Thomas R Howell

US Patent:

6917467, Jul 12, 2005

Filed:

Jan 22, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/055096

Inventors:

Thomas Russell Howell - Albuquerque NM, US
Walter M. Duncan - Dallas TX, US
Paul L. Rancuret - Plano TX, US

Assignee:

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

International Classification:

H01S003/00

US Classification:

35933713, 35933711

Abstract:

A programmable amplifier operable to independently adjust the amplification given to various optical signals passing through an optical fiber. An input optical fiber provides a number of optical signals to a demultiplexer which separates each signal carried by the input fiber Each individual wavelength travels to a variable attenuator which lowers the signal strength of each signal based on an input from the system controller The attenuated signals are combined by multiplexer and input to an optical amplifier The optical amplifier receives the combined signal and amplifies each signal in the combined DWDM signal across the entire bandwidth of the amplifier The amplified signals are input to a splitter which removes a small portion of the entire spectrum output by the amplifier The remaining portion of the signal passes to an output fiber and travels to the remainder of the optical network. The small portion of the signal separated by the splitter is input to a spectrum analyzer which detects the signal strength of each component signal traveling through the optical amplifier Signal strength information is passed to the system controller The system controller typically a digital signal processor or programmable microcontroller, uses the information from the spectrum analyzer to control the variable attenuators and the gain of amplifier in order to level the various signals traveling through the amplifier.

US Patent:

58060669, Sep 8, 1998

Filed:

Mar 26, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/624726

Inventors:

Forouzan Golshani - Paradise Valley AZ
Oris D. Friesen - Scottsdale AZ
Thomas H. Howell - Scottsdale AZ

Assignee:

Bull HN Information Systems Inc. - Billerica MA

International Classification:

G06F 1700

US Classification:

707100

Abstract:

A method for integrating the schemas of a plurality of independent and heterogeneous database management systems of a distributed database management system (DDBMS). The DDBMS includes a computer system in which the DDBMS resides and one or more subservient computer systems. The schemas of two of the independent database systems are fetched from the subservient computer systems. The schemas are converted from a relational database form to an object-oriented form. The schemas are then normalized and displayed graphically. Equivalencies are identified and the two schemas are integrated. These steps are repeated until the schemas of all data bases to be integrated have been integrated into a single integrated, or global schema. The global schema is then converted from the object-oriented form to the relational form, and SQL commands are created to allow data from subservient databases to be obtained to create a virtual database residing in the host computer system satisfying the requirements of the global integrated schema.

US Patent:

50180754, May 21, 1991

Filed:

Mar 24, 1989

Appl. No.:

7/328380

Inventors:

Charles P. Ryan - Phoenix AZ
Thomas H. Howell - Scottsdale AZ
Andrew Y. Pan - Phoenix AZ
David W. Rolston - Santa Cruz CA

Assignee:

Bull Hn Information Systems Inc. - Phoenix AZ

International Classification:

G06F 1518

US Classification:

364513

Abstract:

A diagnostic expert system incorporating a cause-effect graph is disclosed in which "yes", "no" and "unknown" are valid possible responses to a query. Each node in the graph is assigned a local decision factor (LDF) based on a given node's desirability for selection during best-first search and a collapsed decision factor (CDF) based on the average values of the LDFs for all its daughter nodes. For a current node being processed, a list of all its daughter nodes is obtained and examined to remove all daughter nodes that have been visited before in the current transition and all daughter nodes which have prerequisites that are not met. Then, the daughter node with the largest LDF is selected and its test function is executed. If the user response is "yes", the daughter node is made the current node, and a list of its daughter nodes is obtained to continue the process. If the user response is "no", the daughter node is added to the closed list, and the process continues with the next daughter node of the current node.

US Patent:

44192452, Dec 6, 1983

Filed:

Jun 30, 1982

Appl. No.:

6/393953

Inventors:

James H. Barrett - Feasterville PA
Thomas J. Howell - Langhorne PA
George M. Lein - Doylestown PA

Assignee:

Rohm and Haas Company - Philadelphia PA

International Classification:

C08F 218
B01J 4114
B01J 3920

US Classification:

210681

Abstract:

A process for the manufacture of crosslinked ion exchange copolymer particles wherein small seed particles are swollen to final size by concurrently feeding monomer and polymerizing the same under controlled suspension conditions and the unique ion exchange particles produced thereby.

US Patent:

40300676, Jun 14, 1977

Filed:

Dec 29, 1975

Appl. No.:

5/645056

Inventors:

Thomas H. Howell - Scottsdale AZ
Gordon E. Gregg - Tempe AZ
Leonard Rabins - Scottsdale AZ

Assignee:

Honeywell Information Systems, Inc. - Phoenix AZ

International Classification:

G06F 1112

US Classification:

3401461AL

Abstract:

Apparatus for directly decoding and correcting double-bit random errors per word and for detecting triple-bit errors per word is disclosed. Said apparatus comprises a syndrome calculator which operates upon codewords received from memory and generates syndromes. The syndromes are operated upon and translated by a mapping device which generates pointers identifying the bits which are in error. The pointers are then passed through decoding means to generate error words which are summed with the received word from memory to provide a corrected codeword. The syndrome calculator may further provide a parity check signal to determine if a three-bit error is present, in which case the decoding means are not enabled and a signal is generated indicating that a triple-bit error has been detected which is not correctable.

US Patent:

56714181, Sep 23, 1997

Filed:

May 22, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/445637

Inventors:

Forouzan Golshani - Paradise Valley AZ
Thomas H. Howell - Scottsdale AZ

Assignee:

Bull HN Information Systems Inc. - Billerica MA

International Classification:

G06F 944

US Classification:

395705

Abstract:

U2G is a software tool that runs on the GCOS-8 operating system and enables it recognize and process the commonly used commands of the UNIX operating system. U2G is a UNIX-GCOS-8 translator that enables the GCOS-8 to recognize, accept and execute UNIX commands. Thus, it enables the UNIX users to work with the GCOS-8 system without prior training. U2G can translate the most commonly used UNIX commands along with their respective options into equivalent GCOS-8 Time Sharing System (TSS) commands. U2G can be used with a "verbose" mode option which serves to provide descriptive information about the commands and the translation process. The verbose mode is disabled by a "terse" command.

US Patent:

40370933, Jul 19, 1977

Filed:

Dec 29, 1975

Appl. No.:

5/644776

Inventors:

Gordon E. Gregg - Tempe AZ
Thomas H. Howell - Scottsdale AZ
Leonard Rabins - Scottsdale AZ

Assignee:

Honeywell Information Systems, Inc. - Phoenix AZ

International Classification:

G06F 752

US Classification:

235164

Abstract:

The invention comprises circuitry for systematically multiplying two arbitrary field elements in a Galois field GF(2. sup. m). Each element is represented by an m-bit binary number. The multiplicand field element is passed serially through a plurality of m-1 modulo multipliers. The multiplicand and the product from each of the m-1 modulo multipliers are passed through networks which are gated by bits of the multiplier field element forming partial products. The partial products are summed to form the bit representations of the final product.

US Patent:

42463866, Jan 20, 1981

Filed:

May 8, 1978

Appl. No.:

5/904178

Inventors:

Thomas J. Howell - Langhorne PA
William G. Paterson - Tyne and Wear, GB2
Ian Pattison - Tyne and Wear, GB2

Assignee:

Rohm and Haas Company - Philadelphia PA

International Classification:

C08F 238

US Classification:

526207

Abstract:

Hard, infusible, discrete beads of crosslinked copolymer are prepared by free-radical catalyzed polymerization of a monomer mixture in aqueous dispersion wherein a minor amount of a modifier, specifically an organic compound containing acetylenic or allylic unsaturation having the ability to moderate the rate of polymerization, is incorporated in the monomer mixture. Ion exchange resins having improved mechanical strength are obtained by attaching functional groups to the copolymer.