Patents by Inventor Thomas D. Wason

Thomas D. Wason 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: 5751927
    Abstract: A process is used to produce the visual perception of spatial structure through manipulations of images displayed on an essentially flat screen. The same images are presented simultaneously to both eyes. The images are derived from small discrete shifts in the local apparent viewing angle; these shifts occur perceptually in direction and time, like saccades. The nature of the shifts, the interrelationship of the magnitude of the shifts and the duration between shifts are selected to convey motion parallax sensations to a viewer. The process can be applied to cathode-ray displays, motion pictures, and similar essentially flat displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 5020108
    Abstract: Various selected characteristics of digital (or analog) signals in an electrical circuit are converted into audible signals and transmitted as a sound pattern(s) through a speaker or headphones to a user. Such selected signal characteristics include pulse width, duty cycle, activity level (state changes), repetitive pattern comparison, and sampled signal level. Some representative types of differentiable noise or sounds include clicks, pitch, harmonics, noise bursts, ticks and tocks, and voice stopped consonants. By matching selected noise types with selected characteristics an audible display is generated which represents to the user various characteristics of the sampled signal either individually or collectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4787054
    Abstract: A transducer formed of one or more electrode arrays is positioned in confronting relation and parallel to the plane of rotation of one or more rotating members. A binary interdial compensation value is generated to correct for errors in the mechanical misalignments of certain ones of the rotating members which would normally lead to ambiguities in the dial readings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1988
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Co.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4754411
    Abstract: A transducer formed of one or more electrode arrays is positioned in confronting relation and parallel to the plane of rotation of one or more rotating members. A plurality of phase modulated, two-phase, square wave drive signals of the same amplitude and frequency are applied to each electrode. The signals are combined at a central node or electrode to form, as a result of the signal, the superposition of the algebraic sum of all drive signal pairs. Samples of the resultant signal taken at the same frequency and of a duration of less than one-half the duration of the drive signal period provide a multi-step, synchronously detected signal. The detected signal is a multi-step approximation to a sine wave, the phase angle thereof relative to a timing point being proportional to the angular position of the rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Co.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4710889
    Abstract: A transducer formed of one or more electrode arrays is positioned in confronting relation and parallel to the plane of rotation of one or more rotating members. A plurality of phase modulated, two-phase, square wave drive signals of the same amplitude and frequency are applied to each electrode. The signals are combined at a central node or electrode to form, as a result of the signal, the superposition of the algebraic sum of all drive signal pairs. Samples of the resultant signal taken at the same frequency and of a duration of less than one-half the duration of the drive signal period provide a multi-step, synchronously detected signal. The detected signal is a multi-step approximation to a sine wave, the phase angle thereof relative to a timing point being proportional to the angular position of the rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Co.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4704690
    Abstract: A transducer formed of one or more electrode arrays is positioned in confronting relation and parallel to the plane of rotation of one or more rotating members. A plurality of phase modulated, two-phase, square wave drive signals of the same amplitude and frequency are applied to each electrode. The signals are combined at a central node or electrode to form, as a result of the signal, the superposition of the algebraic sum of all drive signal pairs. Samples of the resultant signal taken at the same frequency and of a duration of less than one-half the duration of the drive signal period provide a multi-step, synchronously detected signal. The detected signal is a multi-step approximation to a sine wave, the phase angle thereof relative to a timing point being proportional to the angular position of the rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1987
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Co.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4606008
    Abstract: A transducer formed of one or more electrode arrays is positioned in confronting relation and parallel to the plane of rotation of one or more rotating members. A plurality of phase modulated, two-phase, square wave drive signals of the same amplitude and frequency are applied to each electrode. The signals are combined at a central node or electrode to form, as a result of the signal, the superposition of the algebraic sum of all drive signal pairs. Samples of the resultant signal taken at the same frequency and of a duration of less than one-half the duration of the drive signal period provide a multi-step, synchronously detected signal. The detected signal is a multi-step approximation to a sine wave, the phase angle thereof relative to a timing point being proportional to the angular position of the rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1986
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Company
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4556844
    Abstract: A pair of uniquely designed spring clips are snapped onto existing elements of a visual indicator such as the dial of a utility meter. An encoder having attachment elements with a spacing therebetween corresponding to the spacing between the clips is attached to the clips to quickly, easily, and precisely attach the encoder to the dial in properly aligned position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1985
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Company
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4477860
    Abstract: In a printed circuit, a plurality of drive electrodes are arranged in an array which is symmetrical about a center detector electrode. A plurality of conductive arms extend outwardly from the center electrode between adjacent electrodes in the array. One of the conductive arms extends to a contact point outside the array and provides electrical communication in the form of an electrical conductive path from the center electrode to the contact point. The remaining arms terminate substantially co-extensive with the radial extremity of the drive electrodes in the array and eliminate inadvertent imbalances in the output signal from the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Company
    Inventors: Thomas D. Wason, Charles J. Cain
  • Patent number: 4438434
    Abstract: A plurality of data communication devices of the type which operate to communicate with a data bus responsive to the receipt of a prescribed voltage are triggered automatically in a prescribed sequence without separate addressing from a central point. Each data communication device (which may be uni- or bi-directional) is connected to a common multi-wire electrical cable by means of a control station, which taps a power supply line from the main cable and directs the power to its corresponding data communication device. The data communication device is thus activated so as to permit it to transmit its data onto the data bus of the main cable. Upon completion, the data communication device ceases drawing power which indicates to the system that it has finished, whereupon the next-in-line control station initiates the process with its corresponding data communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1984
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Company
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4433332
    Abstract: An electric field is generated in the vicinity of a rotating member to be monitored. The electric field is so constructed as to include a resultant vector representing maximum field strength rotating in a path parallel to the circumferential path of the rotating member. A sensing or reading device is positioned at the rotational axis of the resultant vector for detecting variations in the field strength therein as the vector passes the rotating member. The sensing device creates a periodic electrical output whose relative phase is responsive to and indicative of the angular orientation of the rotating member. The electric field with the rotating resultant vector is formed by generating a polyphase voltage having a plurality of signals, each signal separated from the others by a prescribed phase angle, and wherein each signal is shaped as a square wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1984
    Assignee: Cain Encoder Co.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Wason
  • Patent number: 4034661
    Abstract: Apparatus for heating and dispensing skewer-supported food articles such as hotdogs and the like, preferably along with buns therefor including a housing means having feed and discharge openings for the skewer-supported food articles and the buns, magazine means for feeding each of the food articles, conveyor means defining an elongated path of travel and adapted to pick up skewer-supported food articles and buns from the feed openings, carrying them over the path of travel during which time they are heated, and dispensing them through the discharge openings. The skewer-supported food articles are rotated during their travel so that one end of the skewers are gripped for rotation as they are picked up. Stop means are provided on each magazine to enable feeding of the food articles either one at a time or continuously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1976
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1977
    Assignee: Michael Boosalis
    Inventors: Michael G. Boosalis, Thomas D. Wason