Patents Examined by Kavel Singh
  • Patent number: 11427408
    Abstract: Present embodiments relate to a tie plate dispenser which aligns tie plates for dispensing based on rail base rather than outer edges of tie plate. Thus tie plates are aligned and located in a differing manner than prior art systems. Further, the tie plate dispenser includes an opening over which a magnet is disposed to retain a tie plate over the opening. The tie plate over the opening may be selectively released by disengaging the tie plate from the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: B & B METALS, INC.
    Inventor: Coty T. Coots
  • Patent number: 11427410
    Abstract: A conveyor system for grouping containers including a conveyor module configured to convey and meter a stream of containers of various dimensions a first star wheel and a second star wheel configured to move a plurality of first containers along a first travel path, wherein the first containers each have a first geometric center, and wherein the first travel path is defined by the geometric center of the first containers, and a third star wheel and a fourth star wheel configured to move a plurality of second containers along a second travel path, wherein the second containers each have a second geometric center, and wherein the second travel path is defined by the geometric center of the second containers, wherein the first travel path and the second travel path are substantially similar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: WestRock Packaging Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Christophe Bonnain, Frederic Limousin, Fabrice Avril, Amelie Strohm
  • Patent number: 11414276
    Abstract: A drive pulley for a continuous conveyor includes an inner drum and a traction drum disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the inner drum. The traction drum has a thickness in a radial direction relative to the axle that is subject to wear during driving contact between the traction drum and a conveyor belt. At least one sensor is embedded in the traction drum. The at least one sensor has an outer wear surface that coincides with an outer surface of the traction drum. The at least one sensor is configured to wear such that the outer wear surface of the at least one sensor is adapted to wear at a same rate as the outer surface of the traction drum. The at least one sensor is configured to generate a wear signal that is indicative of wear of the traction drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Dodge Industrial, Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon W LeRoy, Artur Rdzanek, Isaac P. O'Brien-Herr, Kevin E. Walker
  • Patent number: 11407574
    Abstract: System for transporting objects under controlled atmosphere comprising tubular sections connected together in a leak tight manner by their first ends, each tubular section, each section comprising a guide track for a trolley, each guide track comprising a first and a second end, the first ends of the guide tracks being opposite and separated from each other by a given distance. The transport system also comprises a spanning element rotationally hinged on a first end of the guide tracks around an axis orthogonal to a direction of displacement of said guide track. The spanning element is moveable between a raised position and a spanning position in which the guide tracks are connected enabling the passage of the trolley.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventor: Yoann Cure
  • Patent number: 11396149
    Abstract: A method for producing and/or recycling a conveyor belt, the conveyor belt having at least one belt layer, the at least one belt layer or one of the belt layers including a tension member, the tension member including a matrix material and filaments embedded in the matrix material, includes: providing a tension member starting material by: providing a recyclate, which already contains filaments or filament groups, or combining a recyclate, which already contains filaments or filament groups, with the matrix material and/or filaments, or combining the matrix material with filaments; producing an extrudable state of the tension member starting material by mixing the provided tension member starting material in a mechanically-aided manner and influencing a temperature on the provided tension member starting material; and extruding the tension member, forming the at least one belt layer of the conveyor belt, from the tension member starting material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: FORBO SIEGLING GMBH
    Inventors: Lennart Schulz, Torsten Buch
  • Patent number: 11383939
    Abstract: A conveyor conveys a tray along a transportation path including a linear path and a curved path connected to the linear path. The conveyor includes an orientation assist member configured to assist a change of the conveyance orientation of the tray when the tray is conveyed from the linear path to the curved path. The orientation assist member is provided on the linear path on the upstream side of conveyance from a starting position S of the curved path on the transportation path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: DAIFUKU CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshihiko Fujio
  • Patent number: 11383933
    Abstract: A trough conveyor that transports fine bulk material and is exposed to windy conditions may include a belt for transporting bulk material, a center roll for supporting the belt, first and second wing rolls that support angled segments of the belt, a frame that supports the center roll and the first and second wing rolls, and a hood cover disposed above the belt. The trough conveyor may also include first and second baffles that form labyrinths that help attenuate wind velocity over the fine bulk material. The baffles may also help contain fine bulk material that is stirred up within a stilling space formed between the hood cover, the belt, and the baffles. In addition or in the alternative, the trough conveyor may include fairings that deflect crosswind beneath the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: THYSSENKRUPP INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS (USA), INC.
    Inventors: Martin S. Lurie, R. Steven Kasper
  • Patent number: 11376453
    Abstract: An area is set as an interference area, in which a transport vehicle is located in a state in which a portion of the transport vehicle overlaps a door trajectory which is a movement trajectory of a fire protection door. A control portion that controls a subject vehicle, which is a transport vehicle to be controlled, prohibits the whole subject vehicle from entering the interference area if it is determined, based on another-vehicle information, which is information of a traveling state of another vehicle that is different from the subject vehicle, and information regarding the interference area, that the interference area is present between the another vehicle located forward of the subject vehicle and the subject vehicle, and that a stoppable area is not secured between a rear end position of the another vehicle and the fire protection door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Natsuo Takagawa, Toshikazu Kato
  • Patent number: 11377302
    Abstract: In one example, an article for distributing powder includes a plate having holes therein through which a powder may pass from a first side of the plate to a second side of the plate opposite the first side and multiple ramps each intersecting the plate at one or multiple holes and sloping away from the first side of the plate in a first direction at an angle less than 90°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Gerard Mosquera, Albert Iglesias Millan, Joan Mach
  • Patent number: 11375728
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and a method for fine manipulation. The system for fine manipulation includes a tossing mechanism, a setting mechanism, and a leaf uniformly distributing mechanism. The tossing mechanism comprises a tossing machine, a leaf distributing assembly, a first feeding conveyor assembly, and a first receiving conveyor assembly. The setting mechanism comprises a setting assembly, a second feeding conveyor assembly, and a second receiving conveyor assembly. The setting assembly includes a setting belt and a setting belt driving device configured to drive the setting belt to move. The leaf uniformly distributing mechanism comprises a leaf uniformly distributing device and a lifting driving assembly. The leaf uniformly distributing device includes a shifting arm, a rotary table and a rotary table driving assembly. The lifting driving assembly can drive the leaf uniformly distributing device to move up and down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignees: CHANGSHA XIANG FENG INTELLIGENT EQUIPMENT LIMITED BY SHARE LTD., TEA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, GUANGDONG ACADEMY OF ARGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
    Inventors: Junxi Cao, Aiqing Miao, Chengying Ma, Dandan Qi, Xiaoyan Qiao, Jinchi Tang, Wei Chen, Shi Pang, Jianyong Zhou, Haoming Peng
  • Patent number: 11377305
    Abstract: A scraper blade for a conveyor belt system, the blade having a pair of parallel tubes in a core region of the blade, integrally molded into elastomeric material. A plurality of spacers are provided to maintain the tubes in parallel arrangement during the molding process. End mounts are secured to the ends of the tubes to facilitate mounting on holders of the conveyor belt system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher Scott Smith, Glenn E. Farrow
  • Patent number: 11370618
    Abstract: A conveyor belt unit (100) has a configuration-changing mechanism useful for switching between a ready-to-operate configuration and a not-ready-to-operate configuration. A specific embodiment uses a rotating joint element (150) with a thin material bridge (152) that defines a rotary axis. Used with a dynamic checkweigher, the conveyor belt unit has a carrier frame (110) and a belt body (130) connected to it. Rollers (132, 134) are arranged at the ends in transport direction (T) and contrary to the transport direction, with a conveyor belt (136) tensioned across the conveyor rollers. A motor drives the conveyor belt (136) by means of one of the rollers (132, 134). The configuration-changing mechanism is effective between the belt body and the carrier frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Mettler-Toledo Garvens GmbH
    Inventors: Florian Schwanitz, Mario Meyer
  • Patent number: 11358799
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus (14) for adapting a guide width (B) of a conveying device (12) for conveying containers for a container treatment installation. The apparatus (14) includes a longitudinally movable and pliable adjusting element (24), a guide element (20) for guiding the containers along a conveying direction (F) and a transmission device (26). For the adaptation of the guide width (B), the transmission device (26) is configured to convert a longitudinal movement, preferably a pushing and/or pulling movement, of the adjusting element (24) into a movement of the guide element (20) transversely with respect to the conveying direction (F). The pliability of the adjusting element (24) can make use possible even in curved regions of the conveying device (12). The adjusting element (24) can also be designed in a simple and cost-effective manner, for example in the form of a cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Christian Buchner
  • Patent number: 11352223
    Abstract: A transport system and transport device guided via a plurality of rollers in a running direction along a running rail. The transport system has a curved running rail with first and second running surfaces at a first running rail side flank. First and second rollers form a first roller unit for the first running surface, and third and fourth rollers form a second roller unit for the second running surface. The first and/or second roller unit has a rocker unit with a rigid connection of the rotation axles of the first and second rollers of the first roller unit, and/or the rotation axles of the third and fourth rollers of the second roller unit, and a rocker axle. The rigid connection is pivotably supported about the rocker axle, arranged transversely to the running direction of the first and/or second roller unit, which has the rocker unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Beckhoff Automation GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Borchardt, Jörg Neufeld
  • Patent number: 11345552
    Abstract: A secondary belt cleaner system for cleaning the surface of the return side of an endless conveyor belt. The system includes a plurality of blade devices that are rotatably biased against the return side surface using a respective torsion spring therein. Each blade device includes a head portion formed by a blade support and a replaceable blade tip that is releasably secured to the blade support. The head portion is connected to one end of a blade arm and the other end of the blade arm is coupled to a rotatable shaft inside a housing that is fixedly secured to a support shaft having mounting brackets at each end for mounting the system transversely to the conveyor belt frame. Adjacent blade devices have different blade arm lengths in order to have the blade coverage overlap with no gaps in between.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: ASGCO Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew Collier
  • Patent number: 11339002
    Abstract: A conveyor belt makes contamination of the conveyor belt and conveyance objects less noticeable. A conveyor belt has a structure in which a colorless transparent belt body and a black resin layer that exhibits black color are overlaid on each other and is observed as a black belt. The black resin layer is provided on a surface opposite to a carrying surface of the belt body. The black resin layer is formed in black by blending a conductive filler in the resin and is added with conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: NITTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Sato, Koki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 11339012
    Abstract: A control device (10) of an article transfer facility (100) determines the size of a first dead space surrounded by a set article (Wd) and a target article (Wc) located at a first candidate position (P1). If the size of the first dead space is smaller than a first threshold (TH1), the control device (10) sets the first candidate position (P1) as the arrangement position of the target article (Wc). If the size of the first dead space is greater than or equal to the first threshold (TH1), the control device (10) determines the size of a second dead space surrounded by the set article (Wd) and the target article (Wc) located at a second candidate position (P2). If the size of the second dead space is smaller than a second threshold (TH2), the control device (10) sets the second candidate position (P2) as the arrangement position of the target article (Wc).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 11339030
    Abstract: A passenger moving installation includes a plurality of tread elements forming an endless conveyor belt, wherein the tread elements are at least partially covered by at least one element that limits a transportation height of a user set of the installation. A safety system is configured to detect a risk of collision between the user set and the covering element. A method of determining a risk of collision between a user set and at least one covering element in a passenger moving installation at least partially covered by the covering element, includes determining the height of the user set in a monitoring area via a safety system, comparing the height of the user set to the height of a safety threshold, and triggering an event in the safety system if the user height exceeds the safety threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: TK Escalator Norte S.A.
    Inventors: Adrián Álvarez Cuervo, Marcos Pérez Pérez, José Mendiolagoitia Juliana, Isabel Gonzalez Mieres, Francisco Javier Sesma Sanchez
  • Patent number: 11332313
    Abstract: A conveyor belt monitoring system includes an imaging device which sequentially images a longitudinal predetermined range of a conveyor belt in running from above the conveyor belt. Image data captured by the imaging device is displayed in a monitor, and then is sequentially input into a control unit as detection data. The control unit causes a meander suppressing device to reduce a meander width of the conveyor belt on the basis of the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Gang Hou, Masahiko Miyamoto, Taro Takahashi, Masaharu Manishi, Eiji Kobayashi, Hitoshi Indo
  • Patent number: 11325792
    Abstract: A loading station for a pocket conveyor having two conveying lines. The loading station has a receiving section for receiving pockets for each conveying line; a receiving section for objects, with which the pockets are to be loaded; and a device for each conveying line, into each of which an empty pocket to be filled can be introduced. In addition, the loading station has a moving unit for moving the devices from a receiving section for objects to one of the receiving sections for receiving pockets, and back again. The loading station is also designed to alternately load the pockets of the first conveying line and the pockets of the second conveying line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Vanderlande Industries B.V.
    Inventors: Udo Hubrich, Ralf Ferdinand Schneuing