Patents by Inventor Robert A. Jensen

Robert A. Jensen 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: 8077183
    Abstract: A stepmode animation visualization emphasizes authored values of computer graphics variables. Users select all or a portion of the computer graphics variables associated with objects in a scene to be included in the stepmode animation visualization. When users activate the stepmode animation visualization, the generated values of the selected computer graphics variables are overridden with authored values of the selected computer graphics variables. For example, the stepmode animation visualization overrides each generated value of a computer graphics variable with the nearest preceding authored value of that computer graphics variable. Users may repeatedly activate and deactivate the stepmode animation visualization without reselecting computer graphics variables. The selection of computer graphics variables affected by the stepmode animation visualization is maintained. All or a portion of the animation may be looped or repeated while the stepmode animation visualization is active.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Warren Trezevant, Tom Hahn, Robert Jensen
  • Publication number: 20110203766
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a conduit for use in a geothermal heating and cooling system wherein said conduit comprises 2 or more pipes, wherein further, said 2 or more pipes comprising said conduit are twisted together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventor: Robert Jensen
  • Publication number: 20110203765
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a conduit for use in a geothermal heating and cooling system wherein said conduit comprises 5 or more pipes, wherein further, said 5 or more pipes comprising said conduit are arranged to be contiguous, arranged to be separated by a spacing member, or arranged so that said 5 or more pipes comprising said conduit have both contiguous pipes and pipes separated by a spacing member; wherein further, at least one of said 5 or more pipes is a centrally located pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventor: Robert Jensen
  • Publication number: 20110133139
    Abstract: A puller tool and method for pulling a component from another component are provided. The puller tool can include a cross bar, a pair of puller legs that are movable along the length of the cross bar and a forcing screw. The puller legs can be quickly positioned anywhere along the length of the cross bar through a quick release mechanism. The cross bar can include notches on its outer surface to ensure that the puller legs are equidistant from each other during use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventors: Larry Betcher, Jacob Hanson, Jose Barrios, Robert Jensen
  • Publication number: 20110131783
    Abstract: A puller tool and method for pulling a component from another component are provided. The puller tool can include a cross bar, a pair of puller legs that are movable along the length of the cross bar and a forcing screw. The puller legs can be quickly positioned anywhere along the length of the cross bar through a quick release mechanism. The cross bar can include notches on its outer surface to ensure that the puller legs are equidistant from each other during use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: SPX Corporation
    Inventors: Larry Betcher, Jacob Hanson, Jose Barrios, Robert Jensen
  • Patent number: 7917535
    Abstract: Components are presented to users based on the components' assigned task memberships. The tasks represents the different activities performed by users within a digital production pipeline. Each stage of the digital production pipeline may be associated with a task. Additional user-defined tasks may be defined as needed to further distinguish components. Attributes of components are associated with one or more tasks when the component is authored. Task memberships may be inherited from parent components or overridden. A user interface includes a task selection menu to receive a selection of one or more tasks from the user. The task selection is used to filter components, so that the user interface presents only relevant information to users. Component attribute values and task associations can be expressed using layer data structures. Task restrictions of layers allow layers to only specify values of components that match the task associations of the layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Eric Gregory, Michael Ferris, Robert Jensen, Oren Jacob, Timothy S. Milliron
  • Patent number: 7914349
    Abstract: A single battery connection device that allows for connection both to a battery post and to a battery side terminal. Regardless of whether the device is connected to the battery post or side terminal, the device may be used as part of a four-point Kelvin connection to the battery. Also, a method of connecting to either to a battery post or to a battery side terminal using a single device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: SPX Corporation
    Inventors: Garret Miller, Surender Makhija, Scott Opsahl, Robert Jensen
  • Patent number: 7896713
    Abstract: An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a battery clamp with a universal design for coupling to a vehicle battery with either a top-mounted terminal or a side-mounted terminal. The present invention includes a clamp body having a top portion and a bottom portion, a clamp axle coupling the top portion of the clamp body to the bottom portion of the clamp body, top terminal contacts positioned at the clamping end of each of the top portion and the bottom portion of the clamp body, and side terminal contacts positioned adjacent to the clamp axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: SPX Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Jensen, Scott Opsahl
  • Publication number: 20110031363
    Abstract: A trophy mount for displaying the skull and horn or antler of game animals comprising; a base with one or more holes in the base for attaching the base to a vertical surface, a wing that attaches to the base by means of an upper and lower hinge socket on the base that are able to receive an upper and lower wing joint from the wing with the sockets and joints sized to allow the wing to pivot with respect to the base which is secured to the vertical surface, a bracket that has one or more adjustment holes and a pivot hole, means for securing the bracket to the wing such that the bracket can be positioned at various angles with respect to the base, a center prong on the bracket that is sized to fit within a Foramen magnum of a vertebrate game animal, and a right and left side arm that are spaced, sized and positioned below and slightly in front of the center prong such that the right and left side arms fit into the condyloid fossa of a game animal's skull.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Inventor: Robert Jensen Shaw
  • Patent number: 7836087
    Abstract: The components of a computer graphics scene can be organized using multiple independent graphs. Each component can include graph relationship attributes specifying its location in one or more graphs. Graph can be utilized for any purpose within the digital production pipeline. A component can include any number of graph relationship attributes. The number and type of graph relationship attributes can be different for each component. Software tools can access one or more graphs to determine structural or functional relationships between components. Software tools can enforce policies for a graph independent of other graphs. Software tools can optimize the components of a graph independent of other graphs. A graph relationship attribute of a component can include optional parameter data to specify properties of the relationship between two or more components. Layer data structures including opinions of value can specify graph relationships.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Eric Gregory, Michael Ferris, Robert Jensen, Oren Jacob
  • Patent number: 7836086
    Abstract: A unified mechanism of scene description includes layering and cross-referencing relationships. The scene description specifies components using one or more layers. A layer includes an opinion of value for one or more attributes of one or more components. A layer can be sparsely populated with opinions of attribute values for only portions of components' attributes. Layers express opinions of value for an attribute using the semantic structure associated with the attribute. The scene description organizes layers in a layer hierarchy, which determines a layer stacking order. The layer stacking order specifies the compositing of opinions of attribute values to determine the complete authored state of the component. The layer stacking order enables attributes of components to be selectively overridden without disturbing other attribute values. Cross-referencing relationships enable encapsulation and reuse of components. Cross-referencing relationships can encapsulate components defined by one or more layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Eric Gregory, Mike Ferris, Robert Jensen, Oren Jacob
  • Publication number: 20100221961
    Abstract: An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a battery clamp with a universal design for coupling to a vehicle battery with either a top-mounted terminal or a side-mounted terminal. The present invention includes a clamp body having a top portion and a bottom portion, a clamp axle coupling the top portion of the clamp body to the bottom portion of the clamp body, top terminal contacts positioned at the clamping end of each of the top portion and the bottom portion of the clamp body, and side terminal contacts positioned adjacent to the clamp axle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Inventors: Robert Jensen, Scott Opsahl
  • Publication number: 20100115761
    Abstract: A single battery connection device that allows for connection both to a battery post and to a battery side terminal. Regardless of whether the device is connected to the battery post or side terminal, the device may be used as part of a four-point Kelvin connection to the battery. Also, a method of connecting to either to a battery post or to a battery side terminal using a single device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Inventors: Garret Miller, Surender Makhija, Scott Opsahl, Robert Jensen
  • Patent number: 7693867
    Abstract: A method for a computer system includes opening a first file describing a first object in an object environment, determining a reference for a second object, wherein the second object includes a plurality of attributes, receiving a second file describing the second object from a storage system; in response to the reference, and opening the second file describing the second object in the object environment, determining a modified value for an attribute from the plurality of attributes for the second object, and including in the first file the reference for the second object and the modified value for the attribute, wherein the second object is not stored in the first file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Robert Jensen, Andrew Witkin
  • Patent number: 7690057
    Abstract: A prone cart for carrying a patient has a frame, a pair of independently powered and suspended drive wheels located centrally off the frame and an articuable body support having relatively moveable tray, chest support, abdominal support and leg support sections connected end to end for carrying a patient prone between a lowered position where the patient lies in a horizontal orientation to a raised position where the patient's head and chest are elevated with respect to the patient's abdomen and legs. Linkage mechanisms move the sections between the raised and lowered positions. A pair of independently suspended drive wheels mounted centrally of the frame is controllable so that each may each rotate independently in clockwise or counterclockwise sense so that the cart may be maneuvered in confined spaces with a zero turning radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical College of Wisconsin, University of South Florida
    Inventors: Pascal Malassigne, Jeffrey Harrow, Robert Jensen, John Erdman
  • Publication number: 20090235356
    Abstract: A system and method of determining an answer in an expert system having an inference engine and a knowledge database includes transmitting a query or sub-queries to a plurality of sub-expert systems, each comprising an associated inference engine and an associated knowledge database; receiving a sub-answer from each sub-expert system which has been inferred by the inference engine based upon knowledge in the knowledge database; transmitting the sub-answers to the expert system using the inference engine thereof to infer an answer to the query based upon knowledge in the knowledge database and the sub-answers received from the sub-expert systems; and transmitting the answer. A system for managing data includes a computer interface with a database arrangement that stores domain-related information, and which communicates with an inference engine that infers query results based upon the domain-related information and partial answers obtained from knowledge databases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: CLEAR BLUE SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Robert JENSEN, Dennis THOMSEN
  • Publication number: 20090204702
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing a computer network includes installing an agent in each of a plurality of network nodes in the network. The agent may be configured to identify one or more types of network resources attached to a particular node with which the agent is associated. One or more roles may be assigned to or by the agent based, at least in part, upon the one or more types of network resources identified by the agent. Functions associated with the identified roles may be executed. Monitoring the status of each agent may also be carried out. In another embodiment, a network management system includes an agent executing within an associated network node of the network. The agent may be configured to operate so as to identify one or more types of resources attached to the network node. The agent may be assigned one or more roles based, at least in part, on an inference based upon the one or more types of attached resources identified by the agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: AUTIQ AS
    Inventors: Robert JENSEN, Poul Hassan Agha KROGH, Anders LEHMANN
  • Patent number: D589853
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Saridakis, Douglas Gaffka, Robert Jensen
  • Patent number: D606910
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical College of Wisconsin, University of South Florida
    Inventors: Pascal Malassigne, Jeffrey Harrow, Robert Jensen, John Erdman
  • Patent number: D624217
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Saridakis, Robert Jensen, Douglas Gaffka