Patents by Inventor Thomas Nicol

Thomas Nicol 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: 10423636
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for identifying related collections of items within an item universe. Related collections of items can be identified based upon title similarity or a degree of overlap between collections of items. Additionally, relationships between collections of items can be generated if the collections have identical or nearly identical collection titles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Duc Tung Nguyen, Adam Blair Kelly, Timothy Peter Munro, Thomas Nicol, Andrew Norimasa Nishigaya, Noel O'Brien
  • Publication number: 20170371935
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for identifying related collections of items within an item universe. Related collections of items can be identified based upon title similarity or a degree of overlap between collections of items. Additionally, relationships between collections of items can be generated if the collections have identical or nearly identical collection titles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Duc Tung Nguyen, Adam Blair Kelly, Timothy Peter Munro, Thomas Nicol, Andrew Norimasa Nishigaya, Noel O'Brien
  • Patent number: 7992133
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for debugging heterogeneous applications in a distributed environment. In one embodiment, an architecture for debugging heterogeneous applications in a distributed environment is configured to enable both location transparency and dynamic exposure of service state. Regardless of where the physical application state resides, the architecture describes or otherwise provides a mechanism that allows seamless debugging and troubleshooting of distributed applications. The location of the state is transparent to the debugger and the application being debugged. In addition, the architecture enables an individual service to expose its state dynamically at run-time. It is possible for the service to expose its state in a self-describing fashion, allowing service state to be exposed in the architecture regardless of the service environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Progress Software Corporation
    Inventors: Michael E. Theroux, William J. Collins, Gavin Thomas Nicol, Charles A. Nuzzolo, Jr., Donald E. Stinchfield, William M. Cullen
  • Patent number: 4297631
    Abstract: A battery charging system includes an alternator with a rectifier connecting the alternator output to the battery. A voltage rectifier controls the current in the alternator field winding in accordance with the battery voltage. A transistor switch in the voltage regulator controls the bias current to the output stage of the regulator and is in turn controlled by a differential amplifier through a diode pump. The differential amplifier is connected to detect the presence of an a.c. on one phase of the alternator and causes the transistor to be switched off, disabling the output stage of the regulator, whenever no a.c. signal is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1981
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Limited
    Inventors: Thomas Nicol, David Wiley, Maurice J. Allport
  • Patent number: 4220908
    Abstract: An automotive battery charging system includes a novel temperature compensation arrangement. The conventional input potential divider has a further resistor and a temperature compensation output transistor in series across one leg of the divider. The voltage at the base of the temperature compensation output transistor is controlled by a temperature sensing circuit so as to fall linearly with rising temperature. Resistors are adjusted in manufacture to give the required level and slope for the temperature compensation characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1980
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Limited
    Inventor: Thomas Nicol
  • Patent number: 4107658
    Abstract: A liquid level detector circuit includes a capacitive probe, a reference capacitor and two further capacitors connected as a capacitor bridge, with one terminal of each of the probe and the reference capacitor earthed and a common terminal of the further capacitors providing an output to a warning circuit. An oscillator is provided by two transistors connected so as alternately to interconnect the other terminals of each of the probe and the reference capacitor and to connect these to two different fixed potentials. The further capacitors charge slowly but discharge rapidly so that when there is any imbalance there is an excursion of the mean voltage at the common terminal during discharge which, depending on the polarity of the excursion can trigger the warning circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1976
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1978
    Assignee: Lucas Electrical Limited
    Inventors: William Frank Hill, Thomas Nicol