Patents Examined by Jessica L Burkman
  • Patent number: 11242899
    Abstract: A fluid distribution apparatus for an axle assembly, the fluid distribution apparatus including a cylindrical portion rotatably disposed about a bearing race. A conical portion is coupled with the cylindrical portion, and a retaining portion is coupled with the conical portion. A plurality of circumferentially spaced tubes are coupled with the retaining portion, wherein the tubes are at least partially disposed through a rotating component of a clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Dana Automotive Systems Group, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas C. Billmaier, Thomas L. Nahrwold
  • Patent number: 11241697
    Abstract: Classifying tanks, related systems and methods of operating the same are described. Some classifying tank embodiments facilitate the use of a control system and methods to perform one or more of the following tracking the product discharged, performing optimization routines, and determining new settings for a plurality of stations of the classifying tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Superior Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John Bennington, Frank Squires
  • Patent number: 11235353
    Abstract: There is provided a projection instruction device that generates a projection image to be projected on a parcel based on a reading result of parcel identification information included in a label attached to the parcel, the device including: a processor; and a memory, in which by cooperating with the memory, the processor detects occurrence of an error, and moves the parcel to upstream in a case where the occurrence of the error is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Thilmee Baduge
  • Patent number: 11227672
    Abstract: A cell sorting system that automatically generates a sorting strategy based on examples of target events provided by an operator. The target events can be selected using measurements ranging from traditional flow cytometry measurements to derived measurements that are computationally expensive to complex measurements such as images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Jonathan Lin, Joseph Trotter, Keegan Owsley
  • Patent number: 11219924
    Abstract: The sorting installation (1) of the invention includes sorting outlets (2) aligned along a sorting conveyor (3), each outlet having a recess (4) for receiving a tray (5) in which sorted mailpieces (6) are stored, and also a tray conveyor (8) that extends under the sorting outlets for moving full trays. The installation further includes a shuttle robot (9) provided with a chute (14) having a bottom end (14a) that is slidingly attached to a guide rail (10) extending along the tray conveyor, the shuttle robot being designed to extract a tray full of mail automatically from a recess in a sorting outlet and to drop it onto the top portion of the chute in such a manner that, on reaching the bottom of the chute, the tray is injected onto the tray conveyor under the effect of gravity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Patrick Tetaz-Receveur, Laurent Pellegrin
  • Patent number: 11179729
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for washing and separating pieces of plastics material from contaminating material that also includes metal elements includes a stirring device having a plurality of blades which are driven in a washing fluid to generate a turbulent stirring action to mechanically remove part of the contaminating material from the plastics material. The tilt of the blades and the rotation speed of the stirring device are chosen carefully to generate an upward thrusting action to maintain the plastics material with a specific weight that is greater than the specific weight of the fluid in a floating condition. The plastics material is retained inside the container for sufficient time to obtain a desired degree of purity and decontamination for the plastics material, after which it is evacuated by controlled overflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Inventor: Flavio Previero
  • Patent number: 11173522
    Abstract: A device for sorting objects, such as used beverage or food containers, that are conveyed on a conveyor. The device includes a first guiding member which is pivotable about a first pivot axis and configured to, when the sorting device is situated in a first sorting position, guide containers in a first sorting direction, a second guiding member which is pivotable about a second pivot axis, a rotatable drive member, a first cam mechanism interconnecting the rotatable drive member with the first guiding member, and a second cam mechanism interconnecting the rotatable drive member with the second guiding member, wherein the device is configured to, upon rotation of the drive member, be actuated between the first sorting position and a second sorting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOMRA SYSTEMS ASA
    Inventor: Oddvar Martinsen
  • Patent number: 11167589
    Abstract: A bicycle hub structure has a hub member, a clutch set, a driving base and a sleeve. The thread angle of the outer threaded section of the driving base is greater than the thread angle of the inner threaded section of the driving central shaft, so that the driving central shaft and the external toothed coupling collar have a coupling state instantly which greatly reduces the actuation stroke of the clutch set, improves the smoothness of driving and the sensitivity of the hub member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: CHOSEN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ching-Shu Chen
  • Patent number: 11161151
    Abstract: A screen assembly for vibratory separation includes a screen having a plurality of raised screen components formed therein, with each of the raised screen components defining a face oriented to oppose a flow direction of the screen assembly. In examples, a screen of the screen assembly is assembled from a plurality of metal cloth layers bonded together. Bonding of the metal cloth layers may be accomplished by a sintering process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: National Oilwell Varco, L.P.
    Inventor: Eric Landon Scott
  • Patent number: 11149831
    Abstract: A lock-up device for a torque converter is disclosed. The lock-up device includes a clutch part, first and second rotary members, a plurality of elastic members and a stopper mechanism. The clutch part is provided between a front cover and a turbine, and transmits the torque inputted to the front cover to the turbine. The first rotary member is disposed between the clutch part and the turbine. The second rotary member is rotatable relative to the first rotary member. The elastic members elastically couple an outer peripheral part of the first rotary member and an outer peripheral part of the second rotary member in a rotational direction. The stopper mechanism is disposed axially between the elastic members and an outer peripheral part of a turbine shell. The stopper mechanism includes an engaging portion restricting an angular range of relative rotation between the first rotary member and the second rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: EXEDY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoru Matsuda
  • Patent number: 11148171
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for the dry separation of bulk particulate material, especially coarse particles, is provided. The apparatus comprises a chamber, a screen adjacent the chamber and a fluidising device fluidly connected to the chamber. The screen has a screen surface, a plurality of apertures and an opening larger in size than the aperture. A mixture of the coarse particles and a fine particulate medium is fed into the chamber. The fluidising device directs a fluidising fluid to fluidise a fine particulate medium and create a fluidised bed directed towards the screen. The fine particulate medium and the coarse particles pass from the chamber through the openings. The fine particulate medium passes back through the apertures to the chamber. Relatively high density coarse particles also pass back through the openings to the chamber. Relatively low density coarse particles are retained on the screen surface. Vibrations may also be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: The University of Newcastle
    Inventor: Kevin Patrick Galvin
  • Patent number: 11130642
    Abstract: A device and a method for the separation of elongated parts (long parts) from bulk materials. The device comprises a conveying device (1), a deflecting device (2) and a rake with webs (4) being oriented longitudinally to the conveying direction. According to the method, the bulk material is transported on the conveying device (1), and then long parts (10) are oriented by means of a deflecting device (2) transversely to the conveying direction. After passing through the deflecting device (2), the transversely oriented long parts are transferred to the rake (4) and discharged as coarse materials (7). Compact parts (11) fall through this rake and thus end up in the fine material (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: OST—OSTSCHWEIZER FACHHOCHSCHULE
    Inventor: Rainer Bunge
  • Patent number: 11103896
    Abstract: A parcel sorter system and method. A process performed by a parcel sorter system includes receiving sorting information of a first parcel. The process includes identifying a first destination pallet corresponding to the sorting information. The first destination pallet is associated with a first carousel and a first destination chute. The process includes transporting the first parcel toward the first destination chute. The process includes, while transporting the parcel toward the first destination chute, operating the first carousel to move the first destination pallet proximate to the first destination chute. The process includes delivering the first parcel at the first destination chute for placement on the first destination pallet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Siemens Logistics LLC
    Inventors: Francisco Grupp, Michael D. Carpenter
  • Patent number: 11105380
    Abstract: Methods and system are provided for locking a half shaft to a wheel hub to engage four wheel drive are disclosed. In one example, a wheel hub is locked to a half shaft via a radially expanding engagement mechanism. The radially expanding engagement mechanism is without grease and without springs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Eugene Kathman, Jr., Gregory D. Gardner, Norman Jerry Bird, Diana Barbara Placha, Xiaoyong Lu
  • Patent number: 11105419
    Abstract: A valve body for an automotive transmission includes a pressure regulator valve in the casting for controlling oil pressure within the torque converter. The valve has a bore to provide fluid communication with an exhaust circuitry in the transmission when the valve is moved by oil pressure from a first position to a second position. The regulator valve prevents excessive pressure and damage from ballooning of the torque converter housing. In an alternative non-lockup torque converter, a check ball in a modified separator plate moves to open and close an oil path in the plate to thereby control oil pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Goerend Transmission, Inc.
    Inventor: James W. Weissenfluh
  • Patent number: 11040373
    Abstract: A sliding drawer sifter apparatus for sorting plant buds by size includes a frame having a set of drawers comprising a top drawer, a middle drawer, and a bottom draw. Each of the set of drawers has a handle and an inner lip. A set of sifter grates each has a grate perimeter selectively engageable with the inner lip of each of the drawers and a grate body coupled within the grate perimeter. The set of sifter grates comprises a top grate, a middle grate, and a bottom grate. The grate body of the bottom grate is finer than the grate body of the middle grate. The grate body of the middle grate is finer than the grate body of the top grate. The top grate, the middle grate, and the bottom grate are configured to sort progressively smaller plant buds into the set of drawers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Inventor: Kimberli Rush
  • Patent number: 11033935
    Abstract: A sorting facility (1) for sorting parcels (2), has a sorting conveyor (3), sorting outlets (4) distributed along said conveyor, and a monitoring and control unit (7) for controlling the conveyor so as to sort the parcels into the outlets as a function of their destination addresses. Each outlet is arranged to store a plurality of receptacles (6), each of which is associated with a parcel destination address in a memory of the unit. At each outlet, the facility has a swap-over device (8) for swapping the receptacles over. The unit controls the swap-over device so that a receptacle for which the destination address associated with it in the memory of the monitoring and control unit corresponds to the destination address of a current parcel to be sorted is held stationary in a filling position in which the receptacle is positioned under the sorting outlet so as to receive a parcel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Christophe Czukor, Luc Chirol, Bruno Volta
  • Patent number: 10994307
    Abstract: A sorting table with an adjustable screen for fruit, has a series of conveyor/sorter rollers arranged in a sorting plane and parallel to each other, the conveyor/sorter rollers each having at least one sorter section, a spacing being provided respectively between opposing sorter sections of successive conveyor/sorter rollers in order to allow fruit to pass selectively through the table, via said spacing. The sorting table includes conveyor/sorter rollers provided with sorter sections that have an adjustable diameter and a control device for controlling the diameter of the adjustable-diameter sorter sections. Application to sorting a fruit or grape crop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Inventor: Jean-Marc Gialis