Patents by Inventor Walter Vincent Dixon

Walter Vincent Dixon 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: 6523028
    Abstract: A method and system for accessing information or data from distributed databases is disclosed. Generally, the method includes the steps of receiving an unstructured query from a user, generalizing the query to expand the query, receiving from the user selected terms of the expanded query, searching a directory for database tables and/or attributes matching the selected terms, and generating a pictorial query using database tables suggested as relevant by the search. Thereafter, an SQL query may be generated to retrieve the relevant data from the actual distributed databases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Lockhead Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Virginia Ann DiDomizio, Walter Vincent Dixon, III, Scott D. Epter, Louis John Hoebel, Osman Rifki Oksoy, Jonathan Peter Stillman, Jennifer M. Corman
  • Publication number: 20030030004
    Abstract: An imaging system shares control of host memory between a detector framing node and a host processor. The detector framing node is programmable to control generation and reception of image data. Image data is acquired and communicated to host memory independently from control by a host operating system. The detector framing node controls events according to an event instruction sequence and communicates received image data to the host memory through a computer communication bus. Image data is received by the detector framing node from a flat panel detector. Host memory has a first section managed by the host operating system and a second section not managed by the host operating system. Image data is communicated from the detector framing node into the second section of host memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Walter Vincent Dixon, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Edward James Nieters
  • Publication number: 20030031353
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a programmable detector framing node controlling generation of radiation and controlling radioscopic image detection. Radioscopic image data is acquired by the detector framing node and communicated to a host memory of a host computer independently of a host computer operating system. Image data is received from a flat panel detector and is selectively reordered according to parameters of the selected flat panel detector before communication to the host memory. The detector framing node includes an image detection interface to receive the image data and a control unit to select a predetermined portion of the image data for storage into a detector memory unit before communication to the host memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard Dudley Baertsch, Walter Vincent Dixon, Daniel Arthur Staver, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki
  • Publication number: 20030020964
    Abstract: A detector framing node controls generation of radiation and radioscopic image detection. Radioscopic image data is acquired and communicated independently of a host computer operating system. The detector framing node controls events in real time according to an event instruction sequence and receives the image data by way of an image detection interface into a memory unit. The image data is output from the memory unit to host memory of the host computer through a computer communication interface and under the control of a control unit. The detector framing node selects a flat panel detector from a plurality of different flat panel detectors and the image data is selectively reordered according to parameters of the selected flat panel detector before communication to host memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard Dudley Baertsch, Walter Vincent Dixon, Daniel Arthur Staver, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki
  • Publication number: 20030021455
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a programmable detector framing node controlling generation of radiation and controlling radioscopic image detection. Radioscopic image data is acquired and communicated independently of a host computer operating system. The detector framing node controls events in real time according to an event instruction sequence and communicates received radioscopic image data to host memory through a computer communication bus. Image data is received from a selected flat panel detector of a plurality of different flat panel detectors. The image data is selectively reordered according to parameters of the selected flat panel detector before communication to host memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Walter Vincent Dixon, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki
  • Patent number: 6504895
    Abstract: An image detector monitoring system includes a detector framing node and a host computer having at least one host processor and a host memory. The detector framing node acquires image data, buffers the acquired image data, and outputs the image data to the host memory according to a predetermined communication protocol. The host computer executes operations according to a non-real time operating system, and a host memory stores the image data received from the detector framing node. The detector framing node is controlled by executing a plurality of event instructions, which are stored in an event queue. Some event instructions control a radiation generation system, while others control communication with an image detection system or control the detector framing node itself. Each event instruction executed by the detector framing node includes a bit flag indicating whether the event is to be traced by the detector framing node. Traced events are stored as entries in a response log in host memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Walter Vincent Dixon, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki, Edward James Nieters
  • Publication number: 20030002725
    Abstract: A method and system of processing raw images for display. First, a processor corrects the raw images with respect to an offset image to generate an offset corrected image. Next, a level of the offset corrected image is adjusted with respect to a gain adjust by employing saturation arithmetic to clip the level of the offset corrected image to generate a gain corrected image. Next, a window of the gain corrected image is adjusted with respect to a reference window to generate an output image. Next, the output image is packed into a register for display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Walter Vincent Dixon, David Allen Langan
  • Publication number: 20020181654
    Abstract: A real time data acquisition system includes a personal computer and a detector framing node cooperating to control generation of radiation and control radiographic detection. Data is acquired by a detector framing node and communicated independently of a non-real time operating system running on a host computer. The detector framing node controls events in real time according to an event instruction sequence and communicates received radioscopic data to a host memory. Data is received from a selected flat panel detector of a plurality of different flat panel detectors. The data is received as single frames or continuous frames before communication to the host memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard Dudley Baertsch, Walter Vincent Dixon, Daniel Arthur Staver, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki, John Eric Tkaczyk
  • Publication number: 20020176535
    Abstract: An image detector monitoring system includes a detector framing node and a host computer having at least one host processor and a host memory. The detector framing node acquires image data, buffers the acquired image data, and outputs the image data to the host memory according to a predetermined communication protocol. The host computer executes operations according to a non-real time operating system, and a host memory stores the image data received from the detector framing node. The detector framing node is controlled by executing a plurality of event instructions, which are stored in an event queue. Some event instructions control a radiation generation system, while others control communication with an image detection system or control the detector framing node itself. Each event instruction executed by the detector framing node includes a bit flag indicating whether the event is to be traced by the detector framing node. Traced events are stored as entries in a response log in host memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: November 28, 2002
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Walter Vincent Dixon, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki, Edward James Nieters
  • Patent number: 6470071
    Abstract: A real time data acquisition system includes a personal computer and a detector framing node cooperating to control generation of radiation and control radiographic detection. Data is acquired by a detector framing node and communicated independently of a non-real time operating system running on a host computer. The detector framing node controls events in real time according to an event instruction sequence and communicates received radioscopic data to a host memory. Data is received from a selected flat panel detector of a plurality of different flat panel detectors. The data is received as single frames or continuous frames before communication to the host memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard Dudley Baertsch, Walter Vincent Dixon, Daniel Arthur Staver, Nick Andrew Van Stralen, Robert Gideon Wodnicki, John Eric Tkaczyk
  • Patent number: 6424358
    Abstract: A method and system for im porting database information or data is disclosed. Generally, the method includes the steps of receiving first information relating to the first database, extracting from the first database second information, processing the second information to provide at least a first expanded name relating to a first item of the second information, and storing the first expanded name, for example in a database structure, such as a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (“LDAP”) directory. Thereafter, the method may include the step of processing a query directed to obtaining information from distributed database, including the first database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Virginia Ann DiDomizio, Walter Vincent Dixon, III, Osman Rifki Oksoy