Patents by Inventor Thomas Michael Garland

Thomas Michael Garland 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).

  • Manufacturing system having sub-dimensional processing modules
    Patent number: 10401845
    Abstract: A system is provided for manufacturing a component within a factory. The system may have an autonomous vehicle configured to transport the component to an area within an open space of the factory and to secure the component at the area during processing of a designated volume of the component. The system may also have a plurality of processing modules each configured to process a portion of the component less than a whole of the designated volume, and a controller in communication with the autonomous vehicle and the plurality of processing modules. The controller may be configured to coordinate operations of the plurality of processing modules according to a programmed process plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Marion Billingsley Grant, Jr., Michael Patrick Vogler, Thomas Michael Garland
  • MANUFACTURING SYSTEM HAVING SUB-DIMENSIONAL PROCESSING MODULES
    Publication number: 20170192415
    Abstract: A system is provided for manufacturing a component within a factory. The system may have an autonomous vehicle configured to transport the component to an area within an open space of the factory and to secure the component at the area during processing of a designated volume of the component. The system may also have a plurality of processing modules each configured to process a portion of the component less than a whole of the designated volume, and a controller in communication with the autonomous vehicle and the plurality of processing modules. The controller may be configured to coordinate operations of the plurality of processing modules according to a programmed process plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Marion Billingsley Grant, JR., Michael Patrick Vogler, Thomas Michael Garland
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MACHINE TOOL HEALTH EARLY WARNING MONITORING
    Publication number: 20170131710
    Abstract: A system for monitoring machine tool health is disclosed. The system includes a machine tool and a central data server configured to receive, process, and send data. A plurality of sensors are associated with the machine tool, and the sensors are configured to measure operating parameters of the machine tool that relate to potential failure of a machine tool component. The sensors also are configured to send data relative to the measured operating parameters to the central data server. A system for enterprise resource planning is configured to receive data from the central data server, analyze the received data to determine whether preventive maintenance is indicated for the machine tool, and schedule preventive maintenance for the machine tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Yujie Chen, George Koruthu Mathai, Thomas Michael Garland, Gerald Thomas Otten, Cary John Lyons, Thimmaiah Kumbera Ganapathi