Patents by Inventor Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith 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: 12264859
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for charging a refrigerant into a climate control system. In an embodiment, the method includes (a) coupling a storage tank to a refrigerant loop of the climate control system through a charging valve; (b) opening and closing the charging valve in a plurality of cycles; and (c) flowing refrigerant from the storage tank to the refrigerant loop through the charging valve when the charging valve is open, during (b). In addition, the method includes (d) determining a detected saturated temperature of the refrigerant within the refrigerant loop after each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and (e) adjusting an amount of time that the charging valve is open during each cycle of the plurality of cycles during (b) as a function of the detected saturated temperature from a previous cycle of the plurality of cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Raymond Walter Rite, Drew Whitehurst, Nathan Smith
  • Patent number: 12259147
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for controlling an indoor air temperature for a heat pump system are disclosed. The method includes (a) determining an outdoor coil temperature of an outdoor heat exchanger and a speed of a compressor of a heat pump system, (b) determining a target indoor coil temperature of the indoor coil based on the outdoor coil temperature and the speed of the compressor, and (c) adjusting a speed of air flowing across the indoor coil based on a difference between a current indoor coil temperature and the target indoor coil temperature to reduce the difference between the current indoor coil temperature and the target indoor coil temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Youssef A. Jaber, Don A. Schuster, Nathan Smith, Jonathan Edward Thrift
  • Patent number: 12253272
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for controlling indoor relative humidity include (a) determining a target dew point temperature based on desired indoor conditions for the indoor space, and (b) determining an initial dew point temperature based on an initial set of current indoor conditions of the indoor space. The method includes (c) determining a target coil temperature of a coil of an indoor heat exchanger of the climate control system based on the target dew point temperature and the initial dew point temperature, and (d) adjusting a speed of air flowing across the coil or a speed of a compressor of the climate control system after (c) based on the target coil temperature to reduce a difference between a coil temperature of the coil and the target coil temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Youssef A. Jaber, Don A. Schuster, Nathan Smith, Jonathan Edward Thrift
  • Publication number: 20250036602
    Abstract: Techniques for discovering primary, unique, and/or foreign keys for relational datasets are described. The techniques include profiling the relational datasets to obtain respective data profiles; identifying one or more primary key candidates for a first relational dataset using a first data profile of the first relational dataset and a first trained machine learning model; identifying one or more foreign key proposals for a second relational dataset using the one or more primary key candidates by performing a subset analysis of the second relational dataset with respect to the first relational dataset; identifying one or more foreign key candidates for the second relational dataset using the first data profile, a second data profile of the second relational dataset, and a second trained machine learning model different from the first trained machine learning model; and outputting the at primary key candidate(s) and the foreign key candidate(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Inventors: Andrew Chang, Richard Oberdorf, Song Wang, Nathan Smith
  • Patent number: 12144333
    Abstract: An elastic bladder that is filled with water. The water adds weight to the line for casting, allowing a lure to be cast farther. The bladder has an arrangement of tubes that are inserted into each other. One long rigid tube has a folding hinge at the base. A leader is secured to the bladder with a bridle. The remainder of the leader can be coiled and attached in the ā€œvā€ of a lower valve that retains the water in the bladder. This coiling allows the bladder to be positioned far above the hook, allowing the hook to be placed deeper than when using an ordinary float. After casting, the hinge is released, and the bladder empties, becoming a float.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Inventor: Nathan Smith
  • Publication number: 20240351568
    Abstract: Methods and systems for shifting a transmission of an electric vehicle are described. The methods and systems may be applied to fully electric or hybrid vehicles. The methods and systems may allow a transmission to be shifted within an acceptable time frame without supplying excess charge to an electric energy storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2023
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Inventors: Rohit KOLI, Nathan SMITH, Mohammed YASIN
  • Publication number: 20240309665
    Abstract: A nuclear reactor is constructed in sub-modules and super modules which are manufactured, packaged, and shipped to a construction site. At least some of the modules are packaged in suitable shielding containers or portions of containers, which may be steel. The modules are assembled on-site, and some of the modules remain within their respective shipping containers after assembly. One or more of the shipping containers may be used as concrete forms to support the pouring of concrete in between selected modules. The concrete may be used for structural support, shielding, or both.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2023
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: Derek Bass, Michael F. Dimitri, Brian C. Johnson, Calen Kaneko, Christopher A. Martin, Sean T Mosier, Philip M. Schloss, Nathan Smith, Mark R. Werner
  • Publication number: 20240312655
    Abstract: An in-vessel fuel transfer machine may be permanently affixed to a nuclear reactor and remain in place during power operations. The in-vessel fuel transfer machine may include a pantograph machine that positions a grapple in order to access any fuel socket location within the core and move any of the core assemblies between the core, an in-vessel fuel storage area, and a fuel elevator. The grapple may be positioned through a combination of movements, such as, rotating a rotating plug assembly, rotating the in-vessel fuel transfer machine, extending the pantograph arms, and shuttling the grapple along a leg. The grapple may be compliant to accommodate deformed core assemblies and may be configured to pivot to more closely align to an eccentric core assembly handling socket or be moveable in a horizontal plane to accommodate a deformed core assembly during insertion or withdrawal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2023
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: Daniel R. Althouse, Nikolas Clark, Jeffrey Derenthal, Thomas Ekstrom, Victoria Graham, Joseph Heath, Matthew M. Mareka, Bryan W. Sardo, Nathan Smith, Zachariah Snyder, Olivera Ulicevic
  • Patent number: 12076084
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems for performing an ophthalmic diagnostic test are disclosed. In one aspect, a head-wearable device for administering an ophthalmic test to a subject can comprise a head-wearable frame for mounting the device onto the subject's head, and a light seal configured for coupling to the frame so as to isolate at least one eye of the subject from ambient light when the device is worn by the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: LumiThera Diagnostics, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory R. Jackson, David E. Beecher, David E. Orr, Frank Jones, Nathan Smith
  • Patent number: 12028792
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for operating a climate control system for an indoor space are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes establishing a connection between a device and a hub of the climate control system along a first signal pathway, wherein at least a portion of the first signal pathway comprises a short-range radio connection between the device and a first component of the system. In addition, the method includes monitoring one or more parameters of the first signal pathway and one or more parameters of a second signal pathway extending between the device and the hub, wherein at least a portion of the second signal pathway comprises a short-range radio connection between the device and a second component of the system. Further, the method includes re-routing the connection between the portable device and the system hub from the first signal pathway to the second signal pathway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Carl L. Garrett, Nathan Smith, Daniel J. Blair, Drew Whitehurst, Caleb Davis
  • Publication number: 20240211714
    Abstract: A system for foreign material accountability includes a kiosk, which further includes a touch enabled display screen that is back-lit and automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient environment. A user input device, wherein the user input device includes a pin pad, one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of temperature sensors, RFID sensors, IR sensors, optical sensors, iris sensors and one or more cameras, a processor, a data bus coupled to the processor and a computer-usable medium embodying computer code operating on the kiosk. The computer code includes programmed instructions executable by the processor to control accessibility of items into a restricted area based on data received from at least one of the display screen operated by a user, the user input device, and the one or more sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2024
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Kelvin D. Mann, Eric Bergstrom, David Hansen, Nikolas Tripp, Nathan Smith, Stephen Lauser, Matthew Montgomery
  • Publication number: 20240095459
    Abstract: Techniques for displaying workflow responses based on determining topics associated with user requests are discussed herein. In some examples, a user may post a request (e.g., question) to a virtual space (e.g., a channel, thread, board, etc.) of a communication platform. The communication platform may input the request into a machine learning model trained to identify topics associated with the request and confidence levels associated with topics. In such examples, the communication platform may associate a topic with the user request based on the confidence level of the topic. In some examples, the communication platform may determine that the topic is associated with a graphical identifier (e.g., emoji). The communication platform may cause the graphical identifier to be displayed to the virtual space within which the user request was posted. In response to displaying the graphical identifier, the communication platform may display a workflow response to the virtual space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Mitchell McNeill, Neil Brady, Nathan Smith
  • Publication number: 20240054308
    Abstract: A system for foreign material accountability includes a kiosk, which further includes a touch enabled display screen that is back lit and automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient environment. A user input device, wherein the user input device includes a pin pad, one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of temperature sensors, RFID sensors, IR sensors, optical sensors, iris sensors and one or more cameras, a processor, a data bus coupled to the processor and a computer-usable medium embodying computer code operating on the kiosk. The computer code includes programmed instructions executable by the processor to control accessibility of items into a restricted area based on data received from at least one of the display screen operated by a user, the user input device, and the one or more sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: ACCESS SOLOTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Kelvin D. Mann, Eric Bergstrom, David Hansen, Nikolas Tripp, Nathan Smith, Stephen Lauser, Matthew Montgomery
  • Patent number: 11836557
    Abstract: A system for foreign material accountability includes a kiosk, which further includes a touch enabled display screen that is back-lit and automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient environment. A user input device, wherein the user input device includes a pin pad, one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of temperature sensors, RFID sensors, IR sensors, optical sensors, iris sensors and one or more cameras, a processor, a data bus coupled to the processor and a computer-usable medium embodying computer code operating on the kiosk. The computer code includes programmed instructions executable by the processor to control accessibility of items into a restricted area based on data received from at least one of the display screen operated by a user, the user input device, and the one or more sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Access Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: Kelvin D. Mann, Eric Bergstrom, David Hansen, Nikolas Tripp, Nathan Smith, Stephen Lauser, Matthew Montgomery
  • Patent number: 11815173
    Abstract: Methods and systems for operating a transmission that includes one or more dog clutches are described. In one example, a torque capacity of a gear is estimated from an engagement depth of the dog clutch, and the gear may be held or shifted according to the torque capacity of the gear and a commanded torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: DANA HEAVY VEHICLE SYSTEMS GROUP, LLC
    Inventors: James Allen, Jordan M. Houser, Nathan Smith
  • Patent number: 11746550
    Abstract: A nuclear reactor is constructed in sub-modules and super modules which are manufactured, packaged, and shipped to a construction site. At least some of the modules are packaged in suitable shielding containers or portions of containers, which may be steel. The modules are assembled on-site, and some of the modules remain within their respective shipping containers after assembly. One or more of the shipping containers may be used as concrete forms to support the pouring of concrete in between selected modules. The concrete may be used for structural support, shielding, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: TERRAPOWER, LLC
    Inventors: Derek Bass, Michael F. Dimitri, Brian C. Johnson, Calen Kaneko, Christopher A. Martin, Sean T. Mosier, Philip M. Schloss, Nathan Smith, Mark R. Werner
  • Patent number: 11729018
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a CAN network topology for an HVAC communication system. The CAN network topology comprises at least three primary nodes having a predetermined termination impedance and a plurality of end nodes coupled to each primary node, wherein the predetermined termination impedance is set to the optimal setting of 180 ohms. Advantageously, the present disclosure eliminates the need for physically setting CAN node terminations. This reduces install time and removes variability of the install settings. Further, removing this variability reduces the risk for post-installation call-backs due to incorrect system setup. The present disclosure optimizes signal slew rate, which improves signal reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Ramon Portillo, Neal Harrington, Nathan Smith, Caleb A. Davis, Brad T. Wilson
  • Patent number: 11702893
    Abstract: A drill string connect tool comprises a housing having first and second sections. The first section has a first recess, and the second section has a second recess. The tool and the first and sections may be in a connected configuration or a disconnected configuration. The connect tool comprises at least one tension member placeable within, and suitable to transfer tensile forces between, the first and second sections when in the connected configuration. A retaining member can retain the tension member within the first and second recesses. The retaining member is selectively dissolvable by a dissolving fluid, while the remaining components of the tool can withstand the dissolving fluid. When exposed to a dissolving fluid, the retaining member dissolves, allowing the tension member to exit the first and second recesses, thereby actuating the tool to the disconnected configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Inventor: Nathan Smith
  • Publication number: 20230122148
    Abstract: Methods and the like according to the disclosure can include receiving a connection request from a portable device (where the connection request comprises at least one of a predefined code or encryption token), determining a first value of at least one parameter of a first wireless signal of a first signal pathway (where the first signal pathway is between the portable device and a first component of the HVAC system), determining a second value of the at least one parameter of a second wireless signal of a second signal pathway (where the second signal pathway is between the portable device and a second component of the HVAC system), authenticating the portable device, wherein the authenticating is based, at least in part, on the connection request, the first value, and the second value, and, in response to the portable device being authenticated, granting access to the HVAC system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Carl L. Garrett, Nathan Smith, Daniel J. Blair, Drew Whitehurst, Caleb Davis
  • Patent number: D1061320
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Field of Dreams LTD
    Inventor: Nathan Smith