Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Ward

Thomas A. Ward 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).

  • Publication number: 20240127060
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for training an action selection neural network used to select actions to be performed by an agent interacting with an environment. In one aspect, a system comprises a plurality of actor computing units and a plurality of learner computing units. The actor computing units generate experience tuple trajectories that are used by the learner computing units to update learner action selection neural network parameters using a reinforcement learning technique. The reinforcement learning technique may be an off-policy actor critic reinforcement learning technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Hubert Josef Soyer, Lasse Espeholt, Karen Simonyan, Yotam Doron, Vlad Firoiu, Volodymyr Mnih, Koray Kavukcuoglu, Remi Munos, Thomas Ward, Timothy James Alexander Harley, Iain Robert Dunning
  • Publication number: 20240125179
    Abstract: Provided herein are ladders having a flared beaded joint to couple a rung to a rail of the ladder. In some embodiments, a ladder comprises a rail having a web. The web has a first side and a second side. The ladder further includes a rung coupled to the rail via a flared beaded joint. In some configurations, flared beaded joints are disposed at each end of the rung. The flared beaded joint includes a first bead on the first side of the web and a second bead on the second side of the web. The first bead includes a first flange portion and a second flange portion. The first flange portion directly abuts the first side of the web. At least a portion of the second flange portion is disposed at an angle relative to the first flange portion to flare an end of the rung.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Patrick Michael McAuliffe, Thomas Ward Parker
  • Publication number: 20240112809
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for generating a statistical parameter representing a state of a surgical procedure from sensor data. Sensor data representing a time period. is received from a sensor. Numerical features representing the time period are generated from the sensor data. Each of a plurality of long short term memory units are updated according to the plurality of numerical features via a message passing process. The long short term memory units are connected to form a graph, with a first set of the long short term memory units representing a plurality of nodes of the graph and a second set of the long short term memory units representing a plurality of hyperedges of the graph. A statistical parameter representing a state of the surgical procedure for the time period is derived from an output of one of the long short term memory units and provided to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Ozanan R. Meireles, Yutong Ban, Daniel A. Hashimoto, Guy Rosman, Thomas Ward, Daniela Rus
  • Patent number: 11945945
    Abstract: A resin including up to 99.99 weight percent (wt. %) of a first polyolefin grafted with a functional group selected from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, a carboxylic acid anhydride, an ester functional group or a combination thereof; and 0.01 to 3.0 wt. % of a tin oxide-based catalyst, where the resin includes 0.2 wt. % to 1.5 wt. % of the functional group from the first polyolefin, the wt. % based on a total weight of the resin. The first polyolefin can be selected from a polyethylene, a polypropylene, an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer, a propylene/alpha-olefin copolymer and combinations thereof. The tin oxide-based catalyst can be selected from dibutyltin oxide, dioctyltin oxide and combinations thereof. The resin can be used in a multilayer structure, where a Layer A comprises the resin and a Layer B comprises a polyester, where a first major surface of Layer A is in adhering contact with the second major surface of Layer B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignees: Dow Global Technologies LLC, Regents of The University of Minnesota
    Inventors: Kunwei Liu, Alex Michael Jordan, Christopher John Ellison, Christopher Ward Macosko, Christopher M. Thurber, Wenyi Huang, Thomas H. Peterson
  • Patent number: 11927017
    Abstract: A roofing system and method, which includes elongate rain diverting devices for directing rainwater and snowmelt away from an underlying sheet material and roof deck, is provided. The system includes roofing tiles having strips of hook and loop fasteners (H&L strips) adhered to both faces. The rain diverting devices have an H&L strip adhered along a lower edge of both faces. As each new row of tiles is installed on the roof deck, the device is applied over an upper portion of the tiles, extending over and onto the sheet material above the tiles, and across the roof deck. As additional rows of tiles are installed, each device is releasably attached to underlying and overlying tiles by way of the H&L strips adhered to both the tiles and the device. The devices also allow for single lap tiling (less weight on roof deck) and for use of shorter tiles (saving material cost).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Millennuim Slate, LLC
    Inventors: Frederick W. Whitridge, Jr., Philip C. Prehoda, Thomas J. Collard, Charles Ward
  • Patent number: 11898091
    Abstract: Disclosed is a gas hydrate inhibitor composition comprising an amphiphile by a linking moiety, the amphiphile having of the general formula (1) [R5-L-N(R1)(R2)(R3)]+X???(1) wherein each of R1 and R2 is an alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms; or wherein the nitrogen atom and the R1 and R2 groups together form a heterocyclic group; R3 is present or not as hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms L is a linking moiety comprising a hydrocarbyl group having at least 2 adjacent carbon atoms, at least one heteroatom selected from nitrogen and oxygen, R5 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms; and X? is present as an anion when R3 is present; and a cationic surfactant which is selected from quaternary benzyl ammonium salts and a method of using the gas hydrate inhibitor composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: CLARIANT INTERNATIONAL LTD
    Inventors: Dirk Leinweber, Zachary Thomas Ward, Felix Hoevelmann, Jonathan James Wylde, Matthias Krull
  • Publication number: 20240035839
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage devices for providing directions haptically such that sight and hearing can continue unimpeded. In one exemplary embodiment, a wearable device (such as earphones, ear rings, gloves, glasses, or other wearable objects) configured as disclosed herein receives directions to an intended destination for a user, the directions comprising a movement action and a distance to the movement action. The wearable device has multiple haptic output units and generates, through one of those units, a haptic output based on the directions. This allows the user to receive the directions through touch rather than looking at their mobile device or from audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventor: Ryan Thomas Ward
  • Patent number: 11868894
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for training an action selection neural network used to select actions to be performed by an agent interacting with an environment. In one aspect, a system comprises a plurality of actor computing units and a plurality of learner computing units. The actor computing units generate experience tuple trajectories that are used by the learner computing units to update learner action selection neural network parameters using a reinforcement learning technique. The reinforcement learning technique may be an off-policy actor critic reinforcement learning technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: DeepMind Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Hubert Josef Soyer, Lasse Espeholt, Karen Simonyan, Yotam Doron, Vlad Firoiu, Volodymyr Mnih, Koray Kavukcuoglu, Remi Munos, Thomas Ward, Timothy James Alexander Harley, Iain Robert Dunning
  • Patent number: 11851136
    Abstract: A foil displacement system includes one or more foils that can be deployed and stowed. When deployed, each foil can exert downforce or uplift depending on its orientation. For example, each foil may be positioned to have an angle of attack that creates a downward force effectively transmitted to the hull to pull the hull deeper within the water to, for example, create a larger wake. Use of the foil displacement system can enhance or replace the use of a ballast tank system, can be integrated into a new boat or retrofitted to existing boats, can be electronically or manually positioned, can enhance activities such as wake surfing, wake boarding, water skiing or other similar or related water sports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Malibu Boats, LLC
    Inventors: Cory Wade Dugger, Rachael Marie Green, Jeffrey Lee Predmore, Scott Thomas Ward, Matthew Welton
  • Publication number: 20230362433
    Abstract: Methods and systems for transmitting an interruption-free version of a television program for recording on a user equipment device. In one aspect, a system transmits a first stream including a television program to a user equipment device. The system receives an indication that the television program is being recorded on the user equipment device. The system determines whether an interruption is imminent during transmission of the television program. In response to determining that the interruption is imminent, the system generates a second stream including the television program. The second stream does not include the interruption during the transmission of the television program. The system transmits the second stream to the user equipment device along with an instruction to switch recording of the television program from the first stream to the second stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Thomas Ward, Arevik Chimayan, Walter R. Klappert
  • Patent number: 11808598
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage devices for providing directions haptically such that sight and hearing can continue unimpeded. In one exemplary embodiment, a wearable device (such as earphones, ear rings, gloves, glasses, or other wearable objects) configured as disclosed herein receives directions to an intended destination for a user, the directions comprising a movement action and a distance to the movement action. The wearable device has multiple haptic output units and generates, through one of those units, a haptic output based on the directions. This allows the user to receive the directions through touch rather than looking at their mobile device or from audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Inventor: Ryan Thomas Ward
  • Publication number: 20230347808
    Abstract: A powered rail system is disclosed. The rail system is mountable on a truck bed, to which various accessories may be attached, and to which various electronic devices may be connected. The rail system includes first and second side rails, where the first and second side rails are substantially parallel and separated by a width, and where each side rail includes a front end, a back end, and a body extending between the front end and the back end. The rail system further includes a storage structure secured thereto, a first outside surface adjacent to the body of the first side rail, and a second outside surface adjacent to the body of the second side rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Mohammed Irfan, Milos V. Coric, Emily Kern, Jonathan David Monge, Michael Bykowski, Thomas Ward Parker
  • Patent number: 11765423
    Abstract: Methods and systems for transmitting an interruption-free version of a television program for recording on a user equipment device. In one aspect, a system transmits a first stream including a television program to a user equipment device. The system receives an indication that the television program is being recorded on the user equipment device. The system determines whether an interruption is imminent during transmission of the television program. In response to determining that the interruption is imminent, the system generates a second stream including the television program. The second stream does not include the interruption during the transmission of the television program. The system transmits the second stream to the user equipment device along with an instruction to switch recording of the television program from the first stream to the second stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Thomas Ward, Arevik Chimayan, Walter R. Klappert
  • Patent number: 11752666
    Abstract: Coated irregular surfaces, replicas made therefrom, and methods of making the same. A particle-coated substrate includes a coating including undercooled liquid metallic particles. The particles include a solid shell comprising a metal oxide, and a liquid metallic core that is below the melting point of the liquid metallic core. The particle-coated substrate also includes a substrate including an irregular surface, wherein the coating is on the irregular surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Thuo, Thomas Ward, III, Andrew Martin, Julia Jinling Chang, Chuanshen Du
  • Publication number: 20230276106
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for presenting additional information related to an emergency alert. A media guidance application may detect that a new emergency alert has been received. The media guidance application may then perform a search of various content sources (e.g., program listings, the Internet, etc.) for content related to the emergency alert. The media guidance application may then present the search results in a contextual menu enabling the user to access content of the search results. The media guidance application may also provide more options, such as, recording or pausing media content that the user was in the process of consuming when the emergency alert was generated, and an option to the user not to bring up the contextual menu again if the same emergency alert is repeated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventor: Daniel Thomas Ward
  • Publication number: 20230270931
    Abstract: Embodiments of a fluid warming container and a fluid warming device are described. The fluid warming container defines an interior volume arranged to receive a liquid. The fluid warming container also includes a heating element, a power source, and a switch configured to selectively control a flow of electrical current from the power source to the heating element to warm the liquid. The fluid warming device includes an elongate housing, a heating element, a power source, and a switch configured to selectively control a flow of electrical current from the power source to the heating element to warm a liquid in contact with the fluid warming device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventor: Thomas Ward
  • Publication number: 20230226606
    Abstract: Methods of forming microwires or nanowires, microwires or nanowires formed using the method, and electronic devices and semiconductor components including the wires. A method of forming a microwire or nanowire includes disposing a plurality of metal particles in a portion of a channel that is a nanochannel or a microchannel. The method includes etching the metal particles with an activation agent to form a flux that penetrates an additional portion of the channel. The flux includes an etching product of the activation agent and the metal particles. The method includes allowing the activation agent to at least partially evaporate to form a wire that is a microwire or a nanowire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Martin Thuo, Julia Jinling Chang, Chuanshen Du, Thomas Ward, III
  • Patent number: 11667353
    Abstract: A combination radar arch and bimini top includes a radar arch securable on a boat deck over a boat cabin and a bimini top assembly secured to the radar arch. The bimini top assembly includes at least one bimini top base secured on the radar arch, a bimini arm pivotally connected to the bimini top base, and a spring-loaded roller assembly secured to the radar arch and including a canopy connected between the radar arch and the bimini arm. The bimini top base has a drive mechanism coupled with the bimini arm that is configured to displace the bimini arm between a retracted position and an extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: LIPPERT COMPONENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Ward, Jeffrey Albrecht, Josh Black, Nick Plummer, John Shotwell, Christine Trowbridge
  • Publication number: 20230153617
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for training an action selection neural network used to select actions to be performed by an agent interacting with an environment. In one aspect, a system comprises a plurality of actor computing units and a plurality of learner computing units. The actor computing units generate experience tuple trajectories that are used by the learner computing units to update learner action selection neural network parameters using a reinforcement learning technique. The reinforcement learning technique may be an off-policy actor critic reinforcement learning technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Hubert Josef Soyer, Lasse Espeholt, Karen Simonyan, Yotam Doron, Vlad Firoiu, Volodymyr Mnih, Koray Kavukcuoglu, Remi Munos, Thomas Ward, Timothy James Alexander Harley, Iain Robert Dunning
  • Patent number: 11645719
    Abstract: Visualizing event impact risk over time. At least one location of interest is identified on a geospatial map, and an event path is plotted on the geospatial map for an event over time. The event path includes actual and/or forecasted paths of the event. Along the event path, connected geospatial polygons are generated. The geospatial polygons represent actual and/or forecasted intensity of the event over time. A determination is made as to whether the connected geospatial polygons intersect one or more of the locations of interest indicating an impact risk for the event. Action are taken to reduce the impact risk for the location of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Ward, Rahul Nahar, Hans-Juergen Eickelmann, Chester D. Karwatowski, Rajaram Krishnamurthy