Patents by Inventor John A. Dickinson

John A. Dickinson 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: 20200179629
    Abstract: A respiratory flow therapy apparatus including a sensing chamber which measures a flow of gases provided to a patient. The sensing chamber can be located after a blower and/or mixer. The sensing chamber can include an ultrasonic transducer, a temperature sensor, a heated temperature sensing element, and/or a gas concentration sensor. A flow path of gases used in conjunction with the sensor system prevents unwanted vorticity in the flow of gases that can create anomalies in measuring flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Russel William Burgess, Jess Edward Donnelly, Dean Antony Barker, Philip John Dickinson, Andre Van Schalkwyk, Joel Michael Lawson
  • Publication number: 20200124104
    Abstract: An apparatus for delivering a flow of gas having: a controller; a housing defining a gas-flow passage flowing a high concentration oxygen gas; a motor with windings, resilient bearing mounts and an impeller to deliver the gas through the gas-flow passage; a flexible printed circuit electrically connecting the motor to the controller and sensor system; and an elastomeric shield to pneumatically isolate the windings from the gas-flow passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Philip John DICKINSON, Hayk Noobar Antranik YAGHOBIAN, Richard Daniel PANARA
  • Patent number: 10625312
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include a plasma abatement process that takes effluent from a processing chamber and reacts the effluent with water vapor reagent within a plasma source placed in a foreline by injecting the water vapor reagent into the foreline or the plasma source. The materials present in the effluent as well as the water vapor reagent are energized by the plasma source, converting the materials into gas species such as HF that is readily scrubbed by typical water scrubbing abatement technology. An oxygen containing gas is periodically injected into the foreline or the plasma source relative to the water vapor injection to reduce or avoid the generation of solid particles. The abatement process has good destruction removal efficiency (DRE) with minimized solid particle generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin John Dickinson
  • Patent number: 10621041
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to dynamically assign and relocate object fragments in distributed storage systems are disclosed. In some examples, the methods and apparatus encode an object with error correction coding to separate the object into fragments, create a first index indicative of storage nodes where the fragments of the object are to be stored, encode a second index into identifiers of the fragments of the object, the second index based on the first index, and store the fragments of the object and the corresponding second index encoded identifiers in the storage nodes based on the first index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul E. Luse, John Dickinson, Samuel Merritt, Clay Gerrard
  • Patent number: 10516623
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a cloud computing system provides user extensibility by providing a plugin interface for major systems. Plugin interfaces for a compute service, object service, network service, authentication and authorization service, message service, and image service are disclosed. One or more of the plugin interfaces can be used to alter the allocation of virtual to physical resources across multiple services. Compound services and smart allocation facilities are possible with user-directed modification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward Leafe, Alexander Walsh, Paul Voccio, Antony Joel Messerli, Charles B. Thier, John A. Dickinson, Gregory Lee Holt, Christopher James Behrens, Trey Eugene Morris, Matthew Charles Dietz, Jason LuVern Kolker, Ziad Sawalha, Yogeshwar Srikrishnan, William Randolph Mathews, IV, Vishvananda Ishaya
  • Patent number: 10449486
    Abstract: A plasma abatement process for abating effluent containing compounds from a processing chamber is described. A plasma abatement process takes gaseous foreline effluent from a processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, and reacts the effluent within a plasma chamber placed in the foreline path. The plasma dissociates the compounds within the effluent, converting the effluent into more benign compounds. Abating reagents may assist in the abating of the compounds. The abatement process may be a volatizing or a condensing abatement process. Representative volatilizing abating reagents include, for example, CH4, H2O, H2, NF3, SF6, F2, HCl, HF, Cl2, and HBr. Representative condensing abating reagents include, for example, H2, H2O, O2, N2, O3, CO, CO2, NH3, N2O, CH4, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael S. Cox, Monique McIntosh, Colin John Dickinson, Paul E. Fisher, Yutaka Tanaka, Zheng Yuan
  • Publication number: 20190282956
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for treating an exhaust gas in a foreline of a substrate processing system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for treating an exhaust gas in an exhaust conduit of a substrate processing system includes: flowing an exhaust gas from a process chamber into a plasma source via a foreline; injecting a reagent into the foreline; forming a plasma in the plasma source from the exhaust gas and the reagent; and injecting a cleaning gas into the foreline, wherein the cleaning gas and the reagent are different gases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: COLIN JOHN DICKINSON, MEHRAN MOALEM, DANIEL O. CLARK
  • Publication number: 20190226083
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for treating vacuum processing system exhaust gases. In addition, methods and apparatus for maintenance of foreline plasma reactor subsystems are disclosed. In some embodiments, an apparatus for treating an exhaust gas in a foreline of a vacuum processing system includes a plasma source coupled with a foreline of a process chamber, a treatment agent source coupled with the plasma source, and a downstream trap to cool an exhaust stream and trap particles in the exhaust stream. In some embodiments, multiple foreline plasma reactor subsystems are used with a vacuum processing system, and one foreline plasma reactor subsystem can be isolated and maintained (e.g., cleaned) while exhaust gas treatment continues in another foreline plasma reactor subsystem and processing continues in the vacuum processing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventor: Colin John DICKINSON
  • Publication number: 20190143069
    Abstract: A blower unit for use as part of an integrated blower/humidification system is described. The blower unit has an outer casing, which encloses and forms part of the blower unit, the casing including an air inlet vent. The blower unit further includes a humidifier compartment for receiving a humidifier unit with a separate gases inlet and outlet, the compartment having a heater base for heating the contents of the humidifier unit. The compartment also has a blower inlet port which aligns with the humidifier unit inlet in use, the blower providing a gases path through the casing between the inlet vent and the inlet port. The blower unit also includes a fan for providing a pressurised gases stream along the gases path, and a power supply unit for powering the fan. The gases path is routed over the power supply unit in order to provide a cooling air flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Venkata Subbarao Potharaju, Christie Jayne Stanton, Andrew Paul Maxwell Salmon, Yi-Cheng Sun, Hayden Briscoe, Samuel Frew, Steven John Worthington, Philip John Dickinson, Cameron Jon Haxton
  • Patent number: 10209893
    Abstract: An example method for storing data includes providing a plurality of physical storage pools, each storage pool including a plurality of storage nodes coupled to a network. The method also includes mapping a partition of a plurality of partitions to a set of physical storage pools, where each physical storage pool of the set of physical storage pools is located in a different availability zone, and the storage nodes within an availability zone are subject to a correlated loss of access to stored data. The method further includes receiving a data management request over the network, the data management request being associated with a data object. The method also includes identifying a first partition of the plurality of partitions corresponding to the received data management request and manipulating the data object in the physical storage pools mapped to the first partition in accordance with the data management request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Publication number: 20190022577
    Abstract: A plasma abatement process for abating effluent containing compounds from a processing chamber is described. A plasma abatement process takes gaseous foreline effluent from a processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, and reacts the effluent within a plasma chamber placed in the foreline path. The plasma dissociates the compounds within the effluent, converting the effluent into more benign compounds. Abating reagents may assist in the abating of the compounds. The abatement process may be a volatizing or a condensing abatement process. Representative volatilizing abating reagents include, for example, CH4, H2O, H2, NF3, SF6, F2, HCl, HF, Cl2, and HBr. Representative condensing abating reagents include, for example, H2, H2O, O2, N2, O3, CO, CO2, NH3, N2O, CH4, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Michael S. COX, Monique MCINTOSH, Colin John DICKINSON, Paul E. FISHER, Yutaka TANAKA, Zheng YUAN
  • Patent number: 10176973
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include a method for abating compounds produced in semiconductor processes. The method includes energizing an abating agent, forming a composition by reacting the energized abating agent with gases exiting a vacuum processing chamber, and flowing the composition through a plurality of holes formed in a cooling plate. By cooling the composition with the cooling plate, damages on the downstream pump are avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Michael S. Cox, Rongping Wang, Brian T. West, Roger M. Johnson, Colin John Dickinson
  • Publication number: 20180366307
    Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure relate to systems and techniques for abating F-gases present in the effluent of semiconductor manufacturing processes. In one implementation, a water and oxygen delivery system for a plasma abatement system is provided. The water and oxygen delivery system comprises a housing that includes a floor and a plurality of sidewalls that define an enclosed region. The water and oxygen delivery system further comprises a cylindrical water tank positioned on the floor, wherein a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical water tank is parallel to a plane defined by the floor and a length of the water tank is 1.5 times or greater than the diameter of the cylindrical water tank. The water and oxygen delivery system further comprises a flow control system positioned within the housing above the cylindrical water tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventor: Colin John DICKINSON
  • Patent number: 10155097
    Abstract: A blower unit for use as part of an integrated blower/humidification system is described. The blower unit has an outer casing, which encloses and forms part of the blower unit, the casing including an air inlet vent. The blower unit further includes a humidifier compartment for receiving a humidifier unit with a separate gases inlet and outlet, the compartment having a heater base for heating the contents of the humidifier unit. The compartment also has a blower inlet port which aligns with the humidifier unit inlet in use, the blower providing a gases path through the casing between the inlet vent and the inlet port. The blower unit also includes a fan for providing a pressurized gases stream along the gases path, and a power supply unit for powering the fan. The gases path is routed over the power supply unit in order to provide a cooling air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited
    Inventors: Venkata Subbarao Potharaju, Christie Jayne Stanton, Andrew Paul Maxwell Salmon, Yi-Cheng Sun, Hayden Briscoe, Samuel Frew, Steven John Worthington, Philip John Dickinson, Cameron Jon Haxton
  • Patent number: 10144987
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an electromagnetic sensor (400) for detecting a microstructure of a metal target, comprising: a magnetic device (410, 420) for providing an excitation magnetic field; a magnetometer (430) for detecting a resultant magnetic field induced in a metal target; and a calibration circuit (450, 551, 552, 553, 554) for generating a calibration magnetic field for calibrating the electromagnetic sensor, wherein the calibration reference magnetic field is generated by an electrical current induced in the calibration circuit by the excitation magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
    Inventors: Anthony Joseph Peyton, Wuliang Yin, Stephen John Dickinson
  • Publication number: 20180336231
    Abstract: A technique is applied to eventually converge on a single data storage strategy for any set of object data which had an inconsistent data storage strategy applied during storage while there was a network partition. This state could occur in instances of a highly available distributed object storage system which can store objects according to multiple data storage strategies. Upon the healing of a network partition, the technique discovers if multiple data storage strategies were applied to the object data stored during a network partition, deterministically identifies which data storage strategy represents the correct strategy, for example based on the log of state transitions requested by the client according to the API contract, and ensures that this strategy is consistently applied to all object data in the collection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Clay GERRARD, Paul Luse, Samuel N. Merritt, John Dickinson
  • Publication number: 20180318758
    Abstract: A plasma abatement process for abating effluent containing compounds from a processing chamber is described. A plasma abatement process takes gaseous foreline effluent from a processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, and reacts the effluent within a plasma chamber placed in the foreline path. The plasma dissociates the compounds within the effluent, converting the effluent into more benign compounds. Abating reagents may assist in the abating of the compounds. The abatement process may be a volatizing or a condensing abatement process. Representative volatilizing abating reagents include, for example, CH4, H2O, H2, NF3, SF6, F2, HCl, HF, Cl2, and HBr. Representative condensing abating reagents include, for example, H2, H2O, O2, N2, O3, CO, CO2, NH3, N2O, CH4, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Michael S. COX, Monique MCINTOSH, Colin John DICKINSON, Paul E. FISHER, Yutaka TANAKA, Zheng YUAN
  • Patent number: 10113212
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an electromagnetic sensor (400) for detecting a microstructure of a metal target, comprising: a magnetic device (410, 420) for providing an excitation magnetic field; a magnetometer (430) for detecting a resultant magnetic field induced in a metal target; and a calibration circuit (450, 551, 552, 553, 554) for generating a calibration magnetic field for calibrating the electromagnetic sensor, wherein the calibration reference magnetic field is generated by an electrical current induced in the calibration circuit by the excitation magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
    Inventors: Anthony Joseph Peyton, Wuliang Yin, Stephen John Dickinson
  • Patent number: 10115571
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods that provide a reagent gas in a foreline abatement system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a reagent delivery system includes a water tank having an inner volume that holds a reagent liquid when disposed therein, and a heat exchanger having a central opening disposed in the inner volume and configured to keep a top surface of the reagent liquid from freezing when reagent liquid is disposed within the water tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventor: Colin John Dickinson
  • Patent number: 10104175
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B Payne, Charles B Thier, Gregory Holt