Patents by Inventor Whitman Fulton

Whitman Fulton 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).

  • Publication number: 20230288451
    Abstract: A meter collar is an adapter that may be inserted between a meter socket box and the meter. The meter collar may include a housing that is provided with first contacts to facilitate a mechanical and electrical connection with utility-side contacts of the meter socket box and second contacts to facilitate a mechanical and electrical connection with customer-side contacts of the meter socket box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventors: Sebastian HASSEL, John SCHROEDER, Jon KNAUER, Katie BENTLEY, Whitman FULTON
  • Patent number: 11693031
    Abstract: A meter collar is an adapter that may be inserted between a meter socket box and the meter. The meter collar may include a housing that is provided with first contacts to facilitate a mechanical and electrical connection with utility-side contacts of the meter socket box and second contacts to facilitate a mechanical and electrical connection with customer-side contacts of the meter socket box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: INFINITE INVENTION INC.
    Inventors: Sebastian Hassell, John Schroeder, Jon Knauer, Katie Bentley, Whitman Fulton
  • Publication number: 20230148230
    Abstract: A meter collar adapter including a housing, a plurality of contacts to electrically connect the meter collar adapter to a meter socket and to a utility meter, a load management device within the housing to manage electrical load to an interface circuit with external, co-located electric equipment, and an overcurrent protection device electrically connected in series with an interface circuit. The load management device includes the interface circuit to electrically connect to either the line side or load side of an electrical service via the utility meter an external, co-located electric equipment. An interface contact to electrically connect the co-located electric equipment to the interface circuit, an adjustable electrical switch electrically configured to control electric load, and an energy management unit to control, monitor, and/or report a position of the adjustable electrical switch to manage the electrical loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: John Schroeder, Benjamin Lewis, Jon Knauer, Khanti Munro, Akash Dani, Whitman Fulton
  • Publication number: 20230107831
    Abstract: A meter collar adapter may include an upper assembly having a housing to protect inner electrical components from adverse environmental conditions and a lower assembly to house electrical components, one or more conductors that pass through at least the lower assembly. Each conductor includes a first end to electrically interface with a meter socket and a second end to electrically interface with an electrical meter. The meter collar adapter further includes thermally conductive heat sinks to transfer heat from the lower assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Katie BENTLEY, John SCHROEDER, Jonathan KNAUER, Benjamin LEWIS, Whitman FULTON
  • Publication number: 20230028679
    Abstract: A meter collar adapter including a housing, a plurality of contacts to electrically connect the meter collar adapter to a meter socket and to a utility meter, and a load management device within the housing to manage electrical load to an interface circuit with external, co-located electric equipment. The load management device includes an interface circuit to electrically connect to either the line side or load side of an electrical service via the utility meter an external, co-located electric equipment. An interface contact to electrically connect the co-located electric equipment to the interface circuit, an overcurrent protection device electrically connected in series with the interface circuit, an adjustable electrical switch electrically configured to control electric load, and an energy management unit to control, monitor, and/or report a position of the adjustable electrical switch to manage the electrical loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, John Schroeder, Benjamin Lewis, Jon Knauer, Khanti Munro, Akash Dani
  • Publication number: 20220155350
    Abstract: A meter collar is an adapter that may be inserted between a meter socket box and the meter. The meter collar may include a housing that is provided with first contacts to facilitate a mechanical and electrical connection with utility-side contacts of the meter socket box and second contacts to facilitate a mechanical and electrical connection with customer-side contacts of the meter socket box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Sebastian Hassell, John Schroeder, Jon Knauer, Katie Bentley, Whitman Fulton
  • Publication number: 20210305810
    Abstract: On a circuit between the electric grid and the site-side (below-meter) electric network an interconnection point for weatherized energy storage, combined with a disconnect switch on the grid to site circuit that, when opened, isolates the site and the energy storage below the circuit from the grid, a computing system containing metering, communications, and processing, for the grid to site circuit, and a data connection to a connected energy storage system to manage its operation in response to signals from the computing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventor: Whitman Fulton
  • Publication number: 20210276442
    Abstract: An interface to an electric vehicle or comparable energy storage system, paired with a utility electric power meter or meter collar adaptor with embedded control and whole-site disconnect switch that, when operated together, enables the user to: isolate the site from the grid during a power outage and use the vehicle or energy storage system to provide power to the site; manually reclose the disconnect switch to the grid only when safe operating conditions are met; allow a remote grid-operator to manage charging of the vehicle; and prevent the utility service from being overloaded when proving power to the residence and the meter adaptor loads simultaneously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: John Schroeder, Whitman Fulton
  • Patent number: 10830802
    Abstract: A watt-hour meter may include one or more electrical junction points that interface a Distributed Energy Resource to an energy-consuming structure and to the electrical distribution grid, while maintaining compliance with interconnection requirements for safety, power quality and automatic disconnect capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Infinite Invention Inc.
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, Adam Koeppel, Jon Knauer, Ben Lewis, Josh Konstantinos, John Schroeder, Al Iaconangelo
  • Patent number: 10431986
    Abstract: A monitoring system includes a centralized generation and control system of an electrical grid operator. A distributed generator integration device connects a distributed generator to the electrical grid, and automatically initiates machine-to-machine communications with the distributed generator to: gather specification and performance data, control the distributed generator, and automatically add and configure the distributed generator to the centralized generation control of the monitoring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: INFINITE INVENTION INC.
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, Adam Koeppel
  • Publication number: 20170212160
    Abstract: A watt-hour meter may include one or more electrical junction points that interface a Distributed Energy Resource to an energy-consuming structure and to the electrical distribution grid, while maintaining compliance with interconnection requirements for safety, power quality and automatic disconnect capabilities
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, Adam Koeppel, Jon Knauer, Ben Lewis, Josh Konstantinos, John Schroeder, Al Iaconangelo
  • Publication number: 20170141575
    Abstract: A monitoring system includes a centralized generation and control system of an electrical grid operator. A distributed generator integration device connects a distributed generator to the electrical grid, and automatically initiates machine-to-machine communications with the distributed generator to: gather specification and performance data, control the distributed generator, and automatically add and configure the distributed generator to the centralized generation control of the monitoring system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, Adam Koeppel
  • Patent number: 9318861
    Abstract: An electric power meter collar with external electrical connection points enables expedited connection of distributed energy resources to the customer premises or the electric power grid. The meter collar is installed between an electric meter and the meter socket box that the meter would otherwise plug into at the site of a customer who receives two-phase service from an electrical utility company, and has electrical connection points that are electrically upstream and downstream of the meter. It enables “plug and play” connection of on-site power generation resources since the collar includes both a receptacle for a “plug” from on site power generation and overcurrent protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: ConnectDER LLC
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, Adam Koeppel
  • Publication number: 20140218010
    Abstract: An electric power meter collar with external electrical connection points enables expedited connection of distributed energy resources to the customer premises or the electric power grid. The meter collar is installed between an electric meter and the meter socket box that the meter would otherwise plug into at the site of a customer who receives two-phase service from an electrical utility company, and has electrical connection points that are electrically upstream and downstream of the meter. It enables “plug and play” connection of on-site power generation resources since the collar includes both a receptacle for a “plug” from on site power generation and overcurrent protection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: INFINITE INVENTION LLC
    Inventors: Whitman FULTON, Adam KOEPPEL
  • Publication number: 20130106397
    Abstract: An electric power meter collar with external sockets enables expedited connection of distributed energy resources to the customer premises or the electric power grid. The meter collar is installed between an electric meter and the meter socket box that the meter would otherwise plug into at the site of a customer who receives two-phase service from an electrical utility company, and has sockets that are electrically upstream and downstream of the meter. It enables “plug and play” connection of on-site power generation resources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Whitman Fulton, Adam Koeppel