Patents by Inventor Thomas Lawrence HARVILL

Thomas Lawrence HARVILL 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: 10060725
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed to characterize the wear and measure temperature of a surface of a lining of a metallurgical container. Wear characterization is accomplished by a scanning device by making thickness measurements of the lining and surface temperature measurements are made using a two-color pyrometer integrated with the scanning device where surface temperature is measured by correlating a ratio of two light intensities to the surface temperature. A controller controls operation of the scanning device and the two-color pyrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: PROCESS METRIX
    Inventors: Michel Pierre Bonin, Thomas Lawrence Harvill, Alan Stanley Alsing
  • Publication number: 20180143004
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed to characterize the wear and measure temperature of a surface of a lining of a metallurgical container. Wear characterization is accomplished by a scanning device by making thickness measurements of the lining and surface temperature measurements are made using a two-color pyrometer integrated with the scanning device where surface temperature is measured by correlating a ratio of two light intensities to the surface temperature. A controller controls operation of the scanning device and the two-color pyrometer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Applicant: Process Metrix
    Inventors: Michel Pierre Bonin, Thomas Lawrence Harvill, Alan Stanley Alsing
  • Patent number: 9435889
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for the characterization of the integrity and profile measurement of a caster mold by use of a scanning device, a positioning fixture, and a data reduction device connected to the scanning device, the data reduction device being configured to characterize the integrity and to measure the profile of the caster mold by comparing scanned distances to reference distance values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: PROCESS METRIX
    Inventors: Michel Pierre Bonin, Thomas Lawrence Harvill
  • Patent number: 9279773
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed to detect and measure cracks in the lining of a container. A typical apparatus includes a scanning device to acquire a cloud of data points by measuring distances from the scanning device to a plurality of points on the surface of lining material and a controller to fit a polygonal mesh and a minimum surface through the cloud of data points, a crack being detected by a portion of the polygonal mesh containing a connected group of polygons that extends past the minimum surface beyond a threshold distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: PROCESS METRIX
    Inventor: Thomas Lawrence Harvill
  • Publication number: 20160018341
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed to detect and measure cracks in the lining of a container. A typical apparatus includes a scanning device to acquire a cloud of data points by measuring distances from the scanning device to a plurality of points on the surface of lining material and a controller to fit a polygonal mesh and a minimum surface through the cloud of data points, a crack being detected by a portion of the polygonal mesh containing a connected group of polygons that extends past the minimum surface beyond a threshold distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventor: Thomas Lawrence HARVILL
  • Publication number: 20150168552
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for the characterization of the integrity and profile measurement of a caster mold by use of a scanning device, a positioning fixture, and a data reduction device connected to the scanning device, the data reduction device being configured to characterize the integrity and to measure the profile of the caster mold by comparing scanned distances to reference distance values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: Process Metrix
    Inventors: Michel Pierre Bonin, Thomas Lawrence Harvill
  • Patent number: 8958058
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods to monitor the integrity of a container protected by a refractory material are disclosed having a first radiation detector to measure an external surface temperature of the container, a first radiation source to measure a thickness of the refractory material, and a central controller configured to display to a user the measurement of the external surface temperature of the container and the measurement of the thickness of the refractory material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Process Metrix
    Inventors: Michel Pierre Bonin, Thomas Lawrence Harvill, Jared Hubert Hoog
  • Publication number: 20130120738
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods to monitor the integrity of a container protected by a refractory material are disclosed having a first radiation detector to measure an external surface temperature of the container, a first radiation source to measure a thickness of the refractory material, and a central controller configured to display to a user the measurement of the external surface temperature of the container and the measurement of the thickness of the refractory material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: PROCESS METRIX
    Inventors: Michel Pierre BONIN, Thomas Lawrence HARVILL, Jared Hubert HOOG