Patents by Inventor Keith D. Rule

Keith D. Rule 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: 9178792
    Abstract: Embodiments of this invention include a protocol sensitive visual navigation apparatus, and associated methods, for navigating and relating different protocol levels of a protocol. A test and measurement instrument can include the protocol sensitive visual navigation apparatus, which can facilitate analyzing, searching, and measuring various aspects of the different protocol layers and cross-correlating items from one protocol layer to another protocol layer. The type and characteristics of the analysis is informed by a selected protocol layer. Physical layer signals or events can be correlated to protocol level information, thereby increasing an understanding of the overall protocol and associated protocol layers and events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith D. Rule, Michael J. Wadzita, Walter R. Strand
  • Patent number: 9069017
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument including a user interface; and a controller is described. The controller is configured to receive a serial bit stream; apply a regular expression to the serial bit stream; and present acquired data, or other data, through the user interface in response to the application of the regular expression to the serial bit stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: TEKTRONIX, INC.
    Inventor: Keith D. Rule
  • Publication number: 20150057978
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument includes a user interface and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a serial bit stream and apply a logic to the serial bit stream to identify states within the serial bit stream. The result of applying the logic to the serial bit stream is a combined state/bit stream. A regular expression can be applied to the combined state/bit stream: the regular expression can include state information. The controller is also configured to present output data through the user interface in response to the application of the regular expression to the combined state/bit stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Keith D. Rule, Edward F. Tanous, James Feist
  • Publication number: 20140136899
    Abstract: Method and related systems are described for navigating through information related to the status of one or more layers of a signal, such as a serial or parallel bus. Information may be displayed by selecting fields within a visual depicted on an oscilloscope or similar measuring instrument. By selecting particular fields, and indicators, different aspects of a layer may be analyzed without the need to have extensive knowledge of the operation of the measuring instrument.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: TEKTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Keith D. Rule, Walter R. Strand, Keith A. Olson, Michael J. Wadzita, Steve M. Mishler
  • Publication number: 20130125006
    Abstract: Embodiments of this invention include a protocol sensitive visual navigation apparatus, and associated methods, for navigating and relating different protocol levels of a protocol. A test and measurement instrument can include the protocol sensitive visual navigation apparatus, which can facilitate analyzing, searching, and measuring various aspects of the different protocol layers and cross-correlating items from one protocol layer to another protocol layer. The type and characteristics of the analysis is informed by a selected protocol layer. Physical layer signals or events can be correlated to protocol level information, thereby increasing an understanding of the overall protocol and associated protocol layers and events.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: TEKTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Keith D. RULE, Michael J. WADZITA, Walter R. STRAND
  • Patent number: 8223151
    Abstract: A method of analysis of long record length data using mark duration includes displaying together with a portion of the long record length data each mark that identifies a specified feature of interest together with the mark duration. Associated with the mark may be text identifying the feature of interest, measurement values associated with the duration of the mark, or a combination thereof. Multiple sets of marks may be generated for the long record length data, which sets may be combined to generate new marks with duration. The marks also may be filtered to further refine the marks to be displayed according to user specified criteria. In this way analysis of long record length data representing an acquired signal may be readily automated so a user may move from one interesting event to another without having to pan through the long record length data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith D. Rule, Thomas L. Freeman, Daniel E. Taylor, Timothy D. Margeson, Scott R. Ketterer
  • Patent number: 8055464
    Abstract: The method of processing waveform data from one or more channels using a test and measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope, is described in which waveform data is collected from a DUT; defining a context is defined by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having a first user-defined attribute; defining a selection criteria by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having both a first user-defined attribute and a second user-defined attribute; and defining an action by instructing the instrument to perform an operation responsive to finding at least one waveform datum having both the first user-defined attribute and the second user-defined attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith D. Rule, Mehrab Sedeh, Robert D. Twete, Tristan A. Robinson
  • Publication number: 20110134979
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument including a user interface; and a controller is described. The controller is configured to receive a serial bit stream; apply a regular expression to the serial bit stream; and present acquired data, or other data, through the user interface in response to the application of the regular expression to the serial bit stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: TEKTRONIX, INC.
    Inventor: Keith D. RULE
  • Patent number: 7847792
    Abstract: A simple, integrated control for pan and zoom of a display of data represented by a very long data record is in the form of a control knob having an outer ring for controlling pan and an inner knob for controlling a zoom factor. A zoom function is turned ON either by turning the inner knob (setting the zoom factor to a default value) or by (i) pressing an adjacent zoom or pan button or (ii) turning the outer ring (setting the zoom factor to a prior value when the zoom function was turned OFF). The zoom function may be turned OFF by turning the inner knob to set the zoom factor to 1× or by pressing the zoom button. The outer ring has individual positions divided into two groups: one group for controlling pan rate within a zoom window displaying a portion of the very long data record defined by a zoom box within a main window displaying the very long data record; and the other group for controlling pan rate of the zoom box within the main window for rapid movement from one end of the record to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott R. Ketterer, Lance H. Forsberg, Lynne A. Fitzsimmons, Evan A. Dickinson, Steven C. Herring, Kenneth P. Dobyns, Keith D. Rule
  • Publication number: 20100063760
    Abstract: The method of processing waveform data from one or more channels using a test and measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope, is described in which waveform data is collected from a DUT; defining a context is defined by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having a first user-defined attribute; defining a selection criteria by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having both a first user-defined attribute and a second user-defined attribute; and defining an action by instructing the instrument to perform an operation responsive to finding at least one waveform datum having both the first user-defined attribute and the second user-defined attribute.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Applicant: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith D. RULE, Mehrab SEDEH, Robert D. TWETE, Tristan A. Robinson
  • Publication number: 20090192740
    Abstract: A method of analysis of long record length data using mark duration includes displaying together with a portion of the long record length data each mark that identifies a specified feature of interest together with the mark duration. Associated with the mark may be text identifying the feature of interest, measurement values associated with the duration of the mark, or a combination thereof. Multiple sets of marks may be generated for the long record length data, which sets may be combined to generate new marks with duration. The marks also may be filtered to further refine the marks to be displayed according to user specified criteria. In this way analysis of long record length data representing an acquired signal may be readily automated so a user may move from one interesting event to another without having to pan through the long record length data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: TEKTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Keith D. RULE, Thomas L. FREEMAN, Daniel E. TAYLOR, Timothy D. MARGESON, Scott R. Ketterer
  • Patent number: 7516028
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument includes a memory configured to store a digitized signal, a display configured to display the digitized signal, a mark interface configured to generate a mark creation signal, a processor coupled to the memory, the display, and the mark interface. The processor is configured to identify a feature of the digitized signal and create a mark indicating the feature and the digitized signal in response to the mark creation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith D. Rule, Lance H. Forsberg, Robert L. Beasley, Steven C. Herring, Kenneth P. Dobyns, Scott R. Ketterer