Patents by Inventor KURT E. BESCHORNER

KURT E. BESCHORNER 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).

  • System and method for assessing wear on the tread of a shoe for limiting slip and fall risk
    Patent number: 12050182
    Abstract: A system for monitoring the tread of a shoe includes a frame member, a waveguide structured to support the shoe when an outer sole of shoe is in contact with a surface of the waveguide, a light source structured to provide light within an edge of the waveguide such that the light will be internally reflected within the waveguide, and an imaging device structured and configured to generate an image of the outer sole of the shoe when the outer sole of shoe is in contact with the waveguide and the light is being provided within the waveguide. The system also includes a controller structured and configured to: (i) receive image data based on the image of the outer sole; (ii) determine from the image data a largest worn region size for the shoe; and (iii) determine a slip risk for the shoe based on the largest worn region size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH—OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
    Inventors: Sarah L. Hemler, Kurt E. Beschorner
  • SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSESSING WEAR ON THE TREAD OF A SHOE FOR LIMITING SLIP AND FALL RISK
    Publication number: 20230228689
    Abstract: A system for monitoring the tread of a shoe includes a frame member, a waveguide structured to support the shoe when an outer sole of shoe is in contact with a surface of the waveguide, a light source structured to provide light within an edge of the waveguide such that the light will be internally reflected within the waveguide, and an imaging device structured and configured to generate an image of the outer sole of the shoe when the outer sole of shoe is in contact with the waveguide and the light is being provided within the waveguide. The system also includes a controller structured and configured to: (i) receive image data based on the image of the outer sole; (ii) determine from the image data a largest worn region size for the shoe; and (iii) determine a slip risk for the shoe based on the largest worn region size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2022
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
    Inventors: SARAH L. HEMLER, KURT E. BESCHORNER