Patents by Inventor Robert E. Smith

Robert E. Smith 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 reporting emergency incidents
    Publication number: 20030195775
    Abstract: An event reporting program (48) is provided which electronically records information critical to reconstructing events occurring during an emergency incident. The event reporting program (48) includes an event recording component (204) for recording events as they occur during the incident, and a post-processing component (206) for further processing the events recorded by the event recording component after completion of the incident. The event recording component (204) enables an emergency service provider to input a plurality of event records (148) describing each event as it occurs and the time at which each event takes place. The event recording component also enables an emergency service provider to input a predefined protocol of expected event records.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2003
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Inventors: David R. Hampton, Kathleen E. Briscoe, Robert E. Smith
  • Dummy undersea hydraulic coupling member
    Patent number: 6631734
    Abstract: A dummy undersea hydraulic coupling member is disclosed for protecting an opposing undersea hydraulic coupling member when the hydraulic lines are not operating. The dummy undersea hydraulic coupling member has a water displacement expansion chamber with a piston therein that allows trapped water and/or air to move from the receiving chamber to the water displacement expansion chamber during connection of the dummy coupling member to the opposing coupling member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: National Coupling Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • Undersea hydraulic coupling with interlocking poppet valve actuators
    Patent number: 6626207
    Abstract: Interlocking poppet valve actuators for undersea hydraulic coupling members are disclosed. The actuators extend from the poppet valves of each coupling member, and interlock to resist bending and/or other lateral displacement caused by hydraulic fluid flow and turbulence in the coupling member bores and at the junction between the coupling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: National Coupling Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • UNDERSEA HYDRAULIC COUPLING WITH INTERLOCKING POPPET VALVE ACTUATORS
    Publication number: 20030168109
    Abstract: Interlocking poppet valve actuators for undersea hydraulic coupling members are disclosed. The actuators extend from the poppet valves of each coupling member, and interlock to resist bending and/or other lateral displacement caused by hydraulic fluid flow and turbulence in the coupling member bores and at the junction between the coupling members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith
  • Method and apparatus for reporting emergency incidents
    Patent number: 6594634
    Abstract: An event reporting program (48) is provided which electronically records information critical to reconstructing events occurring during an emergency incident. The event reporting program (48) includes an event recording component (204) for recording events as they occur during the incident, and a post-processing component (206) for further processing the events recorded by the event recording component after completion of the incident. The event recording component (204) enables an emergency service provider to input a plurality of event records (148) describing each event as it occurs and the time at which each event takes place. The event recording component also enables an emergency service provider to input a predefined protocol of expected event records. Each expected event record (148) identifies an event which is expected to occur during the incident and a time at which the event is expect to occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Medtronic Physio-Control Corp.
    Inventors: David R. Hampton, Kathleen E. Briscoe, Robert E. Smith
  • Hydraulic coupling with dovetail seal having multiple radial sealing surfaces
    Patent number: 6575430
    Abstract: An undersea hydraulic coupling member having a ring-shaped seal with multiple scaling surfaces extending radially inwardly therefrom is disclosed. The multiple sealing surfaces help guide the probe of the male coupling member into the female member without the risk of drag or galling of the receiving chamber or metal seal retained therein. The seal has an interfit with reverse inclined shoulders in the female member to restrain the seal from moving radially inwardly due to vacuum or low pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: National Coupling Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • Angled UV fixture in a-coil
    Patent number: 6550257
    Abstract: An angled germicidal lamp is used to illuminate a coil and drain pan for optimum energy utilization. In one embodiment, a variable angled mount is used for positioning a germicidal lamp at a desired angle at the time of installation. In a second embodiment, a fixed angled mount is used for installation where the desired angle of mounting is known prior to installation. The angled germicidal lamp may be used with any coil installation, including flat, tilted and A-coils. For A-coil installations, a preformed delta plate is provided to ease installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignees: Heatcraft Inc., Dust Free, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory T. Goetzinger, Robert E. Smith, Gregg Burnett
  • Accident evidence recording method
    Publication number: 20030046003
    Abstract: A mobile accident recording system (40) includes a GPS receiver-pole (41) and a computer (14) which prompts investigator to place a tip of the receiver-pole on identified position points of evidence items at an accident site to measure and record coordinates of the position points. Data including the recorded coordinates and stored database information for each evidence item are processed to reconstruct a graphical three-dimensional representation of the accident site which is displayed to the investigator from any desired advantage point selected by the investigator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: WDT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Robert E. Smith, Jurgen Vogt
  • Male coupling member with improved flow ports
    Publication number: 20030038264
    Abstract: An undersea hydraulic coupling member is disclosed having flow ports with concave surface at the outwardly facing ends thereof. The concave surfaces briefly and temporarily disengage the radial seals during engagement or disengagement of the male and female coupling members, thereby reducing wear and damage to radial seals between the coupling members, and allowing trapped seawater to exit or enter the receiving chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2001
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith
  • Undersea hydraulic coupling with radial seals on probe
    Patent number: 6516831
    Abstract: An undersea hydraulic coupling is disclosed having a male member with at least two radial seals around the outer circumference of the probe. The seals on the probe engage the receiving chamber and seal retainer of the female coupling member. When the seals retained in the female coupling member are worn or damaged, the seals on the male coupling member provide the primary sealing mechanism in the coupling. The coupling includes a normally closed poppet valve within each of the male female coupling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: National Coupling Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • Method and system for transforming limited source graphical data
    Publication number: 20030020765
    Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for transforming limited graphical source data to coherent transformed data. In one embodiment, the coherent transformed data is a hierarchical data structure. The hierarchical data structure represents elements and relationships between the elements. The present invention identifies important elements from the objects present in the limited source graphical data, identifies relationships between the identified important elements, and builds the hierarchical data structure to represent the identified important elements and identified relationships between the important elements. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a map crawler tool. The map crawler tool has a user interface and a transformation engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Clifton L. Kussmaul, Robert E. Smith
  • Female coupling member with recessed flow passages
    Patent number: 6511043
    Abstract: An undersea hydraulic coupling member is disclosed having recessed flow passages to facilitate connection to opposing coupling members having radial, angled or longitudinal flow passages. The recessed flow passages of the coupling member permit these connections without reduced hydraulic fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: National Coupling Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • Female coupling member with recessed flow passages
    Publication number: 20030001126
    Abstract: An undersea hydraulic coupling member is disclosed having recessed flow passages to facilitate connection to opposing coupling members having radial, angled or longitudinal flow passages. The recessed flow passages of the coupling member permit these connections without reduced hydraulic fluid flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith
  • Dummy undersea hydraulic coupling member
    Publication number: 20020174990
    Abstract: A dummy undersea hydraulic coupling member is disclosed for protecting an opposing undersea hydraulic coupling member when the hydraulic lines are not operating. The dummy undersea hydraulic coupling member has a water displacement expansion chamber with a piston therein that allows trapped water and/or air to move from the receiving chamber to the water displacement expansion chamber during connection of the dummy coupling member to the opposing coupling member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Publication date: November 28, 2002
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith
  • Undersea hydraulic coupling member
    Patent number: 6474359
    Abstract: An undersea hydraulic coupling member is disclosed having a bleed valve which opens to allow hydraulic fluid trapped in the coupling member to escape until the pressure is below a predetermined amount. The coupling member employs a poppet valve within a sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: National Coupling Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • Junction plate assembly for undersea hydraulic couplings
    Patent number: 6471250
    Abstract: An apparatus for moving together simultaneously male and female coupling members attached to manifold or junction plates is disclosed. The apparatus includes a sloped cam surface on the first or lower junction plate, and a central shaft having a cam follower that moves up the sloped cam surface to urge the two junction plates together, and thereby connect male and female coupling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: National Coupling Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith, III
  • External notification of multimedia computer events
    Publication number: 20020145518
    Abstract: The present invention provides a new method to alert the computer operator to events. The inventive device includes a computer, the computer sound file, an audio connection, and an alerting device. The computer will preferably present text, graphics, video, animation, and sound in an integrated way. In addition, it will play operator-selectable sound files in response to an event. A sound file comprises a quantity of data that may be decoded as an audible sound. For this invention, the sound file will additionally contain a distinct sound known as a trigger-sound. The alerting device plugs into the audio-output port on the computer and allows the speakers to be connected inline. The alerting device selectively activates on computer output of the trigger-sound to gain operator attention. Example alerting devices include: a wireless pager, incremental counter, an animated figure, or a flashing light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2002
    Publication date: October 10, 2002
    Inventors: Robert E. Smith, Edward Lumsdaine
  • Alpha-(1,3-dicarbonylenol ether) methyl ketones as cysteine protease inhibitors
    Publication number: 20020128434
    Abstract: Cysteine protease inhibitors which deactivate the protease by covalently bonding to the cysteine protease and releasing the enolate of a 1,3-dicarbonyl (or its enolic form). The cysteine protease inhibitors of the present invention accordingly comprise a first portion which targets a desired cysteine protease and positions the inhibitor near the thiolate anion portion of the active site of the protease, and a second portion which covalently bonds to the cysteine protease and irreversibly deactivates that protease by providing a carbonyl or carbonyl-equivalent which is attacked by the thiolate anion of the active site of the cysteine protease to sequentially cleave a &bgr;-dicarbonyl enol ether leaving group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Mary P. Zimmerman, Robert E. Smith, Mark Becker
  • JUNCTION PLATE ASSEMBLY FOR UNDERSEA HYDRAULIC COUPLINGS
    Publication number: 20020109352
    Abstract: An apparatus for moving together simultaneously male and female coupling members attached to manifold or junction plates is disclosed. The apparatus includes a sloped cam surface on the first or lower junction plate, and a central shaft having a cam follower that moves up the sloped cam surface to urge the two junction plates together, and thereby connect male and female coupling members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventor: Robert E. Smith
  • Computerized system for customizing and managing benefits
    Publication number: 20020069077
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a computer system for administering employee benefits. The computer system comprises a first tier. The first tier includes a plurality of users. At least one user is a workstation having a processor and memory. At least one other user is a system processing means. The workstation is configured for inputting rules into the computer system. The rules are for controlling the computer system. The system processing means is configured to generate and execute transactions based upon the rules. A second tier includes memory configured to store the rules. The rules are organized into tables within the memory of the second tier. A third tier includes memory configured to store benefit data. The benefit data is organized into tables in the third tier memory. The benefit data can be manipulated only by the system processing means executing the rule-based transactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Applicant: Westport Benefits, L.L.C.
    Inventors: John T. Brophy, Ann Lyndon, A. Michael Foley, Robert E. Smith, Philip R. Crevier