Patents by Inventor T. O'Brien

T. O'Brien 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: 5379391
    Abstract: The data record copy apparatus for a virtual memory system instantaneously makes a copy of a selected data record by simply generating a new set of pointers to reference the same physical memory location as the original reference pointer. All the pointers referencing the same physical memory space are stored in the virtual memory mapping tables to record all the virtual addresses of the data record. When the original data record is staged to an associated cache memory or a copy of the data record is in cache memory, the consistency of the data record is maintained by loading all the virtual addresses of the data record from the mapping tables to the hash table and collision list of the cache memory. Thus, any access of one of these virtual addresses will result in the virtual memory system locating the single data record instance in cache memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Jay S. Belsan, John T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5349814
    Abstract: A method and assembly are effective for air-starting an aircraft gas turbine engine having a fan powered by a low pressure turbine through a first shaft, and a compressor powered by a high pressure turbine through a second shaft disposed coaxially therewith. A gear train is selectively operatively joined between the first and second shafts by selectively engaging a first clutch for transmitting torque through the first clutch only in one direction from the first shaft to the second shaft when the fan is windmilling for driving the second shaft to allow an air-start of the gas turbine engine during flight. In a preferred embodiment, a second clutch is operatively joined to the gear train and is selectively engageable at speeds of the second shaft below a predetermined release speed, and disengageable at the release speed and above for disconnecting the air-start assembly once the engine has been started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John J. Ciokajlo, Michael T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5247638
    Abstract: The use of a dynamically mapped virtual memory system permits the storage of data so that each data record occupies only the physical space required for the data. Furthermore, the data storage subsystem manages the allocation of physical space on the disk drives and does not rely on the file extent defined in the count key data format. Data compaction apparatus is provided to remove the gaps contained in the stream of count key data records received from the host processor. A data compression algorithm is then used to compress the received data into a compressed format for storage on the disk drives. It is the compacted, compressed data that is finally stored on the disk drives. Furthermore, any data record received from the host processor absent data in the user data field therein is simply listed in the virtual memory map as a null field occupying no physical space on the disk drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: John T. O'Brien, George A. Rudeseal, Charles A. Milligan, Craig A. Buhlman
  • Patent number: 5244660
    Abstract: The application of Bacillus thuringiensis berliner var. Kurstaki to poultry houses results in the reduction of the larger and smaller darkling beetle infesting those houses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Inventors: Gerard T. O'Brien, A. Geri O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5213815
    Abstract: A method of treating ascites in poultry comprising administering Eyebright herb and Brewer's yeast to poultry in need thereof. The Brewer's yeast and eyebright quantities ingested by the birds can be varied judiciously to suit the poultry breed, the severity of the environmental conditions and the severity of the diseased condition of the stricken birds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Inventor: Gerard T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5171943
    Abstract: A tubewave damper probe for the suppression of borehole tubewaves in seismic applications is disclosed. The damper probe is suspended into a borehole by means of a cable and is comprised of a housing, a gas-filled bladder within the housing, and a plurality of valves located on the housing. The damper probe operation is based on a modified Helmholtz resonator effect. The bladder is precharged before insertion into the borehole, and pressure variations within the borehole cause the bladder to expand or contract. The valves are designed such that expansion of the bladder causes the valves to close, and contraction of the bladder causes the valves to open. The valves also prevent over-expansion of the bladder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Inventors: William T. Balogh, John T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5167545
    Abstract: An electrical connector including a member, a heater element comprising a coating of ferromagnetic material on the member and a fusible material. The fusible material is melted when the ferromagnetic material is heated inductively by an alternating magnetic field. The connector can be attached to an end of a coaxial cable. The member can comprise a metal ferrule soldered around a tubular conductor of the coaxial cable and/or a central contact having a bore in one axial end thereof in which a central conductor of the coaxial cable is soldered. A dielectric coating can be provided over the coating of ferromagnetic material on the ferrule and/or central contact. The fusible material can be held in the bore in the central contact or between the dielectric coating and an electrically insulating heat-shrinkable sleeve around the ferrule. The ferrule can include one or more ports therethrough for passage of the fusible material into contact with the tubular conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignees: Metcal, Inc., AMP Incorporated
    Inventors: Philip T. O'Brien, Douglas Wilkerson
  • Patent number: 5163856
    Abstract: A relatively flat, rectangular multipin connector has a terminal end to each pin adapted to receive the stripped end of a wire to be soldered thereto. Both surfaces of the pin may be arcuate in cross-section, one surface being concave and adapted to receive a wire to be soldered thereto. The convex surface has a covering of a thin layer of ferromagnetic material having an effective Curie temperature above the fusion temperature of the solder to be employed. A sleeve of heat shrinkable material has an interior ring of solder and is positioned over the region of contact between the wire and terminal end of the pin and has fusible plastic at each end. Each wire is placed on an individual pin and successively clamped in place, each between a different pair of jaws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignees: Metcal, Inc., AMP Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas H. McGaffigan, Philip T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5121479
    Abstract: The early start mode data transfer apparatus coordinates the reading and writing of data files into and out of the data buffer of the tape control unit so that a data file can be written into the data buffer while another data file is concurrently being read out of the data buffer. Thus, both the host computer and the associated tape drive units can be active at the same time reading or writing data files into the data buffer of the tape control unit. The early start mode data transfer apparatus closely coordinates the reading and writing activity of the host computers and the associated tape drive units to avoid the overwriting data files in the data buffer as well as emptying the data buffer before the complete data file is written therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1992
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventor: John T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5098319
    Abstract: A relatively flat, rectangular multipin connector has a terminal end to each pin adapted to receive the stripped end of a wire to be soldered thereto. Both surfaces of the pin may be arcuate in cross-section, one surface being concave and adapted to receive a wire to be soldered thereto. The convex surface has a covering of a thin layer of ferromagnetic material having an effective Curie temperature above the fusion temperature of the solder to be employed. A sleeve of heat shrinkable material has an interior ring of solder and is positioned over the region of contact between the wire and terminal end of the pin and has fusible plastic at each end. Each wire is placed on an individual pin and successively clamped in place, each between a different pair of jaws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignees: Metcal, Inc., AMP Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas H. McGaffigan, Philip T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 5007855
    Abstract: A cable connector for a low voltage electrical system. A preferred connector (22) includes a pair of electrically conductive jumper elements (62a, 62b) with a pair of spaced sharp protrusions (66) that are electrically connected. The preferred connector (22) includes a cap (52) consisting of electrically resistive material with means for engaging the jumper elements (62a, 62b). The preferred cable connector (22) includes a base (24) consisting of electrically resistive material with a plurality of channel-like cavities (26, 28, 30, 32) for accepting low voltage electrical cables (36, 38). The base (24) is sized so as to nest within cap (52) and the cavities (26, 28, 30, 32) are sized so as to receive the sharp protrusions (66) so that the cables (36, 38) are penetrated by the protrusions (66) and the base (24) nests within the cap (52).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1991
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Steven T. O'Brien, Jay J. Kakuk
  • Patent number: 5001611
    Abstract: A deck light (20) including a post (22), cap (24) and lamp/lens assembly (26). Lamp/lens assembly (26) independently attaches to post (22) and cap (24) so that lamp/lens assembly (26) can be removed and separately attached to a deck member; or, alternatively, either post (22) or cap (24), or both, can be attached to lamp/lens assembly (26) and the combination can be attached in a variety of ways to the deck. Preferably, lamp/lens assembly (26) is about 31/2 inches wide and about 11/2 inches deep so that it (either alone or in combination with post (22) and/or cap (24) can be flush mounted to various deck members in a variety of ways. In a preferred embodiment, a stake (100) can be attached to the bottom of post (22) so that fixture (20) can even be used as a stake light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Robert W. Beachy, Jay J. Kakuk, Steven T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 4999464
    Abstract: A molded case circuit breaker movable contact arm electrically connects with the circuit breaker load terminal requiring only a small diameter auxiliary electrical conducting braid by pivotally arranging the contact arm within its support. The contact arm is nickel-plated prior to attachment of the contact to insure high current circuit interruption withtout damage to the contact or the contact arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joseph P. Bellino, David Arnold, Dexter T. O'Brien, Ira B. Goldman
  • Patent number: 4991036
    Abstract: The moving data storage media mode/direction change optimization apparatus makes use of information received concerning the mode and direction of the next operation to be performed by the data storage system to efficiently reposition the media in a single repositioning operation. In the case where the data storage media is a magnetic tape, the tape control unit receives information concerning the mode and direction of the next operation to be performed prior to the completion of the tape transport automatic repositioning cycle. The tape control unit signals the tape transport to abort the standard repositioning operation and instead to initiate a new repositioning operation which repositions the magnetic tape based on the mode and direction of both the presently executing operation and the next operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventor: John T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 4988998
    Abstract: The improved data compression system concurrently processes both strings of repeated characters and textual substitution of input character strings. In this system, the performance of data compression techniques based on textual substitution are improved by the use of a compact representation for identifying instances in which a character in the input data stream is repeated. This is accomplished by nesting a run length encoding system in the textual substitution system. This structure adds the recognition of runs of a repeated character before the processor performs the textual substituted data compression operation. A further performance improvement is obtained by expanding the alphabet of symbols stored in the compressor's dictionary to include both the characters of the input data stream and repeat counts which indicate the repetition of a character.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 29, 1991
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventor: John T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 4958333
    Abstract: Seismic cable shielding method and apparatus. Shielding is obtained by switching unused wire pairs to ground via a roll-along switch which is connected to system ground. Grounding of the unused conductors in the cable is accomplished by ground connections at the roll-along switch. By grounding the unused conductor pairs (all pairs except those required for the sensor signals) within the cable, partial shielding is provided between the active wire pairs and cross-talk is reduced to a negligible level. Additional wire pairs are hardwired to system ground and distributed uniformly throughout the cable cross section to form an interstitial shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventor: John T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 4929946
    Abstract: The adaptive data compression apparatus is located within a tape drive control unit which is interposed between one or more host computers and one or more tape transports. The adaptive data compression apparatus functions to efficiently compress a user data file received from a host computer into a bit oriented compressed format for storage on the magnetic tape that is loaded in the tape transport. The data compression apparatus divides each block of an incoming user data file into predetermined sized segments, each of which is compressed independently without reference to any other segment in the user data file. The data compression apparatus concurrently uses a plurality of data compression algorithms to adapt the data compression operation to the particular data stored in the user data file. A cyclic redundancy check circuit is used to compute a predetermined length CRC code from all of the incoming user data bytes before they are compressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1990
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: John T. O'Brien, Neil L. Thomas, Tracy D. Dyer
  • Patent number: 4867134
    Abstract: A fluid-heating solar collector comprises a solar energy absorber with heat conducting and radiation absorbing material arranged to provide a plurality of angularly bent conduits extending therethrough thus to optimize the heat absorption surface at differing sun angles and also to substantially increase the area for convective heat transfer to passing air or other fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1989
    Inventor: Philip T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: D310577
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Jay J. Kakuk, Joseph J. Walto, Steven T. O'Brien
  • Patent number: D314833
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Robert W. Beachy, Steven T. O'Brien, Jay J. Kakuk, Anthony N. Pink