Patents by Inventor William Marsden

William Marsden 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: 8757735
    Abstract: A method of controlling a trailer brake system using a trailer brake controller positioned within a passenger vehicle is provided. The method includes obtaining intended braking inputs and developing an effective baseline trailer brake controller output profile based thereon. The method scales the effective baseline trailer brake controller output profile in response to an adjustable gain setting set by an operator. A vehicle velocity is obtained and used to calculate a correction factor to the effective baseline trailer brake controller output profile. The effective baseline trailer brake controller output profile is then adjusted using the correction factor to generate a corrected trailer brake controller output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: Doug William Marsden, Erick Michael Lavoie, Greg Esper, Kirk Matthew Englert
  • Patent number: 7792617
    Abstract: A control system for controlling a safety system of an automotive vehicle having a transmission and a differential. The system includes left and right wheel speed sensors associated with respective vehicle wheels and generating left and right wheel speed signals, and a transmission output shaft speed sensor generating a transmission output shaft speed signal. A controller is coupled to the wheel speed sensors and the transmission output speed sensor, and determines a reference wheel speed for one of the left or right wheels as a function of the other of the left or right wheel speed signal and the transmission output shaft speed signal. The controller controls the safety system in response to the determined reference wheel speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: John Patrick Joyce, Douglas William Marsden
  • Publication number: 20050096982
    Abstract: A method of marketing includes encouraging existing customers to send messages to persons known to them endorsing products they have used and encouraging the other persons to use the products. In particular, the customer's database of contacts is used to generate the message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: David Morton, Corey Young, William Marsden
  • Patent number: 5732372
    Abstract: A method for determining a center position of a vehicle steering system, said method comprising the steps of reading a plurality of predetermined inputs. The method includes the steps of roughly estimating a center position of the vehicle steering system after the vehicle begins moving based upon the read predetermined inputs and determining whether the steering wheel of the vehicle steering system is approximately straight. The method further includes the steps of accurately estimating a center position of the vehicle steering system if the steering wheel of the vehicle steering system is approximately straight and concluding that the accurately estimated center position is the center position of the vehicle steering system if the steering wheel of the vehicle steering system is approximately straight and Concluding that the roughly estimated center position is the center position of the vehicle steering system if the steering wheel of the vehicle steering system is not approximately straight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas William Marsden