Patents by Inventor Sean A. Connolly

Sean A. Connolly 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: 10816638
    Abstract: Ultrasonic locationing interleaved with alternate audio functions includes a plurality of transmitters for emitting ultrasonic bursts and alternate audio signals. A backend controller schedules the ultrasonic bursts and alternate audio signals from each transmitter. The backend controller can characterize an interference effect of defined interference parameters for each alternate audio signal, with respect to the ultrasonic bursts, and modify interleave scheduling of the ultrasonic bursts and alternate audio signals in accordance with the respective interference effect. A mobile device can receive the ultrasonic bursts for locationing of the mobile device, while a user or other device that can act on information in the alternate audio signals. Input from a user to an interface device can trigger the backend controller to schedule an alternate audio signal containing information related to the input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Russell E Calvarese, Sean A Connolly, Janine E Dubois, Richard J Lavery, Sean D Marvel
  • Patent number: 9892297
    Abstract: A workstation has a metallic housing for supporting an electro-optical reader for reading bar code symbols. A radio frequency (RF) antenna of an RF identification (RFID) reader for reading RFID tags is mounted in a metallic container that is connected to the housing. The RF antenna radiates RF energy at a frequency greater than 900 MHz through RF excitation slots formed between the container and the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Rehan K. Jaffri, Sean A. Connolly, Sean D. Marvel
  • Patent number: 9892351
    Abstract: A Bluetooth low energy (BLE)-based asset tag transmits a code that identifies an asset. A device is attached to the asset. The code is scanned with a scanner supported by the device. An advertising beacon is transmitted in an advertising packet having a payload with a Bluetooth low energy (BLE)-based radio supported by the device. The scanned code is automatically loaded into the payload. The advertising packet with the scanned code in the payload is periodically transmitted as a series of beacon pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean A Connolly, James R Giebel, Umberto R Scaramozzino
  • Patent number: 9733335
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the position of a RFID tag. The method includes the following: (1) measuring the position of an active device to an accuracy of better than 1.0 meter using a radio locating system to determine the position of a reference point; (2) detecting a first RF signal from a reference RFID tag near the reference point with an RF receiver in an RFID reading system; (3) detecting a second RF signal from a RFID tag of interest with the RF receiver in the RFID reading system; and (4) processing both the first RF signal and the second RF signal and relying upon at least partially the position of the reference point to determine the position of the RFID tag of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sean A Connolly, Thomas E Wulff
  • Patent number: 9514336
    Abstract: A method and system for adaptive operation of a power amplifier of an RFID reader device enables more efficient power management of the reader device. The method includes transmitting an RF interrogation signal from an antenna of the RFID reader device (step 505). A reflected signal is then received as a partial reflection of the interrogation signal (step 510). A return loss value is then estimated by comparing at least one parameter of the interrogation signal and at least one parameter of the reflected signal (step 515). Finally, an operating point of the power amplifier is adjusted in response to the return loss value (step 520).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Martin J. Strzelczyk, Sean A. Connolly, Mark W. Duron
  • Publication number: 20160077192
    Abstract: Ultrasonic locationing interleaved with alternate audio functions includes a plurality of transmitters for emitting ultrasonic bursts and alternate audio signals. A backend controller schedules the ultrasonic bursts and alternate audio signals from each transmitter. The backend controller can characterize an interference effect of defined interference parameters for each alternate audio signal, with respect to the ultrasonic bursts, and modify interleave scheduling of the ultrasonic bursts and alternate audio signals in accordance with the respective interference effect. A mobile device can receive the ultrasonic bursts for locationing of the mobile device, while a user or other device that can act on information in the alternate audio signals. Input from a user to an interface device can trigger the backend controller to schedule an alternate audio signal containing information related to the input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Russell E. Calvarese, Sean A. Connolly, Janine E. Dubois, Richard J. Lavery, Sean D. Marvel
  • Patent number: 8400272
    Abstract: A method and device enables improving a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of a backscatter signal received from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The method includes generating a continuous wave (CW) carrier signal at the reader device (step 505). An amplitude modulation (AM) noise component of the CW carrier signal is then detected (step 510). The AM noise component is inverted to an inverted noise signal (step 515), and the inverted noise signal is summed with the CW carrier signal to provide an AM noise cancelled carrier signal (step 520). The AM noise cancelled carrier signal is then transmitted from an antenna of the reader device (step 525), and the backscatter signal is received at the reader device in response to transmission of the AM noise cancelled carrier signal (step 530).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark W. Duron, Sean A. Connolly, Richard T. Knadle, Martin Strzelczyk
  • Publication number: 20110148579
    Abstract: A method and system for adaptive operation of a power amplifier of an RFID reader device enables more efficient power management of the reader device. The method includes transmitting an RF interrogation signal from an antenna of the RFID reader device (step 505). A reflected signal is then received as a partial reflection of the interrogation signal (step 510). A return loss value is then estimated by comparing at least one parameter of the interrogation signal and at least one parameter of the reflected signal (step 515). Finally, an operating point of the power amplifier is adjusted in response to the return loss value (step 520).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Martin J. Strzelczyk, Sean A. Connolly, Mark W. Duron
  • Publication number: 20110133890
    Abstract: A method and device enables improving a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of a backscatter signal received from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The method includes generating a continuous wave (CW) carrier signal at the reader device (step 505). An amplitude modulation (AM) noise component of the CW carrier signal is then detected (step 510). The AM noise component is inverted to an inverted noise signal (step 515), and the inverted noise signal is summed with the CW carrier signal to provide an AM noise cancelled carrier signal (step 520). The AM noise cancelled carrier signal is then transmitted from an antenna of the reader device (step 525), and the backscatter signal is received at the reader device in response to transmission of the AM noise cancelled carrier signal (step 530).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventors: Mark W. Duron, Sean A. Connolly, Richard T. Knadle, Martin Strzelczyk
  • Patent number: 7039358
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for frequency coordination among two different wireless network protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth protocols, operating in proximity with one another. Coordination is accomplished by the use of a first radio transceiver operating in accordance with a first communication protocol (which may be the 802.11 protocol) and using a frequency band (which may be the 2.4 GHz band), a base station connected to a wired network and operating in accordance with the first communication protocol, a second radio transceiver operating in accordance with a second communication protocol (which may be the Bluetooth protocol) and using the frequency band, and a coordinator associated with the base station for, in turn, activating the first radio transceiver, deactivating the first radio transceiver, activating the second radio transceiver, and deactivating the second radio transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen J. Shellhammer, Jacob Sharony, Anthony D. Biuso, Sean A. Connolly, William Sackett, Joseph Cabana, Patrick Tilley, Robert Beach
  • Patent number: 6992564
    Abstract: A system and method described for tracking portable devices. The system may include a transmitter which transmits wireless inquiries to a plurality of portable devices and a receiver receiving replies to the inquiries from the portable devices. In addition, the system may include a memory storing identifier data corresponding to the portable devices and a processor coupled to the memory and to the receiver, the processor retrieving from each reply, identifier data uniquely identifying a particular one of the portable devices which generated the reply and comparing the identifier data to the stored identifier data. Furthermore, the system may include an alarm system coupled to the processor and controlled based on the comparison of stored identifier data to the identifier data retrieved from the replies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean A. Connolly, William Sackett, Stephen J. Shellhammer, Frank Boccuzzi, Adam Levine
  • Publication number: 20030042313
    Abstract: A method and system for acquiring bar code encoded information wherein a bar code is read using a portable bar code reader to produce bar code data which has a wireless communications transceiver for transmitting the bar code data. The bar code data is transmitted to a second bar code reader which has a wireless communications transceiver for receiving bar code data and has an output circuit for communicating bar code data by a cable to a host computer. The bar code data and additional bar code data produced by the second bar code reader is communicated by the cable or by a secondary wireless connection to the host computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Joel Kahn, Patrick Salatto, Diana J. Melick, Stephen J. Schellhammer, Sean A. Connolly, Frank Boccuzzi