Patents by Inventor Michael A. Thomas

Michael A. Thomas 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: 11752923
    Abstract: A two line spring reel unit, including a housing defining a first opening and a second opening; a first anchor and a second anchor, inside and fixed to the housing; a first spiral spring having an inner end held by the first anchor and a second spiral spring having an interior end held by the second anchor; a first spool, fixed to rotate about a first pin, and a second spool set to rotate about a second pin and wherein the first spiral spring has an outer end attached to the first spool and the second spiral spring has an outer end attached to the second spool; and a first tension member, wrapped about the first spool and extending out of the first opening and a second tension member wrapped about the second spool and extending out of the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Inventor: Michael Thomas Dahl
  • Patent number: 11754210
    Abstract: A duct assembly may include a first duct, a second duct, and a flexible joint assembly coupling the first duct to the second duct. The flexible joint assembly may include a bellows having a first end and a second end and a plurality of convolutions located therebetween, and a gimbaled joint assembly. The gimbaled joint assembly may include a first support surrounding the first end of the bellows and a first portion of the plurality of convolutions, a second support surrounding the second end of the bellows and a second portion of the plurality of convolutions, and a gimbal ring assembly operably coupled to the first support and the second support. The gimbal ring assembly may include a ring body and a plurality of flexure hinges interconnected with the ring body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gordon Tajiri, Michael Thomas Kenworthy, Dattu G V Jonnalagadda, Jason L. Burdette
  • Publication number: 20230278015
    Abstract: A method for preparing a copper-containing catalyst is described comprising the steps of: (a) combining an acidic copper-containing solution with a first basic precipitant solution in a first precipitation step to form a first precipitate, (b) combining an acidic aluminium-containing solution, further comprising one or more metal compounds selected from copper compounds, zinc compounds and promoter compounds, with a second basic precipitant solution in a second precipitation step to form a second precipitate, (c) contacting the first and second precipitates together in a further mixing step to form a catalyst precursor, and (d) washing, drying and calcining the catalyst precursor to form the copper-containing catalyst, wherein a silica precursor is included in the first precipitation step, the second precipitation step or the precipitate mixing step, to provide a catalyst with a silica content, expressed as S102, in the range of 0.1 to 5.0 wt%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2021
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Youxin CUI, Monica GARCIA, Pauline Elizabeth GLEN, Norman MACLEOD, Michael Thomas NICHOLSON, Simone ROLOFF-STANDRING, Kaamila UN DIN
  • Publication number: 20230282980
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a digital beamformed phased array feed. The system may include a radome configured to allow electromagnetic waves to propagate; a multi-band software defined antenna array tile; a power and clock management subsystem configured to manage power and time of operation; a thermal management subsystem configured to dissipate heat generated by the multi-band software defined antenna array tile; and an enclosure assembly. The multi-band software defined antenna array tile may include a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements; a plurality of frequency converters; and a plurality of digital beamformers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Pace, David Gregory Baur, Theodore Lyman Schuler-Sandy, William Kennedy, Jeffrey Gerard Micono, William Louis Walker, Garrett James Newell
  • Publication number: 20230276818
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems that enable real-time, continuous reduction in the rate of degradation of oils used to fry foods. The disclosed methods and systems accomplish this by reducing the rate of accumulation of undesirable oil breakdown byproducts, keeping the levels of these undesirable compounds below those at which food quality is negatively impacted and oil degradation accelerates. The disclosed methods and systems thus enable improved frying oil lifetimes, decreased frying oil consumption, greater consistency in fried food quality, and/or improvements in worker safety relative to conventional frying methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Earl Joseph Votolato, Carlos David Reyes, Michael Thomas Flynn
  • Publication number: 20230281955
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the disclosure are directed to a scene reconstruction and machine learning system. In embodiments, the system comprises a storage medium configured to store image data, one or more scene models, one or more relightable matter fields, and information related to a machine learning model. In one or more embodiments, the system comprises an input circuit configured to receive image data characterizing light in a scene. In embodiments the system includes a processor. In embodiments the processor configured to reconstruct a scene model representing the scene using the image data. In embodiments the processor is configured to extract a relightable matter field from the scene model representing the object, store the scene model and the relightable matter field representing the object in the storage medium, apply the relightable matter field as an input to the machine learning model, and generate an output from the machine learning model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: David Scott Ackerson, John Leffingwell, Alexandru Rablau, Stara Diamond, Brett-Michael Thomas Green, Philip Anthony McBride, Sakshi Madan Kakde
  • Publication number: 20230279262
    Abstract: In a first aspect, a polymer composition includes a first polymer derived from a soluble polymer composition having an imide group and a Tg reducing compound having an amine group. The first polymer has a glass transition temperature that is lower than a second polymer derived from the same soluble polymer composition, but without a Tg reducing compound having an amine group. In a second aspect, a coating solution includes a soluble polymer having an imide group and a Tg reducing compound having an amine moiety that can be an amine or a first masked amine that can be converted to an amine, wherein the first masked amine can be chemically converted, thermally converted, photo-converted or dissociated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: KOSTANTINOS KOURTAKIS, MICHAEL MULZER, BENJAMIN SAMSON, MICHAEL THOMAS KWASNY
  • Patent number: 11750685
    Abstract: A system can select media content instances for users, based on media preferences associated with the users and priority ratings of the media content instances. When the system selects a media content instance for a user, the system can send a text message or other notification to a user device of the user. The notification can include a media link to the selected media content instance. The system can also receive user feedback on the relevance and/or usefulness of the media content instances, which the system can use to adjust the priority ratings of the media content instances over time. The system can additionally determine whether consumption of media content instances by users leads to changes in behavior of the users over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Ideology Health LLC
    Inventor: Michael Thomas Gramling
  • Patent number: 11739635
    Abstract: A method and system for measuring drilling fluid filtrate. The method may comprise disposing a downhole fluid sampling tool into a wellbore at a first location, activating a pump to draw a solids-containing fluid disposed in the wellbore into the downhole fluid sampling tool, drawing the drilling fluid with the pump across the at least one filter to form a drilling fluid filtrate, drawing the drilling fluid filtrate with the pump through the channel to the at least one sensor section, and measuring the drilling fluid filtrate with the at least one sensor. A system may comprise a downhole fluid sampling tool. The downhole fluid sampling tool may comprise at least one multi-chamber section, at least one sensor section, at least one filter, a pump, and a channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Bin Dai, Christopher Michael Jones, Michael Thomas Pelletier, Darren George Gascooke
  • Patent number: 11742579
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a digital beamformed phased array feed. The system may include a radome configured to allow electromagnetic waves to propagate; a multi-band software defined antenna array tile; a power and clock management subsystem configured to manage power and time of operation; a thermal management subsystem configured to dissipate heat generated by the multi-band software defined antenna array tile; and an enclosure assembly. The multi-band software defined antenna array tile may include a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements; a plurality of frequency converters; and a plurality of digital beamformers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: BlueHalo, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Pace, David Gregory Baur, Theodore Lyman Schuler-Sandy, William Kennedy, Jeffrey Gerard Micono, William Louis Walker, Garrett James Newell
  • Patent number: 11742578
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a digital beamformed phased array feed. The system may include a radome configured to allow electromagnetic waves to propagate; a multi-band software defined antenna array tile; a power and clock management subsystem configured to manage power and time of operation; a thermal management subsystem configured to dissipate heat generated by the multi-band software defined antenna array tile; and an enclosure assembly. The multi-band software defined antenna array tile may include a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements; a plurality of frequency converters; and a plurality of digital beamformers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: BlueHalo, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Pace, David Gregory Baur, Theodore Lyman Schuler-Sandy, William Kennedy, Jeffrey Gerard Micono, William Louis Walker, Garrett James Newell
  • Patent number: 11740004
    Abstract: A transport refrigeration unit (TRU) is provided. The TRU includes a housing defining a flow path from an intake to an outlet, a blower to drive air along the flow path from the intake to the outlet, coils disposed in the flow path between the intake and the outlet and over which the air driven by the blower flows, a defrost element to execute a defrost action with respect to the coils, sensing elements at the intake and the outlet to sense pressures of the air at the intake and the outlet and a controller. The controller is configured to control at least one of the blower and the defrost element in accordance with readings of the sensing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Swab, David C. Brondum
  • Patent number: 11743438
    Abstract: A method for reducing a color shift of image pixels of an image for a motor vehicle captured by a camera, a computer program product and a control device for the vehicle are disclosed. For the respective image pixel of the image, the method involves determining a color information, which describes a color of the image pixel, checking whether the determined color information is larger than a minimum color information and smaller than a maximum color information, wherein the minimum and maximum color information delimit a color information range, in which reference image pixels describing a reference object sway. When the checking is successful, calculating a corrected color information in consideration of the determined color information and a correction factor and providing the calculated corrected color information instead of the determined color information, wherein the corrected color information in comparison to the determined color information has a reduced color shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Connaught Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Mark Patrick Griffin, Brian Michael Thomas Deegan
  • Patent number: 11743648
    Abstract: A headset includes a speaker, such as a side firing dipole speaker. The headset includes a front chamber that receives sound waves from a first side of the speaker and a rear chamber that receives sound waves from a second side of the speaker. A control leak channel connects the front chamber and the rear chamber. An acoustic mesh may be located within the control leak channel. The speaker configuration is configured to reduce total harmonic distortion of the speaker, particularly in ranges such as 3-6 kHz, while maintaining the broadband efficiency of the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tetsuro Oishi, Rex Pinegar Price, Limin Zhou, Michael Thomas Frank, Joshua James Barr, Michael Lee Butts
  • Patent number: 11739711
    Abstract: An engine body may include a piston body comprising a piston chamber and a regenerator body comprising a regenerator conduit. An engine body may include a working-fluid heat exchanger body comprising a plurality of working-fluid pathways fluidly communicating between the piston chamber and the regenerator conduit. Additionally, or alternatively, an engine body may include a heater body comprising a plurality of heating fluid pathways and the plurality of working-fluid pathways. The heating fluid pathways may have a heat transfer relationship with the working fluid pathways. The working-fluid pathways may fluidly communicate between the piston chamber and the regenerator conduit. The engine body may include a monolithic body defined at least in part by the piston body, the regenerator body, and the working-fluid heat exchanger body, and/or defined at least in part by the piston body, the regenerator body, and the heater body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Hyliion Holdings Corp.
    Inventors: Kevin Michael VandeVoorde, Joshua Tyler Mook, Michael Thomas Gansler, Scott Douglas Waun, Aigbedion Akwara, Michael Robert Notarnicola, Jason Joseph Bellardi, Mohammed El Hacin Sennoun, Mary Kathryn Thompson, Mohamed Osama, Victor Luis Marrero Ortiz
  • Patent number: 11735922
    Abstract: An impedance injection unit (IIU) system is coupled to a high-voltage (HV) transmission line. The IIUs are activated in sequences of activation in successive time periods. This injects an impedance waveform onto the HV transmission line. The ordering of IIUs in the sequences of activation is repeatedly changed in successive time periods. This equalizes electrical stress across the IIUs used, leading to overall improvement in IIU system lifetimes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Smart Wires Inc.
    Inventors: Shreesha Adiga Manoor, Michael Thomas Garrison Stuber, Antonio Ginart, Haroon Inam
  • Patent number: 11730085
    Abstract: A wood chipper having a rotatable drum configured to reduce the size of wood fed into the wood chipper; a sensor configured to sense a speed of rotation of the rotatable drum; and a controller operably connected to the sensor. The controller is configured to cut power to the rotatable drum when the speed of rotation of the rotatable drum drops below a pre-set threshold value. The controller is operably engaged with a centrifugal clutch that is engaged to enable the rotatable drum to be rotated. When the speed of drum rotation drops below the threshold value because debris is slowing down rotation of the drum, the centrifugal clutch is disengaged by dropping engine speed. Disengagement of the centrifugal clutch cuts power to the drum and rotation thereof ceases so that the debris may be cleared.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Alamo Group Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel C. Simon, Trevor James Atkinson, Michael Thomas Hadanek, Cassandra Jean Ellis, Elizabeth Ann Schaaf
  • Patent number: 11735028
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a virtual dispatch assist system in which various types of Intelligent Agents are deployed (e.g., as part of a new CAD system architecture or as add-ons to existing CAD systems) to analyze vast amounts of historic operational data and provide various types of dispatch assist notifications and recommendations that can be used by a dispatcher or by the CAD system itself (e.g., autonomously) to make dispatch decisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Intergraph Corporation
    Inventors: Jackie Paul Williams, II, Michael Thomas Cole, José Eduardo Zindel Deboni
  • Publication number: 20230257985
    Abstract: A drain assembly for installation in a shower floor, the drain assembly including a drain body including an upper surface defining a top side, and a lower surface opposite the upper surface defining a bottom side. The drain assembly also defines an aperture extending along an axis through the drain body between the upper surface and the lower surface and includes an outlet having a flange and an elongated body. When assembled, the elongated body is configured to extend below the lower surface of the drain body when the flange rests on the upper surface. The drain assembly also includes one or more fasteners configured to couple the outlet to the drain body to form a water-tight seal therebetween, where each of the one or more fasteners are accessible from the top side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: David Michael Gomo, Robert Anthony DiPlacido, Michael Thomas Benesh, Christopher J. Say, John Matthew Lawrence
  • Patent number: 11721900
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a digital beamformed phased array feed. The system may include a radome configured to allow electromagnetic waves to propagate; a multi-band software defined antenna array tile; a power and clock management subsystem configured to manage power and time of operation; a thermal management subsystem configured to dissipate heat generated by the multi-band software defined antenna array tile; and an enclosure assembly. The multi-band software defined antenna array tile may include a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements; a plurality of frequency converters; and a plurality of digital beamformers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: BlueHalo, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Pace, David Gregory Baur, Theodore Lyman Schuler-Sandy, William Kennedy, Jeffrey Gerard Micono, William Louis Walker, Garrett James Newell