Patents by Inventor Larry A. Schmidt

Larry A. Schmidt 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: 6823273
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for creating a secure program history log for a programmable device including a microprocessor, at least one communications port for communicating with the microprocessor and at least one memory device electrically connected to the microprocessor. The memory device includes a program history log, and the method includes communicating program parameters to the microprocessor, creating a log entry utilizing the microprocessor and the program parameters, and writing the log entry into the program history log utilizing the microprocessor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Maurice J. Ouellette, Gregory P. Lavoie, Robert E. Lee, Jr., Virginia H. Zinkowski, Larry A. Schmidt, Kenneth P. Lizotte
  • Patent number: 6784806
    Abstract: An electronic electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a modem board, or unit, coupled to the meter microcomputer and exchanges information between the meter and a central computer is described. Using signals supplied by the meter microcomputer and the central computer, the modem unit microcomputer can determine whether to exchange information between the meter and the central computer and the proper time at which the information should be exchanged. In an exemplary embodiment, the modem unit detects various conditions within the meter and responds by exchanging information with the central computer at a proper, or pre-defined, time. The modem unit has two different basic modes, or states, of operation. These states of operation are sometimes referred to as the call originate mode and the call answer mode. Call originate refers to the mode of the unit when a condition occurs in meter 10 and information is being transmitted to the central computer from the modem unit utilizing a telephone line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert E. Lee, Jr., Mark R. Arsenault, Marjorie J. Mancuso, Virginia H. Zinkowski, Warren R. Germer, William O. Rector, Mark E. Hoffman, John J. Pazdon, Jr., Larry A. Schmidt, Donald Naik, Melissa J. Pazdon
  • Patent number: 6778920
    Abstract: The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for metering energy consumption with an electric meter. The method includes steps of: generating metering quantities for a plurality of phase voltages from a multiphase voltage source, including generating revenue-related data; monitoring voltage changes on at least one of the phase voltages; and performing a predetermined task in response to a voltage change on at least one of the phase voltages while continuing to generate revenue-related data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard A. Balch, David D. Elmore, Larry A. Schmidt, Maurice J. Ouellette, Warren R. Germer, Virginia H. Zinkowski, Robert E. Lee, Jr., Gregory P. Lavoie, Mark J. Plis, Carol A. Cummiskey
  • Patent number: 6636028
    Abstract: An electronic electricity meter includes voltage sensors configured to generate measurements of voltage at voltage elements, current sensors configured to generate measurements of current through current elements, a microcomputer coupled to the current and voltage sensors and configured to control operation of the meter, and a memory coupled to the microcomputer including calibration constants to compensate for instrument transformer ratio and phase angle errors. The microcomputer is configured to use the calibration constants, when so instructed, to correct for measurement errors that occur based upon instrument transformer ratios and phase angles and to correct metering quantities calculated by the microcomputer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gregory P. Lavoie, David D. Elmore, Larry A. Schmidt, Robert Edward Lee, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6611772
    Abstract: An electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a digital signal processor configurable for generating energy measurements for a plurality of meter form types and connections is described. In the one embodiment, the meter includes voltage and current sensor for generating signals representative of current and voltage at a load, and the digital signal processor (DSP) is coupled to the voltage and current sensors. The DSP includes a memory, and a plurality of selectable instruction sets corresponding to respective meter form types are stored in the DSP memory. The form types includes meter ANSI form 9 and meter ANSI form 16 type forms, and the instruction sets include processing steps to be executed to determine line voltages and line currents for respective meter form types. The meter also includes a microcomputer coupled to the DSP for receiving data generated by the DSP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gregory P. Lavoie, David D. Elmore, Larry A. Schmidt, Donald F. Bullock, Leslie Rosenau
  • Publication number: 20020180420
    Abstract: The present invention, in one embodiment, is an electronic electricity meter which includes voltage sensors configured to generate measurements of voltage at voltage elements, current sensors configured to generate measurements of current through current elements, a microcomputer coupled to the current and voltage sensors and configured to control operation of the meter, and a memory coupled to the microcomputer including calibration constants to compensate for instrument transformer ratio and phase angle errors, the microcomputer configured to use the calibration constants, when so instructed, to correct for measurement errors that occur based upon instrument transformer ratios and phase angles, to correct metering quantities calculated by the microcomputer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Gregory P. Lavoie, David D. Elmore, Larry A. Schmidt, Robert Edward Lee
  • Publication number: 20020013670
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for creating a secure program history log for a programmable device including a microprocessor, at least one communications port for communicating with the microprocessor and at least one memory device electrically connected to the microprocessor. The memory device includes a program history log, and the method includes communicating program parameters to the microprocessor, creating a log entry utilizing the microprocessor and the program parameters, and writing the log entry into the program history log utilizing the microprocessor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Inventors: Maurice J. Ouellette, Gregory P. Lavoie, Robert E. Lee, Virginia H. Zinkowski, Larry A. Schmidt, Kenneth P. Lizotte
  • Patent number: 5239584
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention is an encryption/decryption and authentication algorithm. The algorithm has three major steps. The first step is generating cipher text. The second step is generating the authentication field. The third step is encrypting or deciphering the appropriate data in the message. One byte of cipher text is generated for every byte of plain text contained in the message. After all the cipher text is generated, a four byte authentication field is generated using the last four bytes of cipher text. The message is then scanned for data fields which have been encrypted or are to be encrypted and the corresponding byte of cipher text replaces the message bytes. The encryption is accomplished by sending the cipher text instead of message text. To decipher the message, the algorithm operates in a reverse mode to replace the cipher text with the message text, i.e., the algorithm is a self-reversing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Corporation
    Inventors: John E. Hershey, Larry A. Schmidt, Marjorie J. Mancuso
  • Patent number: 4315251
    Abstract: An automatic meter reading and control system for communicating with remote terminal points includes a reading control center which selectively communicates with a meter terminal unit at each terminal point by way of a section control unit, each section control unit serving several meter terminal units. The section control unit is responsive to various commands issued by the reading control center to selectively route the commands to specified meter terminal units or groups of meter terminal units to direct the meter terminal units to selectively carry out a meter reading operation, a load control operation, a user alert operation or transfer of previously stored meter data or switch status data from the meter terminal units to the reading control center in accordance with functions specified by the various commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1980
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1982
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul B. Robinson, Maurice J. Ouellette, Larry A. Schmidt