapy practices of physicians in a therapeutic area of interest. A plurality of historical de-identified patient prescription records are analyzed, and the records are categorized based on changes in the dosage or the prescription product between prescriptions for a particular de-identified patient. The prescriptions may be categorized based on the duration between the due date of a prescription and the date the prescription was filled. This information may be summarized for each physician for each product in the therapy area of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Publication date: November 7, 2002
    Inventors: Jill Tolle, James Cain
  • Patent number: 5465152
    Abstract: A method for determining coplanarity with 3-D sensing means of substrates for ball grid array, column grid array, and similar surface mount integrated circuit chips, in which opaque fiducials are provided as index pads. Heights of the index pads are correlated with signal pad heights in a neighborhood about the index pads. The index pads are opaque to incident radiation from the 3-D sensor. The index pads reflect sufficient radiation to be detected easily by the 3-D sensor. The index pads are disposed in a prearranged pattern over a domain of ball grid array signal pads. The index pads are restricted to a predetermined range of heights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Assignee: Robotic Vision Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Bilodeau, Frank Jacovino, Joanne Cameron, James Cain