Patents by Inventor William C. Saunders

William C. Saunders 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: 6535743
    Abstract: A communication system includes mobile units, a network switching center, and service centers to provide a variety of enhanced services to the mobile units. The service centers and/or the network switching centers determine directions from an origination location to a destination location. The directions, which may comprise multiple segments separated by separator signals, are communicated to the mobile unit using a communication network. The mobile unit may present each segment of the directions to a user. In one embodiment, the mobile unit generates a service message specifying an origination location and a destination location. The directions are determined in response to the service message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Minorplanet Systems USA, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Kennedy, III, Dale E. Beasley, Terry S. Parker, Thomas D. Russell, Larry C. Wortham, William C. Saunders
  • Patent number: 6405033
    Abstract: A communication system includes mobile units, a network switching center, and service centers to provide a variety of traditional and enhanced services to the mobile units. Using a user interface, an operator of a mobile unit issues a request for services from one or more service centers. The network switching center receives the request for services and, in response, accesses a profile table to select an appropriate service center to establish a communication session with the mobile unit. The selected service center provides enhanced services to the mobile unit to satisfy the service request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Track Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Kennedy, III, Dale E. Beasley, Terry S. Parker, Thomas D. Russell, William C. Saunders
  • Patent number: 6167255
    Abstract: A communication system includes mobile units, a network switching center, and service centers to provide a variety of enhanced services to the mobile units. In one embodiment, a service center communicates menu data to a mobile unit using a voice network. The mobile unit displays at a user interface menu options generated in response to the menu data communicated by the service center. Selecting a menu option at the user interface enables a function associated with traditional or enhanced services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: @TRACK Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Kennedy, III, Dale E. Beasley, Terry S. Parker, Thomas D. Russell, William C. Saunders
  • Patent number: 6018657
    Abstract: A communication system includes a cellular telephone network that provides communication services to messaging units. A network central controller (NCC) or gateway MSC couple the cellular telephone network to external devices. The communication system allows messaging between messaging units and between messaging units and external devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: HighwayMaster Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Kennedy, III, William C. Kennedy, Jr., William C. Saunders
  • Patent number: 5987377
    Abstract: A system (10) for determining an expected time of arrival of a vehicle (40) equipped with a mobile unit (42) includes a dispatch (20) remotely located from the vehicle (40). The dispatch (20) generates destination information for the vehicle (40), the destination information specifying at least one destination. The mobile unit (42) includes a mobile communications device (90) to receive the destination information for the vehicle (40) generated by the dispatch (20). The mobile unit (42) also includes a positioning receiver (80) to determine a vehicle position. In response to the destination information received from the dispatch (20) and the vehicle position, the mobile unit (42) determines the expected time of arrival of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: HighwayMaster Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Westerlage, William C. Kennedy, III, William C. Saunders, Dale E. Beasley, William L. Hoag
  • Patent number: 5918172
    Abstract: A communication system (10) includes a communication device (12) that supports communication using multiple number identification modules (70-74). Each NAM (70-74) supported by the communication device (12) is associated with a network (14,16) that provides a voice service or an enhanced service to the communication device (12). For outbound communication, the communication device (12) selects the appropriate NAM (70-74) in response to a request for a particular service. For inbound communication, the communication device (12) registers more than one NAM (70-74) to be able to respond to incoming pages from the networks (14, 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: HighwayMaster Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Saunders, Gordon D. Quick, Thomas D. Russell
  • Patent number: 5724243
    Abstract: A system (10) for determining an expected time of arrival of a vehicle (40) equipped with a mobile unit (42) includes a dispatch (20) remotely located from the vehicle (40). The dispatch (20) generates destination information for the vehicle (40), the destination information specifying at least one destination. The mobile unit (42) includes a mobile communications device (90) to receive the destination information for the vehicle (40) generated by the dispatch (20). The mobile unit (42) also includes a positioning receiver (80) to determine a vehicle position. In response to the destination information received from the dispatch (20) and the vehicle position, the mobile unit (42) determines the expected time of arrival of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: HighwayMaster Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Westerlage, William C. Kennedy, III, William C. Saunders, Dale E. Beasley, William L. Hoag
  • Patent number: 4197921
    Abstract: The fabrication of ultrasonic-wave lenses and prisms using low-surface tension (poor adhesion) polyalkene sheet (such as polyethylene) as an impedance-matching quarter-wave anti-reflective layer is made possible by the use of certain very low surface-tension cements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1980
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Gerard A. Alphonse, William C. Saunders, Jr.