Patents by Inventor Lawrence C. Karas

Lawrence C. Karas 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: 11745631
    Abstract: A vehicle ventilation system includes a seating assembly including a seat blower. The seat blower pulls air away from a seating surface. A cabin blower is configured to circulate air in a cabin. A controller is configured to monitor a flow rate of the cabin blower. The controller is also configured to control a seat blower flow rate as a function of a cabin blower flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gabriella Almasi, William J. Wamsley, Michael Steven Medoro, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 11685223
    Abstract: A climate control system includes a plurality of vent registers, an HVAC unit delivering conditioned air to the plurality of vent registers, a side door status monitoring device and a controller configured to control opening and closing of the plurality of vent registers in response to side door status data provided by the side door status monitoring device. A related climate control method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mukesh Kumar, Lawrence C. Karas, Andrew Dayton Phillips
  • Patent number: 11582836
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a window of a vehicle comprises an electrical storage unit configured to store an electrical charge and a plurality of heating circuits disposed on a window of the vehicle. The apparatus further comprises a controller configured to monitor the electrical charge of the electrical storage unit and selectively activate one or more of the heating circuits based on the electrical charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mary Caye Catherine Spieth, Mukesh Kumar, Lawrence C. Karas, David Stewart, Andrew Phillips, Ajay Pal, Yang Yang
  • Patent number: 11433742
    Abstract: A method of controlling a heating element in thermal communication with a rear window of a vehicle comprises: with a vehicle being in an external environment and comprising a rear window and a heating element in thermal communication with the rear window, a controller in communication with the heating element, the controller including a Pre-established Predictive Activation Model setting forth rules governing activation of the heating element as a function of data relating to Certain Identifiable Conditions, and a user interface configured to allow the heating element to be manually activated or deactivated; collecting data relating to the Certain Identifiable Conditions; determining, by comparing the collected data to the rules of the Pre-established Predictive Activation Model, whether the collected data satisfies the rules of the Pre-established Predictive Activation Model so as to initially automatically activate the heating element; and automatically activating the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Ostrowski, Elizabeth Anne Manwell, William G. Herbert, Victoria Leigh Schein, Mohan John, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Publication number: 20220169157
    Abstract: A vehicle ventilation system includes a seating assembly including a seat blower. The seat blower pulls air away from a seating surface. A cabin blower is configured to circulate air in a cabin. A controller is configured to monitor a flow rate of the cabin blower. The controller is also configured to control a seat blower flow rate as a function of a cabin blower flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gabriella Almasi, William J. Wamsley, Michael Steven Medoro, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 11331982
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for purifying air for breathing. The apparatus includes an armrest having a receiver and an air purification module releasably received in the receiver. The air purification module is portable and displaceable between a first operating position held in the receiver and a second operating position remote from the armrest and the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel C. Huang, Kevin Michael Swenskowski, John Craig Elson, Clay Wesley Maranville, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 11285847
    Abstract: A vehicle ventilation system includes a seating assembly including a seat blower. The seat blower pulls air away from a seating surface. A cabin blower is configured to circulate air in a cabin. A controller is configured to monitor a flow rate of the cabin blower. The controller is also configured to control a seat blower flow rate as a function of a cabin blower flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gabriella Almasi, William J. Wamsley, Michael Steven Medoro, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 11084353
    Abstract: A vehicle ventilating/cooling system may include at least one sun-load sensor arranged within the vehicle, and a controller configured to receive a sun-load signal indicating a sun-load level from the sensor and programmed to instruct at least one cooling component to conduct a purge of vehicle cabin air in response to the sun-load level exceeding a sun-load threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Allen Dearth, Paul Bryan Hoke, Lawrence C. Karas, Eric Gerd Schaefer, Timothy James Hallifax, Rainer Vogt, Volker Scheer, Timothy John Wallington
  • Publication number: 20210092802
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a window of a vehicle comprises an electrical storage unit configured to store an electrical charge and a plurality of heating circuits disposed on a window of the vehicle. The apparatus further comprises a controller configured to monitor the electrical charge of the electrical storage unit and selectively activate one or more of the heating circuits based on the electrical charge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mary Caye Catherine Spieth, Mukesh Kumar, Lawrence C. Karas, David Stewart, Andrew Phillips, Ajay Pal, Yang Yang
  • Patent number: 10933714
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an interior and a controller configured to control a climate system for the interior based at least in part on data related to a departure location of the vehicle, a destination location of the vehicle, or a proximate location within a certain proximity to the vehicle, while moving to the destination location between the departure location and the destination location, or any combination of said locations. The data related to the departure location can include a temperature profile of the departure location. The temperature profile of the departure location can assume that the departure location is colder than a comfortable ambient temperature, and the controller is configured to direct heated air into the interior upon activation of the vehicle at the departure location. The data related to the departure location can include an activity profile of the departure location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Emily Obert, Frank Fusco, Lawrence C. Karas, Loren John Lohmeyer
  • Publication number: 20210008952
    Abstract: A climate control system includes a plurality of vent registers, an HVAC unit delivering conditioned air to the plurality of vent registers, a side door status monitoring device and a controller configured to control opening and closing of the plurality of vent registers in response to side door status data provided by the side door status monitoring device. A related climate control method is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Mukesh Kumar, Lawrence C. Karas, Andrew Dayton Phillips
  • Publication number: 20200391576
    Abstract: A method of controlling a heating element in thermal communication with a rear window of a vehicle comprises: with a vehicle being in an external environment and comprising a rear window and a heating element in thermal communication with the rear window, a controller in communication with the heating element, the controller including a Pre-established Predictive Activation Model setting forth rules governing activation of the heating element as a function of data relating to Certain Identifiable Conditions, and a user interface configured to allow the heating element to be manually activated or deactivated; collecting data relating to the Certain Identifiable Conditions; determining, by comparing the collected data to the rules of the Pre-established Predictive Activation Model, whether the collected data satisfies the rules of the Pre-established Predictive Activation Model so as to initially automatically activate the heating element; and automatically activating the heating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Ostrowski, Elizabeth Anne Manwell, William G. Herbert, Victoria Leigh Schein, Mohan John, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 10821799
    Abstract: A climate control system includes a plurality of vent registers, an HVAC unit delivering conditioned air to the plurality of vent registers, a side door status monitoring device and a controller configured to control opening and closing of the plurality of vent registers in response to side door status data provided by the side door status monitoring device. A related climate control method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mukesh Kumar, Lawrence C. Karas, Andrew Dayton Phillips
  • Publication number: 20200307359
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for purifying air for breathing. The apparatus includes an armrest having a receiver and an air purification module releasably received in the receiver. The air purification module is portable and displaceable between a first operating position held in the receiver and a second operating position remote from the armrest and the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Daniel C. Huang, Kevin Michael Swenskowski, John Craig Elson, Clay Wesley Maranville, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 10596876
    Abstract: A motor vehicle monitoring system displays air quality data comprised of a particulate matter concentration to a vehicle occupant. Fine particulate measurement values are collected from a sensor. At least one state parameter of the motor vehicle is detected, wherein the state parameter is indicative of a temporary disturbance of a concentration of the fine particulates exposed to the sensor. The fine particulate measurement values may be updated according to a correction factor as a function of the detected state parameter. The state parameter may include an air temperature, an air humidity, a current geographic position of the motor vehicle, an opened or closed state of a vehicle door, an opened or closed state of a vehicle window, an operating state of a blower fan of an air conditioning system, and a determination whether smoking is currently taking place in the motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Abhinav Dhake, Volker Scheer, Upendra Patel, Clay W. Maranville, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Publication number: 20200062078
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an interior and a controller configured to control a climate system for the interior based at least in part on data related to a departure location of the vehicle, a destination location of the vehicle, or a proximate location within a certain proximity to the vehicle, while moving to the destination location between the departure location and the destination location, or any combination of said locations. The data related to the departure location can include a temperature profile of the departure location. The temperature profile of the departure location can assume that the departure location is colder than a comfortable ambient temperature, and the controller is configured to direct heated air into the interior upon activation of the vehicle at the departure location. The data related to the departure location can include an activity profile of the departure location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Emily Obert, Frank Fusco, Lawrence C. Karas, Loren John Lohmeyer
  • Publication number: 20200039396
    Abstract: A vehicle ventilation system includes a seating assembly including a seat blower. The seat blower pulls air away from a seating surface. A cabin blower is configured to circulate air in a cabin. A controller is configured to monitor a flow rate of the cabin blower. The controller is also configured to control a seat blower flow rate as a function of a cabin blower flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gabriella Almasi, William J. Wamsley, Michael Steven Medoro, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Publication number: 20190283525
    Abstract: A motor vehicle monitoring system displays air quality data comprised of a particulate matter concentration to a vehicle occupant. Fine particulate measurement values are collected from a sensor. At least one state parameter of the motor vehicle is detected, wherein the state parameter is indicative of a temporary disturbance of a concentration of the fine particulates exposed to the sensor. The fine particulate measurement values may be updated according to a correction factor as a function of the detected state parameter. The state parameter may include an air temperature, an air humidity, a current geographic position of the motor vehicle, an opened or closed state of a vehicle door, an opened or closed state of a vehicle window, an operating state of a blower fan of an air conditioning system, and a determination whether smoking is currently taking place in the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Abhinav Dhake, Volker Scheer, Upendra Patel, Clay W. Maranville, Lawrence C. Karas
  • Patent number: 10363510
    Abstract: A climate control filter monitoring system includes a control module adapted to periodically set a climate control system to a filter test configuration, test the filter and then indicate when the climate control system filter needs changing or cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Lawrence C. Karas, Upendra J. Patel, Volker Scheer, Clay Wesley Maranville
  • Publication number: 20190225045
    Abstract: A climate control system includes a plurality of vent registers, an HVAC unit delivering conditioned air to the plurality of vent registers, a side door status monitoring device and a controller configured to control opening and closing of the plurality of vent registers in response to side door status data provided by the side door status monitoring device. A related climate control method is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Mukesh Kumar, Lawrence C. Karas, Andrew Dayton Phillips