Patents by Inventor Thomas C. Piper

Thomas C. Piper 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: 5305642
    Abstract: A high precision pressure transducer system for checking the reliability of a second pressure transducer system used to monitor the level of a fluid confined in a holding tank. Since the response of the pressure transducer is temperature sensitive, it is continually housed in an battery powered oven which is configured to provide a temperature stable environment at specified temperature for an extended period of time. Further, a high precision temperature stabilized oscillator and counter are coupled to a single board computer to accurately determine the pressure transducer oscillation frequency and convert it to an applied pressure. All of the components are powered by the batteries which during periods of availability of line power are charged by an on board battery charger. The pressure readings outputs are transmitted to a line printer and a vacuum florescent display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: Thomas C. Piper, John P. Morgan, Norman J. Marchant, Steven M. Bolton
  • Patent number: 5153502
    Abstract: An electrometer capable of measuring small currents without the use of a feedback resistor which tends to contribute a large noise factor to the measured data. The electrometer eliminates the feedback resistor through the use of a feedback capacitor located across the electrometer amplifier. The signal from the electrometer amplifier is transferred to a electrometer buffer amplifier which serves to transfer the signal to several receptors. If the electrometer amplifier is approaching saturation, the buffer amplifier signals a reset discriminator which energizes a coil whose magnetic field closes a magnetic relay switch which in turn resets or zeros the feedback capacitor. In turn, a reset complete discriminator restarts the measurement process when the electrometer amplifier approaches its initial condition. The buffer amplifier also transmits the voltage signal from the electrometer amplifier to a voltage-to-frequency converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: John P. Morgan, Thomas C. Piper
  • Patent number: 5057690
    Abstract: The invention comprises a hand-held wand including an l.e.d. display and a aI photomultiplier tube encased in lead or other suitable gamma shielding material, and an electronics and battery back-pack package connected to the wand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy
    Inventors: John P. Morgan, Thomas C. Piper
  • Patent number: 4361041
    Abstract: An arrangement for deleting liquid in a line, using non-intrusive ultrasonic techniques is disclosed. In this arrangement, four piezoelectric crystals are arranged in pairs about a 0.072 inch o.d. pipe. An ultrasonic tone burst is transmitted along the pipe, between crystal pairs, and the amplitude of the received tone burst indicates the absence/presence of liquid in the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1982
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventor: Thomas C. Piper
  • Patent number: H912
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting the presence of liquid in pipes or tubes using ultrasonic techniques A first piezoelectric crystal is coupled to the outside of the pipe or tube at the location where liquid in the tube is to be detected. A second piezoelectric crystal is coupled to the outside of the pipe or tube at the same location along the tube but circumferentially displaced from the first crystal by an angle around the pipe or tube of less than 180.degree.. Liquid in the pipe or tube is detected by measuring the attenuation of an ultrasonic signal sent by the first piezoelectric crystal and received by the second piezoelectric crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1991
    Assignee: The United States of Amercia as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventor: Thomas C. Piper