Patents by Inventor N. Phil Peterson

N. Phil Peterson 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: 9331375
    Abstract: An underwater antenna assembly (or array thereof) suitable for subsurface RFID tag interrogation in flowing water such as a river. In preferred embodiments, the antenna interrogates RFID tags implanted in aquatic species. The antenna resides in an elongate antenna housing whose cross-sectional shape is preferably a hydrodynamic teardrop shape. A first end of the housing is linked to a pivoting mechanism such that when the pivoting mechanism is held substantially stationary with respect to the water flow, the second end of the housing is free to rotate generally about the first end in a substantially vertical plane parallel to the water flow direction. The length of the antenna housing is advantageously selected to enable the antenna to monitor for signals across substantially the entire water depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: West Fork Environmental, Inc.
    Inventors: N. Phil Peterson, Kyle B. Meier
  • Patent number: 9331376
    Abstract: An underwater basal-pivoting antenna assembly (or array thereof) suitable for subsurface RFID tag interrogation in flowing water such as a river. In preferred embodiments, the antenna interrogates RFID tags implanted in aquatic species. The antenna resides in an elongate antenna housing whose cross-sectional shape is preferably a hydrodynamic teardrop shape. When the assembly is deployed in water with a lower end thereof anchored below an upper end, the lower end of the housing is linked to a pivot/swivel mechanism such that when the pivot/swivel mechanism is held substantially stationary with respect to the water flow, the upper end of the housing is free to rotate generally about the first end, including in a substantially vertical plane parallel to the water flow direction. The length of the antenna housing is advantageously selected to enable the antenna to monitor for signals across substantially the entire water depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: West Fork Environmental, Inc.
    Inventors: N. Phil Peterson, Kyle B. Meier
  • Patent number: 9331377
    Abstract: An underwater top-pivoting antenna assembly (or array thereof) suitable for subsurface RFID tag interrogation in flowing water such as a river. In preferred embodiments, the antenna interrogates RFID tags implanted in aquatic species. The antenna resides in an elongate antenna housing whose cross-sectional shape is preferably a symmetric hydrodynamic teardrop shape. When the assembly is deployed in water with an upper end thereof suspended above a lower end, the upper end of the housing is linked to a pivot/swivel mechanism such that when the pivot/swivel mechanism is held substantially stationary with respect to the water flow, the lower end of the housing is free to rotate generally about the first end, including in a substantially vertical plane parallel to the water flow direction. The length of the antenna housing is advantageously selected to enable the antenna to monitor for signals across substantially the entire water depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: West Fork Environmental, Inc.
    Inventors: N. Phil Peterson, Kyle B. Meier
  • Publication number: 20140306852
    Abstract: An underwater top-pivoting antenna assembly (or array thereof) suitable for subsurface RFID tag interrogation in flowing water such as a river. In preferred embodiments, the antenna interrogates RFID tags implanted in aquatic species. The antenna resides in an elongate antenna housing whose cross-sectional shape is preferably a symmetric hydrodynamic teardrop shape. When the assembly is deployed in water with an upper end thereof suspended above a lower end, the upper end of the housing is linked to a pivot/swivel mechanism such that when the pivot/swivel mechanism is held substantially stationary with respect to the water flow, the lower end of the housing is free to rotate generally about the first end, including in a substantially vertical plane parallel to the water flow direction. The length of the antenna housing is advantageously selected to enable the antenna to monitor for signals across substantially the entire water depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: N. Phil Peterson, Kyle B. Meier
  • Publication number: 20140159967
    Abstract: An underwater basal-pivoting antenna assembly (or array thereof) suitable for subsurface RFID tag interrogation in flowing water such as a river. In preferred embodiments, the antenna interrogates RFID tags implanted in aquatic species. The antenna resides in an elongate antenna housing whose cross-sectional shape is preferably a hydrodynamic teardrop shape. When the assembly is deployed in water with a lower end thereof anchored below an upper end, the lower end of the housing is linked to a pivot/swivel mechanism such that when the pivot/swivel mechanism is held substantially stationary with respect to the water flow, the upper end of the housing is free to rotate generally about the first end, including in a substantially vertical plane parallel to the water flow direction. The length of the antenna housing is advantageously selected to enable the antenna to monitor for signals across substantially the entire water depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: N. Phil Peterson, Kyle B. Meier
  • Publication number: 20140159966
    Abstract: An underwater antenna assembly (or array thereof) suitable for subsurface RFID tag interrogation in flowing water such as a river. In preferred embodiments, the antenna interrogates RFID tags implanted in aquatic species. The antenna resides in an elongate antenna housing whose cross-sectional shape is preferably a hydrodynamic teardrop shape. A first end of the housing is linked to a pivoting mechanism such that when the pivoting mechanism is held substantially stationary with respect to the water flow, the second end of the housing is free to rotate generally about the first end in a substantially vertical plane parallel to the water flow direction. The length of the antenna housing is advantageously selected to enable the antenna to monitor for signals across substantially the entire water depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: N. Phil Peterson, Kyle B. Meier