Patents Examined by Donald P. Walsh
  • Patent number: 7036813
    Abstract: A recording medium feed apparatus has a manual feed tray provided in open or closed state, a feed roller feeding a recording portion a recording medium on the manual feed tray, an arm body having a first end portion rotatably attached to a housing and a second end portion, a feed roller unit having a front end portion provided with the feed roller and a base end portion rotatably attached to the second end portion, and a driving source transferring driving force to the feed roller, wherein the arm body and the feed roller unit are vertically housed inside the housing when the manual feed tray is closed, and as the manual feed tray changes from closed to opened state, the arm body tilts toward outside, while a folding angle of the feed roller increases so that the feed roller abuts against a recording medium on the manual feed tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuo Asada
  • Patent number: 7036651
    Abstract: A method and system for processing currency bills and coins in a cash receptacle for automatically determining a batch of currency. An operator provides an amount of cash, including currency bills and coins, and indicates a target amount of cash desired to be made available in a currency batch. The system includes a resident memory for storing a mode of operation, determines a total amount of the cash, and determines a cash removal amount by comparing the total amount of the cash to the target amount. The cash removal amount is displayed to the operator for adding or removing cash to obtain the appropriate currency batch, which corresponds to the target amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corp.
    Inventors: Flavia Tam, Mark C. Munro, Timothy L. Esterbrook, David O. Noke, John R. Blake
  • Patent number: 7032735
    Abstract: A coin slot for a mechanical coin-acceptor unit and a mechanical coin-acceptor unit having a coin slot aperture incorporated in a front plate, a coin slot chamber and a coin channel are proposed, the coin channel being offset relative to the coin slot aperture and the coin slot chamber having a shoulder behind the coin slot aperture in the insertion direction. The shoulder is configured so as to vibrate as a coin reflector or membrane in such a manner that an impacting inserted coin in the coin slot chamber is reflected by the shoulder elastically in the direction of the front plate and experiences, in the coin slot chamber, a renewed reversal of direction in the direction of the coin channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Walter Hanke - Mechanische Werkstatten GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Christian Trenner
  • Patent number: 7032775
    Abstract: A tape dispenser/applicator device for dispensing and applying tape to packages. The tape dispenser/applicator device includes a housing member having side walls and open top and bottom ends; and also includes a tape cartridge being removably disposed in the housing member and being adapted to store a stack of strips of adhesive tape therein; and further includes a plunger assembly being removably mounted to the housing member and being adapted to dispense the strips of adhesive tape from the tape cartridge and to apply the strips of adhesive tape selectively; and also includes a holder member being removably mounted upon the bottom end of the housing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Inventors: Mussa A. Almeer, Amy K. Gieson
  • Patent number: 7032899
    Abstract: To maintain quality printed images in high speed photographic quality printing it is necessary to ensure accurate registry of the print media with the printheads. To ensure this result an alignment mechanism is provided for the stack of print media to be fed to the printer. The alignment mechanism comprises a receptacle to hold the stack of print media, a registry stop and a tapping mechanism located opposite the registry stop, to maintain the stack of print media in accurate abutment with the registry stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: David William Jensen
  • Patent number: 7029008
    Abstract: To provide an accumulating device 71 that is capable of securely accumulating sheets or the like P having dimensional differences on the basis of the rear ends in the taking-in direction thereof. The stopper 111a advances from upward to the advanced position between the tip end regulating wall 79 and the rear end regulating wall 80 and stops the tip ends in the taking-in direction of sheets or the like P to be taken in, whose length in the taking-in direction of sheets or the like P is shorter than the maximum length. The stopper 111a is supported movably in the vertical direction with respect to the advancing and retreating mechanism by which the stopper 111a is caused to advance and retreat between the advanced position and the retreated position, and presses sheets or the like P in the downward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Glory Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuo Nishida, Toshihiko Kobayashi, Tsuguo Mizoro, Toyoshige Kuroiwa, Kosaku Fukuda
  • Patent number: 7029005
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for positioning media that in an embodiment includes a plate attached to a wall along a pivot axis. A spring is attached to the wall and to the plate, and the spring expands to push the plate and the media to a picking location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Kelly A. Brock, Jiangxiao Mo
  • Patent number: 7028844
    Abstract: An improved dried lavender processing apparatus and method comprises a multi-module system comprising a first de-stemmer unit that receives the dried lavender in bundles, separates the buds (corollas/calyxes) from the stems and leaves, collects the stems and leaves as waste, and provides the buds to a second separator/classifier unit. The second, separator/classifier unit employs air or vacuum transport to convey, separate and classify the final bud product from the minor stem, leaves and minor debris and to exhaust and remove the hazardous dust and organic particulates. The system may include a third unit comprising a dust collector system. The final product flower buds are collected in an output hopper in clean condition for immediate bagging as a potpourri or sachet product, or may be further processed for the essential oils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Inventor: Robert D. Nelson
  • Patent number: 7029004
    Abstract: At the lower end of a sheet-supporting surface, there is provided a fixed separation plate from and into the upper surface of which a separating device elongated in the sheet feed direction can protrude and retract. On either side thereof, there are provided first movable separation plates that can be inclined below the fixed separation plate. Stopper members are urged by an urging spring so as to pivot to a position below the supper surfaces of the first movable separation plates. When a pivoting operation lever is rotated, an operation arm is pressed by a cam mounted to an operation shaft through an operating portion, a second link, and a first link to upwardly rotate the stopper members, raising the lower edges of the stacked sheets above the upper surfaces of the separation plates to maintain the stacked set state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuo Asada, Koji Takito, Takatoshi Takemoto, Hiroshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7029006
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus main body for containing sheets in the inside thereof includes: a first cover and a second cover which are openable and closable; and a detecting sensor for detecting an opening and closing of the first cover. The detecting sensor does not detect closing of the first cover when the first cover is closed in a state in which the second cover is opened and detects closing of the first cover when the first cover is closed in a state in which the second cover is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Izumi, Yasuhiro Uchida, Masaru Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7028848
    Abstract: The invention relates to an axial feeding method of the material to be separated in a dense-medium dynamic separator (1). This method is based on the principle of imparting to the material and to the fluid in which it is dispersed, in order to facilitate introduction thereof into the separator (1), a rotational velocity component with respect to the axis of the latter, in this way the particles of material have a movement corresponding to that of the dense medium circulating in the separator, so as to prevent uncontrolled dispersion of the particles inside it. The invention also comprises a feeding apparatus (2) for carrying out the abovementioned method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Ecomin SRL
    Inventor: Paolo Bozzato
  • Patent number: 7028847
    Abstract: A two-stage dynamic classifier (30, 30?) for classifying a pulverized feed material (34, 34?, 38) entrained in an air flow (31) includes a vertically extending housing having a lower feed material inlet (18), an upper feed material outlet (24), a processing section (47, 47?) disposed between the feed material inlet and the feed material outlet, and a lower tailings discharge (26). A classifier conditioner (32) is disposed in a lower portion of the processing section and a turbine classifier (42, 44) is disposed in an upper portion of the processing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Michael M. Chen, Jianrong Chen
  • Patent number: 7028826
    Abstract: A device for sorting discs or disk-like members of different identities (e.g. roulette chips) ejects the disks from a receptacle by means of a rotating wheel with numerous wells—(multi-chip storage compartments). Ejection of an article from the wells is achieved by an ejector lever making contact with an activated solenoid thus forcing the article at the bottom of the well, in conjunction with the momentum of the moving wheel, into a receiving space. The discs in the receiving spaces are continually replaced by newly-arriving discs which force the previously-positioned discs upwards into a column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Streamline Innovations GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Wolfgang De Raedt, Ludo DeMeutter
  • Patent number: 7027890
    Abstract: The present invention is a fuel dispensing system for enhancing cash transactions, which includes a fuel dispenser associated with a control system and a receiver adapted to receive signals, including identification indicia from a remote communications unit associated with a customer when a cash transaction is indicated. A cash transaction indicator is adapted to signal the control system that a cash transaction is taking place, and may be selectable by the customer or an operator of the system at the beginning of the transaction. The system may also include a transmitter adapted to transmit the customer-related information to the remote communication unit associated with the customer, or may include memory for storing the customer-related information in association with the identification indicia. The system may store credit for change based on a cash transaction, or may provide and store loyalty points on or in association with a transponder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Gilbarco Inc.
    Inventor: Amy Hetz Wilson
  • Patent number: 7025210
    Abstract: A method of attenuating the sound emanating from a bank of a plurality of vibrating screens of a plurality of vibrating screening machines including the steps of providing a master pulse of known phase and frequency, comparing the phase and frequency of a plurality of vibrating screens with the known phase and frequency of said master pulse, and adjusting the phase and frequency of said bank of plurality of vibrating screens so that the waveforms produced thereby tend to cancel each other. An apparatus for implementing the method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Derrick Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: James A. Mooney
  • Patent number: 7025347
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus in which after a bundle of sheets is placed in an erect posture on a sheet supporting stand, the bundle of sheets placed on the sheet supporting stand is continuously vibrated upward and downward for a predetermined time, and is moved in a sheet feeding direction by an aligning portion to be hit against a hitting portion, and the bottom edges and the side edges of the bundle of sheets are accordingly aligned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironori Masui, Kazuhide Sugiyama, Jun Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7025345
    Abstract: A sheet feeder and separator assembly for separating and sequentially feeding individual print media sheets from a stack thereof includes a frame having at least one bearing recess. A removable print media tray is carried by the frame. A separator is connected to the removable print media tray. A pick module assembly is removably connected to the frame adjacent the removable print media tray. The pick module assembly includes a pick roller adjacent the separator to form a nip and at least one flexible bearing is removably received in the at least one bearing recess to removably connect the pick module assembly to the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Isaac S. Frazier, Jos W. Jacobs, Carl T. Urban, David B. Schaefer
  • Patent number: 7025190
    Abstract: A method of validating coins which includes a piezoelectric element to convert movement caused by the collision of a coin to a signal and a processor to analyse the signal. The signal is digitized to produce a sequence of values. The processor analyses portions of the digitized signal to derive characterizing features of the signal and discriminates between valid and invalid coins based on the characterizing features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Mars, Incorporated
    Inventor: Katharine Louise King
  • Patent number: 7025189
    Abstract: A supply detecting device for money or equivalents capable of determines the presence thereof within a closed container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Glenview Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Mircea Sorin Petrusan, Michael J. Sciortino
  • Patent number: 7024274
    Abstract: A method for sorting and stacking stackable storage objects where the storage objects consist of at least three stacks. The method includes the steps of identifying and marking each storage object with a sequence number for each object in a withdrawal order. Identifying the lowest unmarked storage object above a mark storage object in each stack. Categorizing the stack containing the identified lowest unmarked storage object as a first stack and categorizing each remaining stack as a second stack. Moving each storage object from the first stack onto one or more of the second stacks until the identified lowest unmarked storage object is on top of the first stack. Sorting and moving all of the marked storage objects from the second stacks onto the first stack. Moving each of the storage objects in the arrival stack to one or more second stacks. Moving each of the marked storage objects to the second stacks from the first stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Inventor: Björn Johansson