Patents by Inventor Kieran McLaughlin

Kieran McLaughlin 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).

  • Sorting apparatus and method
    Patent number: 8032543
    Abstract: A sorting apparatus and method for sorting units into a unit storage structure in accordance with a pre-determined order, the sorting apparatus comprising a unit search structure containing a record of units in the unit storage structure, and a unit location pointer structure containing location pointers for units in the unit storage structure, wherein the sorting apparatus receives a unit being sorted, the unit search structure reads the unit being sorted, uses its record of units in the unit storage structure to search for a closest matching unit to the unit being sorted, accesses the unit location pointer structure and retrieves a location pointer for the closest matching unit, and the sorting apparatus uses the location pointer of the closest matching unit to access the unit storage structure and to place the unit being sorted into the unit storage structure in an appropriate position in accordance with the pre-determined order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: The Queen's University of Belfast
    Inventors: Sakir Sezer, Kieran McLaughlin
  • SORTING APPARATUS AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20090182714
    Abstract: A sorting apparatus and method for sorting units into a unit storage structure in accordance with a pre-determined order, the sorting apparatus comprising a unit search structure containing a record of units in the unit storage structure, and a unit location pointer structure containing location pointers for units in the unit storage structure, wherein the sorting apparatus receives a unit being sorted, the unit search structure reads the unit being sorted, uses its record of units in the unit storage structure to search for a closest matching unit to the unit being sorted, accesses the unit location pointer structure and retrieves a location pointer for the closest matching unit, and the sorting apparatus uses the location pointer of the closest matching unit to access the unit storage structure and to place the unit being sorted into the unit storage structure in an appropriate position in accordance with the pre-determined order.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Inventors: Sakir Sezer, Kieran McLaughlin