Patents by Inventor Robert D. Wilson

Robert D. Wilson 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).

  • Publication number: 20240341063
    Abstract: A cold plate is disclosed for cooling electronics within a missile. The cold plate includes a housing enclosing a compartment. An outlet manifold is inside the compartment. A wick is inside the compartment and is adjacent to the outlet manifold. A liquid inlet is fluidically connected to the wick. A vapor outlet fluidically connects the outlet manifold to atmosphere or space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Inventors: James D. Saraidaridis, Malcolm P. MacDonald, Robert M. Darling, Craig H. McCordic, James S. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20240291917
    Abstract: A method includes: while displaying a wake screen with a first media item as a background and foreground objects displayed over the first media item, detecting first user input that corresponds to a request to display a media gallery; in response to detecting the first user input, ceasing display of the foreground objects; detecting a second user input that corresponds to a request to navigate through media items in the media gallery; in response to detecting the second user input, replacing the first media item with a second media item in the media gallery; detecting a third input that corresponds to a request to dismiss the media gallery; and, in response to detecting the third user input, redisplaying the foreground objects on the display device over a media item from the media gallery that is selected as the background for the wake screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2024
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher I. Wilson, Pedro Mari, Richard D. Lyons, Teofila Connor, Giancarlo Yerkes, Gregory Apodaca, Vitalii Kramar, Gregg S. Suzuki, Robert Garcia, III, Philip A. Ward, Stephen O. Lemay, Andre Souza Dos Santos, Cas G. Lemmens, Alan Dye, Bilal S. Sayed Ahmad, Jussi-Pekka Mantere
  • Patent number: 8676676
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments such as social security checks receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle such as a discount card, rebate, or coupon for use with purchases of the sponsor's products or services. Sponsors include companies and organizations interested in offering purchase incentives to their customers. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to the sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8671038
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments such as social security checks receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle such as a discount card, rebate, or coupon for use with purchases of the sponsor's products or services. Sponsors include companies and organizations interested in offering purchase incentives to their customers. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to the sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8545135
    Abstract: A test kit for unevenly worn sheave grooves, a tool for regrooving sheave grooves that are found to be unevenly worn, and a method for testing for and maintaining the sheave grooves utilizing the test kit and tool. The test kit includes magnetic standards which adhere to a sheave beneath the portion of the sheave touched by the ropes, facilitating testing without having to unrope the sheave. Unevenly worn sheave grooves are visually ascertained by holding a straightedge adjacent to the magnetic standards. The regrooving tool includes a shank that can be received by a stand set up next to the sheave, a body attached to the shank, and an interchangeable cutting insert received by the body that is inserted in the sheave groove. When the sheave is rotated, the sheave groove is ground by the cutting insert, with each groove being ground sequentially until all grooves are again uniform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Vertical Motion Innovations, LLC
    Inventors: Robert D. Wilson, Jr., Christian E. Thomsen, James Watson, Keegan Carriveau, Max Wilson
  • Patent number: 8548883
    Abstract: A system and method for providing to a taxpayer a loan in an amount based on the taxpayer's estimated tax refund amount due for a current year, the loan being provided to the taxpayer prior to year end of the current tax year and prior to completion and filing of the taxpayer's current year tax return forms with a taxing authority. The taxpayer's estimated tax refund may be based on historical tax refund data as well as current year income data. A loan granting entity may consider the level of tax refunds that the taxpayer has received in previous years as well as income data for the first three quarters of the year to determine a reasonable estimate of the tax refund amount that the taxpayer will likely receive for the current tax year.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services, LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8521625
    Abstract: A tax refund system is disclosed in which in exchange for a taxpayer assigning all or a portion of his or her tax refund, a participating provider provides to the taxpayer a spending vehicle with buying power at participating outlets. Tax return data for an individual's tax return is processed by the IRS. A taxpayer consents to using a portion of the tax return data to acquire a spending vehicle from a financial institution of the taxpayer's choosing. Using a portion of the tax return data, the IRS arranges to electronically transfer an amount related to the taxpayer's refund to an account at the financial institution selected by the taxpayer. A taxpayer then receives a spending vehicle such as a credit, debit, or cash card, spending account, coupon, or rebate from a financial institution or other spending vehicle provider such as a retailer, service provider, wholesaler, distributor, or entertainment entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: H & R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventors: Robert D. Wilson, Mark A. Ernst
  • Patent number: 8469155
    Abstract: A gate below an elevator car which prevents access to an elevator hoistway. The gate slidably mounts behind a toe guard and retracts upwardly if the bottom of the gate encounters a person, object or the floor of the elevator pit during downward travel of the elevator. The gate latches when fully retracted so that it may be out of the way during maintenance. A microswitch is wired into the emergency stop circuit that engages when the gate is latched. A trip wire defining the bottom edge of the gate is also wired into the emergency stop circuit, so that the elevator will stop its downward travel if it encounters an obstruction. Rubber bumpers on the bottom edge of the gate cushion impact to people or objects who happen to be below the elevator car and are struck by the gate during downward elevator movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Vertical Motion Innovations, LLC
    Inventors: Christian E. Thomsen, Robert D. Wilson, Jr., James Watson, Keegan Carriveau, Max Wilson
  • Publication number: 20130039706
    Abstract: A test kit for unevenly worn sheave grooves, a tool for regrooving sheave grooves that are found to be unevenly worn, and a method for testing for and maintaining the sheave grooves utilizing the test kit and tool. The test kit includes magnetic standards which adhere to a sheave beneath the portion of the sheave touched by the ropes, facilitating testing without having to unrope the sheave. Unevenly worn sheave grooves are visually ascertained by holding a straightedge adjacent to the magnetic standards. The regrooving tool includes a shank that can be received by a stand set up next to the sheave, a body attached to the shank, and an interchangeable cutting insert received by the body that is inserted in the sheave groove. When the sheave is rotated, the sheave groove is ground by the cutting insert, with each groove being ground sequentially until all grooves are again uniform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: VERTICAL MOTION INNOVATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Robert D. Wilson, JR., Christian E. Thomsen, James Watson, Keegan Carriveau, Max Wilson
  • Patent number: 8336429
    Abstract: A test kit for unevenly worn sheave grooves, a tool for regrooving sheave grooves that are found to be unevenly worn, and a method for testing for and maintaining the sheave grooves utilizing the test kit and tool. The test kit includes magnetic standards which adhere to a sheave beneath the portion of the sheave touched by the ropes, facilitating testing without having to unrope the sheave. Unevenly worn sheave grooves are visually ascertained by holding a straightedge adjacent to the magnetic standards. The regrooving tool includes a shank that can be received by a stand set up next to the sheave, a body attached to the shank, and an interchangeable cutting insert received by the body that is inserted in the sheave groove. When the sheave is rotated, the sheave groove is ground by the cutting insert, with each groove being ground sequentially until all grooves are again uniform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Vertical Motion Innovations, LLC
    Inventors: Robert D. Wilson, Jr., Christian E. Thomsen, James Watson, Keegan Carriveau, Max Wilson
  • Patent number: 8332289
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments, such as tax refunds or social security checks, receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle, such as a debit card, pre-paid credit, or other card having funds stored thereon. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to a sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8326711
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments such as social security checks receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle such as a discount card, rebate, or coupon for use with purchases of the sponsor's products or services. Sponsors include companies and organizations interested in offering purchase incentives to their customers. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to the sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20120205197
    Abstract: A gate below an elevator car which prevents access to an elevator hoistway. The gate slidably mounts behind a toe guard and retracts upwardly if the bottom of the gate encounters a person, object or the floor of the elevator pit during downward travel of the elevator. The gate latches when fully retracted so that it may be out of the way during maintenance. A microswitch is wired into the emergency stop circuit that engages when the gate is latched. A trip wire defining the bottom edge of the gate is also wired into the emergency stop circuit, so that the elevator will stop its downward travel if it encounters an obstruction. Rubber bumpers on the bottom edge of the gate cushion impact to people or objects who happen to be below the elevator car and are struck by the gate during downward elevator movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventors: Christian E. Thomsen, Robert D. Wilson, JR., James Watson, Keegan Carriveau, Max Wilson
  • Patent number: 8011842
    Abstract: The subject matter described herein includes an apparatus for ergonomic typing. The apparatus includes a first surface having first set of keys including a plurality of alphabetic keys, where the first set of keys is operable by a user's thumbs. The apparatus includes a second surface having a second set of keys including a plurality of alphabetic keys, where the second set of keys is operable by the user's fingers. The second surface includes first structures for home positioning of fingers of the user's left and right hands and second structures for positioning of the fingers of the user's left and right hands when moving to and from home position keys during typing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20100293079
    Abstract: A tax refund system is disclosed in which in exchange for a taxpayer assigning all or a portion of his or her tax refund, a participating provider provides to the taxpayer a spending vehicle with buying power at participating outlets. Tax return data for an individual's tax return is processed by the IRS. A taxpayer consents to using a portion of the tax return data to acquire a spending vehicle from a financial institution of the taxpayer's choosing. Using a portion of the tax return data, the IRS arranges to electronically transfer an amount related to the taxpayer's refund to an account at the financial institution selected by the taxpayer. A taxpayer then receives a spending vehicle such as a credit, debit, or cash card, spending account, coupon, or rebate from a financial institution or other spending vehicle provider such as a retailer, service provider, wholesaler, distributor, or entertainment entity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: H&R BLOCK TAX SERVICES LLC
    Inventors: Robert D. Wilson, Mark A. Ernst
  • Patent number: 7765132
    Abstract: A tax refund system is disclosed in which in exchange for a taxpayer assigning all or a portion of his or her tax refund, a participating provider provides to the taxpayer a spending vehicle with buying power at participating outlets. Tax return data for an individual's tax return is processed by the IRS. A taxpayer consents to using a portion of the tax return data to acquire a spending vehicle from a financial institution of the taxpayer's choosing. Using a portion of the tax return data, the IRS arranges to electronically transfer an amount related to the taxpayer's refund to an account at the financial institution selected by the taxpayer. A taxpayer then receives a spending vehicle such as a credit, debit, or cash card, spending account, coupon, or rebate from a financial institution or other spending vehicle provider such as a retailer, service provider, wholesaler, distributor, or entertainment entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services, LLC
    Inventors: Robert D. Wilson, Mark A. Ernst
  • Publication number: 20100153268
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments such as social security checks receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle such as a discount card, rebate, or coupon for use with purchases of the sponsor's products or services. Sponsors include companies and organizations interested in offering purchase incentives to their customers. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to the sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: H&R Block Tax Services, LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20100145849
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments such as social security checks receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle such as a discount card, rebate, or coupon for use with purchases of the sponsor's products or services. Sponsors include companies and organizations interested in offering purchase incentives to their customers. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to the sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: H&R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Patent number: 7668764
    Abstract: A system and method for associating payments with spending vehicles so that an individual who is entitled to receive periodic or special payments such as social security checks receives in place of the payment a spending vehicle such as a discount card, rebate, or coupon for use with purchases of the sponsor's products or services. Sponsors include companies and organizations interested in offering purchase incentives to their customers. An individual who wishes to receive a spending vehicle rather than the regular payment selects the spending vehicle he or she would like to receive. The individual then assigns his or her right to receive the payment to a third party. The third party then arranges to give a spending vehicle to the individual and to transfer the individual's payment to the sponsor of the spending vehicle. The third party may take a portion of the payment as compensation for the service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: H&R Block Tax Services LLC
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20090269118
    Abstract: The subject matter described herein includes an apparatus for ergonomic typing. The apparatus includes a first surface having first set of keys including a plurality of alphabetic keys, where the first set of keys is operable by a user's thumbs. The apparatus includes a second surface having a second set of keys including a plurality of alphabetic keys, where the second set of keys is operable by the user's fingers. The second surface includes first structures for home positioning of fingers of the user's left and right hands and second structures for positioning of the fingers of the user's left and right hands when moving to and from home position keys during typing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Inventor: Robert D. Wilson