Patents by Inventor Keith Roberts

Keith Roberts 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: 11147895
    Abstract: A CPAP equipment sanitizing system that includes an oxidizing gas generator, a sanitizing chamber and tubing. The oxidizing gas generator has an outlet port. The sanitizing chamber includes an enclosure, a fitting and a closure mechanism. The enclosure has an opening. The enclosure is adapted to receive CPAP equipment. The enclosure has an aperture formed in a surface thereof. The fitting that extends through the aperture and sealingly engages the sanitizing chamber. The closure mechanism is capable of substantially closing the opening. The tubing operably attaches the outlet port on the oxidizing gas generator and the fitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Exceleron Medical, LLC
    Inventor: Keith Roberts
  • Patent number: 10865071
    Abstract: A method and system for managing an elevator system (10), includes providing a plurality of elevator cars (14) to travel in a hoistway (11), and selectively introducing and removing at least one of the plurality of elevator cars (14) to and from the hoistway (11) via a loading station (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Randall Keith Roberts, Zbigniew Piech, Adam Marian Myszkowski, Cezary Jedryczka, Wojciech Szelag, Tadeusz Witczak, Enrico Manes, Richard N. Fargo, Bryan Robert Siewert
  • Patent number: 10751592
    Abstract: A peripheral visual training system using a peripheral visual trainer that includes an orientation monitor operably mounted on an athlete's head or an a helmet that is secured to the athlete's head as the athlete participates in an activity to help the athlete develop his or her peripheral vision by alerting the athlete through an alarm to concentrate on using peripheral vision rather than central vision when the peripheral visual trainer detects the athlete is using central vision for an object that should be viewed using peripheral vision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: PERCEPTIVE SPORTS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Keith Roberts, Lee Erickson, Ray Olson
  • Patent number: 10538412
    Abstract: A method includes determining that an elevator car is arriving at a landing at which re-leveling is anticipated; upon the elevator car arriving at the landing at which re-leveling is anticipated, initiating the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation to reduce elevator car sag at the landing; monitoring transfer of weight to or from the elevator car at the landing over a period of time; terminating the at least one of the brake cycling operation and the power cycling operation upon at least one of (i) the transfer of weight to or from the elevator car at the landing over the period of time being less than a threshold and (ii) the elevator car sag at the landing meeting a sag threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Amir Lotfi, Randall Keith Roberts, Ronnie E. Thebeau, Michael Garfinkel, Edward Piedra, Dennis Hanvey, Daniel Rush
  • Patent number: 10399821
    Abstract: An elevator system (100) includes an elevator drive system (101) including a tension member (103) supporting an elevator car (106) under tension and a monitoring system (102). The monitoring system includes a vibration sensor (111) for detecting vibration of at least one of the tension member and the elevator car and an analysis unit (112) for determining a level of wear and life of the tension member based on the vibration of the tension member detected by the vibration sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Randall Keith Roberts
  • Patent number: 10399820
    Abstract: A system for determining stiffness of an elevator system tension member includes a landing floor indicator to transmit a landing floor signal of an elevator car to a stiffness estimator, and a car position encoder to transmit a car position signal of the elevator car in a hoistway to the stiffness estimator. A machine position encoder transmits a machine position signal to the stiffness estimator. The tension member is operably connected to the machine to move the elevator car along the hoistway. A load weight sensor is located at the elevator car to transmit a load weight signal of the elevator car to the stiffness estimator. The stiffness estimator utilizes at least the landing floor signal, the car position signal, the machine position signal and the load weight signal to calculate an estimated stiffness of the tension member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Randall Keith Roberts, YiSug Kwon, David Wayne Mckee, Richard L. Hollowell
  • Publication number: 20190202658
    Abstract: A method includes determining that an elevator car is arriving at a landing at which re-leveling is anticipated; upon the elevator car arriving at the landing at which re-leveling is anticipated, initiating the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation to reduce elevator car sag at the landing; monitoring transfer of weight to or from the elevator car at the landing over a period of time; terminating the at least one of the brake cycling operation and the power cycling operation upon at least one of (i) the transfer of weight to or from the elevator car at the landing over the period of time being less than a threshold and (ii) the elevator car sag at the landing meeting a sag threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: Amir Lotfi, Randall Keith Roberts, Ronnie E. Thebeau, Michael Garfinkel, Edward Piedra, Dennis Hanvey, Daniel Rush
  • Patent number: 10252879
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to determining that an elevator car of an elevator system is approaching a landing, obtaining, by a controller, a value for at least one parameter associated with the elevator system based on the determination that the elevator car is approaching the landing, determining that the elevator car arrives at the landing within a threshold distance, determining, by the controller, when to engage in at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation based on the value for the at least one parameter and based on determining that the elevator car arrives at the landing within the threshold distance, and initiating the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation at a time corresponding to the determination of when to engage in the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Amir Lotfi, Randall Keith Roberts, Ronnie E. Thebeau, Michael Garfinkel, Edward Piedra, Dennis Hanvey, Daniel Rush
  • Patent number: 10118802
    Abstract: A structural health monitoring system is provided. The system includes a drive system having a first drive member a second drive member 38 operationally connected to the first drive member, and a tension member 39 operationally connecting the first drive member to the second drive member. At least one sensor 50 is configured to monitor a characteristic of at least one of the first drive member and the second drive member. A processor 54, in communication with the at least one sensor, is configured to determine if the structural health of the tension member is compromised based on the monitored characteristic. The processor is further configured to perform a safety response action when the structural health of the tension member is determined to be compromised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Soumitra Borthakur, Randall Keith Roberts
  • Patent number: 9914619
    Abstract: A method of operating an elevator system includes detecting a building sway which causes sway of elevator suspension or compensation members. An elevator control system is switched into a building sway mode, and operation of one or more elevator cars of the elevator system is changed via the building sway mode to mitigate vibratory effects of the building sway on the one or more elevator cars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Randall Keith Roberts, George Scott Copeland, Theresa M. Christy
  • Publication number: 20180044138
    Abstract: A method and system for managing an elevator system (10), includes providing a plurality of elevator cars (14) to travel in a hoistway (11), and selectively introducing and removing at least one of the plurality of elevator cars (14) to and from the hoistway (11) via a loading station (50).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Randall Keith Roberts, Zbigniew Piech, Adam Marian Myszkowski, Cezary Jedryczka, Wojciech Szelag, Tadeusz Witczak, Enrico Manes, Richard N. Fargo, Bryan Robert Siewert
  • Publication number: 20170369280
    Abstract: An elevator system includes a first elevator car (14A) supported for vertical movement in a lane (11, 13, 15, 17) of a hoistway (11). A second elevator car (14B) is configured to operate and move vertically in the lane (11, 13, 15, 17) below the first elevator car (14A) independently thereof. At least one buffering device (34) is supported on at least one of the elevator cars (14) to absorb energy upon contact between each buffering device (034) and the other elevator car (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventor: Randall Keith ROBERTS
  • Publication number: 20170297874
    Abstract: A structural health monitoring system is provided. The system includes a drive system having a first drive member a second drive member 38 operationally connected to the first drive member, and a tension member 39 operationally connecting the first drive member to the second drive member. At least one sensor 50 is configured to monitor a characteristic of at least one of the first drive member and the second drive member. A processor 54, in communication with the at least one sensor, is configured to determine if the structural health of the tension member is compromised based on the monitored characteristic. The processor is further configured to perform a safety response action when the structural health of the tension member is determined to be compromised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Soumitra Borthakur, Randall Keith Roberts
  • Patent number: 9768846
    Abstract: A MIMO transmitter including a modulator, a demultiplexer arranged to divide the information into one or more demux streams for transmission over different ones of the channels, and a diversity splitter to derive one or more sub-streams of the same information. A decorrelator such as a scrambler decorrelates the sub-streams before or after the modulation. In use, the arrangement is configurable to vary a ratio of demultiplexing and of diversity splitting. This balances between the gains from diversity and spatial multiplexing, without needing major changes to the transmit and receive processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: David Keith Roberts
  • Publication number: 20170247226
    Abstract: An elevator system (100) includes an elevator drive system (101) including a tension member (103) supporting an elevator car (106) under tension and a monitoring system (102). The monitoring system includes a vibration sensor (111) for detecting vibration of at least one of the tension member and the elevator car and an analysis unit (112) for determining a level of wear and life of the tension member based on the vibration of the tension member detected by the vibration sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventor: Randall Keith Roberts
  • Publication number: 20170174472
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to determining that an elevator car of an elevator system is approaching a landing, obtaining, by a controller, a value for at least one parameter associated with the elevator system based on the determination that the elevator car is approaching the landing, determining that the elevator car arrives at the landing within a threshold distance, determining, by the controller, when to engage in at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation based on the value for the at least one parameter and based on determining that the elevator car arrives at the landing within the threshold distance, and initiating the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation at a time corresponding to the determination of when to engage in the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Amir Lotfi, Randall Keith Roberts, Ronnie E. Thebeau, Michael Garfinkel, Edward Piedra, Dennis Hanvey, Daniel Rush
  • Publication number: 20170057782
    Abstract: A system for releveling an elevator car floor with a landing floor includes a load weight sensor to sense a load weight of an elevator car at a landing floor, and a releveling controller operably connected to the load weight sensor to calculate a corrective velocity for the elevator car based on the load weight and estimates of the effective stiffnesses at the landing floor. A machine is operably connected to the releveling controller with both feedback and feedforward control and the elevator car to apply the corrective velocity to the elevator car thereby reducing a mismatch between the elevator car and the landing floor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Randall Keith Roberts, YiSug Kwon
  • Patent number: 9546073
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to detecting motion of a building housing a multi-deck elevator system, determining, by a processing device, that the detected motion of the building is greater than a threshold, and controlling access to at least one deck of the elevator system based on determining that the detected motion of the building is greater than the threshold such that the at least one deck still is enabled to traverse a hoist-way of the elevator system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Randall Keith Roberts, George Scott Copeland
  • Patent number: D872871
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Exceleron Medical, LLC.
    Inventor: Keith Roberts
  • Patent number: D884918
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Exceleron Medical, LLC.
    Inventor: Keith Roberts