Creativity is the Crux

I’ve thought a lot recently about what motivates me as an engineer.

Is it “Coming Face to Face with a Technical Challenge”?

Is it “Learning a New Programming Language in Record Time”?

Is it “Completing an Impossible Project on Schedule”?

Well, tackling those tasks can be powerful motivators, but there’s something more fundamental at work.

Continue reading “Creativity is the Crux”

Patents

One of the most exciting days in my career was when I was awarded my first patent! It was a great confirmation of the thrill I feel at being faced with a problem, wrestling with it for days or weeks, and then coming up with a practical solution — and, in these cases, ones which no one else used before. Enjoy reading!

I’ve been awarded 10 unique U.S. Patents to date. The following list is pasted in from the USPTO Search Engine:

1 9,274,992 Cable with circuitry for communicating performance information
2 9,210,206 Messaging to provide data link integrity
3 8,964,979 Identification and handling of data streams using coded preambles
4 8,930,692 Mechanism for internal processing of content through partial authentication on secondary channel
5 8,793,723 Detection of encryption utilizing error detection for received data
6 8,692,937 Video frame synchronization
7 8,644,334 Messaging to provide data link integrity
8 8,458,343 Signaling for transitions between modes of data transmission
9 7,558,326 Method and apparatus for sending auxiliary data on a TMDS-like link
10 7,555,693 Auxiliary data transmitted within a display’s serialized data stream
11 7,143,328 Auxiliary data transmitted within a display’s serialized data stream
12 7,123,307 Clock jitter limiting scheme in video transmission through multiple stages

9,274,992 is on its way, with a plaque to be mounted alongside the others!