Patents by Inventor Steven Holmes

Steven Holmes 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: 6795871
    Abstract: A control system for an appliance utilizing a plurality of peripheral devices includes a controller and a communications bus coupled to the plurality of peripheral devices and to the controller. The controller is configured to receive data from the peripheral devices over the communications bus and transmit control operations to the peripheral devices based on the data received. The communications bus reduces overall wiring requirements due to elimination or reduction of power wiring of the peripheral devices, facilitates distributed displays and human machine interfaces, and allows model differentiation with late point identification by a population of bus connections with a sensor, display, interface, or a blank. A data collision detection scheme is also provided to ensure proper communication along the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Tam Nolan, Wolfgang Daum, Rollie Richard Herzog, Mark Robert Mathews, Robert Marten Bultman, John Steven Holmes
  • Patent number: 6791282
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a fresh food section and a freezer section, wherein at least one of the fresh food section and freezer section includes a door. The door includes an external surface and an internal surface, and a light mounted to the external surface, wherein the light is electrically coupled to a processor-free light fade-out circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sergio Alberto Vinocur, John Steven Holmes
  • Publication number: 20040170630
    Abstract: Isolated human monoclonal antibodies which bind to and inhibit human heparanase, and related antibody-based compositions and molecules, are disclosed. The human antibodies can be produced by a transfectoma or in a nonhuman transgenic animal, e.g., a transgenic mouse, capable of producing multiple isotypes of human monoclonal antibodies by undergoing V-D-J recombination and isotype switching. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the human antibodies, nonhuman transgenic animals and hybridomas which produce the human antibodies, and therapeutic and diagnostic methods for using the human antibodies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2003
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Inventors: Haichun Huang, Steven Holmes, Sean Mason
  • Patent number: 6762577
    Abstract: A method for controlling speed in a pulse-width-modulation-controlled motor powered by a load voltage source is provided. The method includes the steps of measuring the motor load voltage, and setting a pulse-width-modulation duty cycle based on the measured voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Gray, Wolfgang Daum, John Steven Holmes, Rollie Richard Herzog, Mark Robert Mathews
  • Publication number: 20040098812
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling locking of a washing machine lid are described. The washing machine includes an agitation element and a basket. The method, in one example embodiment, comprises the steps of sensing a spin speed associated with a spin speed of at least one of the agitation element and the basket, and causing the lid to be locked when the sensed spin speed exceed a first predetermined speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventors: Rollie Richard Herzog, John Steven Holmes
  • Patent number: 6732319
    Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, an appliance control system includes a controller having a processor and a memory including at least a first memory area and a second memory area so that a multiple write architecture may be used for storing data. The processor is configured to acquire appliance status data on a periodic basis, write the refrigerator status data to the first memory area and to the second memory area, and perform error detection upon the written data during refrigerator power-up. Upon power up, the controller determines the validity of data in one of the memory locations, or pages. If the data is determined to be invalid on one memory page, another memory page is used. Thus, by storing data redundantly in multiple memory pages with appropriate security measures, data may be retained for use on power-up without the expense of additional electronic components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Steven Holmes, Robert Marten Bultman
  • Patent number: 6703591
    Abstract: An appliance control system is configured to operate an appliance in at least a normal mode and a holiday mode wherein normal mode operation of appliance feature elements is altered to better conform to religious customs, such as Orthodox Jewish customs. In response to user manipulation of a control interface panel, the control system is configured to enter the holiday mode upon user manipulation of the control interface panel with a designated key sequence. When in the holiday mode, response to user manipulation of the control interface panel is delayed for a randomly determined time, and appliance features of the normal mode that violate religious custom are disabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Kresimir Odorcic, Tanveer Iqbal, John Steven Holmes
  • Patent number: 6688119
    Abstract: A reduced error measurement system for use in, for example, an appliance control system includes a multiplexor, a plurality of sensors coupled to the multiplexor, and a single amplifier circuit having an impedance path. The multiplexor is configured to selectively place one of the sensors into the impedance path of the amplifier. A transfer function of an amplifier circuit is dependent upon a selected sensor response when placed into the circuit, thereby allowing a controller to make control decisions based upon a voltage output of the single amplifier, thereby reducing errors attributable to a plurality of amplifier channels. An adjacent channel calibration technique is used to calibrate a hard mounted sensor to an integrated circuit that applies a calibrated offset value determined with a removable sensor coupled to the integrated circuit to the hard mounted sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: John Steven Holmes
  • Patent number: 6665384
    Abstract: A method for changing a control program that controls at least some operations of an appliance is provided. The appliance includes at least one electronic control that executes the control program. The method includes connecting the electronic control to a communication device configured to communicate with at least one user device via a network. The method also includes changing the control program via the user device and the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Robert Marten Bultman, John Steven Holmes
  • Publication number: 20030109938
    Abstract: Appliances (102, 102, 106 and 108) are controlled by providing a source (2016, 112) of command fields (CMD, FIG. 2) that include a context subfield (Community, FIG. 4) defining operating modes and a command subfield (Command, FIG. 4) defining operations to be performed within the context subfield. A network (119) transmits the command fields between the source and the appliance. A controller (112, 116) processes the command fields so that an operation defined by one of the command subfields is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, John Steven Holmes, William Hull Bicknell, Scott Alan Horning, Tanveer Iqbal, John Kenneth Hooker, Robert Marten Bultman, Ziqiang Hu, Scott Charles Evans, John Erik Hershey
  • Publication number: 20030102825
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a fresh food section and a freezer section, wherein at least one of the fresh food section and freezer section include a door. The door includes an external surface and an internal surface, and a light mounted to the external surface, wherein the light is electrically coupled to a processor-free light fade-out circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventors: Sergio Alberto Vinocur, John Steven Holmes
  • Publication number: 20030090229
    Abstract: A method for controlling speed in a pulse-width-modulation-controlled motor powered by a load voltage source is provided. The method includes the steps of measuring the motor load voltage, and setting a pulse-width-modulation duty cycle based on the measured voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Steven Gray, Wolfgang Daum, John Steven Holmes, Rollie Richard Herzog, Mark Robert Mathews
  • Publication number: 20030066827
    Abstract: An appliance control system is configured to operate an appliance in at least a normal mode and a holiday mode wherein normal mode operation of appliance feature elements is altered to better conform to religious customs, such as Orthodox Jewish customs. In response to user manipulation of a control interface panel, the control system is configured to enter the holiday mode upon user manipulation of the control interface panel with a designated key sequence. When in the holiday mode, response to user manipulation of the control interface panel is delayed for a randomly determined time, and appliance features of the normal mode that violate religious custom are disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Kresimir Odorcic, Tanveer Iqbal, John Steven Holmes
  • Publication number: 20030046377
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for service diagnostics of appliances includes connecting to a local area appliance network, accessing an appliance in the local area appliance network, accessing functions of the appliance, and performing service diagnosis of the appliance using the functions. A diagnostic interface is used to diagnose and service the appliance. The local area appliance network may be a power line carrier communication carrier network. The diagnostic interface may connect to a remote system for service diagnostic information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2000
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, John Steven Holmes, William Hull Bicknell, Scott Allen Horning, Tanveer Iqbal, Scott Charles Evans
  • Publication number: 20030009610
    Abstract: A control system for an appliance utilizing a plurality of peripheral devices includes a controller and a communications bus coupled to the plurality of peripheral devices and to the controller. The controller is configured to receive data from the peripheral devices over the communications bus and transmit control operations to the peripheral devices based on the data received. The communications bus reduces overall wiring requirements due to elimination or reduction of power wiring of the peripheral devices, facilitates distributed displays and human machine interfaces, and allows model differentiation with late point identification by a population of bus connections with a sensor, display, interface, or a blank. A data collision detection scheme is also provided to ensure proper communication along the bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Inventors: Tam Nolan, Wolfgang Daum, Rollie Richard Herzog, Mark Robert Mathews, Robert Marten Bultman, John Steven Holmes
  • Publication number: 20030006126
    Abstract: A detection apparatus for detecting refrigerator door openings is coupled to at least one switch configured to be activated by a door opening. When the door is opened, the switch is activated and inputs a signal to the detection apparatus. The detection apparatus rectifies the signal; and phase-shifts the rectified signal so that it leads or lags the line voltage. The shifted output signal is fed to a processor that detects the opening of the door based upon the shifted signal. Signals output by a plurality of switches that generate a signal when activated mixed using an opto-coupler. Relative impedance of the lead and lag circuits may be adjusted to differentiate a phase shift of one shifted signal relative to another signal. The processor converts a value in degrees of phase shifting of the mixed signal to a time value, and based upon the time value, the processor determines which of the doors is open.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Inventors: John Steven Holmes, Jerry J. Queen, Rollie Richard Herzog, Mark Robert Mathews, Robert Marten Bultman
  • Publication number: 20020097851
    Abstract: A method for changing a control program that controls at least some operations of an appliance is provided. The appliance includes at least one electronic control that executes the control program. The method includes connecting the electronic control to a communication device configured to communicate with at least one user device via a network. The method also includes changing the control program via the user device and the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2001
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Inventors: Wolfgang Daum, Robert Marten Bultman, John Steven Holmes
  • Patent number: 5516608
    Abstract: In a photolithographic process utilizing a wafer coated with a chemically amplified photoresist, a method for controlling a line dimension. The method comprises the steps of measuring at at least two times, and from at least two angles, evolving signals comprising intensities of light diffracted from a portion of an exposed patterned area on the waver, the evolving signals corresponding to vector combinations of time dependent light diffracted from the pattern appearing in the photoresist; and substantially time invariant light diffracted due to any underlying pattern beneath the photoresist; and, combining the measurements mathematically for extracting a contribution due to the pattern evolving in the photoresist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Philip C. D. Hobbs, Steven Holmes, Robert Jackson, Jerry C. Shaw, John L. Sturtevant, Theodore G. van Kessel