Patents by Inventor Robert A. Sutherland

Robert A. Sutherland 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: 10781116
    Abstract: Devices, systems and methods for applying electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water, to treat unwanted material in the liquid are disclosed. Such devices, systems and methods may include a cylindrically shaped, water-immersible probe configured to generate electromagnetic fields that are effective to treat unwanted materials, such as scale, and microbes in the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Reverse Ionizer Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Patrick J. Hughes, Desmond A. Fraser, Hossein Ghaffari Nik, Richard B. McMurray, Robert A. Sutherland
  • Patent number: 9856157
    Abstract: Electromagnetic water treatment devices for applying electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water are disclosed. The water treatment devices may include a water-immersible probe configured to generate electromagnetic output fields effective to remove scale, prevent the growth of scale and/or eliminate microbes in a water supply system. Systems and methods for treating water using the disclosed devices are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Inventors: Patrick J. Hughes, Desmond A. Fraser, Hossein Nik Ghaffari, Robert A. Sutherland
  • Publication number: 20150239757
    Abstract: Devices, systems and methods for applying electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water, to treat unwanted material in the liquid are disclosed. Such devices, systems and methods may include a cylindrically shaped, water-immersible probe configured to generate electromagnetic fields that are effective to treat unwanted materials, such as scale, and microbes in the water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: Reverse Ionizer, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick J Hughes, Desmond A. Fraser, Hossein Ghaffari Nik, Richard B. McMurray, Robert A. Sutherland
  • Publication number: 20140216936
    Abstract: Electromagnetic water treatment devices for applying electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water are disclosed. The water treatment devices may include a water-immersible probe configured to generate electromagnetic output fields effective to remove scale, prevent the growth of scale and/or eliminate microbes in a water supply system. Systems and methods for treating water using the disclosed devices are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Reverse Ionizer, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick J. Hughes, Desmond A. Fraser, Hossein Nik Ghaffari, Robert A. Sutherland
  • Publication number: 20020126951
    Abstract: Optical to electrical and electrical to optical conversion assemblies provide precise and stable alignment, low loss, unperturbed electrical transmission and high thermal conductivity. Mechanically isolating the ceramic substrate of the conversion assembly relative to the surrounding structures enables good long-term optical alignment. Electrical transmission line connections to and from the optical conversion circuits on the ceramic substrates are made via flexible circuit board designs. The alignment of the components on the substrate relative to the plastic optics is thus preserved. The flexible circuit board includes a cross hatched ground layer, which relieves portions of the metallization below the signal layer and yet is able to maintain the desired transmission line properties. Electrical to optical conversion circuits are provided where the transmission of the electrical signals to the converter circuits is accomplished with minimal loss and with good signal integrity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Robert A. Sutherland, James S. Sacks, Eric B. Grann, Kenneth R. Herrity, Jeffrey A. Griffis, Frank W. Jacobson
  • Patent number: 5563535
    Abstract: A direct digital synthesizer (DDS) for generating a waveform generates a sequence of n-bit phase signals representing phase of the waveform, wherein n is an integer greater than zero. Each n-bit phase signal comprises a phase estimate signal and a phase error signal. The phase estimate signal comprises a most-significant m bits of the n-bit quantity (0 <m<n). The phase-error signal comprises a least-significant n-m bits of the n-bit quantity. The DDS further has a sigma-delta modulator for generating a compensation signal from the phase error signals. The phase estimate signal is added to the compensation signal to produce a compensated phase signal, which may be used to address a look-up table having waveform samples stored in correspondence with look-up table addresses. A digital to analog converter may be coupled to receive waveform samples from the look-up table in order to generate a corresponding analog waveform signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: MicroUnity Systems Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Corry, Robert A. Sutherland
  • Patent number: 5541867
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for decorrelating pairs of mutually contaminated channels in a multi-channel digital signal including two identical data processing paths and a feedback path. Each pair of mutually contaminated channels consists of a first contaminated channel and a second contaminated channel. Initially, first and second shined signals are generated by shifting the original contaminated signal such that the first shined signal has the first contaminated channel centered at zero frequency and the second shined signal has the second contaminated channel centered at zero frequency. Each of the first and second shifted signals are coupled to one of the two identical signal processing paths. The first path generates an error corruption component corresponding to the first shifted input signal and subtracts this corruption component from the second shifted signal in order to generate a third decorrelated digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: MicroUnity Systems Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan G. Corry, Manoj Puri, Robert A. Sutherland
  • Patent number: 4928106
    Abstract: A global positioning system (GPS) receiver having a common radio frequency section and a separate digital signal processing channel for each of a plurality of satellite signals which are simultaneously being received and processed by the receiver in order to calculate the position, velocity or other desired parameters of the receiver. The radio frequency section receives and processes both of the standard satellite signals on different frequency L1 and L2 carriers in order to provide the multi-channel digital section signals from which the relative phase of the carriers from each of the plurality of satellites may be determined. Particular mutually coherent local oscillator and digital clock frequencies are selected in order to minimize the complexity of the receiver without creating any undesired side effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Ashtech Telesis, Inc.
    Inventors: Javad Ashjaee, Roger J. Helkey, Robert G. Lorenz, Robert A. Sutherland