US 12,276,767 B1
Omni-inducer
Mark S. Olsson, La Jolla, CA (US); Ray Merewether, La Jolla, CA (US); Michael J. Martin, San Diego, CA (US); and Jan Soukup, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to SEESCAN, INC., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by SeeScan, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/391,606.
Application 18/391,606 is a continuation of application No. 17/955,473, filed on Sep. 28, 2022, granted, now 11,867,865.
Application 17/955,473 is a continuation of application No. 16/049,699, filed on Jul. 30, 2018, granted, now 11,474,275, issued on Oct. 18, 2022.
Application 16/049,699 is a continuation of application No. 13/894,038, filed on May 14, 2013, granted, now 10,042,072, issued on Aug. 7, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/781,889, filed on Mar. 14, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/646,892, filed on May 14, 2012.
Int. Cl. G01V 3/10 (2006.01); G01V 3/08 (2006.01); G01V 3/12 (2006.01); H01Q 1/12 (2006.01); H01Q 21/20 (2006.01); H01Q 21/29 (2006.01); H01Q 23/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01V 3/12 (2013.01) [G01V 3/08 (2013.01); G01V 3/108 (2013.01); H01Q 1/1228 (2013.01); H01Q 21/205 (2013.01); H01Q 21/29 (2013.01); H01Q 23/00 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A locating system, comprising:
an omni-inducer device for inducing currents in a hidden or buried utility, including:
a housing;
an omnidirectional transmit antenna configured to provide magnetic field signals in three orthogonal directions, disposed on, within, or operatively coupled to the housing;
a transmitter module disposed in the housing for generating, simultaneously, individual ones of a plurality of output signals at a plurality of different frequencies for inductively coupling to the hidden or buried utility; and
a buried utility locator configured for receiving signals generated in response to the inductively coupled signals in a conductor and processing the received signals at the plurality of different frequencies.