Patents by Inventor Kevin Michael Bullister
Kevin Michael Bullister 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).
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Patent number: 9829324Abstract: A vehicle system includes a sensor that measures an engine block heating characteristic associated with an engine block heater. A processing device is programmed to determine an operating state of the engine block heater based on the engine block heating characteristic measured. A communication device is programmed to transmit a message that includes the operating state of the engine block heater.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2014Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Kevin Michael Bullister, Brandon Leroy Johnson
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Patent number: 9786102Abstract: A fleet management system providing a manager with a tailored user interface based on the enabled features recognized in a vehicle. The fleet management system may monitor two or more vehicles, wherein each vehicle may have one or more processors. The one or more processors may receive an initialization signal from the fleet management system. The one or more processors may perform a query of one or more vehicle modules for enabled features in response to the initialization signal received from the fleet management system. The query of enabled vehicle features may be based on one or more criteria. The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle. The system may output the enabled vehicle features to a user while tailoring the user screen data based on the enabled features.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: October 10, 2017Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Kevin Michael Bullister, David Chronowski, Thomas Woloszyn
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Patent number: 9578455Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to receive a geo-fence definition defining a geographic perimeter or point. The processor is also configured to receive a vehicle location. Further, the processor is configured to determine a distance from the vehicle location to a most proximate geo-fence point and determine a reporting-rate that varies based on proximity to the geo-fence. The processor is also configured to report a vehicle location at intervals defined by the reporting-rate.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2015Date of Patent: February 21, 2017Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Joseph Paul Rork, Kevin Michael Bullister, Kelly Lee Zechel
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Publication number: 20160247330Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to receive a geo-fence definition defining a geographic perimeter or point. The processor is also configured to receive a vehicle location. Further, the processor is configured to determine a distance from the vehicle location to a most proximate geo-fence point and determine a reporting-rate that varies based on proximity to the geo-fence. The processor is also configured to report a vehicle location at intervals defined by the reporting-rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2015Publication date: August 25, 2016Inventors: Joseph Paul Rork, Kevin Michael Bullister, Kelly Lee Zechel
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Publication number: 20160138502Abstract: A vehicle system includes a sensor that measures an engine block heating characteristic associated with an engine block heater. A processing device is programmed to determine an operating state of the engine block heater based on the engine block heating characteristic measured. A communication device is programmed to transmit a message that includes the operating state of the engine block heater.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 19, 2014Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Kevin Michael Bullister, Brandon Leroy Johnson
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Patent number: 9299198Abstract: A processor of a server may receive, from a plurality of vehicles, fleet alerts indicative of vehicle locations and status of aftermarket equipment installed to the vehicles, identify fleet alerts associated with vehicles of a fleet, and generate, based on the fleet alerts, fleet data providing the vehicle locations and status of the aftermarket equipment of the vehicles of the fleet. A processor of a vehicle may receive vehicle data including vehicle location and aftermarket data including a status of aftermarket equipment installed to the vehicle, determine a condition of an alert rule indicative of a status of aftermarket equipment installed to the vehicles is satisfied, and send an fleet alert to a remote service indicative of the status of the aftermarket equipment.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2014Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLCInventors: David Chronowski, Kevin Michael Bullister, Randy Michael Freiburger
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Publication number: 20160063776Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to detect a condition indicating that event data recording (EDR) should begin. The processor is further configured to begin and continue event data recording for a predetermined amount of time following the condition. Also, the processor is configured to save data recorded by the event data recording, if the predetermined amount of time has passed, and no severe incident has been detected. The processor is further configured to upload the data to a remote system once a connection with the remote system can be established.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2014Publication date: March 3, 2016Inventors: David Chronowski, Hussein F. Nasrallah, Kevin Michael Bullister
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Publication number: 20160042577Abstract: A processor of a server may receive, from a plurality of vehicles, fleet alerts indicative of vehicle locations and status of aftermarket equipment installed to the vehicles, identify fleet alerts associated with vehicles of a fleet, and generate, based on the fleet alerts, fleet data providing the vehicle locations and status of the aftermarket equipment of the vehicles of the fleet. A processor of a vehicle may receive vehicle data including vehicle location and aftermarket data including a status of aftermarket equipment installed to the vehicle, determine a condition of an alert rule indicative of a status of aftermarket equipment installed to the vehicles is satisfied, and send an fleet alert to a remote service indicative of the status of the aftermarket equipment.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2014Publication date: February 11, 2016Inventors: David CHRONOWSKI, Kevin Michael BULLISTER, Randy Michael FREIBURGER
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Publication number: 20150279125Abstract: A vehicle controller may collect vehicle data related to functioning of at least one vehicle system according to reporting settings maintained by the controller; send the vehicle data to a server according to a reporting frequency specified by the reporting settings; and update the reporting settings responsive to receipt from the server of a command configured to cause the at least one controller to adjust the reporting settings. A system may include a server configured to receive vehicle data from a vehicle; identify a vehicle-related trigger condition; evaluate the trigger condition according to the received vehicle data; responsive to trigger condition occurrence, generate a command configured to adjust reporting settings used by the vehicle in providing the vehicle data to the server; and send the command to the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2014Publication date: October 1, 2015Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: David CHRONOWSKI, Kevin Michael BULLISTER
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Publication number: 20140277828Abstract: A fleet management system providing a manager with a tailored user interface based on the enabled features recognized in a vehicle. The fleet management system may monitor two or more vehicles, wherein each vehicle may have one or more processors. The one or more processors may receive an initialization signal from the fleet management system. The one or more processors may perform a query of one or more vehicle modules for enabled features in response to the initialization signal received from the fleet management system. The query of enabled vehicle features may be based on one or more criteria. The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle. The system may output the enabled vehicle features to a user while tailoring the user screen data based on the enabled features.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Kevin Michael Bullister, David Chronowski, Thomas Woloszyn
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Patent number: 6882913Abstract: An electrical system for increasing the amount of voltage available to an electric power steering motor under high demand conditions includes a vehicle speed sensor that ascertains the speed of the vehicle, a steering wheel sensor that ascertains the rotational speed of the vehicle steering wheel, and a steering voltage controller that receives the signals provided by the vehicle speed sensor and the steering wheel sensor and processes these input signals to increase the voltage furnished to the power steering system by causing at least one component that consumes electrical power in the vehicle to reduce power consumption, or by causing a component that produces electrical power to increase power output, or by a combination of reducing power consumption and increasing power production.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2003Date of Patent: April 19, 2005Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Kevin Michael Bullister, Timothy Gerard Offerle
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Publication number: 20040148075Abstract: An electrical system for increasing the amount of voltage available to an electric power steering motor under high demand conditions includes a vehicle speed sensor that ascertains the speed of the vehicle, a steering wheel sensor that ascertains the rotational speed of the vehicle steering wheel, and a steering voltage controller that receives the signals provided by the vehicle speed sensor and the steering wheel sensor and processes these input signals to increase the voltage furnished to the power steering system by causing at least one component that consumes electrical power in the vehicle to reduce power consumption, or by causing a component that produces electrical power to increase power output, or by a combination of reducing power consumption and increasing power production.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2003Publication date: July 29, 2004Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: KEVIN MICHAEL BULLISTER, TIMOTHY GERARD OFFERLE
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Patent number: 6293363Abstract: An electric park brake control (32) for a parking brake actuator (28, 30) selectively operates a brake mechanism (24, 26) at at least one wheel to selectively perform a parking brake function. Inputs to the electric park brake control include an input from a shifter (18) for distinguishing PARK position from other positions. The electric park brake control causes the brake mechanism to perform the parking brake function when the input from the shifter to the electric park brake control discloses that the shifter is in PARK position. The electric parking brakes are integrated with the shifter, eliminating a parking pawl from a motor (12) that propels the vehicle. Neither is an operating cable from the shifter to the motor for operating the parking pawl required. The shifter is coupled in exclusively electrical relationship to a traction inverter module (16) for causing the motor to operate in correspondence with the particular position selected by the shifter.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 1999Date of Patent: September 25, 2001Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Priya Rangaswamy, Eric Anthony Trujillo, Kevin Michael Bullister
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Patent number: 6043737Abstract: A tire monitoring and warning assembly 10 which monitors and measures attributes or characteristics of at least one of the selectively inflatable tires 14-20 of a vehicle 12 and which compares the obtained measurements with a stored value which represents a value of the attribute or characteristic occurring or existing when the at least one tire 14-20 is desirably inflated, and which, based upon the comparison, warns the driver if the at least one of the tires 14-20 is deflated.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 1999Date of Patent: March 28, 2000Inventors: Mark Alan Shehan, Dale Scott Crombez, Patrick Joseph Curran, Kevin Michael Bullister