Patents by Inventor Robert Michael Smith

Robert Michael 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).

  • Publication number: 20240095718
    Abstract: This disclosure describes, in part, systems for enabling facilities to implement techniques to determine when users are in possession of items when located within and/or exiting the facilities. For instance, a system may use one or more sensors to determine locations of a user that navigated through a facility. Additionally, the system may use one or more sensors to determine locations of an item while the item was located within the facility. The system may then determine a probability that the user was in possession of the item when in the facility and/or when exiting the facility based at least in part on the locations of the user and the locations of the item. If the system determines that the user was in possession of the item when exiting the facility, the system may charge a payment instrument of the user for a price of the item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Aaron M. McDaniel, Robert Jerome Colwill, Nirmal Doshi, Andrew Michael Smith, David Zhang
  • Publication number: 20240085754
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, apparatuses, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media related to display constructs that can be fixed or movable. The display constructs can be configured to facilitate media display at opposite sides. The display constructs may be is at least partially transparent and can be viewed therethrough. Various interactive capabilities with the display construct are disclosed, as well as various installation component and kits. Further disclosed are wireless chargers embedded in fixtures and/or real assets of a facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Robert Michael Martinson, Matthew Burton Sheffield, Nitesh Trikha, Brian Lee Smith, Ahmed Mustafa, Amit Sarin, Vinh N. Nguyen, Anthony Young, Chee Yung Chan, Todd Daniel Antes, Nayana Vasant Ghantiwala, Sridhar Karthik Kailasam
  • Patent number: 11090136
    Abstract: A dental matrix device may include a body and a clamp retainer. The body may include a clamp cavity, an aperture, and a ramp immediately adjacent to the aperture. The clamp retainer may be at least partially positioned in the clamp cavity. The clamp retainer may be at least partially positioned in the clamp cavity and may include a clamp portion at a first end that may include a levered portion that is rotatably connected to a base. Translation of the clamp retainer in a first direction may draw the clamp retainer into the clamp cavity such that a lower surface of the levered portion rotates towards an upper surface of the base. Translation of the clamp retainer in a second direction may push the levered portion up the ramp to separate the lower surface of the levered portion from the upper surface of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Ultradent Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas John Webster, Bruce S McLean, Wade Robert Michael Smith
  • Publication number: 20190060032
    Abstract: A dental matrix device may include a body and a clamp retainer. The body may include a clamp cavity, an aperture, and a ramp immediately adjacent to the aperture. The clamp retainer may be at least partially positioned in the clamp cavity. The clamp retainer may be at least partially positioned in the clamp cavity and may include a clamp portion at a first end that may include a levered portion that is rotatably connected to a base. Translation of the clamp retainer in a first direction may draw the clamp retainer into the clamp cavity such that a lower surface of the levered portion rotates towards an upper surface of the base. Translation of the clamp retainer in a second direction may push the levered portion up the ramp to separate the lower surface of the levered portion from the upper surface of the base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas John Webster, Bruce S. McLean, Wade Robert Michael Smith
  • Patent number: 9647943
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for two-tiered load balancing on a hosted voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX). The system includes a plurality of client devices, at least one device load balancer, and at least one call load balancer. The device load balancer identifies a device group to which each client device belongs; and a cluster of computing resources for processing calls for the device group. The cluster is assigned to the device group based on prescribed conditions. In response to a communications request, call load balancers in communication with the device load balancers dynamically determine if predefined conditions are currently being met within an identified cluster of computing resources. If the predefined conditions are currently being met, then the communications request for a primary client device associated with the request is established via one of a plurality of server nodes within the cluster of computing resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: VONAGE BUSINESS INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Jonathan Alexander
  • Patent number: 9521049
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed herein for providing a unidirectional outage bypass for incoming communications via a hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) system to a session initiation protocol (SIP) device. An outage monitoring system is in communication with both the unidirectional bypass system and one or more bypass enablers that act at the direction of the unidirectional bypass system. The outage monitoring system detects outages and overloads, as well as, network failures between network components, the VoIP PBX, Client Devices and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The unidirectional bypass system, in response to detection of an outage, determines error-handling procedures for the unidirectional bypass based on bypass configuration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: VONAGE BUSINESS INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Keith Meyers, Barry Fleming
  • Patent number: 9521029
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed herein for providing a bidirectional outage bypass for a hosted voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) system. An outage monitoring system is in communication with both the bidirectional bypass system and one or more bypass enablers that act at the direction of the bidirectional bypass system. The outage monitoring system detects outages and overloads, as well as, network failures between the VoIP PBX and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The bidirectional bypass system, in response to detection of an outage, determines error-handling procedures for the bidirectional bypass based on bypass configuration data. The bypass enablers forward outgoing communications between a client device and the PSTN, in accordance the error-handling procedures, by bypassing components that are currently experiencing failures or overloads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: VONAGE BUSINESS INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Keith Meyers, Barry Fleming
  • Patent number: 9516067
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed herein for providing a unidirectional outage bypass for outgoing communications from a session initiation protocol (SIP) device in a hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) system. An outage monitoring system is in communication with both a bypass configuration system and one or more bypass enablers that act at the direction of the bypass configuration system. The outage monitoring system detects outages and overloads, as well as, network failures between network components, the VoIP PBX, Client Devices and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The bypass configuration system, in response to a detection of an outage, determines error-handling procedures for the unidirectional outage bypass system based on bypass configuration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: VONAGE BUSINESS INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Keith Meyers, Barry Fleming
  • Publication number: 20150350153
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed herein for account-based domain name system (Account-Based DNS) routing in an Internet Protocol (IP) service network. An IP device is provided for generating SIP or IP service requests. A configuration database that contains an association between a customer account identifier and an account-based DNS address is used by a provisioning service for assigning an account-based DNS address to the IP service request. A proxy server is configured to receive the IP service request. The proxy server is in communication with a server database comprising an association between the customer account identifier, the type of SIP service request and a plurality of feature servers, wherein the proxy server dynamically assigns a forwarding account-based DNS address to the SIP service requests based on the association in the server database so that the SIP service request is forwarded to the assigned feature server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: Vonage Business Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Jonathan Alexander
  • Publication number: 20150295834
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for two-tiered load balancing on a hosted voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX). The system includes a plurality of client devices, at least one device load balancer, and at least one call load balancer. The device load balancer identifies a device group to which each client device belongs; and a cluster of computing resources for processing calls for the device group. The cluster is assigned to the device group based on prescribed conditions. In response to a communications request, call load balancers in communication with the device load balancers dynamically determine if predefined conditions are currently being met within an identified cluster of computing resources. If the predefined conditions are currently being met, then the communications request for a primary client device associated with the request is established via one of a plurality of server nodes within the cluster of computing resources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Jonathan Alexander
  • Patent number: 9071459
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for two-tiered load balancing on a hosted voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX). The system includes a plurality of client devices, at least one device load balancer, and at least one call load balancer. The device load balancer identifies a device group to which each client device belongs; and a cluster of computing resources for processing calls for the device group. The cluster is assigned to the device group based on prescribed conditions. In response to a communications request, call load balancers in communication with the device load balancers dynamically determine if predefined conditions are currently being met within an identified cluster of computing resources. If the predefined conditions are currently being met, then the communications request for a primary client device associated with the request is established via one of a plurality of server nodes within the cluster of computing resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: VONAGE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Jonathan Alexander
  • Publication number: 20140140200
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed herein for providing a unidirectional outage bypass for outgoing communications from a session initiation protocol (SIP) device in a hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) system. An outage monitoring system is in communication with both a bypass configuration system and one or more bypass enablers that act at the direction of the bypass configuration system. The outage monitoring system detects outages and overloads, as well as, network failures between network components, the VoIP PBX, Client Devices and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The bypass configuration system, in response to a detection of an outage, determines error-handling procedures for the unidirectional outage bypass system based on bypass configuration data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: VOCALOCITY, INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Keith Meyers, Barry Fleming
  • Publication number: 20140140202
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed herein for providing a unidirectional outage bypass for incoming communications via a hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) system to a session initiation protocol (SIP) device. An outage monitoring system is in communication with both the unidirectional bypass system and one or more bypass enablers that act at the direction of the unidirectional bypass system. The outage monitoring system detects outages and overloads, as well as, network failures between network components, the VoIP PBX, Client Devices and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The unidirectional bypass system, in response to detection of an outage, determines error-handling procedures for the unidirectional bypass based on bypass configuration data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: VOCALOCITY, INC.
    Inventors: Randy Layman, Robert Michael Smith, Keith Meyers, Barry Fleming
  • Patent number: D828562
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ultradent Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Jared Sheetz, Wade Robert Michael Smith, Neil Jessop
  • Patent number: D860462
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: ULTRADENT PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas John Webster, Bruce S McLean, Wade Robert Michael Smith
  • Patent number: D861173
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: ULTRADENT PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas John Webster, Bruce S. McLean, Wade Robert Michael Smith
  • Patent number: D861174
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: ULTRADENT PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas John Webster, Bruce S. McLean, Wade Robert Michael Smith
  • Patent number: D919817
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Ultradent Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas John Webster, Bruce S. McLean, Wade Robert Michael Smith
  • Patent number: D943790
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Ultradent Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Jared Sheetz, Wade Robert Michael Smith, Neil Jessop
  • Patent number: D954262
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: ULTRADENT PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Sheetz, Wade Robert Michael Smith, Neil Jessop