Patents by Inventor Rodney B. Williams

Rodney B. Williams 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: 11452153
    Abstract: A networkable device is coupled to a wireless IP gateway or paired to a personal area network (PAN) via the use of a sonic tone, which may be a human audible tone, which encodes a symbol sequence representing a binary message useful for implementing connection to a wireless IP gateway or pairing with a PAN. In one embodiment the sonic tone conveys a media access controller (MAC) address, to facilitate connection and/or pairing. Alternatively, or in addition, the sonic tone may encode a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and password for connection to a wireless network (Wi-Fi), or a BLUETOOTH (IEEE 802.15.1) identifier and/or PIN for connection to a BLUETOOTH (IEEE 802.15.1) PAN. In particular implementation of this embodiment the tone is produced by the IP gateway and used to initiate Wi-Fi connection, and/or the tone is produced by the master device of a PAN to initiate BLUETOOTH (IEEE 802.15.1) connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: LISNR, Inc.
    Inventors: William Knauer, Ian Andrew Birnam, Austin Andrew Teames, Joshua Matthew Glick, Rodney B. Williams
  • Patent number: 11126394
    Abstract: A content management method uses a portable multifunction device 202 to detect human-inaudible acoustic signals 210, when that signal is heard from the surrounding environment by a device microphone 113 or is output by the device's audio circuitry 100. The device 202 extracts a code from the inaudible signal and supplies the code via wired or wireless communication 232, along with additional optional data regarding the device and/or its user, to a content management system 200. Upon receipt of the code, indicating the received inaudible signal 210 from the portable multifunction device 202, the content management system 200 may provide particular content or a pointer to that content to the portable multifunction device 202, the content being selected based on the particular inaudible signal received. Additional threshold triggers 502 may be delivered to require additional actions to unlock the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: LISNR, Inc.
    Inventors: Rodney B. Williams, Christoper M. Ostoich, Christopher D. Ridenour
  • Publication number: 20180329676
    Abstract: Controlled access to a physical area or secured service is managed using sonic tones. A secret key is stored in a user device and in a security system, and then when access is desired, the secret key or a derivative thereof is encoded into a sonic tone which is transmitted. The sonic tone is received and decoded to obtain the encoded binary message, which is then compared to an expected binary message, and if there is a match, access is granted by the security system. In illustrated particular embodiments the secret key is used to generate a one-time password based upon the secret key and a randomizing factor, such as the current time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Rodney B. Williams, Chelsea Altman, Ian Andrew Birnam, Paul Dehmer
  • Publication number: 20180132298
    Abstract: A networkable device is coupled to a wireless IP gateway or paired to a personal area network (PAN) via the use of a sonic tone, which may be a human-sonic sonic tone, which encodes a symbol sequence representing a binary message useful for implementing connection to a wireless IP gateway or pairing with a PAN. In one embodiment the sonic tone conveys a media access controller (MAC) address, to facilitate connection and/or pairing. Alternatively, or in addition, the sonic tone may encode a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and password for connection to a wireless network (Wi-Fi), or a Bluetooth identifier and/or PIN for connection to a Bluetooth PAN. In particular implementation of this embodiment the tone is produced by the IP gateway and used to initiate Wi-Fi connection, and/or the tone is produced by the master device of a PAN to initiate Bluetooth connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventors: Ian Andrew Birnam, William Knauer, Rodney B. Williams, Christoper M. Ostoich, Austin Teames, Josh Glick
  • Publication number: 20150113094
    Abstract: A content management method uses a portable multifunction device 202 to detect human-inaudible acoustic signals 210, when that signal is heard from the surrounding environment by a device microphone 113 or is output by the device's audio circuitry 100. The device 202 extracts a code from the inaudible signal and supplies the code via wired or wireless communication 232, along with additional optional data regarding the device and/or its user, to a content management system 200. Upon receipt of the code, indicating the received inaudible signal 210 from the portable multifunction device 202, the content management system 200 may provide particular content or a pointer to that content to the portable multifunction device 202, the content being selected based on the particular inaudible signal received. Additional threshold triggers 502 may be delivered to require additional actions to unlock the content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: LISNR, INC.
    Inventors: Rodney B. Williams, Christoper M. Ostoich, Christopher D. Ridenour
  • Patent number: 4314788
    Abstract: An open-topped container is constructed with a plurality of compartments, each having its own discharge opening and each having its own liner of the type that can be selectively rolled up or unrolled according to loading and unloading operations. Each liner is connected to its own biasing means which is effective to yield and lower the liner as the compartment is loaded and effective to recover to elevate the liner to facilitate unloading, all for the purpose of handling material, such as fruits and vegetables and the like, in such a way as to eliminate or at least minimize damage thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1982
    Inventors: Rodney B. Williams, Jerry A. Taylor
  • Patent number: 4185713
    Abstract: A hydrostatic drive system for a four wheel drive vehicle such as a field harvesting machine which must accurately track the planting rows, includes an engine, a pump and individual hydraulic wheel motors connected to the pump and coupled to the wheels through a manually set free wheeling clutch. The motors are in series connection at each side of the vehicle, with the pairs of series connected motors on opposite sides of the vehicle in parallel connection with the pump. When the traction of a wheel on one side is reduced or lost, both wheels on that side continue to rotate at the same speed. Under these conditions, the driving wheel motor on the aforesaid side of the vehicle will provide increased torque output to compensate for the reduced driving power of the slipping wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 29, 1980
    Assignee: Dixon "Y" Machine, Incorporated
    Inventors: Rodney B. Williams, Jerry A. Taylor
  • Patent number: 4185696
    Abstract: A row crop harvester is provided with mechanism for mounting two picking heads for both vertical and horizontal adjustment of the ground engaging lower ends of the heads, to simultaneously harvest two rows of plants which may vary in spacing from each other throughout their lengths. One head is guided along its row by steering the harvester itself, while the lower end of the other head is guided along its row by selectively operating controls which transversely shift the lower end of the head relative to the first mentioned steerable head thereby accurately following and simultaneously harvesting two rows of crops such as root crops.In the preferred embodiment the upper end of each picking head is associated with a severing mechanism for removing the tops or foliage from the roots of the plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 29, 1980
    Assignee: Dixon "Y" Machine, Incorporated
    Inventors: Rodney B. Williams, Jerry A. Taylor
  • Patent number: 3986324
    Abstract: A machine for guiding melons from the ground onto lifting and distributing conveyors, having a fence for guiding melons along the ground toward a lift wheel which is rotating about a substantially horizontal axis, the wheel having flexible fingers extending radially therefrom to sweep the melons toward an upwardly inclined conveyor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1975
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1976
    Inventors: Billie Lee Harriott, Rodney B. Williams, Jerry A. Taylor