Patents by Inventor Patrick Harkins
Patrick Harkins 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: 10366351Abstract: Ensuring that a user's demographic data is correct so that billing statements may be sent to a correct address for collecting payment(s) from the user is a challenge many service providers face. Automatic information standardization and verification is provided. When a user's demographic information is inputted into an information system, address information is standardized into a standard format, a breadth of a verification to perform for the user is determined, and cross-matching the user's demographic information with information provided by one or more third party data sources is performed. Results may be provided in near real-time so that any inconsistencies may be corrected on the front-end and thus avoid unnecessary operation costs and improving billing and statement delivery.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2012Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: EXPERIAN HEALTH, INC.Inventors: Dustin Ryan Whittier, Patrick Harkins
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Publication number: 20140236614Abstract: Front-end patient financial triage is provided, wherein various financial clearance checks may be processed prior to proceeding with a non-emergent patient encounter. A patient's credit history, historic payment information, and symptoms of his/her financial health, such as employment and income, family size, etc., as well as address and social security number verification may be utilized to help a health care provider determine if a patient may pay for health care services. A web-based configuration tool may be provided for allowing the health care provider to dynamically change rules that define cascading processes of a financial clearance transaction. A health care provider may be able to use this actionable financial information to make better up-front decisions about which financial category may be most appropriate for a patient. Embodiments may help to protect a health care provider's financial liability, reduce bad debt and preventable write-offs.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: Passport Health Communications, Inc.Inventors: Dustin Ryan Whittier, Lance Clifford Mansfield, Patrick Harkins
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Patent number: 8174526Abstract: Methods and apparatus render images of digital objects or prepare digital objects for subsequent processing. The method includes sorting data representative of positions of at least three vertices of polygons of a digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. Such a determination may be made by generating an orientation decision variable based on the relative positions of the vertices and calculating a cross product term (CPT) after the vertex data has been sorted. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program that controls the operation of a processor. Processors, computers, and systems that practice the method are also contemplated.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2011Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: Round Rock Research, LLCInventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Publication number: 20110261082Abstract: Methods and apparatus render images of digital objects or prepare digital objects for subsequent processing. The method includes sorting data representative of positions of at least three vertices of polygons of a digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. Such a determination may be made by generating an orientation decision variable based on the relative positions of the vertices and calculating a cross product term (CPT) after the vertex data has been sorted. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program that controls the operation of a processor. Accordingly, processors, computers, and systems that render images of digital objects in accordance with the method are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2011Publication date: October 27, 2011Applicant: ROUND ROCK RESEARCH, LLCInventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 7978193Abstract: Methods and apparatus render images of digital objects or prepare digital objects for subsequent processing. The method includes sorting data representative of positions of at least three vertices of polygons of a digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. Such a determination may be made by generating an orientation decision variable based on the relative positions of the vertices and calculating a cross product term (CPT) after the vertex data has been sorted. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program that controls the operation of a processor. Accordingly, processors, computers, and systems that render images of digital objects in accordance with the method are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2009Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: Round Rock Research, LLCInventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Publication number: 20100053157Abstract: Methods and apparatus render images of digital objects or prepare digital objects for subsequent processing. The method includes sorting data representative of positions of at least three vertices of polygons of a digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. Such a determination may be made by generating an orientation decision variable based on the relative positions of the vertices and calculating a cross product term (CPT) after the vertex data has been sorted. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program that controls the operation of a processor. Accordingly, processors, computers, and systems that render images of digital objects in accordance with the method are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2009Publication date: March 4, 2010Applicant: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.Inventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 7619624Abstract: Methods and apparatus for rendering images of digital objects or for preparing digital objects for subsequent processing. The method includes sorting data representative of the positions of at least three vertices of at least one polygon of a digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. Such a determination may be made by generating an orientation decision variable based on the relative positions of the vertices and calculating a cross product term (CPT) after the vertex data has been sorted. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program (i.e., software or firmware) that controls the operation of a processor.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2005Date of Patent: November 17, 2009Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Publication number: 20060017728Abstract: Methods and apparatus for rendering images of digital objects or for preparing digital objects for subsequent processing. The method includes sorting data representative of the positions of at least three vertices of at least one polygon of a digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. Such a determination may be made by generating an orientation decision variable based on the relative positions of the vertices and calculating a cross product term (CPT) after the vertex data has been sorted. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program (i.e., software or firmware) that controls the operation of a processor.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2005Publication date: January 26, 2006Inventor: Patrick Harkin
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Patent number: 6937236Abstract: A method for rendering an image of a digital object. The method includes sorting data representative of the positions of at least three vertices of each polygon of the plurality of polygons that makes up the digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. The CPT may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program (i.e., software or firmware) that controls the operation of a processor. Accordingly, processors, computers, and systems that render images of digital objects in accordance with the method are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2001Date of Patent: August 30, 2005Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Publication number: 20030006993Abstract: A method for rendering an image of a digital object. The method includes sorting data representative of the positions of at least three vertices of each polygon that makes up the digital object, then determining whether the orientation of the vertices of each polygon from a specific reference point differs from the actual, or original, orientation of the vertices. The cross product term may also be used in other operations involving the polygon, such as in imparting appearance characteristics to the polygon. The method may be embodied as a computer program (i.e., software or firmware) that controls the operation of a processor. Accordingly, processors, computers, and systems that render images of digital objects in accordance with the method are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2001Publication date: January 9, 2003Inventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 6252606Abstract: A graphics processor capable of rendering three-dimensional polygons with color, shading; and other visual effects also corrects interpolation errors that occur as a result of mapping the polygon to a pixel grid display. The processor renders polygons using an Incremental Line-Drawing algorithm and features an error correction circuit capable of adjusting the initial and incremental gradient parameters for each pixel characteristic and then rendering each scan line with the proper orthogonal adjustment. The error correction circuit includes an ortho correction engine for correcting errors in the initial and incremental pixel parameters and an ortho adjust engine to accommodate overflows in the x-coordinate calculations. The processor is able to render the polygons with monotonic gradients in color, shading, depth, and other visual characteristics without interpolation error.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 1998Date of Patent: June 26, 2001Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventors: Gautam Vaswani, Daniel P. Wilde, Patrick Harkin
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Patent number: 6002409Abstract: A graphics system includes a graphics processor for rendering graphics primitives with a list of display parameters. A host processor generates a display list which includes a XY address for rendering the graphics primitives. A graphics processor which includes an arbitration logic device enables the graphics processor to temporarily arbitrate shared resources to dissimilar graphics drawing engines. The arbitration logic allows data from the dissimilar drawing engines to be prioritized, depending on the configuration of the underlying computer system, for accessing shared resources.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 1997Date of Patent: December 14, 1999Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 5999200Abstract: A graphics system includes a graphics processor for rendering graphics primitives with a list of display parameters. A host processor generates a display list which includes a XY address for rendering the graphics primitives. A graphics processor which includes a command address feed logic device decodes the display list to determine the register locations in a register file to fill with data. The command address feed logic device decodes the display list and orders a group of registers in the register file in order to perform a sequential write to the register file. By sequentially ordering the register file locations, the command address feed logic device is able to write null or zero data values to the register locations which are not needed to render a primitive, while maintaining a single write cycle to the register file.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 1998Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventors: Patrick A. Harkin, Michael K. Larson
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Patent number: 5966142Abstract: A graphics system includes a graphics processor for rendering graphics primitives with a list of display parameters. A host processor generates a display list which includes an XY address for rendering the graphics primitives. A graphics processor, which includes a bypass logic circuit, enables the graphics processor to temporarily store display list commands in an internal storage device while previously fetched display list data is being processed. The bypass logic circuit allows the graphics processor to bypass the internal storage device and write fetched command directly to an execution unit in the graphics processor. By having the bypass capabilities, the graphics processor is able to optimize the internal storing of commands in the display list in the internal storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 1997Date of Patent: October 12, 1999Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventor: Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 5793386Abstract: A graphics system includes a graphics controller for rendering polygons with a minimum number of steps and registers. A host processor generates a display list that includes only the values necessary for rendering a primitive. The graphics controller includes a register file for receiving the display list either directly from the host processor or from system memory in which the host processor stored the display list. The graphics controller also includes logic to decode operational codes to ascertain which values from the register file must be used for rendering a primitive and which values can be skipped. Only the necessary values are transmitted to polygon and texture engines also included within the graphics processor.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 1996Date of Patent: August 11, 1998Assignee: S3 IncorporatedInventors: Michael Kerry Larson, Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 5734873Abstract: A display controller includes a text engine which stores font information, including image and width information, in a unused portion of the frame buffer. A character string comprising width vectors and indices which point to the characters to be drawn, is passed to the display controller from the driver software. Once the character string is received, the text engine draws the indicated characters by reference to the font information previously stored in the character information memory by the driver, allowing the operating system to continue operations while the text string is being drawn to the viewport of the frame buffer.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: March 31, 1998Assignee: Compaq Computer CorporationInventors: Mark A. Lobodzinski, Patrick A. Harkin
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Patent number: 5670983Abstract: A video controller has one or more shared pins coupled to respective configuration signals. The shared pins are also coupled to other devices external to the video controller. Responsive to a reset signal, the configuration signals are stored in a configuration register. At other times, the external devices can overcome the configuration signals such that the shared pins may be used for other operations of the video subsystem.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 1994Date of Patent: September 23, 1997Assignee: Compaq Computer CorporationInventors: Abdel Hamid Suboh, Patrick A. Harkin, Stuart Hecht