Patents by Inventor W. Howard

W. Howard 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: 10896340
    Abstract: In some examples, a computing device receives an image of an optically active article that includes a set of one or more symbols of a symbol set, wherein at least one symbol of the set of one or more symbols comprises a set of encoding regions that are embedded with the symbol. In response to receiving the image, the computing device may determine that a particular image region of the image represents the at least one symbol. For encoding regions within the at least one symbol, the computing device may determine, based at least in part on the determination that the particular image region of the image represents the at least one symbol, whether the one or more encoding regions are active or inactive. The computing device may perform, based at least in part on whether the one or more encoding regions are active or inactive, one or more operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Justin M. Johnson, James W. Howard, James B. Snyder, Thomas J. Dahlin
  • Patent number: 10881327
    Abstract: A device for recognizing activity of an object. The device has a housing configured to be attached to the object and a processing unit disposed in the housing has a processor and a movement sensor. The movement sensor measures a signal related to the movement of the object during a time window. The processor assigns at least one preliminary activity label to the time window based on at least one numerical descriptor computed from the signal. The processor then determines whether to perform additional analysis dependent upon at least the preliminary activity label. The processor then assigns a final activity label to the time window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Eric C. Lobner, James W. Howard, Richard J. Moore, Jennifer F. Schumacher, Brian J. Stankiewicz
  • Patent number: 10867224
    Abstract: In some examples, an article includes a substrate and a plurality of optical element sets embodied on the substrate, wherein each optical element set includes a plurality of optical elements, wherein each respective optical element represents an encoded value in a set of encoded values, wherein the set of encoded values are differentiable based on visual differentiability of the respective optical elements, wherein each respective optical element set represents at least a portion of a message or error correction data to decode the message if one or more of the plurality of optical element sets are visually occluded, and wherein the optical element sets for the message and error correction data are spatially configured at the physical surface in a matrix such that the message is decodable from the substrate without optical elements positioned within at least one complete edge of the matrix that is visually occluded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: James W. Howard, Justin M. Johnson, Deepti Pachauri, James B. Snyder, Guruprasad Somasundaram
  • Patent number: 10834539
    Abstract: A wireless device includes a user interface that generates a pairing signal in response to an indication from a user to pair the wireless device to at least one remote device and generates a first location request signal in response to a second indication from a user to locate the at least one remote device. A short-range wireless transceiver communicates RF signals to pair the wireless device to the at least one remote device and that transmits a first RF paging signal to the at least one remote device in response to the location request signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
    Inventors: John W. Howard, Richard Cutler, Robert M. Kennard
  • Publication number: 20200279116
    Abstract: In general, techniques are described for a personal protective equipment (PPE) management system (PPEMS) that uses images of optical patterns embodied on articles of personal protective equipment (PPEs) to identify safety conditions that correspond to usage of the PPEs. In one example, an article of personal protective equipment (PPE) includes a first optical pattern embodied on a surface of the article of PPE; a second optical pattern embodied on the surface of the article of PPE, wherein a spatial relation between the first optical pattern and the second optical pattern is indicative of an operational status of the article of PPE.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventors: Caroline M. Ylitalo, Kui Chen-Ho, Paul L. Acito, Tien Yi T.H. Whiting, James B. Snyder, Travis L. Potts, James W. Howard, James L.C. Werness, Jr., Suman K. Patel, Charles A. Shaklee, Katja Hansen, Glenn E. Casner, Kiran S. Kanukurthy, Steven T. Awiszus, Neeraj Sharma
  • Patent number: 10755546
    Abstract: Various embodiments include, for example, a wireless device that includes a short-range wireless transceiver to communicate RF signals including a beacon signal to identify the wireless device and to facilitate the association of the wireless device with the plurality of mobile communication devices in proximity to the wireless device. Each corresponding one of the plurality of mobile communication devices includes a mobile communication device processor that executes a student application, downloaded from an app store associated with the operating system of the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile communication devices that facilitates location of the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile communication devices. Attendance data is stored indicating that a student associated each corresponding one of the plurality of mobile communication devices is in a classroom associated with the wireless device. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
    Inventor: John W. Howard
  • Publication number: 20200252477
    Abstract: Techniques are described for managing preloading of data for client computing systems. A client computing system may provide one or more persistent data storage caches on local storage, such as to support a particular software program executing on the client computing system (e.g., a Web browser program, with the persistent data storage cache designed to store browser cookies and other data for later access by the Web browser program). Additional data may be stored in such a persistent data storage cache by preloading those data groups before they are requested by the client computing system (e.g., based on interactions of a user of the client computing system with an executing program on the client computing system). Particular data groups to preload may be selected in various manners, including to provide a specified type of minimum functionality to a client computing system based on the preloaded data groups.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Prashanth A. Acharya, Jonathan B. Corley, Craig W. Howard, Harvo R. Jones, John K. Loendorf, Colm MacCarthaigh, Bradley E. Marshall, Imran Patel, Lee B. Rosen, Ronald James Snyder, Jr., Ryan F. Watson
  • Publication number: 20200228930
    Abstract: A wireless device includes a user interface that generates a pairing signal in response to an indication from a user to pair the wireless device to at least one remote device and generates a first location request signal in response to a second indication from a user to locate the at least one remote device. A short-range wireless transceiver communicates RF signals to pair the wireless device to the at least one remote device and that transmits a first RF paging signal to the at least one remote device in response to the location request signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Applicant: THL Holding Company, LLC
    Inventors: John W. Howard, Richard Cutler, Robert M. Kennard
  • Patent number: 10709191
    Abstract: A protective helmet includes an outer shell. A bladder, coupled to the outer shell, provides shock absorption in at least one zone or protection. The bladder holds an absorption pack that contains a plurality of absorption particles and/or a fluid and has a relief valve for relieving pressure on the bladder when the pressure on the bladder is greater than a pressure threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
    Inventors: John W. Howard, Richard Cutler
  • Publication number: 20200219391
    Abstract: In some examples, a computing device includes one or more computer processors, a communication device, and a memory comprising instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to: receive, using the communication device and from a set of vehicles, different sets of infrastructure data for a particular infrastructure article that is proximate to each respective vehicle of the set of vehicles, wherein each respective vehicle in the set of vehicles comprises at least one infrastructure sensor that generates infrastructure data descriptive of infrastructure articles that are proximate to the respective vehicle; determine, based at least in part on the different sets of infrastructure data for the particular infrastructure article from each respective vehicle of the set of vehicles, a quality metric for the infrastructure article; and perform at least one operation based at least in part on the quality metric for the infrastructure article.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Smith, Justin M. Johnson, James B. Snyder, James W. Howard, Michael E. Hamerly, Onur Sinan Yordem
  • Publication number: 20200219274
    Abstract: Systems and methods for image recognition are provided. A style-transfer neural network is trained for each real image to obtain a trained style-transfer neural network. The texture or style features of the real images are transferred, via the trained style-transfer neural network, to a target image to generate styled images which are used for training an image-recognition machine learning N model (e.g., a neural network). In some cases, the real images are clustered and representative style images are selected from the clusters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Muhammad J. Afridi, Elisa J. Collins, Jonathan D. Gandrud, James W. Howard, Arash Sangari, James B. Snyder
  • Publication number: 20200220627
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for measuring free space properties of an antenna. The system includes an analyzer adapted to obtain from an antenna supported in the air by an aircraft, at least one property of the antenna, and to determine at least one property of the antenna. The system also includes a telemetry unit adapted to relay information from the analyzer to a ground station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventor: Michael W. Howard
  • Patent number: 10706311
    Abstract: The inventors of the present application developed novel retroreflective materials, and articles. One example of the present application is a retroreflective article, comprising a substrate and a machine-readable information disposed on the substrate, wherein the machine-readable information corresponds to a predetermined human-readable information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Justin M. Johnson, James W. Howard, Thomas J. Dahlin, James B. Snyder, James L. C. Werness, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20200211385
    Abstract: In some examples, a sign maintenance system includes a traffic management control system; a plurality of road side equipment; and an infrastructure management service provider; wherein a sign maintenance application determines information needed for sign maintenance planning and transmits a probe management request to the traffic management control system requesting the information; wherein the traffic management control system transmits a probe management message to road side equipment in response to the probe management request, receives one or more messages received from connected vehicles, the messages reflecting sensor information captured by sensors of the connected vehicles, and transmits, to the infrastructure management service provider, the information received from the vehicle messages, and wherein the sign maintenance application in the infrastructure maintenance service provider schedules sign maintenance based on the information received from the connected vehicles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Justin M. Johnson, Michael E. Hamerly, James B. Snyder, James W. Howard
  • Patent number: 10691908
    Abstract: An article includes a substrate with a physical surface, and a hierarchy of parent and child optical element sets embodied on the physical surface, such that a first encoded value represented by the parent optical element set is based at least in part on the visual appearance of a particular optical element in the child optical element set, and a second, different encoded value represented by the particular parent optical element is based at least in part on the visual appearance, and the second encoded value not being decodable from a distance greater than a threshold distance, the first encoded value being decodable from the distance greater than the threshold distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: James W. Howard, Justin M. Johnson, Travis L. Potts, Deepti Pachauri, James B. Snyder, Guruprasad Somasundaram
  • Patent number: 10681952
    Abstract: A protective headgear includes, for example, a headgear body that is wearable on a head of the wearer having a top slot in a top portion of the headgear body, wherein the top slot runs from a front portion of the headgear body that covers a forehead of the wearer to a back portion of the headgear body that covers a back of the head of the wearer. A top piece slidably attaches to the headgear body to cover the top slot, wherein the top piece diffuses energy from an impact to the protective headgear by sliding within the top slot. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
    Inventors: Robert M. Kennard, John W. Howard
  • Publication number: 20200160354
    Abstract: In some examples, an article may include a layer having a first surface marked with a first code. The article may include a second surface marked with a second code, the second code obscured by the layer to be unreadable through the layer. The first code and the second code may be associated in transaction data stored by a blockchain managed by a consensus network of nodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventors: James W. Howard, Siddhant Vashist, Carlo D. Supina, Karl Battle, Jonathan L. Diaz-Lopez, James B. Snyder, James L.C. Werness, Jr., Tien Yi T.H. Whiting
  • Patent number: 10646779
    Abstract: Joystick display data is generated for display on a touch screen of an electronic device. The joystick display data creates a visual representation of a virtual joystick when displayed on the touch screen. Touch data from the touch screen is processed to determine when the touch data indicates user interaction with the virtual joystick. When the touch data indicates user interaction with the virtual joystick, the joystick display data is adjusted to reflect the user interaction with the virtual joystick, based on the touch data, and joystick data is generated based on the user interaction with the virtual joystick. The display of at least one other element on the touch screen can be adjusted based on the joystick data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Inventors: John W. Howard, Brian G. Howard, Jeremy R. Howa
  • Patent number: 10645537
    Abstract: A wireless device includes a user interface that generates a pairing signal in response to an indication from a user to pair the wireless device to at least one remote device and generates a first location request signal in response to a second indication from a user to locate the at least one remote device. A short-range wireless transceiver communicates RF signals to pair the wireless device to the at least one remote device and that transmits a first RF paging signal to the at least one remote device in response to the location request signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
    Inventors: John W. Howard, Richard Cutler, Robert M. Kennard
  • Patent number: 10630397
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for measuring free space properties of an antenna. The method may include supporting the antenna above the ground by an aircraft and using an analyzer to determine at least one property of the antenna while the antenna is suspended in the air. In example embodiments, the method may further include flying drone around the antenna while the antenna is suspended and using the drone to take measurements of the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Keysight Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael W. Howard