Patents by Inventor James S. Shreve

James S. Shreve 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: 4542367
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for conversion of digital multistate signals, represing a numerical value, to an optical output signal having an amplitude analogous to the numerical value. A controllable density optical transmission device provides plural optical signals representative of the digital states of components of the input signal. The plural optical signals are weighted and summed by optical filters to provide the desired analogous optical output representing the input numerical value. The use of phase shifting filters enables the conversion of negative and complex numbers. A two dimensional liquid crystal array may be used as the controllable optical transmission device to enable conversion of a plurality of numerical values simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4438439
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a passive station to locate itself relative to a tationary or moving transmitting station transmitting a narrow pulsed scanning beam by utilizing reception of pulses directly from the transmitting station and reception of reflected pulses from a set of scatterers. A method and means for determining a bearing from the transmitting station and a method and means for determining a range to the transmitting station is disclosed utilizing a set of differential times, the times for a pulse from the transmitting station to travel to each scatterer and then to the passive station, a set of angles lying between a line connecting the transmitting station and passive station and a set of lines connecting the transmitting station and the set of scatterers and a set of angles lying between a link connecting the passive station and the transmitting station and the set of lines connecting the passive station and the set of scatterers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1981
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4383641
    Abstract: A novel fluid-flow control damper is disclosed. The damper comprises a freely pivotable closure situated in a fluid-flow conduit, such as an air duct. The closure is maintained in a closed position by a simple latching means, and may be maintained in an open condition by means of fluid flow through the conduit. Several of these dampers may be used in combination with a single fluid temperature control device, resulting in a simple, low-cost multizone heating or cooling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1983
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4373810
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining a film development parameter and a camera exposure setting to compensate for the luminous dynamic range of a subject being photographed which takes film non-linearities into account. Film characteristic curve data is stored in a read only memory of the apparatus. In a semi-automatic embodiment, information corresponding to desired film densities for two areas of the subject matter is manually inputted to the apparatus, which is then pointed towards the two areas. In an automatic embodiment, information corresponding to desired film densities for the brightest and least bright areas of the subject to be photographed is manually inputted, the entire subject is automatically scanned by a vidicon or equivalent means, and the brightest and least bright areas of the subject are automatically detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1980
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1983
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4359140
    Abstract: An auxiliary lubrication means is disclosed which is suitable for use in conjunction with an internal combustion engine or similar mechanical device. The present apparatus includes a reservoir for storing a lubricant under pressure during normal operation of the engine. Upon failure of the engine's lubrication system, or during a subsequent start-up procedure, the means of the present invention is operative to provide lubricant to the moving parts of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1982
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4304473
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining a film development parameter and a camera exposure setting to compensate for the luminous dynamic range of a subject being photographed. In a semi-automatic embodiment, information corresponding to desired film densities for two areas of the subject matter is manually inputted to the apparatus, which is then pointed towards the two areas. In an automatic embodiment, information corresponding to desired film densities for the brightest and least bright areas of the subject to be photographed is manually inputted, the entire subject is automatically scanned by a vidicon or equivalent means, and the brightest and least bright areas of the subject are automatically detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1981
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4280752
    Abstract: A coherent optical processor device comprised of a monolithic mass of traarent optical material. The device is built up of a plurality of modules, each having a curved reflective surface for performing a Fourier transform operation and a V-shaped reflective surface, for reflecting the beam and directing it to the next module. Plates or masks for changing the amplitude and/or phase of the beam may be inserted in air gaps between contiguous modules. The device provides absolute path length constancy, is not vulnerable to the adverse effects of dust, and minimizes the multiple reflections ordinarily produced at air-glass interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1981
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4277019
    Abstract: A novel fluid-flow control damper is disclosed. The damper comprises a freely pivotable closure situated in a fluid-flow conduit, such as an air duct. The closure is maintained in a closed position by a simple latching means, and may be maintained in an open condition by means of fluid flow through the conduit. Several of these dampers may be used in combination with a single fluid temperature control device, resulting in a simple, low-cost multizone heating or cooling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1981
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4271413
    Abstract: A coherent optical processor antenna controller which is capable of inserg deep nulls in the antenna pattern at selected locations, without degrading the remainder of the pattern. The processor includes a means for optically forming the far field antenna pattern at a plane and a means for sampling the far field pattern with a matrix of apertures at positions corresponding to the desired positions of the nulls being blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1981
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4241351
    Abstract: A coherent optical processor antenna controller for controlling the pattern mitted by an array antenna. Since the amplitude and phase of the antenna excitation signals are related to the far field by the Fourier transform function, a coherent optical processor, which uses lenses to take the Fourier transforms of images may be used to control the antenna excitation. The shape and direction of the pattern may be controlled by the transmittance distribution of a transparency in the processor and a null may be formed by the utilization of an additional slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1980
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4238797
    Abstract: An optical processor antenna controller for controlling a plurality of be emitted from an array antenna. The beams may be emitted simultaneously or sequentially, and control is by a plurality of coherent light beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1980
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4235516
    Abstract: An apparatus for effecting independent spatial amplitude and phase modulan of a light beam. Two birefringent crystal modulation means such as PROM's (Pockel's Readout Optical Modulator) are arranged so that the first modulation means spatially modulates the amplitude of the beam in accordance with an input image applied to the first modulation means while the second modulation means spatially modulates the phase of the beam in accordance with an input image which is applied to the second modulation means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1980
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 4213697
    Abstract: An improved phase measuring method and apparatus for measuring the relative hase and amplitude of an applied optical signal beam at a number of points in a plane. The combination of the signal beam and a reference beam are simultaneously directed onto a pair of photodector arrays, the reference beam on one array being .pi./2 radians out of phase with the reference beam on the other array. Respective interference patterns are formed on the photodector arrays, points on the arrays are sampled, and the desired amplitude and phase of the signal beam at the sampling points is determined by a series of computational steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1978
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1980
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James S. Shreve
  • Patent number: 3995263
    Abstract: A device readily adaptable into existing laboratory oscilloscopes for causing the current date and time of day to be displayed on the screen thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the analog read out comprises ten digits across the top of the oscilloscope screen and respectively represent years, hundreds of days, tens of days, days, tens of hours, hours, tens of minutes, minutes, tens of seconds, and seconds. The device essentially comprises a time-keeping module for generating binary coded decimal signals representative of the date and time data, a slightly modified standard oscilloscope keyboard read out plug-in unit, and, of course, the oscilloscope itself. Initialization of the data may be accomplished by manually operable thumbwheel switches located on the time-keeping module. The device keeps time to an accuracy of about one-fifth second per day and is extremely useful when precise time recordation of remotely obtained data is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1974
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1976
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: James S. Shreve, George R. Thompson