Patents by Inventor William Houston

William Houston 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: 8813465
    Abstract: A device for blocking ejection of crop material from an auger platform of an agricultural harvester features a shield for lying along an axial direction defined by a rotational axis of an auger of the auger platform reaching forwardly over the auger, and a flexible guard attached to the shield to run along the width dimension adjacent the free edge of the shield to hang downward therefrom with the shield in the operational position. A floating connection arranged between the shield and one or more shield mounts attachment the same to the auger platform allow floating of the shield upwardly out of a normal operational position, which is user adjustable. A flexible seal maintains a sealed condition between the shield and the auger platform throughout movement of the shield and in each of several user-selectable operating positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Inventor: John William Houston
  • Publication number: 20130298516
    Abstract: A device for blocking ejection of crop material from an auger platform of an agricultural harvester features a shield for lying along an axial direction defined by a rotational axis of an auger of the auger platform reaching forwardly over the auger, and a flexible guard attached to the shield to run along the width dimension adjacent the free edge of the shield to hang downward therefrom with the shield in the operational position. A floating connection arranged between the shield and one or more shield mounts attachment the same to the auger platform allow floating of the shield upwardly out of a normal operational position, which is user adjustable. A flexible seal maintains a sealed condition between the shield and the auger platform throughout movement of the shield and in each of several user-selectable operating positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventor: John William Houston
  • Publication number: 20070174460
    Abstract: Discloses are a method of and system for allocating resources in an enterprise. The method comprises the steps of identifying a number of areas of the enterprise that need resources, and determining an initial allocation of resources to each of said areas. The method comprises the further steps of establishing an algorithm to assign weights to said initial allocations, using said algorithm to determine weighted allocations of resources for each of said areas, and keeping said weighted allocations for a given time period. As resources become available during said defined time period, said available resources are assigned to said areas based on said weighted allocations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Bangel, Gregory Feeney, William Houston, Robert Madsen, James Martin
  • Publication number: 20070124234
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for the on-demand creation and distribution of customized dynamic contracts. At least one business opportunity is extracted from an opportunity database. For each extracted business opportunity, a credit score for a customer associated with the extracted business opportunity is obtained and a dynamically modifiable contract for the extracted business opportunity is generated. The dynamically modifiable contract is distributed to a contact associated with the extracted business opportunity, who presents the dynamically modifiable contract to the customer associated with the extracted business opportunity. The contact can modify the dynamically modifiable contract, if necessary, during negotiations with the customer, to provide a contract that is acceptable to the contact and the customer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2005
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Finley, Louis Guglielmo, William Houston, Martina Kim, Randy Klipstein, Joseph Simons, Christian Toft-Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20070078937
    Abstract: Under the present invention, an initial distribution list of electronic message recipients within an organization undergoing an IT migration is generated using a personnel directory of the organization and at least one selection criterion. Once initial electronic message recipients are known, messages will be generated and sent using information from a mailing database and a designated schedule. User records for each of the initial electronic message recipients will be created in an inventory database and will include user information from the personnel directory as well as message information. Based on responses to the initial electronic message, follow-up and final electronic messages can be sent to respective distribution lists, and corresponding information stored in the user records of the inventory database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2006
    Publication date: April 5, 2007
    Inventors: Carol DelGaudio, Scott Hicks, William Houston, Victoria Locke, Douglas Murray, Jeffrey Prince, Diane Rauch
  • Publication number: 20070061355
    Abstract: The present invention provides a computer-implemented method, system, and program product for managing data for an IT migration. Specifically, the present invention provides a centralized/integrated system to receive and manage all data related to an IT migration. In addition, the present invention provides customized electronic views containing subsets of data that can be generated based on roles of users requesting the view. Still yet, the present invention allows data shown in an electronic view of be modified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Julie Carey, Carol DelGaudio, Brenda Fowler, Anne Henderson, Scott Hicks, William Houston, James Martin
  • Publication number: 20070034618
    Abstract: An electric arc welding system for creating a first AC welding arc with a first current waveform between a first electrode and a workpiece by a first power supply and a second AC welding arc with a second current waveform between a second electrode and a workpiece by a second power supply as the first and second electrodes are moved in unison along a welding path, where the first and second power supply each comprising a high speed switching inverter creating its waveform by a number of current pulses occurring at a frequency of at least 18 kHz with the magnitude of each current pulse controlled by a wave shaper and the polarity of the waveforms is controlled by a signal. The first AC waveform has a positive portion substantially different in energy than its negative portion and/or has either a different shape and/or a synthesized sinusoidal portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Publication date: February 15, 2007
    Inventors: Russell Myers, William Houston
  • Publication number: 20060273076
    Abstract: An electric arc welding system and method for creating a first AC welding arc with a first current waveform between a first electrode and a workpiece by a first power supply and a second AC welding arc with a second current waveform between a second electrode and a workpiece by a second power supply as the first and second electrodes are moved in unison along a welding path where the first and second power supply each comprising an high speed switching inverter creating its waveform by a number of current pulses occurring at a frequency of at least 18 kHz with the magnitude of each current pulse controlled by a wave shaper and the polarity of the waveforms controlled by a signal. The first and second AC waveforms each have a positive portion and a negative portion and a cycle period of about 10-20 ms and timing circuits for determining the push and pull times between the arcs and a waveform adjusting circuit to limit the push and pull times to less than about 5.0 ms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Publication date: December 7, 2006
    Inventors: William Houston, Russell Myers
  • Publication number: 20060249497
    Abstract: Electric arc welder (10) performs a given weld process with selected current waveform performed between electrode (24) and workpiece (26). Welder (10) includes a controller with a digital processor (30), sensor (44) for reading instantaneous weld current, and circuit (56) to convert the instantaneous current into a digital representation of the level of instantaneous weld current. Digital processor (30) has program circuit (64, 66) to periodically read and square the digital representation at a given rate, register (70, 72) for summing a number N of square digital representations to give a summed value, and an algorithm (82, 84, 86, 88) for periodically dividing the summed value by the number N to provide a quotient and then taking the square root of said quotient to thereby digitally construct rms signal (40) representing the root mean square of the weld current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventors: Russell Myers, William Houston, Timothy O'Donnell, Robert Hasan
  • Publication number: 20060059191
    Abstract: A method and system for updating a database structure. The database structure includes a dynamically changing list of control documents. A control document specifies tasks to be performed on the database structure. An agent finds an approved control document on the list such as by looking into a view of control documents. Processing the approved control document includes causing an execution of at least one task on the approved control document. Execution of a such task includes updating of the database structure, and may be implemented by the agent that found the control document or by another agent called by the agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: William Houston, James Martin, Eric Morin
  • Publication number: 20060015525
    Abstract: A method and computer system for transforming a portion (e.g., a view) of a database into a custom spreadsheet. The transforming includes determining whether to omit in the custom spreadsheet a column that is in the view, determining whether to add to the custom spreadsheet a column that is not in the view, or both. The transforming may also include implementation of rules that control how various portions of the custom spreadsheet are configured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: Jo-Ann Geuss, William Houston, James Martin, Raymond Rupert
  • Publication number: 20050262105
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method, system and computer program for collecting inventory data about a group of machines at an office. This method comprises the steps of running an inventory tool on each of the machines, and the tool presenting dialogue displays on each of the machines, filling in or changing data in the dialogues presented by the tool, and submitting the collected information to a server. Also disclosed are a method, system and computer program for customizing an inventory data collection tool for a plurality of logical groups of users. Each of the logical groups of users is provided with a copy of the inventory data collection tool and with a first copy of a common control file. Each of the groups of users uses the first copy of the common control file to customize the tool for the group of users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2005
    Publication date: November 24, 2005
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carol DelGaudio, Scott Hicks, William Houston, Rachele Kurtz, Victoria Locke, James Martin, Donald Mummey, Douglas Murray, Jeffrey Prince, Richard Pritsky, Diane Rauch
  • Publication number: 20050127054
    Abstract: An electric arc welding system and method for creating a first AC welding arc with a first current waveform between a first electrode and a workpiece by a first power supply and a second AC welding arc with a second current waveform between a second electrode and a workpiece by a second power supply as the first and second electrodes are moved in unison along a welding path where the first and second power supply each comprising an high speed switching inverter creating its waveform by a number of current pulses occurring at a frequency of at least 18 kHz with the magnitude of each current pulse controlled by a wave shaper and the polarity of the waveforms controlled by a signal. The first and second AC waveforms each have a positive portion and a negative portion and a cycle period of about 10-20 ms and timing circuits for determining the push and pull times between the arcs and a waveform adjusting circuit to limit the push and pull times to less than about 5.0 ms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Inventors: William Houston, Russell Myers
  • Publication number: 20050125522
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method of and system for enterprise-wide migration. The method comprises the steps of creating instances of databases for a migration, for billing and reporting, and repositing reports; gathering information on the organization, location, hardware, and software affected by said migration into a database for planning said migration; and building an inventory of the affected hardware and software using an inventory tracking tool or an inventory mailer. Migration hardware and software is ordered based on said planning and said inventory, using an inventory tool; and labor, hardware, and software as installed are tracked and billed, using said billing and reporting database. Agents for said creating, gathering, building and tracking are enabled using an agent control facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Carol DelGaudio, Scott Hicks, William Houston, Victoria Locke, James Martin, Douglas Murray, Diane Rauch
  • Publication number: 20050092726
    Abstract: An electric arc welding system for creating a first AC welding arc with a first current waveform between a first electrode and a workpiece by a first power supply and a second AC welding arc with a second current waveform between a second electrode and a workpiece by a second power supply as the first and second electrodes are moved in unison along a welding path, where the first and second power supply each comprising a high speed switching inverter creating its waveform by a number of current pulses occurring at a frequency of at least 18 kHz with the magnitude of each current pulse controlled by a wave shaper and the polarity of the waveforms is controlled by a signal. The first AC waveform has a positive portion substantially different in energy than its negative portion and/or has either a different shape and/or a synthesized sinusoidal portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Russell Myers, William Houston
  • Publication number: 20050023253
    Abstract: An electric arc welding system for creating an AC welding arc between an electrode and a workpiece wherein the system comprises a first controller for a first power supply to cause the first power supply to create an AC current between the electrode and workpiece by generating a switch signal or command with polarity reversing switching points in the first controller, with the first controller operated at first welding parameters in response to first power supply specific parameter signals to the first controller. The system has at least one slave controller for operating a slave power supply to create an AC current between the electrode and workpiece by reversing polarity of the AC current at switching points where the slave controller is operated at second welding parameters in response to second power supply specific parameter signals to the slave controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Inventors: William Houston, Russell Myers, Elliott Stava
  • Publication number: 20050016974
    Abstract: An electric arc welder for performing a given weld process with a selected A.C. pulse current waveform performed between an electrode and a workpiece, where the current waveform includes a positive segment and a negative segment, with at least one segment including a peak current and background current. The welder comprises: a power source with a controller having a digital processor including a program to calculate the real time power factor of the weld current and weld voltage where the program includes an algorithm to calculate the rms weld voltage, the rms weld current and the average power of said power source; a circuit to multiply the rms current by the rms voltage to produce an rms power level; a circuit to divide the average power by the rms power to create a value representing the actual real time power factor of said power source; and, a circuit to adjust said background current to maintain said power factor at a given level, which is manually adjusted to set the heat of the weld.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Russell Myers, William Houston
  • Patent number: 4843398
    Abstract: In a tracking radar system target glint and multipath sometimes produce signals which falsely indicate high acceleration rates of the target. These signals cause the boresight of the antenna to be driven away from the direction in which the target actually lies.To avoid this problem, received signals from a receiver are fed through a switch which is opened whenever the target appears to have an acceleration or velocity above a threshold value. The threshold value is varied so that the proportion of the time during which the switch is open is kept approximately constant. Thus, if there is a period during which a large number of high acceleration or high velocity signals appear from the receiver (for example is there is a very high noise level) the switch still remains closed for a certain proportion of the time period. This ensures that the tracking system never loses the target while also ensuring that false tracking due to target glint and multipath is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1989
    Assignee: The Marconi Company Limited
    Inventor: William Houston