Patents by Inventor John S. Fuller

John S. Fuller 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: 12352368
    Abstract: Systems and methods may be provided to execute online tests of a valve in a digital valve positioner. The digital valve positioner may receive a request to execute a test of the valve, which specifies a test start point, and queue the request for execution. The digital valve positioner may subsequently receive a new setpoint for the valve. The digital valve positioner may further reposition the valve according to the new setpoint. The digital valve positioner may further, while the valve is being repositioned, compare the test start point to a current position of the valve, and in response to determining that the current position of the valve has reached the test start point, collect sensor data indicative of the operation of the valve, to generate results of the test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: FISHER CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL LLC
    Inventor: John S. Fuller
  • Patent number: 12074653
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for accessing and controlling field devices to collect data and convert protocols are disclosed herein. An example system to access a field device includes one or more processors, a transmitter, a wireless network interface controller, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, may cause the field communicator device to retrieve process parameter data encoded in a field device transmission protocol. The field communicator device may retrieve the process parameter data at a plurality of time intervals from a field device, and the process parameter data may correspond to a process parameter for the field device. The field communicator device may also store at least some of the process parameter data, analyze the process parameter data over the plurality of time intervals to identify a condition of the field device, and transmit an indication of the condition of the field device to a remote device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: FISHER CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL LLC
    Inventors: John S. Fuller, Kenneth W. Junk
  • Publication number: 20240117895
    Abstract: Systems and methods may be provided to execute online tests of a valve in a digital valve positioner. The digital valve positioner may receive a request to execute a test of the valve, which specifies a test start point, and queue the request for execution. The digital valve positioner may subsequently receive a new setpoint for the valve. The digital valve positioner may further reposition the valve according to the new setpoint. The digital valve positioner may further, while the valve is being repositioned, compare the test start point to a current position of the valve, and in response to determining that the current position of the valve has reached the test start point, collect sensor data indicative of the operation of the valve, to generate results of the test.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Inventor: John S. Fuller
  • Patent number: 11835152
    Abstract: Systems and methods may be provided to execute online tests of a valve in a digital valve positioner. The digital valve positioner may receive a request to execute a test of the valve, which specifies a test start point, and queue the request for execution. The digital valve positioner may subsequently receive a new setpoint for the valve. The digital valve positioner may further reposition the valve according to the new setpoint. The digital valve positioner may further, while the valve is being repositioned, compare the test start point to a current position of the valve, and in response to determining that the current position of the valve has reached the test start point, collect sensor data indicative of the operation of the valve, to generate results of the test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: FISHER CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL LLC
    Inventor: John S. Fuller
  • Patent number: 11533598
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to establish secure low energy wireless communications in a process control system are disclosed. An example field device includes a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface to receive a first initialization message from a remote device over an unpaired BLE connection. The first initialization message includes a plaintext message containing authentication content. The authentication content is generated based on a private authentication token available to the remote device using middleware. The field device also includes a BLE message analyzer to validate the plaintext message based on the authentication content using the authentication token stored by the field device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Fisher Controls International, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth William Junk, John S. Fuller, Annette Lynn Latwesen
  • Publication number: 20220337325
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for accessing and controlling field devices to collect data and convert protocols are disclosed herein. An example system to access a field device includes one or more processors, a transmitter, a wireless network interface controller, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, may cause the field communicator device to retrieve process parameter data encoded in a field device transmission protocol. The field communicator device may retrieve the process parameter data at a plurality of time intervals from a field device, and the process parameter data may correspond to a process parameter for the field device. The field communicator device may also store at least some of the process parameter data, analyze the process parameter data over the plurality of time intervals to identify a condition of the field device, and transmit an indication of the condition of the field device to a remote device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: FISHER CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL LLC
    Inventors: John S. Fuller, Kenneth W. Junk
  • Publication number: 20210399813
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for accessing and controlling field devices to collect data and convert protocols are disclosed herein. An example system to access a field device includes one or more processors, a transmitter, a wireless network interface controller, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, may cause the field communicator device to retrieve process parameter data encoded in a field device transmission protocol. The field communicator device may retrieve the process parameter data at a plurality of time intervals from a field device, and the process parameter data may correspond to a process parameter for the field device. The field communicator device may also store at least some of the process parameter data, analyze the process parameter data over the plurality of time intervals to identify a condition of the field device, and transmit an indication of the condition of the field device to a remote device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: John S. Fuller, Kenneth W. Junk
  • Publication number: 20210222794
    Abstract: Systems and methods may be provided to execute online tests of a valve in a digital valve positioner. The digital valve positioner may receive a request to execute a test of the valve, which specifies a test start point, and queue the request for execution. The digital valve positioner may subsequently receive a new setpoint for the valve. The digital valve positioner may further reposition the valve according to the new setpoint. The digital valve positioner may further, while the valve is being repositioned, compare the test start point to a current position of the valve, and in response to determining that the current position of the valve has reached the test start point, collect sensor data indicative of the operation of the valve, to generate results of the test.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventor: John S. Fuller
  • Publication number: 20200196122
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to establish secure low energy wireless communications in a process control system are disclosed. An example field device includes a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface to receive a first initialization message from a remote device over an unpaired BLE connection. The first initialization message includes a plaintext message containing authentication content. The authentication content is generated based on a private authentication token available to the remote device using middleware. The field device also includes a BLE message analyzer to validate the plaintext message based on the authentication content using the authentication token stored by the field device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Kenneth William Junk, John S. Fuller, Annette Lynn Latwesen