Patents by Inventor Jonathan C. Allen

Jonathan C. Allen 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: 6485380
    Abstract: A golf club includes an electroactive assembly attached to the club and electrically tuned to capture energy from one or more vibrational modes with high efficiency. More generally, a sports implement includes an electroactive element, such as a piezoceramic sheet attached to the implement, and a circuit attached to the electroactive element. The circuit may be a shunt, or may include processing such as amplification and phase control to apply a driving signal which may compensate for strain sensed in the implement, or may simply alter the stiffness to affect performance. The electroactive element is located in a region of high strain to apply damping, and may include plural subassemblies mounted to capture energy in different planes, or to capture an asymmetric strain distribution while maintaining structural symmetry. In a ski the element captures between about one and five percent of the strain energy of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Active Control eXperts, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Spangler, David Gilbert, Carl Prestia, Emanuele Bianchini, Kenneth B. Lazarus, Jeffrey W. Moore, Robert N. Jacques, Jonathan C. Allen, Farla M. Russo
  • Patent number: 6345834
    Abstract: A recreational board such as a snowboard incorporates strain transducers to damp a plate resonance of the board. The strain transducers are preferably located around a peripheral region to capture strain energy affecting control edges, for example steering control edges at the front and/or rear of the board. Electrical energy from the transducers is shunted to damp a targeted resonance. In a preferred embodiment the strain transducers cover a region of the snowboard adjacent one surface and extending along the forward periphery, preferably at both inside and outside edges, and are shunted with a resonant shunt tuned to a torsional or torsion-like mode of the board that is excited during steering maneuvers. The transducers may be fabricated as preassembled sheets or may be formed in the snowboard during the assembly process using sheets of piezoceramic material, or using piezo fiber or other composite constructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Active Control eXperts, Inc.
    Inventors: Emanuele Bianchini, Kenneth B. Lazarus, Jeffrey W. Moore, Robert N. Jacques, Jonathan C. Allen
  • Patent number: 6290974
    Abstract: The present invention provides compositions comprising complexes of &bgr;-lactoglobulin with particular lipophilic nutrients, in particular vitamin E and vitamin K1. Preferably, bioselective absorption is employed to isolate &bgr;-Lg for use as a carrier protein. Also provided are food compositions and topical compositions comprising complexes of &bgr;-lactoglobulin and a lipophilic nutrient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: North Carolina State University
    Inventors: Harold E. Swaisgood, Qiwu Wang, Jonathan C. Allen
  • Publication number: 20010001770
    Abstract: A golf club includes an electroactive assembly attached to the club and electrically tuned to capture energy from one or more vibrational modes with high efficiency. More generally, a sports implement includes an electroactive element, such as a piezoceramic sheet attached to the implement, and a circuit attached to the electroactive element. The circuit may be a shunt, or may include processing such as amplification and phase control to apply a driving signal which may compensate for strain sensed in the implement, or may simply alter the stiffness to affect performance. The electroactive element is located in a region of high strain to apply damping, and may include plural subassemblies mounted to capture energy in different planes, or to capture an asymmetric strain distribution while maintaining structural symmetry. In a ski the element captures between about one and five percent of the strain energy of the ski.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Publication date: May 24, 2001
    Inventors: Ronald Spangler, David Gilbert, Carl Prestia, Emanuele Bianchini, Kenneth B. Lazarus, Jeffrey W. Moore, Robert N. Jacques, Jonathan C. Allen, Farla M. Russo
  • Patent number: 6196935
    Abstract: A golf club includes an electroactive assembly attached to the club and electrically tuned to capture energy from one or more vibrational modes with high efficiency. More generally, a sports implement includes an electroactive element, such as a piezoceramic sheet attached to the implement, and a circuit attached to the electroactive element. The circuit may be a shunt, or may include processing such as amplification and phase control to apply a driving signal which may compensate for strain sensed in the implement, or may simply alter the stiffness to affect performance. The electroactive element is located in a region of high strain to apply damping, and may include plural subassemblies mounted to capture energy in different planes, or to capture an asymmetric strain distribution while maintaining structural symmetry. In a ski the element captures between about one and five percent of the strain energy of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Active Control Experts, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Spangler, David Gilbert, Carl Prestia, Emanuele Bianchini, Kenneth B. Lazarus, Jeffrey W. Moore, Robert N. Jacques, Jonathan C. Allen, Farla M. Russo
  • Patent number: 6086490
    Abstract: A baseball bat includes an electroactive assembly attached near the handle and electrically tuned to capture energy from several modes with high efficiency. More generally, a sports implement includes an electroactive element, such as a piezoceramic sheet attached to the implement, and a circuit attached to the electroactive element. The circuit may be a shunt, or may include processing such as amplification and phase control to apply a driving signal which may compensate for strain sensed in the implement, or may simply alter the stiffness to affect performance. In a ski, the electroactive element is located near to the root in a region of high strain to apply damping, and the element captures between about one and five percent of the strain energy of the ski. The region of high strain may be found by modeling mechanics of the sports implement, or may be located by empirically mapping the strain distribution which occurs during use of the implement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Active Control eXperts, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Spangler, David Gilbert, Carl Prestia, Emanuele Bianchini, Kenneth B. Lazarus, Jeffrey W. Moore, Robert N. Jacques, Jonathan C. Allen, Farla M. Russo
  • Patent number: 5857694
    Abstract: A sports implement including an electroactive element, such as a piezoceramic sheet attached to the implement and a circuit attached to the electroactive element. The circuit may be a shunt, or may include processing such as amplification and phase control to apply a driving signal which may compensate for strain sensed in the implement, or may simply alter the stiffness to affect performance. In a ski, the electroactive element is located near to the root in a region of high strain to apply damping, and the element captures between about one and five percent of the strain energy of the ski. The region of high strain may be found by modeling mechanics of the sports implement, or may be located by empirically mapping the strain distribution which occurs during use of the implement. In other embodiments, the electroactive elements may remove resonances, adapt performance to different situations, or enhance handling or comfort of the implement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignee: Active Control Experts, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth B. Lazarus, Jeffrey W. Moore, Robert N. Jacques, Jonathan C. Allen
  • Patent number: D326211
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Inventor: Jonathan C. Allen