Patents by Inventor W. Christie

W. Christie 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: 10460853
    Abstract: An electrical cable is provided with a rounded insulated electrical conductor that transitions to a flattened section to fit into areas where the rounded portion does not fit. A round electrical conductor transitions to a flattened section for electrical conduction routing via the undercarriage of a vehicle, for routing under the carpeting of the passenger compartment, or other confined spaces. The electrical cable may illustratively be used in an electric car application where distribution of electrical current from the battery compartment to the motor requires additional wiring in the vehicle not found in combustion based engines. The reduced vertical profile of the flattened section provides for additional clearance between the vehicle undercarriage and the road, or between the undercarriage frame and the interior passenger compartment carpet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Flex-Cable
    Inventors: Tim Jones, Robert W. Christie, Jan Christiansen, Erwin Kroulik
  • Patent number: 10095906
    Abstract: An electronic sensor forms a grid to detect surface features of a proximally located object, such as a fingerprint. The grid includes a plurality of parallel drive lines connectable to a drive source and a plurality of parallel pickup lines oriented substantially perpendicular to the drive lines and overlapping the drive lines. The drive lines are separated from the pickup lines by an insulating dielectric layer. The overlaps where the drive lines and pickup lines cross define impedance-sensitive electrode pairs which act as pixels at which surface features of the proximally located object are detected. One or more conductive probes extend from one or more corresponding impedance-sensitive electrode pairs, through an overlay layer of insulating material, to the sensing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Fred G. Benkley, III, Ralph W. Bernstein, Nicolai W. Christie, Geir Ivar Bredholt, Øyvind Sløgedal
  • Patent number: 9881196
    Abstract: A fingerprint sensor and fingerprint sensor system especially for integration in a device having an overlay made of an insulating material comprises a plurality of sensing elements positioned on a first side of the overlay; a plurality of probes positioned in a predetermined pattern defining a fingerprint sensing area on a second side of the overlay, the plurality of probes extending from the first side of the overlay at least partially through the overlay; a plurality of conductor leads on the first side of the overlay interconnecting the plurality of probes with the plurality of sensing elements; a plurality of amplifiers connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the number of amplifiers being less than the number of sensing elements; and an activation circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the activation circuit being adapted to output at least one activation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Ralph W. Bernstein, Nicolai W. Christie, Geir Ivar Bredholt, Øyvind Sløgedal
  • Patent number: 9864896
    Abstract: A biometric sensor device for measuring structures and properties of an object of organic tissue, especially a fingerprint sensor, includes a plurality of linear sensing arrays adapted to generate a respective plurality of measurement data at a predetermined sampling rate for a predetermined time period, based upon a sliding movement of the organic tissue over the plurality of linear sensing arrays, and a processor adapted to generate a partial image of the organic tissue from each of the respective plurality of measurement data. The processor is further adapted to generate a complete image of the organic tissue by combining the partial image generated from each of the plurality of measurement data, wherein the complete image is larger than each of the partial images, and the predetermined time period is defined so as to measure a section of said organic tissue given by the distance between two linear arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventor: Nicolai W. Christie
  • Publication number: 20170345526
    Abstract: An electrical cable is provided with a rounded insulated electrical conductor that transitions to a flattened section to fit into areas where the rounded portion does not fit. A round electrical conductor transitions to a flattened section for electrical conduction routing via the undercarriage of a vehicle, for routing under the carpeting of the passenger compartment, or other confined spaces. The electrical cable may illustratively be used in an electric car application where distribution of electrical current from the battery compartment to the motor requires additional wiring in the vehicle not found in combustion based engines. The reduced vertical profile of the flattened section provides for additional clearance between the vehicle undercarriage and the road, or between the undercarriage frame and the interior passenger compartment carpet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: TIM JONES, ROBERT W. CHRISTIE, JAN CHRISTIANSEN, ERWIN KROULIK
  • Patent number: 9796115
    Abstract: Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter include extruder screws. Some embodiments of extruder screws include a screw body for placement in an extruder barrel, a plurality of ridges on the outer surface of the screw body that extend helically from an inlet end to an outlet end of the screw body, each adjacent pair of the ridges defining a channel, and one or more notches each extending across one of the plurality of ridges and between an adjacent pair of the channels. The notches can permit a material to flow from one channel into an adjacent channel, and the notches can define crosscuts that extend along the screw body and helically rotate in an opposite direction relative to the plurality of ridges. Furthermore, some extruder screws can further comprise one or more splitter rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Inventor: Andrew W. Christie
  • Publication number: 20170297227
    Abstract: Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter include extruder screws. Some embodiments of extruder screws include a screw body for placement in an extruder barrel, a plurality of ridges on the outer surface of the screw body that extend helically from an inlet end to an outlet end of the screw body, each adjacent pair of the ridges defining a channel, and one or more notches each extending across one of the plurality of ridges and between an adjacent pair of the channels. The notches can permit a material to flow from one channel into an adjacent channel, and the notches can define crosscuts that extend along the screw body and helically rotate in an opposite direction relative to the plurality of ridges. Furthermore, some extruder screws can further comprise one or more splitter rings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventor: Andrew W. Christie
  • Patent number: 9718216
    Abstract: Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter include extruder screws. Some embodiments of extruder screws include a screw body for placement in an extruder barrel, a plurality of ridges on the outer surface of the screw body that extend helically from an inlet end to an outlet end of the screw body, each adjacent pair of the ridges defining a channel, and one or more notches each extending across one of the plurality of ridges and between an adjacent pair of the channels. The notches can permit a material to flow from one channel into an adjacent channel, and the notches can define crosscuts that extend along the screw body and helically rotate in an opposite direction relative to the plurality of ridges. Furthermore, some extruder screws can further comprise one or more splitter rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventors: Andrew W Christie, Beth M. Warren
  • Patent number: 9625408
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for electrical detection of a finger print has a reduced number of interconnect signals between a sensor area and a substrate and an electronic circuit for excitation and detection of the finger print compared to a single-chip finger print sensor. The individual signals are connected internally at the sensor substrate in such a way that the response from the individual sensor elements can be separated from each other. Cross-talk is reduced by keeping the sensor outputs at a constant potential, thus eliminating the effect of capacitive coupling between different sensor outputs and also between sensor outputs and a ground or reference potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Nicolai W. Christie, Geir Ivar Bredholt
  • Publication number: 20170068836
    Abstract: A fingerprint sensor and fingerprint sensor system especially for integration in a device having an overlay made of an insulating material comprises a plurality of sensing elements positioned on a first side of the overlay; a plurality of probes positioned in a predetermined pattern defining a fingerprint sensing area on a second side of the overlay, the plurality of probes extending from the first side of the overlay at least partially through the overlay; a plurality of conductor leads on the first side of the overlay interconnecting the plurality of probes with the plurality of sensing elements; a plurality of amplifiers connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the number of amplifiers being less than the number of sensing elements; and an activation circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the activation circuit being adapted to output at least one activation signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Applicant: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Ralph W. BERNSTEIN, Nicolai W. CHRISTIE, Geir Ivar BREDHOLT, Øyvind SLØGEDAL
  • Patent number: 9501685
    Abstract: A fingerprint sensor and fingerprint sensor system especially for integration in a device having an overlay made of an insulating material comprises a plurality of sensing elements positioned on a first side of the overlay; a plurality of probes positioned in a predetermined pattern defining a fingerprint sensing area on a second side of the overlay, the plurality of probes extending from the first side of the overlay at least partially through the overlay; a plurality of conductor leads on the first side of the overlay interconnecting the plurality of probes with the plurality of sensing elements; a plurality of amplifiers connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the number of amplifiers being less than the number of sensing elements; and an activation circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the activation circuit being adapted to output at least one activation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Ralph W. Bernstein, Nicolai W. Christie, Geir Ivar Bredholt, Øyvind Sløgedal
  • Publication number: 20150347809
    Abstract: A biometric sensor device for measuring structures and properties of an object of organic tissue, especially a fingerprint sensor, includes a plurality of linear sensing arrays adapted to generate a respective plurality of measurement data at a predetermined sampling rate for a predetermined time period, based upon a sliding movement of the organic tissue over the plurality of linear sensing arrays, and a processor adapted to generate a partial image of the organic tissue from each of the respective plurality of measurement data. The processor is further adapted to generate a complete image of the organic tissue by combining the partial image generated from each of the plurality of measurement data, wherein the complete image is larger than each of the partial images, and the predetermined time period is defined so as to measure a section of said organic tissue given by the distance between two linear arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: IDEX ASA
    Inventor: NICOLAI W. CHRISTIE
  • Patent number: 9122901
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor for detection of properties and structures of an organic tissue and its surface, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Øyvind Sløgedal, Geir Ivar Bredholt, Nicolai W. Christie, Anders Nåtas, Ralph W. Bernstein
  • Publication number: 20150242672
    Abstract: An electronic sensor forms a grid to detect surface features of a proximally located object, such as a fingerprint. The grid includes a plurality of parallel drive lines connectable to a drive source and a plurality of parallel pickup lines oriented substantially perpendicular to the drive lines and overlapping the drive lines. The drive lines are separated from the pickup lines by an insulating dielectric layer. The overlaps where the drive lines and pickup lines cross define impedance-sensitive electrode pairs which act as pixels at which surface features of the proximally located object are detected. One or more conductive probes extend from one or more corresponding impedance-sensitive electrode pairs, through an overlay layer of insulating material, to the sensing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: FRED G. BENKLEY, III, RALPH W. BERNSTEIN, NICOLAI W. CHRISTIE, GEIR IVAR BREDHOLT, ØYVIND SLØGEDAL
  • Publication number: 20150136860
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor for detection of properties and structures of an organic tissue and its surface, e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Øyvind SLØGEDAL, Geir Ivar BREDHOLT, Nicolai W. CHRISTIE, Anders NATÅS, Ralph W. BERNSTEIN
  • Publication number: 20150115981
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for electrical detection of a finger print has a reduced number of interconnect signals between a sensor area and a substrate and an electronic circuit for excitation and detection of the finger print compared to a single—chip finger print sensor. The individual signals are connected internally at the sensor substrate in such a way that the response from the individual sensor elements can be separated from each other. Cross-talk is reduced by keeping the sensor outputs at a constant potential, thus eliminating the effect of capacitive coupling between different sensor outputs and also between sensor outputs and a ground or reference potential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: NICOLAI W. CHRISTIE, GEIR IVAR BREDHOLT
  • Publication number: 20140241595
    Abstract: A fingerprint sensor and fingerprint sensor system especially for integration in a device having an overlay made of an insulating material comprises a plurality of sensing elements positioned on a first side of the overlay; a plurality of probes positioned in a predetermined pattern defining a fingerprint sensing area on a second side of the overlay, the plurality of probes extending from the first side of the overlay at least partially through the overlay; a plurality of conductor leads on the first side of the overlay interconnecting the plurality of probes with the plurality of sensing elements; a plurality of amplifiers connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the number of amplifiers being less than the number of sensing elements; and an activation circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the activation circuit being adapted to output at least one activation signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Ralph W. BERNSTEIN, Nicolai W. CHRISTIE, Geir Ivar BREDHOLT, Øyvind SLØGEDAL
  • Publication number: 20130194071
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor for detection of properties and structures of an organic tissue and its surface, e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: Idex ASA
    Inventors: Øyvind Sløgedal, Geir Ivar Bredholt, Nicolai W. Christie, Anders Nåtas, Ralph W. Bernstein
  • Patent number: 8487624
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor for measuring structures in a surface, e.g. a fingerprint sensor comprising a chosen number of sensor elements at chosen positions for coupling to a finger surface having a size less or comparable to the size of the structures in the finger surface, and a processing unit including interrogation electrodes coupled to said sensor elements for providing impedance measurements at said finger surface, the processing unit being mounted on one side of a substrate and the sensor elements being positioned on the opposite side of said substrate, the substrate including through going first conducting leads between said sensor elements and said interrogation electrodes. The substrate is made from a semiconductor material such as silicon and said first conducting leads are constituted by through going substrate sections of a chosen size surrounded by an insulating dielectric separating them from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: IDEX ASA
    Inventors: Geir Ivar Bredholt, Ralph W. Bernstein, Nicolai W. Christie, Anders Natas, Oyvind Slogedal
  • Patent number: 8195285
    Abstract: A method and sensor assembly for determining the condition of a structure, especially for confirming if a measured fingerprint is on a live finger, measures characteristics of close to the structure surface. The sensor includes a first pair of current supply electrodes coupled to a current source, providing an electrical current to the skin, at least two pickup electrodes at chosen and different positions relative to the current supply electrodes, at least a first of the pickup electrodes being coupled to an instrument for measuring the voltage between the first pickup electrode and at least one of the pickup or current supply electrodes, storage for a predetermined set of values characterizing a certain condition of the surface, and means for comparing the characteristics from each pickup electrode with the measurements of the other pickup electrodes and with the predetermined set of characteristics for determining the surface condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Idex ASA
    Inventors: Orjan G. Martinsen, Jon Nysaether, Knut Riisnaes, Ingvild Juvkam Dyve, legal representative, Geir Mostad, Rune Pedersen, Nicolai W. Christie, Sigmund Clausen