Patents by Inventor Richard A. Ralston, Jr.

Richard A. Ralston, Jr. 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).

  • Method and apparatus for disabling audio
    Patent number: 10241750
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a microphone simulator or emulator, for use in conjunction with a “personal electronic device” or “PED.” The microphone simulator or emulator is used in conjunction with a PED that includes both a built-in microphone, along with an interface by which an external microphone can be utilized. Often, a PED is equipped with no specific user-level interface, by which the built-in microphone of the PED can be disabled. However, the microphone simulator or emulator, when connected to the external microphone interface of a PED, causes the PED to recognize the microphone simulator or emulator as an external microphone. Because of this, the PED disables its built-in microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Columbia Network Security Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Ralston, Jr.
  • Switchable active termination for SCSI peripheral devices
    Patent number: 5422580
    Abstract: A switchable active termination device internally mounted within a peripheral device and electrically connected to the end of a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) bus cable. Through use of a pair of SCSI active terminator circuit chips, the termination device actively terminates the data lines of the bus cable in a first operating mode in response to a first digital command by providing precise resistive pull-up to a predetermined value on each data line. In a second mode of operation responsive to a second digital command, the termination device disconnects all terminating resistors. Activation of the termination modes is logically driven from an included switch, with visual indication of the presence of an active termination state provided by a light emitting diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: APS Technologies
    Inventors: Paul G. Mandel, Richard A. Ralston, Jr., Gary E. Robertson
  • Switchable active termination for SCSI peripheral devices
    Patent number: RE36789
    Abstract: A switchable active termination device internally mounted within a peripheral device and electrically connected to the end of a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) bus cable. Through use of a pair of SCSI active terminator circuit chips, the termination device actively terminates the data lines of the bus cable in a first operating mode in response to a first digital command by providing precise resistive pull-up to a predetermined value on each data line. In a second mode of operation responsive to a second digital command, the termination device disconnects all terminating resistors. Activation of the termination modes is logically driven from an included switch, with visual indication of the presence of an active termination state provided by a light emitting diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: La Cie, Limited
    Inventors: Paul G. Mandel, Richard A. Ralston, Jr., Gary E. Robertson