Patents by Inventor Michael Shea

Michael Shea 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).

  • Publication number: 20030196175
    Abstract: A method for using bar code data parsed from a legacy printstream to facilitate electronic processing and electronic document presentment, whereby match code data, page number data, page count data are extracted from bar code data of legacy printstreams to determine what corresponding mail piece data set extracted data belongs to, and alternatively consulting a separate mail run data file as identified in the bar code data in order to find mail piece information to be used in identifying what page data belongs to what mail piece. Integrity and classification of collected data are thereby enhanced by consulting mail piece assembly data and page information included in legacy printstream bar code information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2002
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Applicant: Pitney Bowes Incorporated
    Inventor: Michael Shea
  • Patent number: 6327515
    Abstract: An apparatus for assembling mailpieces and a method for controlling such apparatus. The apparatus includes a document feeder for feeding sets of documents to a chassis for assembly into mailpieces a constant rate. Because the number of documents varies the time to assemble a set varies and it is possible that a set may not be available when the chassis is ready to cycle; resulting in a cycle in which no mailpiece is processed. To correct for this the average number of documents for a number of mailpieces to be processed is determined and a nominal chassis speed and cycling rate are determined correspondingly. The actual chassis speed is then periodically updated to approach the nominal speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Shea, Eugene Pritchard, William G. Hart, Jr., Paul Mayer
  • Patent number: 6311104
    Abstract: A method for controlling an inserter system having a chassis for assembling mailpieces, the chassis operating cyclically with successive accumulations advancing at the end of each cycle. The inserter system further includes a document feeder for feeding accumulations of documents to the chassis, the accumulations containing varying numbers of documents whereby the document feeder is operated at a first speed such that accumulations are available for input to the chassis at varying intervals substantially depending upon the number of documents in corresponding accumulations. And the chassis is operated at a selected speed, which speed is periodically updated in dependence upon the number of documents in the corresponding accumulations in the document feeder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Shea, Eugene Pritchard, William G. Hart, Jr., Paul Mayer
  • Patent number: 6311103
    Abstract: A method and system for preparing mailpieces. A inserter system for assembling mailpieces in a mailing job is controlled in accordance with a measure of the fraction of chassis cycles which are empty. The chassis speed is continually adjusted during run-time for a mailing job to minimize the number of “dry holes”, i.e. the fraction of chassis cycles which do not contain a mailpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: William G. Hart, Eugene Pritchard, Michael Shea
  • Patent number: 6205373
    Abstract: A method and system for tracking manually repaired mailpieces and the like. Control documents are produced by a data processing system and transported to an inserter system. The inserter system inputs the control documents and assembles mailpieces in accordance with mailpiece records identified by coded information on the documents. If a damaged mailpiece is manually repaired an operator scans the coded information from the damaged mailpiece. A data processing system accesses the mailpiece record in accordance with the scanned information and updates the corresponding mailpiece record to reflect manual repair of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: William G. Hart, Eugene Pritchard, Michael Shea
  • Patent number: 5802848
    Abstract: A motor vehicle hydraulic system including a power steering pump, a reservoir, a steering assist fluid motor, and a second fluid motor for a radiator cooling fan. A flow control valve remote from the power steering pump divides the total fluid flow from the power steering pump into a high flow branch and a low flow branch. Fluid circulates in the low flow branch at a substantially constant flow rate for a proportional control valve for the steering assist fluid motor and returns to the reservoir through an unrestricted tubular boss on the reservoir. Fluid in the high flow branch issues as a jet stream from a nozzle on the reservoir into a venturi passage submerged in fluid in the reservoir. The venturi passage is connected to an inlet port of the power steering pump. The jet stream aspirates fluid from the reservoir into the venturi passage. The kinetic energy of the jet stream is converted into superatmospheric pressure at the inlet port of the power steering pump to suppress cavitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Mark McClendon, James Leroy Davison, Robert Edward Beyerlein, Tom Cheuk-In Wong, Allan Lee Dickinson, Albert Cheuk-Yin Wong, Carl David Tarum, James Michael Shea, David Fredrick Hammerbacher