Patents by Inventor Phillip Randall Staver
Phillip Randall Staver 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: 7926944Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for diagnosing and treating subjects using neuro-ocular wavefront data. As such, in some embodiments, among others, neuro-ocular wavefront data is obtained, and one or more characteristics of a visual system are ascertained from the neuro-ocular wavefront data.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2010Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Inventors: Keith P. Thompson, Jose R. Garcia, Phillip Randall Staver
-
Publication number: 20100231855Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for diagnosing and treating subjects using neuro-ocular wavefront data. As such, in some embodiments, among others, neuro-ocular wavefront data is obtained, and one or more characteristics of a visual system are ascertained from the neuro-ocular wavefront data.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2010Publication date: September 16, 2010Inventors: Keith P. Thompson, Jose R. Garcia, Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 7703919Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for diagnosing and treating subjects using neuro-ocular wavefront data. As such, in some embodiments, among others, neuro-ocular wavefront data is obtained, and one or more characteristics of a visual system are ascertained from the neuro-ocular wavefront data.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2004Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Assignee: Digital Vision, LLCInventors: Keith P. Thompson, Jose R. Garcia, Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 7148448Abstract: A pulse laser is configured for projecting a pulsed laser beam at a target site on a fluid film atop a workpiece for laser shock peening the workpiece. The fluid film is monitored by a probe laser which projects a probe laser beam at the target site, and an optical detector which detects reflection of the probe beam from the target site. The pulse laser is coordinated by the detector in order to emit the pulsed beam in response to the condition of the monitored film.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2003Date of Patent: December 12, 2006Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Richard Edwin Warren, Jr., Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 6670577Abstract: A method for laser shock peening a surface is disclosed. A laser beam pulse from a laser apparatus is produced. The laser pulse has a cross-section taken perpendicular to the laser beam, a fluence profile across the cross-section. The pulse against an area on said surface. The fluence profile is controlled such that process induced defects are reduced.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2001Date of Patent: December 30, 2003Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Phillip Randall Staver, William Taylor Lotshaw, Michael Francis X Gigliotti, Jr., Josef Robert Unternahrer, Robert Snee Gilmore, Thomas James Batzinger
-
Publication number: 20030062350Abstract: A method for laser shock peening a surface is disclosed. A laser beam pulse from a laser apparatus is produced. The laser pulse has a cross-section taken perpendicular to the laser beam, a fluence profile across the cross-section. The pulse against an area on said surface. The fluence profile is controlled such that process induced defects are reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2001Publication date: April 3, 2003Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: Phillip Randall Staver, William Taylor Lotshaw, Michael Francis X Gigliotti, Josef Robert Unternahrer, Robert Snee Gilmore, Thomas James Batzinger
-
Patent number: 6197133Abstract: A target is laser shock peened by directing against an ablative coating thereon a laser beam pulse having a fluence, duration, and corresponding peak power effective for ablating the coating to form a plasma and shock wave therein. The plasma is confined adjacent the target to plastically deform the target by the shock wave to develop residual compressive stress therein. The pulse has a duration less than ten nanoseconds and a corresponding peak power for increasing coupling efficiency between the pulse and plasma.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 1999Date of Patent: March 6, 2001Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Josef Robert Unternahrer, William Taylor Lotshaw, Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 6021142Abstract: A method of hygroscopic optical material fabrication comprising the steps of cutting a hygroscopic optical material to generate an optical substrate of appropriate dimensions and polishing the hygroscopic optical material for appropriate surface figure or surface quality. The cutting and polishing of the hygroscopic optical material is completed while the hygroscopic optical material is isolated from aqueous contamination so as to maintain or increase the damage threshold of the hygroscopic optical material.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 1998Date of Patent: February 1, 2000Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: William Taylor Lotshaw, Phillip Randall Staver, Angel Luis Ortiz, Jr.
-
Patent number: 6002706Abstract: A method of controlling the size of a laser beam comprises the steps of generating the laser beam with a laser, focusing the laser beam, directing the laser beam to a target, directing a portion of the laser beam to an optical detector which generates a signal representative of a fluence distribution of the laser beam, and adjusting a focal point of the laser beam based on the measured fluence distribution to control the size of the laser beam on the target.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 1997Date of Patent: December 14, 1999Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Phillip Randall Staver, Farzin Homayoun Azad, Josef Robert Unternahrer
-
Patent number: 5987042Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for shaping a laser pulse. The method comprises the steps of generating a laser pulse with a laser, opening an optical switch to allow the laser pulse to pass through the optical switch, determining a first reference time point with respect to the laser pulse, determining a second reference time point with respect to the opening of the optical switch, and adjusting an opening time of the optical switch based on the first and second reference time points to shape the laser pulse.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 1997Date of Patent: November 16, 1999Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Phillip Randall Staver, Josef Robert Unternahrer
-
Patent number: 5980101Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for accurately measuring the energy of a laser pulse. The method according to one embodiment comprises directing a first laser pulse to an energy sensor which produces a first signal responsive to the first laser pulse, determining a time constant of the energy sensor based on the first signal, directing a second laser pulse to the energy sensor which produces a second signal responsive to the second laser pulse, and determining the pulse energy of the second laser pulse based on the second signal and the time constant.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 1997Date of Patent: November 9, 1999Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Josef Robert Unternahrer, Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 5953354Abstract: A laser resonator includes a laser medium having opposite end faces inclined at Brewster's angle and disposed in optical alignment between spaced-apart and tilted first and second optical elements. A method for adjusting the optical alignment includes pumping the laser medium to produce a laser beam, and adjusting separation spacing between the two optical elements. Tilt of at least one of the optical elements is adjusted in response to any observed change in beam cross-sectional size. In an additional embodiment, the laser medium is initially positioned at about equal spacings between the first and second elements. Position of the laser medium is then adjusted, at a constant value of the separation spacing, to within a position range selected for a specific value of a ratio of intracavity peak power of circulation of the laser beam and a critical power for self-focusing to effect discrimination of mode-locked operation over continuous wave operation.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 1998Date of Patent: September 14, 1999Assignee: General Electric Co.Inventors: Phillip Randall Staver, William Taylor Lotshaw
-
Patent number: 5801312Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for laser ultrasonic imaging an object. In the present invention, a synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) is used to generate a high resolution subsurface images of the object. In addition, the present invention filters low frequency components from detected laser ultrasound waveform data to further enhance resolution, SNR, and contrast. Geometric knowledge permits the present invention to generate images of objects having a complex and arbitrary-shape.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 1996Date of Patent: September 1, 1998Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Peter William Lorraine, Ralph Allen Hewes, Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 5689331Abstract: A laser apparatus includes a laser for emitting a laser beam which is reflected from a primary mirror through a primary lens in a primary optical path and focused at a primary spot. A portion of the laser beam leaks through a back face of the mirror and is directed through a reference lens and focused at a reference spot in a reference optical path. Angular wander of the laser beam on the primary mirror is corrected by measuring the lateral position of the reference spot and adjusting the primary optical path to decrease lateral wander of the primary spot.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 1995Date of Patent: November 18, 1997Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Phillip Randall Staver
-
Patent number: 5659415Abstract: An optical modulator includes pump and signal lasers optically aligned with an optical modulator element having a nonlinear refractive index. In operation, a pulsed optical pump beam is focused inside the modulator element for obtaining oscillatory sagittal and tangential mode radii thereof. A signal beam is propagated through the focus in the modulator element at a crossing angle with the spatially modulated pump beam for phase modulation thereof. Material nonlinearity due to electronic polarization or molecular orientation provides ultrafast rise times with correspondingly high modulation bandwidth.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 1996Date of Patent: August 19, 1997Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Phillip Randall Staver, William Taylor Lotshaw