Patents by Inventor Keith A. Condran

Keith A. Condran 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).

  • Lubricant management method for a vehicle
    Patent number: 7756717
    Abstract: A system (10) for ensuring the quality of lubricating oil in an engine of a locomotive without the need for specialized diagnostic and fluid handling systems on the locomotive. A test portion (28) of lubricating oil is removed from the engine and is analyzed at an oil analysis center (26) to determine an oil quality parameter (32). The oil quality parameter is used as an input to a calculator (34) to determine a quantity of oil (36) that must be replaced by fresh oil during a current maintenance outage in order to ensure that the engine oil quality will remain acceptable throughout a forthcoming operating period. In this manner, a complete change-out of the lubricating oil may be delayed or avoided. The oil replacement decision and quantity is communicated to a service center (18) via a communications link such as the Internet (40) prior to the arrival of the locomotive at the service center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bhupinder Singh Dayal, John Paul Kralik, Keith A. Condran, Robert Douglas Cryer, Thomas Charles Sonney
  • Lubricant management apparatus and method for a vehicle
    Publication number: 20030146050
    Abstract: A system (10) for ensuring the quality of lubricating oil in an engine of a locomotive without the need for specialized diagnostic and fluid handling systems on the locomotive. A test portion (28) of lubricating oil is removed from the engine and is analyzed at an oil analysis center (26) to determine an oil quality parameter (32). The oil quality parameter is used as an input to a calculator (34) to determine a quantity of oil (36) that must be replaced by fresh oil during a current maintenance outage in order to ensure that the engine oil quality will remain acceptable throughout a forthcoming operating period. In this manner, a complete change-out of the lubricating oil may be delayed or avoided. The oil replacement decision and quantity is communicated to a service center (18) via a communications link such as the Internet (40) prior to the arrival of the locomotive at the service center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: Bhupinder Singh Dayal, John Paul Kralik, Keith A. Condran, Robert Douglas Cryer, Thomas Charles Sonney
  • Fuel filter and water drain system
    Patent number: 6371087
    Abstract: A fuel filter drain system continuously pumps filtered and water from a locomotive diesel engine fuel filter. A ball valve disposed along the drain line between the fuel filter and the fuel tank is modified to include a ball valve that is approximately 0.031 inches in diameter or sufficiently small to purge the fuel and water, and also maintain fuel pressure within acceptable limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Inventors: Keith A. Condran, Paul M. Gunshore, Lisa Nanette Huegel, Mike Sirak