Inventors and Patents From the City of Wilsonville

Inventors from the city of Wilsonville have been awarded a number of patents. One patent is for a new method of message communication. The technique was developed by Steven King and eight co-inventors, including Fedor G. Pikus, Ram Huggahalli, and Xia Zhu.

Xerox has been assigned a patent for sheet registration using edge sensors

Edge sensors are devices that measure the edge position of a sheet. These sensors are used to ensure that the second side of the sheet is properly registered to a first side of the sheet. The disclosed technologies reduce the number of edge sensors required to register a sheet. One sensor determines the edge position of the sheet while another one determines the leading edge position. The registered sheet is then sent through the registration controller, which executes the first adjustment. This adjustment corrects for lateral position, process timing and velocity errors.

The registration controller 40 then executes a first adjustment of the sheet, which involves a rough lateral shift of the sheet, bringing it within 1 mm of the desired lateral sheet position. The first adjustment is made using the measurement taken by the first lateral edge sensor. The second adjustment is made using measurements taken by the second sensor and the third sensor.

Sheet registration using edge sensors is an efficient way to ensure accurate sheet alignment. Current systems transport sheets to a “datum,” which can be a hand-off point for a downstream nip assembly, or a target location within a media handling assembly. By taking measurements of the sheet edge, the system determines if the sheet has any registration errors and corrects them prior to delivery to the datum.

In addition to acquiring Xerox’s patents, IP Edge has also acquired the rights to its patents. It has been estimated that over 85% of patent litigation filed since 2005 involves operating companies. Listed below are some of the top NPEs in this market, including its patent portfolios, patent holdings and litigation funding.

The invention is based on a combination of two sensors that detect the edge of a sheet. The edge position signal from sensor 20 can be used to determine which subset of ejectors are appropriate to produce an image on sheet S. The sensors are disposed along a duplex path, which initially passes through a marking device.

Another aspect of this invention is a method of compensating remote workers. Xerox filed a patent application with the USPTO in January 2013. The patent focuses on a computing device that assigns tasks to a crowd of crowd workers. This device then analyzes the returned work to determine how well the workers performed their assigned tasks.

AirSep has been assigned a patent for a sieve bed

The invention is a sieve bed for an oxygen concentrator. It is embodied by the FreeStyle(tm) concentrator from AirSep Corporation of Buffalo, N.Y. This sieve bed configuration is highly effective and provides higher oxygen concentration than prior art sieve beds.

The sieve bed apparatus comprises a retainer and an outlet lid. A retainer further includes an interior portion and a plurality of openings toward the exterior portion. A retainer is coupled to the outlet lid and to the passage by an intermediate wall. The retainer and the outlet lid together define a bed area with an effective length that is substantially greater than the exterior wall.

GM Global Technology Operations has been assigned a patent for an exhaust gas bypass valve control for thermoelectric generator

The patent covers an exhaust gas bypass valve control for a thermoelectric generator. The valve controls the flow of coolant through the thermoelectric generator by directing the fluid from a first coolant port to a second coolant port when in the first position.

The invention can be used to exploit waste heat from automobiles and industrial processes. The technology can also be used in portable power production devices. These devices may be used to generate power on demand from waste heat generated in industrial processes, such as biowaste, trash incineration, and oil well burn off.

Thermoelectric generators are used in vehicles for various applications. In an automobile, for instance, the waste heat from the engine is a valuable thermal resource. Thermoelectrics have the advantage of providing highly variable operating conditions, since the exhaust gas temperature varies ten-fold between idle and fast acceleration.

The method of controlling an exhaust gas bypass valve for a thermoelectric generator includes sensing operating conditions. For example, it can detect the exhaust gas temperature near the exhaust inlet 12. It can also determine whether the engine is loaded or idle, as well as the rpm. The method can also detect changes in air pressure and flow rate.

A thermoelectric generator can have any number of thermoelectric modules. These can be combined using a controller. The controller will direct thermal power to the thermoelectric modules. Its capacity can be adjusted according to the thermal power input to achieve optimal power output.

A thermoelectric generator may have two cooling ports. One cooling port is near the exhaust gas outlet, while the other is near the exhaust gas inlet. The thermoelectric generator may have a valve or valves positioned in the coolant circuit. The valves may be movable between a first and a second position when the thermoelectric generator senses a predetermined temperature.

The exhaust gas bypass valve control for a thermoelectric generator is a patented system that allows a thermoelectric generator to operate at a predetermined temperature. The control is controlled by a controller 46. The control enables a TEG 10 to operate at a predetermined temperature by diverting the coolant at the coldest end to the warmer end.

Corning has been assigned a patent for a stirrer for minimizing erosion of refractory metal vessels in a glass making system

Researchers at Corning University in Massachusetts have developed an improved stirrer to help minimize the erosion of refractory metal vessels in glass making systems. Researchers include Erickson, R.C., Deino, A.L., Norwick, S.A., Byrd, C., Glass, B.P., Muenow, D.W., and Meeker, G.P.

Stirrers typically consist of a platinum alloy. Platinum is a refractory metal that must withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. Platinum rhodium alloy is a common choice.

The rotor system comprises an inner rotor with a first radially-inward flow path and an outer rotor with a second radially-outward flow path. The rotors are disposed within the stir chamber 20, where they are designed to stir the molten glass.

The stirrer has an alternating stack of insulating and electrically conductive layers. Its lateral extents decrease with increasing distance from a substrate. The insulator includes a dielectric material plate between the two layers.

An apparatus for controlling printing on a wire or cable includes a processor, a display screen, a first storage system, and a printer. It also has an identification device.

An exemplary stirrer comprises a conductive member with a first and second terminal. The conductive member is coupled to the insulative layer, and the insulative layer is configured to measure the magnetic field generated by the conductive pathway.

A stirrer may be an ideal solution for minimizing erosion of refractory materials. Researchers studied the water content in tektites, which are silica-rich, and found bubbles within them. In addition, the paper analyzed the gas phase’s composition, uranium content, and deuterium content. The researchers found that a high-temperature melt produces a higher gas yield than a low-temperature melt. Furthermore, a high-temperature melt allows volatiles to be released from the glass.

One embodiment of this stirrer includes a switch for controlling the output current. The output signal varies based on the temperature of a second circuit. An output latch receives the first and second digital signals. A control signal is applied to each one of the two circuits.

Another aspect of the stirrer is that it includes a nozzle that extends through a collar. An air tube extends from the stem body through a proximal opening of the collar to the interior of the container. The nozzle also has a flexible inner nozzle.