Patents by Inventor Thomas Anthony Tougas

Thomas Anthony Tougas 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: 8160832
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for identifying a defect and/or an operating characteristic of a system being monitored (and/or one or more of the system's components) are described. In an embodiment, orthogonally related data monitored by two or more detectors may be fused to determine whether a component of a system is defective and/or malfunctioning. Additionally or alternatively, data from a first detector may be determined to be accurate using non-orthogonally related data outputted by a second detector. Both types of determinations may be made with minimal or no false indications, which lowers the cost of operating the system being monitored. Embodiments of the invention may also be configured to forecast and/or prevent accidents and/or damage to the system being monitored by predicting whether a defect and/or a malfunction will occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Progress Rail Services Corp
    Inventors: Huageng Luo, Michael Richard Durling, Andrew Lawrence Ruggiero, Zongqi Sun, Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr., Robert William Tait, Benjamin Paul Church, Thomas Anthony Tougas
  • Publication number: 20100141441
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for identifying a defect and/or an operating characteristic of a system being monitored (and/or one or more of the system's components) are described. In an embodiment, orthogonally related data monitored by two or more detectors may be fused to determine whether a component of a system is defective and/or malfunctioning. Additionally or alternatively, data from a first detector may be determined to be accurate using non-orthogonally related data outputted by a second detector. Both types of determinations may be made with minimal or no false indications, which lowers the cost of operating the system being monitored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: Huageng LUO, Michael Richard DURLING, Andrew Lawrence RUGGIERO, Zongqi SUN, Harry Kirk MATHEWS, JR., Robert William TAIT, Benjamin Paul CHURCH, Thomas Anthony TOUGAS
  • Patent number: 7693673
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for identifying a defect and/or an operating characteristic of a system being monitored (and/or one or more of the system's components) are described. In an embodiment, orthogonally related data monitored by two or more detectors may be fused to determine whether a component of a system is defective and/or malfunctioning. Additionally or alternatively, data from a first detector may be determined to be accurate using non-orthogonally related data outputted by a second detector. Both types of determinations may be made with minimal or no false indications, which lowers the cost of operating the system being monitored. Embodiments of the invention may also be configured to forecast and/or prevent accidents and/or damage to the system being monitored by predicting whether a defect and/or a malfunction will occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Huageng Luo, Michael Richard Durling, Andrew Lawrence Ruggiero, Zongqi Sun, Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr., Robert William Tait, Benjamin Paul Church, Thomas Anthony Tougas
  • Publication number: 20080306705
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods for identifying a defect and/or an operating characteristic of a system being monitored (and/or one or more of the system's components) are described. In an embodiment, orthogonally related data monitored by two or more detectors may be fused to determine whether a component of a system is defective and/or malfunctioning. Additionally or alternatively, data from a first detector may be determined to be accurate using non-orthogonally related data outputted by a second detector. Both types of determinations may be made with minimal or no false indications, which lowers the cost of operating the system being monitored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Inventors: Huageng Luo, Michael Richard Durling, Andrew Lawrence Ruggiero, Zongqi Sun, Harry Kirk Mathews, JR., Robert William Tait, Benjamin Paul Church, Thomas Anthony Tougas