Patents by Inventor John E. Foster

John E. Foster 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: 10662086
    Abstract: A system for water purification having a water inlet being distributed into a plurality of streams defining extended dielectric barrier layers with high surface area to volume ratios and a plasma disposed between at least a pair of the plurality of water streams forming a surface plasma attachment producing radicals that treat the water via diffusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: John E. Foster, Selman Mujovic
  • Publication number: 20180148353
    Abstract: A system for water purification having a water inlet being distributed into a plurality of streams defining extended dielectric barrier layers with high surface area to volume ratios and a plasma disposed between at least a pair of the plurality of water streams forming a surface plasma attachment producing radicals that treat the water via diffusion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: John E. FOSTER, Selman MUJOVIC
  • Publication number: 20180099880
    Abstract: A method for treating water is provided. The method includes feeding gas through a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) jet device having an electrode and a ground electrode disposed in water comprising at least one organic toxin derived from a biological organism to generate a cavity in the water, and powering the electrode such that a plasma jet is generated in the cavity. The plasma jet interacts with the water to generate oxidizing agents that oxidize and decompose organic toxins in the water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Inventors: Janis C. LAI, John E. FOSTER
  • Publication number: 20170039522
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method identifying relationships between professionals and other industry entities by assigning codes in categories and combining the codes to indicate a unique entity with discernable relationships. The method can be used to store information that describes different entities separately, while tracking relationships by applying alpha-numeric codes that identify a relationship when combined. The method creates and assigns codes to identify specific categories. The assigned codes from each category are combined in order to identify a specific entity by the relationship an individual has with other entities in other categories. Ultimately, a code can be identified for every unique relationship an individual professional has with other entities, including working relationships with other individuals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Madelyn Martin, Todd Hayes, John E. Foster, Karen Winters
  • Patent number: 7493869
    Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for producing very large area and large volume plasmas. The invention utilizes electron cylcotron resonances in conjunction with permanent magnets to produce dense, uniform plasmas for long life ion thruster applications or for plasma processing applications such as etching, deposition, ion milling and ion implantation. The large area source is at least five times larger than the 12-inch wafers being processed to date. Its rectangular shape makes it easier to accommodate to materials processing than sources that are circular in shape. The source itself represents the largest ECR ion source built to date. It is electrodeless and does not utilize electromagnets to generate the ECR magnetic circuit, nor does it make use of windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administration of NASA
    Inventors: John E. Foster, Michael J. Patterson
  • Patent number: 7250723
    Abstract: A device and method for generating cathode luminescence is provided. The device and method generate broad spectrum electromagnetic radiation in the visible. A layer of particles, such as quartz or alumina powder, is exposed to electrons in a plasma discharge. Surface excitation of these particles or the generations/excitation of F-center sites give rise to luminescence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA
    Inventor: John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 6960888
    Abstract: A method of producing and accelerating an ion beam comprising the steps of: providing a magnetic field with a cusp that opens in an outward direction along a centerline that passes through a vertex of the cusp: providing an ionizing gas that sprays outward through at least one capillary-like orifice in a plenum that is positioned such that the orifice is on the centerline in the cusp, outward of the vortex of the cusp; providing a cathode electron source, and positioning it outward of the orifice and off of the centerline; and positively charging the plenum relative to the cathode electron source such that the plenum functions as an anode. A hot filament may be used as the cathode electron source, and permanent magnets may be used to provide the magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 6696792
    Abstract: A compact plasma accelerator having components including a cathode electron source, an anodic ionizing gas source, and a magnetic field that is cusped. The components are held by an electrically insulating body having a central axis, a top axial end, and a bottom axial end. The cusped magnetic field is formed by a cylindrical magnet having an axis of rotation that is the same as the axis of rotation of the insulating body, and magnetized with opposite poles at its two axial ends; and an annular magnet coaxially surrounding the cylindrical magnet, magnetized with opposite poles at its two axial ends such that a top axial end has a magnetic polarity that is opposite to the magnetic polarity of a top axial end of the cylindrical magnet. The ionizing gas source is a tubular plenum that has been curved into a substantially annular shape, positioned above the top axial end of the annular magnet such that the plenum is centered in a ring-shaped cusp of the magnetic field generated by the magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 6351214
    Abstract: A method and a device for detecting the breakage of glass. A glass breakage detector that uses an acoustic transducer, an analog-to-digital converter, and a processing means which uses software algorithms to determine if a signal received by the acoustic transducer is a result of glass breaking. The glass breakage detector also uses amplifiers which have a greater gain response for higher frequency components in the received signal. The glass breakage detector is also able to correct the offset error generated by the amplifiers. The processing means or digital signal processor (DSP) uses a feature extraction software algorithm that extracts characteristics of the received sound using a plurality of filters centered at different frequencies and a rules analysis software algorithm to compare the extracted features to features from glass breakage and false alarms. The DSP is also capable of transmitting the extracted features to an external computing device for further analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Pittway Corp.
    Inventors: Kenneth G. Eskildsen, Ying Xiong, Christopher R. Paul, John E. Foster
  • Publication number: 20010033227
    Abstract: A method and a device for detecting the breakage of glass. The glass breakage detector comprises an acoustic transducer, an analog-to-digital converter, and a processing means which uses software algorithms to determine if a signal received by the acoustic transducer is a result of glass breaking. The glass breakage detector further comprises amplifiers which have a greater gain response for higher frequency components in the received signal. The glass breakage detector is also able to correct the offset error generated by the amplifiers. The processing means or digital signal processor (DSP) uses a feature extraction software algorithm that extracts characteristics of the received sound using a plurality of filters centered at different frequencies and a rules analysis software algorithm to compare the extracted features to features from glass breakage and false alarms. The DSP is also capable of transmitting the extracted features to an external computing device for further analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Publication date: October 25, 2001
    Inventors: Kenneth G. Eskildsen, Ying Xiong, Christopher R. Paul, John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 6236313
    Abstract: A glass breakage detector that uses an acoustic transducer, an analog-to-digital converter, and a processing means which uses software algorithms to determine if a signal received by the acoustic transducer is a result of glass breaking. The glass breakage detector also uses amplifiers which have a greater gain response for higher frequency components in the received signal. The glass breakage detector is also able to correct the offset error generated by the amplifiers. The processing means or digital signal processor (DSP) uses a feature extraction software algorithm that extracts characteristics of the received sound using a plurality of filters centered at different frequencies and a rules analysis software algorithm to compare the extracted features to features from glass breakage and false alarms. The DSP is also capable of transmitting the extracted features to an external computing device for further analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Pittway Corp.
    Inventors: Kenneth G. Eskildsen, Ying Xiong, Christopher R. Paul, John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 5963850
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing a balanced diode mixer and local oscillator combination in a microwave receiver. The diodes comprising a balanced mixer are unbalanced in a selective, controlled manner to generate an offset signal. The unbalancing of the mixer is accomplished by heating one of a pair of mixer diodes. By measuring an offset voltage output of the balanced diode mixer after one of the diodes has been heated, it is possible to measure an artificially created diode mismatch offset voltage and thereby verify that the balanced mixer/oscillator combination is working properly. The heating step is performed by either forward biasing the mixer diode or by placing a resistive heating element adjacent to the diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Pittway Corp.
    Inventor: John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 4525928
    Abstract: A scabbard for holding a knife having a folding blade, the scabbard having means therein for engaging thumb slits in the blade of the knife while the knife is being removed from the scabbard to enable the user of the knife to pivot the blade to the open position as the knife is being withdrawn from the scabbard. The means for engaging the thumb slits in the blade can be two pins mounted in the side of the scabbard or two longitudinal ridges or springs extending from the inner walls of the scabbard to engage a substantial length of the thumb slit in the blade of the knife. In one embodiment of the invention, the conventional thumb slits of a folding knife are extended to the end of the portion of the knife blade which first contacts the means for engaging the knife blade to enable the thumb slits to be engaged by the ridges, springs, or pins in the scabbard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1985
    Inventor: John E. Foster
  • Patent number: 4495405
    Abstract: Automatic control system for controlling the switching point of a device which operates in at least two modes of operation, provides for automatic modification of the error signal which controls the switching action of the device by processing in real time the error signal to generate a resultant signal representative of the variation of the error signal over a time period, and then employing the resultant signal to modify the effect of the reference signal from which the error signal is derived. The control system can be employed in a chemical analysis instrument to control the on-off operation of a heater which supplies heated air to incubate samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1985
    Assignee: Coulter Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Foster