Patents by Inventor James S. Higgins

James S. Higgins 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: 11957577
    Abstract: Embodiments of delivery systems, devices and methods for delivering a prosthetic heart valve device to a heart chamber for expanded implementation are disclosed. More specifically, methods, systems and devices are disclosed for delivering a self-expanding prosthetic mitral valve device to the left atrium, with no engagement of the left ventricle, the native mitral valve leaflets or the annular tissue downstream of the upper annular surface during delivery, and in some embodiments with no engagement of the ventricle, mitral valve leaflets and/or annular tissue located downstream of the upper annular surface by the delivered, positioned and expanded prosthetic mitral valve device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: 4C Medical Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Chambers, Gregory G. Brucker, Joseph P. Higgins, Saravana B. Kumar, Jason S. Diedering, Karl A. Kabarowski, Robert J. Thatcher, James E. Flaherty, Jeffrey R. Stone
  • Patent number: 10946868
    Abstract: A device for controlling an autonomous vehicle includes a processor and a memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect that the autonomous vehicle has one or more malfunctioning components and to determine, in response to the detection, a likelihood that the autonomous vehicle is able to reach a desired stop location based on one or more factors associated with the one or more malfunctioning components. The device determines at least one maneuver for the autonomous vehicle based on the likelihood, and causes the autonomous vehicle to perform the at least one maneuver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan T. Hilligardt, James S. Higgins, Abhishek Singhal, Rachad Youssef Gamarra
  • Patent number: 10836346
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle or self-driving vehicle can protect persons from accidents. When the occupants of a vehicle exit the vehicle, those occupants can be endangered by the driving environment. Thus, while the occupants are outside the vehicle, the vehicle can continue to monitor the environment and provide warnings or intercept other vehicles or objects that may impact the occupants. Once all occupants have exited the vehicle, the vehicle's systems can continue to track each person around the vehicle and may engage, in limited maneuvers, to shield the pedestrians around the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan T. Hilligardt, James S. Higgins, Abhishek Singhal, Rachad Youssef Gamarra
  • Patent number: 10576994
    Abstract: Autonomous systems, such as vehicles being operated in a self-driving mode, may allow for human occupants to be inattentive to the operation of the system. However, events may occur that require a human user to perform an action. Systems and method are provided that enable an autonomous system to determine whether the system requires, or will require, a user action and whether the user is or is not attentive. If an action is required and the human is not attentive, an alerting protocol is executed to cause the system to perform actions that enable the user to be alerted, such as to enable the, now attentive, user to be able to perform the action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventors: James S. Higgins, Abhishek Singhal
  • Publication number: 20200062275
    Abstract: Autonomous systems, such as vehicles being operated in a self-driving mode, may allow for human occupants to be inattentive to the operation of the system. However, events may occur that require a human user to perform an action. Systems and method are provided that enable an autonomous system to determine whether the system requires, or will require, a user action and whether the user is or is not attentive. If an action is required and the human is not attentive, an alerting protocol is executed to cause the system to perform actions that enable the user to be alerted, such as to enable the, now attentive, user to be able to perform the action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: James S. Higgins, Abhishek Singhal
  • Publication number: 20190329729
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle or self-driving vehicle can protect persons from accidents. When the occupants of a vehicle exit the vehicle, those occupants can be endangered by the driving environment. Thus, while the occupants are outside the vehicle, the vehicle can continue to monitor the environment and provide warnings or intercept other vehicles or objects that may impact the occupants. Once all occupants have exited the vehicle, the vehicle's systems can continue to track each person around the vehicle and may engage, in limited maneuvers, to shield the pedestrians around the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventors: Stefan T. Hilligardt, James S. Higgins, Abhishek Singhal, Rachad Youssef Gamarra
  • Publication number: 20190300007
    Abstract: A device for controlling an autonomous vehicle includes a processor and a memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect that the autonomous vehicle has one or more malfunctioning components and to determine, in response to the detection, a likelihood that the autonomous vehicle is able to reach a desired stop location based on one or more factors associated with the one or more malfunctioning components. The device determines at least one maneuver for the autonomous vehicle based on the likelihood, and causes the autonomous vehicle to perform the at least one maneuver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Stefan T. Hilligardt, James S. Higgins, Abhishek Singhal, Rachad Youssef Gamarra
  • Patent number: 10369966
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to employing various methods and devices to access a vehicle and controlling a level of access granted based on the device and methods employed. Controlling access to a vehicle can comprise maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device. When the presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle is detected, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle can be retrieved and used to determine whether to grant access to the vehicle. In response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, access to the vehicle can be provided according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle identified in the retrieved security profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventors: James S. Higgins, Infantdani Abel Rayan, Joshua T. Butler, Rachad Youssef Gamarra, Anthony Tao Liang, Gautam Muralidhar