Patents by Inventor John Michael Cuffe

John Michael Cuffe 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: 8434936
    Abstract: A method for performing ultrasonic testing comprising, in one embodiment, the steps of firing an ultrasonic transducer to generate an ultrasonic pulse that passes through a delay line, measuring a delay echo time of flight, and determining the temperature of the delay line using the delay echo time of flight, thereby eliminating the need for additional temperature measuring devices. Other embodiments further comprise the step of using the temperature of the delay line to determine the temperature of a test object, and using the temperature of the test object to determine a thickness of the test object that is compensated for thermal expansion and temperature dependent ultrasonic velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: GE Inspection Technologies, LP
    Inventors: John Michael Cuffe, James Barshinger, Ying Fan
  • Publication number: 20110090935
    Abstract: A method for performing ultrasonic testing comprising, in one embodiment, the steps of firing an ultrasonic transducer to generate an ultrasonic pulse that passes through a delay line, measuring a delay echo time of flight, and determining the temperature of the delay line using the delay echo time of flight, thereby eliminating the need for additional temperature measuring devices. Other embodiments further comprise the step of using the temperature of the delay line to determine the temperature of a test object, and using the temperature of the test object to determine a thickness of the test object that is compensated for thermal expansion and temperature dependent ultrasonic velocity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Inventors: John Michael Cuffe, James Barshinger, Ying Fan
  • Patent number: 7586252
    Abstract: A phosphor admixture includes a phosphor powder and a number of radiation capture electron emitters. The emitters are dispersed within the phosphor powder. A phosphor screen includes phosphor particles, radiation capture electron emitters and a binder. The emitters and phosphor particles are dispersed within the binder. An imaging assembly includes a phosphor screen configured to receive incident radiation and to emit corresponding optical signals. An electronic device is coupled to the phosphor screen. The electronic device is configured to receive the optical signals from the phosphor screen and to generate an imaging signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Clifford Bueno, Steven Jude Duclos, David Michael Hoffman, John Michael Cuffe
  • Patent number: 7506546
    Abstract: The invention provides an ultrasonic object inspection system for measuring the physical properties of a test object which includes a pulse generator for sending an electrical pulse signal to a transducer. The transducer then applies an ultrasonic signal to the test object and receives an ultrasonic echo signal from the test object which is then converted by the transducer to an electrical echo signal for sending to a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit includes a plurality of signal processing paths with each path scaling the electrical echo signal to a different degree and including a respective analog to digital converter for converting the electrical echo signal to a digital electrical echo signal. The signal processing circuit further includes a logic circuit for selecting the output of the respective analog to digital converter that provides the digital echo signal having the greatest amplitude without exceeding a predetermined saturation threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: GE Inspection Technologies, LP
    Inventors: John Michael Cuffe, Klaus Peter Busch, Scott Allen Herbster
  • Publication number: 20080202244
    Abstract: The apparatus and method of the present invention provides an ultrasonic object inspection system for measuring the physical properties of a test object comprising a pulse generator for generating and transmitting an electrical pulse signal to a transducer. The transducer receives and converts the electrical pulse signal to an ultrasonic signal, applies the ultrasonic signal to the test object, receives an ultrasonic echo signal from the test object, and converts the ultrasonic echo signal to an electrical echo signal, and transmits the electrical echo signal to a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit receives and processes the electrical echo signal and comprises a plurality of signal processing paths. Each of the signal processing paths scales the electrical echo signal to a different degree and comprises a respective analog to digital converter for converting the electrical echo signal to a digital electrical echo signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: GE Inspection Techonologies, LP
    Inventors: John Michael Cuffe, Klaus Peter Busch, Scott Allen Herbster
  • Patent number: 7389692
    Abstract: The apparatus and method of the present invention provides a plurality of linear amplifiers simultaneously processing an ultrasonic signal. Each amplifier of the plurality of linear amplifiers has a predetermined gain level suitable for achieving the desired output signal level for input to an analog to digital (A/D) converter for processing. The output of each amplifier is sampled by each respective A/D converter at a very high frequency to convert the analog signal output of each of the linear amplifiers to a digital signal. Logic circuits simultaneously monitor all of the output digital signals from the A/D converters. The logic circuits determine which output of the A/D converters has the greatest linear output and stores the selected output in a memory storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: GE Inspection Technologies, LP
    Inventors: John Michael Cuffe, Klaus-Peter Busch, Scott Allen Herbster