Richard E Hester

US Patent:

7024246, Apr 4, 2006

Filed:

Apr 26, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/133961

Inventors:

Carlos C. Acosta - Tempe AZ, US
Leroy L. Perz - Buffalo MN, US
Carleen J. Juran - Shoreview MN, US
Kevin L. Bright - Maple Grove MN, US
Richard E. Hester - Phoenix AZ, US

Assignee:

Medtronic, Inc - Minneapolis MN

International Classification:

A61N 1/36

US Classification:

607 46

Abstract:

Apparatus and method assure the electrical characteristics of a stimulation waveform to an electrode of an Implantable Neuro Stimulator. The embodiment comprises a regulator, a measurement module, a generator, and a processor. The generator provides an input signal to the regulator. The regulator consequently regulates the input signal in order to form a pulse that is applied to the electrode. The processor instructs the measurement module to perform an electrical measurement that is indicative of an amplitude of the pulse. If the electrical measurement is sufficiently different from a desired value, the processor instructs the generator to be reconfigured in order that the amplitude of the pulse is within an acceptable value. A redundant capacitor pair may be inserted in a capacitor arrangement in order to compensate for a reduced battery voltage, or a detected faulty component such as a capacitor or a regulator may be replaced with a redundant component.

US Patent:

56490089, Jul 15, 1997

Filed:

Aug 2, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/284950

Inventors:

Scott K. Bader - Gilbert AZ
Richard E. Hester - Phoenix AZ
Michael L. Gomez - Tempe AZ
James S. Mielke - Wauconda IL

Assignee:

Motorola, Inc. - Schaumburg IL

International Classification:

H04M 908

US Classification:

379392

Abstract:

A cordless telephone has receive (12) and transmit (14) signal paths for passing voice signals. Sidetones normally appear in the receive signal path from the near party's voice. A signal strength comparator (34) monitors the transmit signal path and the receive signal path and asserts a gain control signal when the transmit path signal strength exceeds a threshold set to a predetermined value below the receive path signal strength. The gain control signal decreases the gain (42) in the receive signal path to reduce undesirably loud sidetones in the speaker earpiece. When the transmit path signal strength is less than the predetermined threshold, the gain control signal is not asserted allowing maximum amplification in the receive signal path as the sidetone is sufficiently small as to not interfere with the main received voice signal, or otherwise become noticeably loud in the speaker earpiece.

US Patent:

55286925, Jun 18, 1996

Filed:

May 3, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/237528

Inventors:

Richard E. Hester - Phoenix AZ
Scott K. Bader - Gilbert AZ

Assignee:

Motorola, Inc. - Schaumburg IL

International Classification:

H04K 104

US Classification:

380 38

Abstract:

A frequency inversion scrambler in a cordless telephone utilizes an integrated high-pass filter (14) between a first stage low-pass filter (12) and modulator (16) to reduce the filter order while maintaining low group delay in the audio signal. The first stage low-pass filter and high-pass filter remove high frequency components and any DC offset from the filtered audio signal. The modulator translates the spectrum of the filtered signal to sum and difference frequencies. A second stage low-pass filter (18) removes the upper portion of the spectrum such that the resulting frequency spectrum is inverted with respect to the original audio signal to prevent eavesdropping of transmissions between the handset and base unit of the cordless telephone. Another frequency inversion circuit (30, 32, 34, 36) in the base unit inverts the frequency spectrum again back to its original state for transmission along telephone lines.