Patents by Inventor William D. Blair
William D. 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).
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Patent number: 10016059Abstract: A novel, flexible substrate assembly including a flexible substrate member having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid ribs associated with at least one of the inner and outer surfaces of the flexible substrate member. A chair assembly including a seat member, a back support member with an optional headrest, an optional left arm, an optional right arm, a floor-engaging base member which may form part of a frame assembly, a left side, a right side, a front side, and a back side, and a novel, flexible substrate assembly, wherein the novel flexible substrate assembly comprises a flexible substrate member having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid ribs associated with at least one of the inner and outer surfaces of the flexible substrate member.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2015Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Inventors: James R. Leonard, William D. Blair
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Patent number: 7042314Abstract: A delay filter uses the dielectric mono-block triple-mode resonator and unique inter-resonator coupling structure, having smaller volume and higher power handling capacity. The triple-mode mono-block resonator has three resonators in one block. An input/output probe is connected to each metal plated dielectric block to transmit microwave signals. Corner cuts couple a mode oriented in one direction to a mode oriented in a second, mutually orthogonal direction. An aperture between two blocks couples all six resonant modes, and generates two inductive couplings by magnetic fields between two modes, and one capacitive coupling by electric fields. The input/output probes, coupling corner cuts and aperture are aligned such that all six resonators are coupled in the desired value and sign, so constant delay on the transmitted signal within certain bandwidth can be achieved. By connecting the input and output probes to the base printed circuit board, the delay filter is surface mountable.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2002Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: Radio Frequency SystemsInventors: Chi Wang, Weili Wang, William D. Wilber, William D. Blair
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Patent number: 6600394Abstract: A tunable, temperature compensated, thermal and mechanical stable, dielectric loaded cavity resonator and filter assembly has high unloaded Q, wide frequency tuning range and simple structure suitable for high volume production. The cavity resonator consists of a conductive housing, a substantially cylindrical ring shape dielectric body with a low loss, low thermal expansion coefficient support, a tuning mechanism and a plastic support at the opposite side of the main cylindrical dielectric body, which holds the main cylindrical dielectric body in place. The tuning mechanism further includes a substantially cylindrical dielectric tuning element positioned in or near the hole of the main cylindrical dielectric body and a self-locked or equivalent nut locked rotor with a support using the same material as that of the main cylindrical body support.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2000Date of Patent: July 29, 2003Assignee: Radio Frequency Systems, Inc.Inventors: Chi Wang, Gregory J. Lamont, William D. Blair, William H. Holland
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Publication number: 20030090344Abstract: A delay filter uses the dielectric mono-block triple-mode resonator and unique inter-resonator coupling structure, having smaller volume and higher power handling capacity. The triple-mode mono-block resonator has three resonators in one block. An input/output probe is connected to each metal plated dielectric block to transmit microwave signals. Corner cuts couple a mode oriented in one direction to a mode oriented in a second, mutually orthogonal direction. An aperture between two blocks couples all six resonant modes, and generates two inductive couplings by magnetic fields between two modes, and one capacitive coupling by electric fields. The input/output probes, coupling corner cuts and aperture are aligned such that all six resonators are coupled in the desired value and sign, so constant delay on the transmitted signal within certain bandwidth can be achieved. By connecting the input and output probes to the base printed circuit board, the delay filter is surface mountable.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2002Publication date: May 15, 2003Applicant: RADIO FREQUENCY SYSTEMS, INC.Inventors: Chi Wang, Weili Wang, William D. Wilber, William D. Blair
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Patent number: 5373270Abstract: A multi-cavity dielectric filter 30 having a single housing 32 for a plurality of resonant cavities 65. The dielectric filter 30 has a plurality of dielectric resonators 42 placed inside housing 32, instead of in individual housings, wherein the resonators 42 are spaced a quarter wave apart and are electrically isolated from one another by conductive isolation plates 44 positioned therebetween. The isolation plates 44 do not make continuous mechanical contact with the interior conducting surface of housing 32, but rather are spaced from the inner surface 77 of housing 32, thereby making assembly of the filter much simpler than if a solid RF connection had to be made. The resonators 42 are positioned inside the housing 32 between the isolation plates 44 and are supported by low loss, low dielectric constant spacers 46. End walls 59 complete the cavity formation at the termination ends 79 of housing 32.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 1993Date of Patent: December 13, 1994Assignee: Radio Frequency Systems, Inc.Inventors: William D. Blair, Salvatore Bentivenga, Gregory J. Lamont
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Patent number: 5325098Abstract: A filtering system used in the tracking of a maneuvering target is provid A first filter estimates a partial system state at a time k in terms of target position measurements. A plurality of second filters are each provided with an acceleration model hypothesis from a prior time (k-1) free of position and velocity constraints. Each second filter generates an acceleration estimate at time k and a likelihood at time k that the acceleration model hypothesis is correct. The likelihoods from the second filters are summed to generate a probability vector at time k. A third interaction mixing filter generates the acceleration model hypotheses from prior time (k-1) using the probability vector from prior time (k-1) and the acceleration estimates from prior time (k-1). The third filter also provides an error covariance to the first filter to reflect the uncertainty in the acceleration model hypotheses from prior time (k-1).Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 1993Date of Patent: June 28, 1994Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: William D. Blair, Gregory A. Watson, Theodore R. Rice
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Patent number: 5291158Abstract: A technique for directly coupling multiple high frequency resonant cavity filters includes a common port 62 that is directly coupled to a coupling rod 76 that is mounted within a first high frequency resonant cavity filter housing 64 of a housing assembly 60. The coupling rod 76 is directly coupled by a conductor 74 to an coupling rod 72 that is mounted within a second high frequency resonant cavity filter housing 66. The conductor 74 passes through an opening 78 in a common wall 80 between the first 64 and the second 66 high frequency resonant cavity filter housings. Thus, both filters 64, 66 are directly coupled to the common port 62.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 1991Date of Patent: March 1, 1994Assignee: Radio Frequency Systems, Inc.Inventors: William D. Blair, Salvatore Bentivenga
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Patent number: 5214433Abstract: An apparatus and method for tracking maneuvering and non-maneuvering targ in the presence of stochastic acceleration are provided. The apparatus and method utilize a two-stage Kalman estimator, the first stage of which is a bias-free filter providing target position and velocity estimates, and the second stage of which is a bias filter providing estimates of target acceleration. These two filters act together to provide parallel processing calculations thereby achieving high speed target state determination. During target maneuvers, the output of the second stage is used to correct the output of the first stage. In the absence of maneuver, the second stage is turned off and the first stage provides the target position and velocity estimates.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 1992Date of Patent: May 25, 1993Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ali B. T. Alouani, William D. Blair, Theodore R. Rice
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Patent number: 5151670Abstract: A duplexing filter filters high frequency electromagnetic signals operating in two different frequency bands and uses a common coupling line mounted within an overall housing. Both filters use resonators and may be configured as combine or interdigital type filters. The high frequency filter has at least some of its resonators mounted on a base plate which in turn is positioned at a location along the length of the common coupling line so as to couple the higher frequency filter at its approximate quarter-wave location.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 1991Date of Patent: September 29, 1992Assignee: Radio Frequency Systems, Inc.Inventors: William D. Blair, Salvatore Bentivenga
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Patent number: 4895165Abstract: An electronic estrus detector that may be affixed to the back of a cow comprises a tapeswitch connected to a counter for storage and display of number of mounts by another cow. When a cow mounts another cow equipped with the estrus detector, the impact of the mounting cow upon the monitored cow closes the tapeswitch and increments the counter, such that the contents of the counter indicate the estrus condition of the monitored cow.In a second embodiment, a modified electronic estrus detector indicates estrus condition based upon satisfaction of a mount-second index. A user programs the estrus detector to shwo when a specified number of mounts, coupled with a specified total time duration of all mounts, has occured.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1988Date of Patent: January 23, 1990Inventor: William D. Blair
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Patent number: 4896125Abstract: A dielectric notch resonator particularly suitable for use in a band reject filter operable at ultra-high frequencies comprises a dielectric resonator and an associated housing which results in a reactance having an imaginary component effectively nulled by a coupling reactance mechanism forming part of the dielectric notch resonator so as to present a relatively low resistive impedance load at a given center frequency and frequencies in a narrow bandwidth thereabout. The coupling reactive mechanism comprises an inductive wire and a serially connected variable capacitor so as to null the reactive component of the dielectric resonator at a particular center frequency and to modify the symmetry of the rejected frequency bandwidth by adjusting the capacitance of the variable capacitor.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 1988Date of Patent: January 23, 1990Assignee: Alcatel N.A., Inc.Inventors: William D. Blair, Jr., Salvatore Bentivenga, Gregory J. Lamont
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Patent number: 4862122Abstract: A dielectric notch filter for attenuating frequencies of relatively narrow bandwidth in comparison to the center frequency of operation, and particularly for attenuating such narrow bandwidths in the ultra-high frequency electromagnetic spectrum. The dielectric notch filter comprises a plurality of dielectric notch resonators coupled to a transmission line at slightly less than the quarter wavelength of the center frequency of the attenuation frequency bandwidth so as to minimize interaction between the individual dielectric notch resonators. Each dielectric notch resonator comprises a dielectric resonator, an associated housing and a coupling reactance element which in turn comprises an inductive wire and a variable capacitor so as to null the reactive component of the dielectric resonator, thereby resulting in a highly attenuated resonant frequency having little imaginary component about said center frequency.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 1988Date of Patent: August 29, 1989Assignee: Alcatel NA, IncInventors: William D. Blair, Jr., Salvatore Bentivenga, Gregory J. Lamont