Patents by Inventor Nelson E. McNulty

Nelson E. McNulty 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: 4463339
    Abstract: Traffic signals at an intersection are controlled by one or more controllers of the state/interval type, located in the vicinity of the intersection. One or more remote units that are portable or mobile communicate with the controller via a coded signal to command specific light operations, instruct a secondary controller to take-over light control at the intersection from a primary controller, and to reprogram the operation of the controller on a temporary or permanent basis. The remote units generate a code that must be received accurately by the controller before commands are followed. In order to economically provide such a code, the code generator employs a diode matrix that orders data words and address words and is easily reprogrammed. The traffic signal indicator operation is monitored by the controller both to detect controller error, as by a voltage error resulting from an incorrect controller action, and to detect a non-controller error, as by a current error resulting from a burned out indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1984
    Assignee: Ralph E. Frick
    Inventors: Ralph E. Frick, Nelson E. McNulty