Patents by Inventor William L. Austin

William L. Austin 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: 20240359694
    Abstract: A pedal touch anomaly notification system for a vehicle is provided. The system includes the vehicle itself, and at least one sensor configured to capture information about the position or orientation of the driver's foot relative to a control pedal of the vehicle. A processor uses the captured information, as well as a database containing baseline information and variance information about expected positions or orientations of the driver's foot relative to the control pedal. Based on the captured information, the processor determines the position or orientation of the foot of the driver relative to the control pedal, and compares the determined position or orientation to the baseline information and variance information. If the position or orientation fall outside the variance information, the processor generates a driver alert.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Applicants: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Benjamin Piya Austin, Heishiro Toyoda, Philip J. Babian, Rebecca L. Kirschweng, Takeshi Yoshida, George M. Evans, William Patrick Garrett
  • Publication number: 20240351595
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for controlling settings (and/or functions) of a vehicle via steering device finger tapping. A method generally includes receiving vibration information from a plurality of vibration sensors associated with a steering device, wherein the plurality of vibration sensors are configured to detect vibration on the steering device caused by a user of the vehicle; in response to receiving the vibration information, determining a user command based on the vibration information, determining a probability that the user intends to employ the user command via the vibration caused by the user, determining whether the probability is equal to or above a threshold, and selectively transmitting or not transmitting, to a controllable device, a control command corresponding to the user command based on whether the probability is determined to be equal to or above the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2023
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Benjamin Piya Austin, John K. Lenneman, George M. Evans, Takeshi Yoshida, William Patrick Garrett, Rebecca L. Kirschweng
  • Publication number: 20240294144
    Abstract: One or more vehicles, vehicle systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer program products to enhance the situational competency and/or the safe operation of a vehicle by automatically causing a cleaning sequence of one or more movable vehicle window glass based on window glass cleanliness analysis and a determination that the vehicle window glass is unclean.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Benjamin Piya Austin, Rebecca L Kirschweng, George M Evans, Philip J Babian, William Patrick Garrett
  • Patent number: 9949460
    Abstract: A storage garment stores a liquid in an interior bladder providing facilitated access to the liquid while it is carried inside the storage garment. A jacket is configured to be worn by a user, such as a dog. The jacket forms a substantially contoured fit over the user and has a harness portion that fastens around the user. At least one pocket portion in the jacket holds at least one bladder portion. The bladder portion holds liquid, such as water, to hydrate or clean. A pocket fastener regulates access to the bladder. A tube portion carries liquid to the user and a valve portion regulates the liquid flow. A pump portion forces the liquid out of the bladder through an outlet. A secondary pocket holds a container that folds for stowage and expands into a bowl shape for holding liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Inventor: William L. Austin
  • Publication number: 20160157589
    Abstract: A storage garment stores a liquid in an interior bladder providing facilitated access to the liquid while it is carried inside the storage garment. A jacket is configured to be worn by a user, such as a dog. The jacket forms a substantially contoured fit over the user and has a harness portion that fastens around the user. At least one pocket portion in the jacket holds at least one bladder portion. The bladder portion holds liquid, such as water, to hydrate or clean. A pocket fastener regulates access to the bladder. A tube portion carries liquid to the user and a valve portion regulates the liquid flow. A pump portion forces the liquid out of the bladder through an outlet. A secondary pocket holds a container that folds for stowage and expands into a bowl shape for holding liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventor: William L. Austin
  • Patent number: 4887270
    Abstract: A solid-state laser system for producing a frequency-doubled CW laser output beam having a stabilized output. The laser system includes within a three-mirror resonator cavity, a Nd: YAG laser rod operating at an output wavelength of 1.064 .mu.m in the TEMoo transverse mode, and a KTP frequency-doubling crystal. At one end of the laser cavity the beam is reflected from a folding mirror through the frequency-doubling crystal to another reflecting mirror which reflects both the fundamental wavelength of the output beam from the laser rod, and also the doubled frequency beam at a wavelength of 0.532 .mu.m back through the frequency-doubling crystal onto the folding reflector. The folding reflector is coated to reflect light at the longer wavelength but transmits substantially all of the light incident upon it at the 0.532 .mu.m wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Assignee: Eye Research Institute of Retina Foundation
    Inventor: William L. Austin