Patents by Inventor William A. Blair

William A. Blair 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: 11962140
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods to coordinate protective elements in an electric power system (EPS). In one embodiment, a system may include a Time vs Normalized Impedance Length subsystem to determine a first plurality of times of operation of a first protective element for a plurality of fault locations in the EPS and to determine a second plurality of times of operation of a second protective element for the plurality of fault locations in the EPS. A protective action subsystem may coordinate a response of the first protective element and the second protective element. The protective action subsystem may establish a pickup and a protective action for the second protective element. Upon detection of a fault in the EPS, one of the first protective action and the second protective action may be implemented based on one of the first pickup and the second pickup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Jai Ganesh Subbarayan, Jeremy William Blair, Brett Mitchell Cockerham
  • Publication number: 20240081941
    Abstract: Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive, non-radioactive, and low cost technology for diagnosis and identification of implantable medical devices in real time. Developing new ultrasound activated coatings is important to broaden the utility of in vivo marking by ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound responsive macro-phase segregated micro-composite thin films were developed to be coated on medical devices composed of multiple materials and with multiple shapes and varying surface area. The macro-phase segregated films having silica micro-shells in polycyanoacrylate produces strong color Doppler signals with the use of a standard clinical ultrasound transducer. Electron microscopy showed a macro-phase separation during slow curing of the cyanoacrylate adhesive, as air-filled silica micro-shells were driven to the surface of the film. The air sealed in the hollow space of the silica shells acted as an ultrasound contrast agent and echo decorrelation of air exposed to ultrasound waves produces color Doppler signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Jian Yang, Alexander Liberman, James Wang, Christopher Barback, Natalie Mendez, Erin Ward, Sarah Blair, Andrew C. Kummel, Tsai-Wen Sung, William C. Trogler
  • Patent number: 11903767
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention relate to composite markers that employ a gel carrier to carry two or more contrast materials, each detectable by a detection modality different than one another. Kits and methods for forming these composite markers and methods of marking a target site in a mammalian subject employing these composite markers are also discussed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: VIEW POINT MEDICAL, INC.
    Inventors: William Blair, Mike Jones, John Merritt
  • Publication number: 20240045679
    Abstract: Herein is innovative control flow integrity (CFI) based on code generation techniques that instrument data protection for access control of subroutines invoked across module boundaries. This approach is counterintuitive because, even though code is stored separately from data, access control to the data is used to provide access control to the code. In an embodiment, an instrumentation computer generates, at the beginning of a subroutine that is implemented in machine instructions, a prologue that contains: a first instruction of the subroutine that indicates that the first instruction is a target of a control flow branch and a second instruction of the subroutine that verifies that a memory address is accessible. Generated in the machine instructions are instruction(s) that, when executed by a processor, cause the memory address to have limited accessibility. Some code generation may be performed at the start of runtime by a loader or a dynamic linker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Matthias Neugschwandtner, William Blair
  • Patent number: 11882992
    Abstract: Composite markers employ a gel carrier to carry at least one radiopaque element (e.g., wire or band or clip) and one or more other contrast materials, each detectable by a detection modality different than one another. Methods for forming these composite markers and methods of marking a target site in a mammalian subject employing these composite markers are also discussed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: VIEW POINT MEDICAL, INC.
    Inventors: William Blair, Mike Jones, John Merritt
  • Patent number: 11822673
    Abstract: Program analysis is provided. An intermediate representation of a program is generated. A set of structured inputs is provided to the program. The set of structured inputs are derived from the intermediate representation. The program is executed using the set of structured inputs. A set of action steps is performed in response to observing a violation of a policy during execution of the program using the structured inputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frederico Araujo, William Blair, Sanjeev Das, Jiyong Jang
  • Patent number: 11808824
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for determining the number of open phases and which particular phases may be open in capacitor bank system. Detecting open phases may include determining a neutral current of the capacitor bank system. According to one detection method, in response to a magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an IED may calculate an aggregate power phasor for the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. According to another detection method, in response to the magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an IED may calculate an individual power phasor for each of the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. Based on the magnitude and angles of the power phases, the IED may determine the presence of open phases and which particular phases may be open, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Kei Hao, Jeremy William Blair
  • Publication number: 20230325493
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing microservice-aware reference policy checking that accept stateful security policies. The method may include receiving a stateful security policy, where the stateful security policy has connection to previous data. The method may also include determining that the stateful security policy applies to a corresponding container. The method may also include enforcing the stateful security policy against the container. The system and computer program product may include similar steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Frederico Araujo, William Blair, Teryl Paul Taylor
  • Patent number: 11720667
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing microservice-aware reference policy checking that accept stateful security policies. The method may include receiving a security policy for a container that is part of a microservice architecture. The method may also include obtaining a first effect graph of the security policy, resulting in a security model for the container. The method may also include identifying execution behavior of the container. The method may also include generating a second effect graph of the execution behavior of the container, where the generating includes summarizing operations and interactions between entities in the execution behavior and results in a behavioral model. The method may also include comparing the behavioral model to the security model. The method may also include determining whether the container has deviated from the security policy based on the comparing. The method may also include enforcing the security policy against the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frederico Araujo, William Blair, Teryl Paul Taylor
  • Publication number: 20230228825
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for determining whether a phase is faulted or one or more phases are open in capacitor bank system. Detecting open and faulted phases may include determining a neutral current of the capacitor bank system. An open-phase event and a fault event may be distinguished based on a magnitude of a neutral current within a first or a second predetermined range. According to one embodiment, an IED may calculate an aggregate power phasor for the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. According to another detection method, in response to the magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an IED may calculate an individual power phasor for each of the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. Based on the angles of the power phases, the IED may determine which phases may be faulted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy William Blair
  • Publication number: 20230129666
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods to coordinate protective elements in an electric power system (EPS). In one embodiment, a system may include a Time vs Normalized Impedance Length subsystem to determine a first plurality of times of operation of a first protective element for a plurality of fault locations in the EPS and to determine a second plurality of times of operation of a second protective element for the plurality of fault locations in the EPS. A protective action subsystem may coordinate a response of the first protective element and the second protective element. The protective action subsystem may establish a pickup and a protective action for the second protective element. Upon detection of a fault in the EPS, one of the first protective action and the second protective action may be implemented based on one of the first pickup and the second pickup.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Jai Ganesh Subbarayan, Jeremy William Blair, Brett Cockerham
  • Publication number: 20230063516
    Abstract: Markers for use in bodily tissue take a variety of forms, and may include a plurality of ultrasound reflective elements, for example hollow shells filled with air, and a hydrogel that binds the ultrasound reflective elements. The hydrogel may be natural or artificial and may be cross-linked. An ultrasound system advantageously injects variance in a drive signal, that varies a frequency or phase of an ultrasound interrogation signal from a nominal frequency or nominal phase. The amount of variation is preferable one to six orders of magnitude less than the nominal frequency or phase. The ultrasound system can present or detect a twinkling artifact at least in a Doppler mode of operation, resulting from interaction of the varying interrogation signal with the ultrasound reflective elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventor: William Blair
  • Publication number: 20230052827
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for automated security policy synthesis and use in a container environment. In this approach, a binary analysis of a program associated with a container image is carried out within a binary analysis platform. During the binary analysis, the program is micro-executed directly inside the analysis platform to generate a graph that summarizes the program's expected interactions within the run-time container environment. The expected interactions are identified by analysis of one or more system calls and their arguments found during micro-executing the program. Once the graph is created, a security policy is then automatically synthesized from the graph and instantiated into the container environment. The policy embeds at least one system call argument. During run-time monitoring of an event sequence associated with the program executing in the container environment, an action is taken when the event sequence is determined to violate the security policy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2021
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frederico Araujo, William Blair, Teryl Paul Taylor
  • Publication number: 20230044951
    Abstract: Program analysis is provided. An intermediate representation of a program is generated. A set of structured inputs is provided to the program. The set of structured inputs are derived from the intermediate representation. The program is executed using the set of structured inputs. A set of action steps is performed in response to observing a violation of a policy during execution of the program using the structured inputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Inventors: Frederico Araujo, William Blair, Sanjeev Das, Jiyong Jang
  • Patent number: 11567109
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are provided to control an electrical component of an electric power distribution system with an intelligent electronic device using electrical measurements from a wireless electrical measurement device located away from the electrical component. One such system includes a capacitor bank on a lateral of an electric power distribution system, a first set of one or more wireless electrical measurement devices that obtain one or more electrical measurements of a first feeder of the electric power distribution system, and a capacitor bank controller. The capacitor bank controller may use the one or more electrical measurements of the first feeder to control the capacitor bank on the lateral.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy William Blair, Raymond W. Rice
  • Patent number: 11506546
    Abstract: A system may include a transformer that may convert a first voltage to a second voltage, such that the second voltage is output via a conductor. The system may also include a wireless current sensor that may detect current data associated with current conducting via the conductor and a processor. The processor may receive the current data, determine one or more temperature measurements associated with the transformer based on the current data, and send a signal to a component in response to the one or more temperature measurements exceeding one or more respective threshold values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy William Blair
  • Patent number: 11464493
    Abstract: Markers for use in bodily tissue take a variety of forms, and may include a plurality of ultrasound reflective elements, for example hollow shells filled with air, and a hydrogel that binds the ultrasound reflective elements. The hydrogel may be natural or artificial and may be cross-linked. An ultrasound system advantageously injects variance in a drive signal, that varies a frequency or phase of an ultrasound interrogation signal from a nominal frequency or nominal phase. The amount of variation is preferable one to six orders of magnitude less than the nominal frequency or phase. The ultrasound system can present or detect a twinkling artifact at least in a Doppler mode of operation, resulting from interaction of the varying interrogation signal with the ultrasound reflective elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: VIEW POINT MEDICAL, INC.
    Inventor: William Blair
  • Publication number: 20220309152
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing microservice-aware reference policy checking that accept stateful security policies. The method may include receiving a security policy for a container that is part of a microservice architecture. The method may also include obtaining a first effect graph of the security policy, resulting in a security model for the container. The method may also include identifying execution behavior of the container. The method may also include generating a second effect graph of the execution behavior of the container, where the generating includes summarizing operations and interactions between entities in the execution behavior and results in a behavioral model. The method may also include comparing the behavioral model to the security model. The method may also include determining whether the container has deviated from the security policy based on the comparing. The method may also include enforcing the security policy against the container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Frederico Araujo, William Blair, Teryl Paul Taylor
  • Publication number: 20220299579
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for determining the number of open phases and which particular phases may be open in capacitor bank system. Detecting open phases may include determining a neutral current of the capacitor bank system. According to one detection method, in response to a magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an TED may calculate an aggregate power phasor for the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. According to another detection method, in response to the magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an IED may calculate an individual power phasor for each of the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. Based on the magnitude and angles of the power phases, the TED may determine the presence of open phases and which particular phases may be open, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Kei Hao, Jeremy William Blair
  • Publication number: 20220115111
    Abstract: A hand-held antenna system allows medical personnel to ascertain the presence or absence of objects (e.g., medical supplies) tagged with transponders in an environment in which medical procedures are performed. In use, the hand-held antenna system may be positioned proximate a patient at a time after a medical procedure, such as after child birth, so the system can scan the patient's body to determine the presence of objects tagged with transponders. The antenna system includes three antenna elements arranged mutually orthogonal to each other to transmit and receive signals in three coordinate directions. A controller is coupled to the antenna elements to transmit signals to the transponders and to receive response signals. The antenna system may operate in a static scan mode wherein the antenna system is held in a fixed position by a user and a dynamic scan mode wherein the antenna system is moved by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: William A. Blair, David A. Poirier, Curtis Crump