Patents by Inventor Robert T. Nachtrieb

Robert T. Nachtrieb 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: 20230407702
    Abstract: A manual drive assembly for a manually-operated window treatment based on a drive chain formed as a loop, may incorporate one or more intermediate tensioners disposed between two ends of the loop. The loop may be formed between a manual clutch mechanism coupled to the window treatment and an end tensioner. The one or more intermediate tensioners may serve to limit slack in the loop such that sides of the loop cannot be pulled to create a large loop, for example, having a gap of four inches or greater, between the hanging sides of the cord.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Evan T. Graham, David A. Kirby, Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Patent number: 11686152
    Abstract: A manual drive assembly for a manually-operated window treatment based on a drive chain formed as a loop, may incorporate one or more intermediate tensioners disposed between two ends of the loop. The loop may be formed between a manual clutch mechanism coupled to the window treatment and an end tensioner. The one or more intermediate tensioners may serve to limit slack in the loop such that sides of the loop cannot be pulled to create a large loop, for example, having a gap of four inches or greater, between the hanging sides of the cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Evan T. Graham, David A. Kirby, Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Publication number: 20220235609
    Abstract: A manual drive assembly for a manually-operated window treatment based on a drive chain formed as a loop, may incorporate one or more intermediate tensioners disposed between two ends of the loop. The loop may be formed between a manual clutch mechanism coupled to the window treatment and an end tensioner. The one or more intermediate tensioners may serveto limit slack in the loop such that sides of the loop cannot be pulled to create a large loop, for example, having a gap of four inches or greater, between the hanging sides of the cord.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Evan T. Graham, David A. Kirby, Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Patent number: 11236547
    Abstract: A manual drive assembly for a manually-operated window treatment based on a drive chain formed as a loop, may incorporate one or more intermediate tensioners disposed between two ends of the loop. The loop may be formed between a manual clutch mechanism coupled to the window treatment and an end tensioner. The one or more intermediate tensioners may serve to limit slack in the loop such that sides of the loop cannot be pulled to create a large loop, for example, having a gap of four inches or greater, between the hanging sides of the cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Evan T. Graham, David A. Kirby, Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Publication number: 20210180399
    Abstract: A blind system may control (e.g., automatically control) an amount of daylight entering a window on a façade of a building to prevent direct sunlight from shining into the building, while maximizing the amount of indirect sunlight in the building. The blind system may tilt one or more slats into a view tilt position in which the slats are horizontal, a slanted tilt position in which the slats may block direct sunlight from shining into the building, and a privacy tilt position in which the slats are vertical. The drive unit may tilt the slats according to a timeclock having the event times determined from a predicted position of the sun, such that the slats are tilted to the slanted tilt position when the predicted position of the sun indicates that direct sunlight is incident on the façade. A facing direction of the façade may be configured using a mobile device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Robert Barnes, Craig Alan Casey, Brian A. Jay, Kyle T. Barco, Robert T. Nachtrieb, Jennifer Wong, Roopshree das Gupta
  • Publication number: 20200032582
    Abstract: A manual drive assembly for a manually-operated window treatment based on a drive chain formed as a loop, may incorporate one or more intermediate tensioners disposed between two ends of the loop. The loop may be formed between a manual clutch mechanism coupled to the window treatment and an end tensioner. The one or more intermediate tensioners may serve to limit slack in the loop such that sides of the loop cannot be pulled to create a large loop, for example, having a gap of four inches or greater, between the hanging sides of the cord.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Evan T. Graham, David A. Kirby, Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Patent number: 9226377
    Abstract: A circuit for controlling a lighting load may operate to minimize flicker in the lighting load and electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise generated on an AC voltage supply for the lighting load. The circuit comprises a bus-voltage-generating circuit for generating a bus voltage, a load regulation circuit having an inverter circuit, and a high speed control circuit characterized by a cutoff frequency much greater than a frequency of a voltage ripple on the bus voltage. The control circuit may comprise an error amplifier circuit configured to spread the frequency of operation of the inverter circuit at a set intensity level of the lighting load into a spread spectrum of frequencies to reduce the time average of peaks of the spectrum of frequencies and peak EMI levels. The circuit may also comprise a non-linear amplifier circuit amplifying a lamp-current-feedback signal representative of the magnitude of the load current through the lighting load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventors: Robert C. Newman, Jr., Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Publication number: 20140320033
    Abstract: A dimmable ballast circuit for a compact fluorescent lamp controls the intensity of a lamp tube in response to a phase-control voltage received from a dimmer switch. The ballast circuit generates a lamp current through the lamp tube having a substantially constant envelope such that flicker in the lamp tube and electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise on an AC voltage supply are minimized. The dimmable ballast circuit comprises a high speed control circuit characterized by a cutoff frequency much greater than a frequency of a voltage ripple on a bus voltage of the ballast circuit. The dimmable ballast circuit may also comprise a non-linear amplifier circuit amplifying a lamp-current-feedback signal representative of the magnitude of the lamp current through the lamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Robert C. Newman, JR., Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Patent number: 8803436
    Abstract: A dimmable ballast circuit for a compact fluorescent lamp controls the intensity of a lamp tube in response to a phase-control voltage received from a dimmer switch. The ballast circuit generates a lamp current through the lamp tube having a substantially constant envelope such that flicker in the lamp tube and electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise on an AC voltage supply are minimized. The dimmable ballast circuit comprises a high speed control circuit characterized by a cutoff frequency much greater than a frequency of a voltage ripple on a bus voltage of the ballast circuit. The dimmable ballast circuit may also comprise a non-linear amplifier circuit amplifying a lamp-current-feedback signal representative of the magnitude of the lamp current through the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Newman, Jr., Robert T. Nachtrieb
  • Publication number: 20120286689
    Abstract: A dimmable ballast circuit for a compact fluorescent lamp controls the intensity of a lamp tube in response to a phase-control voltage received from a dimmer switch. The ballast circuit generates a lamp current through the lamp tube having a substantially constant envelope such that flicker in the lamp tube and electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise on an AC voltage supply are minimized. The dimmable ballast circuit comprises a high speed control circuit characterized by a cutoff frequency much greater than a frequency of a voltage ripple on a bus voltage of the ballast circuit. The dimmable ballast circuit may also comprise a non-linear amplifier circuit amplifying a lamp-current-feedback signal representative of the magnitude of the lamp current through the lamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Robert C. Newman, JR., Robert T. Nachtrieb