Patents by Inventor Lawrence P. Kirk

Lawrence P. Kirk 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).

  • Circuit for demodulating FSK signals
    Patent number: 5483193
    Abstract: A circuit and method of demodulating an FSK signal uses digital circuitry to convert the received signal into count values. For each reception an adaptive reference count value is determined by averaging the duration of received pulses during the preamble of the transmission. The adaptive reference count corresponds to a demodulated logic "1" or logic level "0". The counts from the coded portion of the transmission are compared to the adaptive reference count. If the count is within predetermined windows from the reference count, the count value is converted to the corresponding digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: John F. Kennedy, Scott O. Campbell, Lawrence P. Kirk, David P. Laude, Luke A. Perkins
  • Method and apparatus for reducing residual RF power in a transmitter/receiver antenna
    Patent number: 5365235
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for interrogating a transponder using a single transmitter-receiver antenna transmits an interrogation signal to the transponder. The transmit signal has two segments; a first segment for energizing the transmitter-receiver antenna and a second segment having a second phase for cancelling energy in the transmitter-receiver antenna. The amount of energy is reduced before the transponder transmits a response signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: John F. Kennedy, Lawrence P. Kirk, Gregory A. Marek