Patents by Inventor Nicholas N. Lapshov
Nicholas N. Lapshov 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).
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Patent number: 11630431Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: April 18, 2023Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20220026869Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 11163284Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2020Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20200264576Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2020Publication date: August 20, 2020Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 10663941Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2018Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20180314223Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2018Publication date: November 1, 2018Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 10025284Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2016Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20170090448Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2016Publication date: March 30, 2017Inventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 9547313Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2014Date of Patent: January 17, 2017Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20140229025Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2014Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 8738188Abstract: Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2013Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Patent number: 8417390Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, methods of implementing irrigation control are provided that detect a presence of a first module coupled with a control unit of an irrigation controller, the control unit operating in accordance with a bootloader set of code and a first set of code to implement irrigation control, identify that the first module stores a second set of code, and activate the bootloader set of code to replace the first set of code with the second set of code. Also described are various different types of modular controllers, expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of the controller and these modules in the controller.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2010Date of Patent: April 9, 2013Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov
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Publication number: 20110040415Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, methods of implementing irrigation control are provided that detect a presence of a first module coupled with a control unit of an irrigation controller, the control unit operating in accordance with a bootloader set of code and a first set of code to implement irrigation control, identify that the first module stores a second set of code, and activate the bootloader set of code to replace the first set of code with the second set of code. Also described are various different types of modular controllers, expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of the controller and these modules in the controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2010Publication date: February 17, 2011Applicant: RAIN BIRD CORPORATIONInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Nicholas N. Lapshov, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen
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Patent number: 7844367Abstract: Described herein are several embodiments relating to modular irrigation controllers. In many implementations, methods of implementing irrigation control are provided that detect a presence of a first module coupled with a control unit of an irrigation controller, the control unit operating in accordance with a bootloader set of code and a first set of code to implement irrigation control, identify that the first module stores a second set of code, and activate the bootloader set of code to replace the first set of code with the second set of code. Also described are various different types of modular controllers, expansion modules that may be coupled to the modular controller, having as variety of functions and features, as well as related methods of use and configuration of the controller and these modules in the controller.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2007Date of Patent: November 30, 2010Assignee: Rain Bird CorporationInventors: Harvey J. Nickerson, Russel Dean Leatherman, James R. Musselman, Andrew M. Nguyen, Nicholas N. Lapshov