Patents by Inventor Stephen An

Stephen An 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: 6223663
    Abstract: A shallow-toothed clearing disk pivotally supported from the upper end of the opener drawbar assembly. A four bar linkage is connected to the forward end of the drawbar by a bracket which includes at least one link and corresponding pivot structure located above the drawbar to increase trash clearance and reduce trash build-up. The shallow rounded gullets between pointed teeth provide good disk depth control and trash penetration while reducing soil penetration and soil disturbance. The gullets also hold and prevent sliding of trash away from the clearing influence of the angled disk. The disk effectively clears trash to the side of the opener opposite the gauge wheel to assure optimum depth gauging for the opener. The gear-type structure is capable of operating over a wide range of down pressures and loads while breaking any existing crust in the cleared path with little soil disturbance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Ignatz Wendling, Lyle Eugene Stephens
  • Patent number: 6225571
    Abstract: The present invention provides a heatsink for use with a heat-generating electrical component. The heatsink comprises a spine having opposing sides, cooling fins extending from the spine, and a dielectric layer adhered to at least one of the opposing sides. The dielectric layer has a thermal conductivity of at least about 1 W/m° C. The heatsink may further comprise a metal layer adhered to the dielectric layer. The metal layer provides a surface to which an electric component can be adhered. The heatsink can further include a heat-generating component adhered to the metal layer. In another aspect, the heat-generating component is a surface-mount electrical component adhered to the metal layer with solder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Bream, Stephen A. Ferranti, Madhu Ganesa-Pillai, Leon Klafter, Alan M. Lyons, John Paul Mello, Steven J. Vargo
  • Patent number: 6224572
    Abstract: A fluid delivery device for delivering fluid from a fluid reservoir to a patient. The device includes an inlet channel in communication with a fluid reservoir and a dosing chamber, and an outlet channel disposed in communication with the dosing chamber. A reciprocating dosing actuator is moveable in a reciprocating motion between first and second positions for alternately (i) transporting a dose of fluid conveyed by the inlet channel into the intermediate dosing chamber, and (ii) ejecting the dose from the dosing chamber through the outlet channel to the patient, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Sarcos L.C.
    Inventors: Stephen C. Jacobsen, Clark C. Davis
  • Patent number: 6223839
    Abstract: A hydraulic underreamer for enlarging a wellbore includes improved packer, cutting, jet pump, and mill sections. Each of the sections and their associated advantages are described herein in detail. The packer section is designed to minimize wear on its sealing elements, the cutting and jet pump sections are designed to minimize pressure requirements and optimize hydraulic efficiency, and the mill section has a removable center assembly which allows effective well control when pulling the underreamer out of a “live” well filled with a gas, such as methane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Michael L. Fraim, Stephen D. McCoy
  • Patent number: 6224069
    Abstract: A body leveling system for a motor vehicle including a rigid axle housing, a pair of dirigible wheels on the rigid axle housing, and a pair of air springs between the body and the rigid axle housing. During a turn, links between the body and the rigid axle housing effect roll understeer by turning the axle housing toward the center of the turn in response to pivotal movement of the body about its longitudinal roll axis. When the load on the vehicle body is in a moderate range from empty to four average passengers, the air springs are selectively inflated and deflated to maintain the body at curb trim. When the load on the body exceeds the moderate range in either a high range or an overload range, the air springs are sealed closed and incrementally vertically deflect as the load increases. The GVW trim of the vehicle body is below its curb trim and its center of gravity is lower at GVW than at curb trim for improved dynamic performance at GVW.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen K. Chan
  • Patent number: 6226145
    Abstract: Apparatus for protecting a disc drive from damage due to non-operational mechanical shocks, the disc drive comprising a rotatable disc having an inner radius and an outer radius and a controllably rotatable actuator adjacent the disc. A snubber is provided adjacent the disc, the snubber having a body portion rigidly affixed with respect to the disc and snubber arms connected to the body portion. The snubber arms extend from the body portion towards the disc and above and below the elevation of the disc, with each snubber arm having a distal end located at a position adjacent the disc between the inner and the outer radii of the disc and towards the. outer radius of the disc. The height of each snubber arm limits deflection of the disc at the outer radius of the disc as a result of mechanical shock forced supplied to the disc drive assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Stephen R. Genheimer, Kenneth L. Pottebaum, Jon P. Baker, John D. Stricklin
  • Patent number: 6225589
    Abstract: In a three dimensional generic electric discharge machining (EDM) apparatus the positionable driver assembly (4) houses a discharge electrode (1) that is in the form of a continuous wire, exposing only a predetermined length, the working portion, of that wire for discharge machining. Additional portions of that wire are incrementally advanced (5) from the housing as needed. In one embodiment, that need arises from electrode erosion, and, as an incremental portion of the electrode's working portion is eroded away, an additional increment of wire is advanced from the housing to restore the working portion to the desired length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Inventor: Stephen Bartok
  • Patent number: 6223573
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for operating a press, such as a forge or trim press, are directed at activating a ram in a press having a lower die and an upper die connected to a ram by heating a workpiece to a first temperature above an impact temperature. The workpiece then is placed on the lower die, monitored during chill down of the workpiece from the first temperature, and the ram actuated based upon the monitoring in a controlled manner to effect an impact of the upper die against the workpiece. The monitoring includes measuring a characteristic parameter of the workpiece and the actuating includes actuating the ram after a predetermined fixed value of the measured parameter is measured. The placing of the workpiece on the lower die is done manually in the preferred embodiment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric COmpany
    Inventors: Sukhminder S. Grewal, Stephen R. Demichele, Richard L. Couture
  • Patent number: 6226457
    Abstract: In a method for loading a film cartridge in a one-time use camera, the film cartridge is placed in a film cartridge chamber of a camera frame assembly. An anti-backup subsystem is mounted on the camera frame assembly. The anti-backup subsystem has a first mechanical member biased into a disengaged position. A main portion of the filmstrip is then wound, in a prewind direction, from the film cartridge to a film supply chamber of the camera frame assembly. Following the winding, the first mechanical member is biased into an engaged position, in which the anti-backup system precludes winding of the filmstrip in the prewind direction. The first mechanical member can be biased by applying a label to a casing of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James D. Boyd, Stephen J. Smith, Michael P. Cramer
  • Patent number: 6225463
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is the development of new chiral auxiliaries for improved &bgr;-lactam formation that control both the diastereoselectivity of &bgr;-lactam formation and which can be removed without destruction of the sensitive azetidinone ring, providing valuable intermediates for coupling to the C-13 hydroxyl group of anti-tumor taxanes, such as paclitaxel. Further, the object of the present invention is enantiomerically pure (S)-(−)-1-(p-methoxy-phenyl)propyl-1-amine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignees: Pharmachemie B.V., Cancer Research Campaign Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Dick de Vos, Stephen Brown, Allan M. Jordan, Nicholas J. Lawrence, Alan Th. McGown
  • Patent number: 6225685
    Abstract: Wire sweep/crossing during resin molding is significantly reduced or prevented by reducing the gap spacing between corner lead pins and the tie bars of a die-attach pad. Embodiments of the present invention include spacing the tie bars from the corner lead pins by a distance no greater than about 18 mils, e.g., about 4 to 12 mils. Embodiments of the present invention also comprise a lead frame wherein the inner ends of the lead pins are arranged in a substantially planar array to define a substantially circular region surrounding the die-attach pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Newman, Chu-Chung Stephen Lee, Melissa Siow-Lui Lee
  • Patent number: 6224419
    Abstract: A sealant-filled connector assembly includes a socket having a plug cavity adapted to receive a connector plug and an environmental sealant. The connector assembly is provided with a passageway to facilitate installation of the sealant, a sealant reservoir to protect electrical leads thereof, a sealant trough to protect wire ends of an associated device connector, and/or specially configured interior cavity walls or a cavity engagement member to enhance adhesion between the sealant and the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Inventors: Stephen Craig Tucker, David Michael King, Michael Ryan Stallings
  • Patent number: 6226709
    Abstract: A memory system has a plurality of interleaved memory ranks that use SDRAMs requiring a periodic refresh, and an arbiter which controls access to the memory ranks and restricts access to a memory rank being refreshed. The memory ranks are interleaved on a memory module. Counting refresh registers on each memory module are associated with the module's memory ranks. The arbiter has its own counting refresh register. At regular intervals, the arbiter broadcasts a refresh signal along with a refresh address to the modules via a transaction bus. The refresh address provided by the arbiter is latched by the refresh registers which then begin counting at a pre-programmed interval. A refresh to a particular memory rank is triggered when a refresh register associated with the memory rank matches a unique identifier assigned to that rank. The arbiter uses its refresh register to identify the memory rank being refreshed, allowing the arbiter to restrict access to that memory rank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Goodwin, Stephen Van Doren
  • Patent number: 6225625
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preparation of a substrate containing a plurality of sequences. Photoremovable groups are attached to a surface of a substrate. Selected regions of the substrate are exposed to light so as to activate the selected areas. A monomer, also containing a photoremovable group, is provided to the substrate to bind at the selected areas. The process is repeated using a variety of monomers such as amino acids until sequences of a desired length are obtained. Detection methods and apparatus are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael C. Pirrung, J. Leighton Read, Stephen P. A. Fodor, Lubert Stryer
  • Patent number: 6223414
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an insulating unit includes the steps of: providing a pair of sheets and a substrate; forming the substrate into at least one spacer section having a base and a pair of outer legs connected to the base, the spacer section having a surface designated as a supporting surface; providing a bead on the supporting surface, the bead provided on the supporting surface includes a moisture pervious adhesive having a desiccant therein and assembling a spacer frame that includes the at least one spacer section and the sheets provide an insulating unit having the pair of sheets in a fixed relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Barton Hodek, Thomas Patrick Kerr, Stephen C. Misera, William Randolph Siskos, Albert Edward Thompson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6226680
    Abstract: A system for protocol processing in a computer network has an intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) associated with a host computer. The INIC provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most large multipacket messages, greatly accelerating data communication. The INIC also assists the host for those message packets that are chosen for processing by host software layers. A communication control block for a message is defined that allows DMA controllers of the INIC to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context is stored in the IMC as a communication control block (CCB) that can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The INIC contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
    Inventors: Laurence B. Boucher, Stephen E. J. Blightman, Peter K. Craft, David A. Higgen, Clive M. Philbrick, Daryl D. Starr
  • Patent number: 6225134
    Abstract: A method for controlling linewidth in photolithography and in particular during the fabrication of integrated circuits involves separately introducing a linewidth control feature onto a substrate or wafer. This linewidth control feature is preferably introduced after the desired design features or codes and is introduced using the same photomask or reticle as the desired design features. This photomask preferably includes the linewidth control feature at a point outside the maximum field zone as well as a masked pad portion that is in the maximum field zone. This masked pad portion is introduced with the desired design features and serves as a location for subsequent exposure of the linewidth control features. The method allows for the variation in linewidth introduced by the lens to be minimized, or even eliminated, since the same portion of the lens field can be used to expose each linewidth control feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen A. Meisner
  • Patent number: 6226653
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for the efficient management of remembered sets in a generational garbage collection scheme. In order to manage the remembered set, the present invention provides a first mechanism for detecting when an old object has a pointer to a young object, and needs to be added to the remembered set, and a second mechanism for detecting when an object already in the remembered set no longer contains a pointer to a young object, so that the object can be removed from the remembered set. Entries in the remembered set have an associated counter, C, identifying the garbage collection cycle during which the object was placed in the remembered set. Objects inserted into the remembered set are assumed to point to the youngest possible object. Entries automatically expire from the remembered set when the garbage collection counter reaches C+N, since the objects pointed to by the object in the remembered set must now themselves be old objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bowen Alpern, Clement Richard Attanasio, Stephen Edwin Smith
  • Patent number: 6224038
    Abstract: A fish tape reel assembly includes a housing having a peripheral wall defining an outer wall of a cavity having a center. A housing handle is attached to the peripheral wall, and a fish tape cassette is rotatably mounted in the cavity. The cassette rotates in the cavity to wind and unwind fish tape thereon to retract or extend the tape to and from the housing in a feed direction which is perpendicular to the housing handle. A handle on the cassette pivots to lock the cassette into a locked position which prevents the cassette from rotating. A fish tape end piece is wedge shaped to create a path between surfaces requiring separation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Actuant Corporation
    Inventors: Dean R. Walsten, David L. Wiesemann, Timothy E. O'Connell, Stephen J. Skeels
  • Patent number: D441477
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Inventors: Stephen J. Byers, Lyle E. Gluck