Did You Know...
...that Robert Adler has the dubious distinction of being the Father of the Couch Potato? Back in 1955 Adler was employed by what was then Zenith Radio Corp., where he was charged to invent something that would allow viewers to turn down the TV volume without leaving their chairs. After a series of flops (such as a wired contraption that people tripped over), Adler hit on the idea of using sound waves. Thus the Remote Control was born...
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8112189 | Method and system for providing redundancy in railroad communication equipment A railway communication system (10) includes a transmitter (12) receiving an input and producing a communication signal (18). The communication signal (18) includes at least two different portions (20,22) for separately encoding re... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8082071 | System and method of multi-generation positive train control system A system and method of scheduling the movement of trains as a function of the predicted crew behavior and predicted rail conditions based on the historical behavior of the crew for specific rail conditions. ... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8078346 | Convertible wireless display unit An operator interface unit, includes a housing with a first electrical port having a first pair of terminals to be connect to a pair of network wires of the locomotive, and a second pair of terminals to be connected to a power source. A display and input device are ... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8073582 | System and method for establishing a wireless-based communication link between a pair of locomotives A system is provided for establishing a wireless-based communication link between a lead locomotive and a remote locomotive. A user on the lead locomotive is prompted to input a railroad and number identifier of the remote locomotive. A link command signal is transm... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8073581 | Efficient data acquisition for track databases An improved method of rail survey deploys feature identification tags along an inner edge of a train track rail. Each tag includes a unique identifier to identify a respective feature along the train track. Each tag includes a reflector to reflect light to a sensor ... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8065045 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8060263 | System and method for forecasting the composition of an outbound train in a switchyard A system for forecasting the outbound workload in a switchyard. The system has a processing entity for which receives information on railcar traffic for handling by the switchyard, wherein the railcar traffic includes railcars that are yet to be switched into classi... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8060264 | System for monitoring railroad cars A system for monitoring railroad cars comprising a hatch cover assembly including a cover body, a sensor, a wireless transmitter for transmitting data received from the sensor, a wireless receiver for receiving the data from the wireless transmitter, and a satellite... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8055397 | System and method for computing rail car switching sequence in a switchyard As embodied and broadly described herein the invention includes a system for computing a preferred sequence in which cars in a switching queue of a railway switchyard are to be sequentially switched to classification tracks. The system has a processing entity for de... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8050809 | System and method for remote control of locomotives The present invention is directed to the remote control of locomotives, and more particularly to various methods and apparatus employed in implementing systems for such remote control. Contemplated in the present invention are systems and methods for not only reliab... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8036784 | System and method for verifying the integrity of a train A system for verifying the integrity of a train having a predetermined length is provided. The system includes a device for communicating and synchronizing with a detector of a circuit. The detector detects the presence/absence of a train. The device also includes a... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8019496 | Human machine interface for speed and location control with braking distance display The present disclosure is directed to a locomotive controller including an input device, a display and a processor for driving the display and receiving inputs from the input device. Software in the processor determines and drives the display to show a location of a... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8019497 | System and method for computing rail car switching solutions using dynamic classification track allocation A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departur... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8005585 | Method for determining the occupancy status of a track section in particular following a restart of an axle counting system, as well as an evaluation device and counting point for this A method and apparatus for determining the occupancy status of a track section, in particular following a restart of an axle counting system, in which a counting-in axle counting point is provided at the start and a counting-out axle counting point is provided at th... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7987026 | Railroad track model servomotor type control system A servomotor type control system for a railroad track model includes a CPU, a key unit, and multiple servos; a player of the model achieves control operating status of those servos as desired by operating the key unit in conjunction with programming pre-installed in... | 07/26/2011 |
| 7983806 | System and method for computing car switching solutions in a switchyard using car ETA as a factor A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departur... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7983805 | Method and apparatus for swapping lead and remote locomotives in a distributed power railroad train A communications system for a train having spaced apart first and second locomotives each capable of lead and remote operation and rail cars. The first locomotive operating as a lead unit controlling the second locomotive operating as a remote unit. The train compri... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7979170 | Railroad snow removal system A snow removal system wherein snow removers located in remote locations can be monitored and controlled at a computing device. Data collected by sensors on the snow removal unit or data collected from a secondary source can be used to control the operation of the sn... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7970504 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7945357 | Movable body system having linear motor Primary coils of a linear motor are arranged along a travel route. A movable body has a secondary side of the linear motor. The travel route is divided into a plurality of zones, and a zone controller is provided for each zone or controlling the coils of the linear ... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7941252 | System, method and computer readable media for controlling automatic starts and automatic stops of a locomotive engine A convertible system is provided for controlling automatic starts and automatic stops of a locomotive engine. The convertible system is switchable between a yard mode and a road mode based upon respectively using the locomotive in one of a yard region and road regio... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7937192 | Detection of derailment by determining the rate of fall A method and a device for the recognition of a derailment state of a wheel (RAD) of a rail vehicle. The acceleration of the wheel (RAD) is measured perpendicularly to a rail plane (ε) with at least one acceleration sensor (SEN), whereby from an acceleration signal ... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7937193 | Method and apparatus for coordinating railway line of road and yard planners A scheduling system and method for moving plural objects through a multipath system described as a freight railway scheduling system. The scheduling system utilizes a resource scheduler to minimize resource exception while at the same time minimizing the global cost... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7930076 | System, method and computer readable media for reducing wheel sliding on a locomotive A system for reducing wheel sliding on a locomotive is provided for a locomotive including a plurality of axles. The system includes one or more speed inferring systems coupled to each axle to detect rotation of each axle and generate detection signals based upon de... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7917257 | Method for determining the rotational velocity of an axle and detecting a locked axle condition A method for detecting a rotational velocity of a traction motor in a vehicle comprising: obtaining a traction motor signal having at least one phase, wherein the traction motor signal is responsive to an operating condition of the traction motor in an electrically ... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7912595 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7908047 | Method and apparatus for run-time incorporation of domain data configuration changes A method and apparatus for implementing a run-time configuration change for domain data in a database for an information systems where the domain data defines entities which are acted upon by the information system and where the reconfiguration of the domain data ca... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7904215 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7890224 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7890223 | Railroad signal aspect compliance monitoring systems and methods A system for remotely monitoring compliance with a railroad signal associated with a section of railroad track includes a remote aspect compliance subsystem for monitoring compliance with an indication for the section of railroad track represented by an aspect of th... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7885735 | Model train control A wireless DCC model railroad throttle comprises a throttle program operable on a portable data processing device to display a graphical user interface and communicate a user's control inputs to a layout controlling interface managing communication with a digitally ... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7885736 | System and method for computing rail car switching solutions in a switchyard including logic to re-switch cars for block pull time A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departur... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7869908 | Method and system for data collection and analysis A computer-implemented system and method of contemporaneously testing a respective system on-board each of a plurality of locomotives with a common user interface where the locomotives are in electrical communication with one another for transmitting electronic sign... | 01/11/2011 |
| 7869909 | Stress monitoring system for railways A rail stress monitoring system is disclosed. This system includes a sensor module that further includes a sensing device that is adapted to be mountable directly on a length of rail. The sensing device further includes a generally flat metal shim and at least one, ... | 01/11/2011 |
| 7856296 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7835830 | Device for the generation of reliable status signals of a vehicle that is movable along a given path of travel A device for generating safe status signals of a vehicle (9) that is movable along a given guideway includes data transmitters disposed along said guideway and provided with data (28a, 28b), data acquisition units (21) mount... | 11/16/2010 |
| 7831342 | System and method for computing railcar switching solutions in a switchyard using empty car substitution logic A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departur... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7826938 | System for tracking railcars in a railroad environment A system determines real-time locations of railcars in a railroad environment. Railcars are equipped with at least four RFID tags. A RFID reader at a fixed location at every track branch in the environment reads the RFID tags. Railcar locations are updated for the r... | 11/02/2010 |
| 7818102 | Model train control system A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7818101 | System and method for computing rail car switching solutions in a switchyard using an iterative method A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departur... | 10/19/2010 |
