Patents Examined by Mark Beauchaine
  • Patent number: 9795263
    Abstract: A collection and sifting device provides a flexibly resilient truncated funnel shaped body having a top circumferential edge extending around an open top portion, and a spaced apart bottom circumferential edge extending about a diametrically smaller closed bottom portion with a sidewall extending between the top circumferential edge and the bottom circumferential edge. A plurality of spacedly arrayed through holes are defined in the bottom portion and in the sidewall proximate the bottom portion. Each spacedly arrayed through hole has a diameter smaller than a diameter of a U.S. dime. A bottom cap is releasably securable to the body to optionally obstruct the plurality of through holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Inventor: Todd Perkins
  • Patent number: 9782916
    Abstract: A waste plastic container recycling system and a method thereof are provided for determining whether the spectrum of a waste container to be recycled belongs to any one of spectrums of plastic materials and for classifying waste containers of different plastic materials since the plastic materials have the different spectral characteristics. Accordingly, the waste plastic container recycling system and the method thereof can accurately recognize the waste containers of different plastic materials regardless of the appearance, or damage, deformation or concealment of the label on the waste containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Oriental Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Chin-Lun Lai, Jun-Horng Chen
  • Patent number: 9783384
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a bi-modal roller configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the bi-modal roller. The bi-modal roller includes two ends and a rolling outer surface. The rolling outer surface is divided into a convex portion and concave portion. The concave portion includes at least one concave curve extending longitudinally between the two ends. The concave portion is configured to, when a film physically contacts the concave portion, affect translation of the film in response to a stick condition or a slip condition. The convex portion includes at least one convex curve extending longitudinally between the two ends. The convex portion is configured to, when the film physically contacts the convex portion, affect translation of the film in response to a stick condition or a slip condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Crane Payment Innovations, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas F. Ward
  • Patent number: 9783377
    Abstract: A tire unloader includes a mobile support structure, a robotic device supported by the mobile support structure, and a drive system. The drive system maneuvers the robotic device. The robotic device includes an engagement mechanism. The mobile support structure positions the robotic device to allow for engagement, lifting, and unloading stacks of tires. A remote user optionally controls the movement of the mobile support structure and the operational actions of the robotic device. A material conveyer optionally receives the unloaded material. A second robotic device located near the second end of the material conveyer optionally engages the unloaded tires on the conveyer and transfers the unloaded tires onto the transporting cart, which transports the unloaded material to a predetermined location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Android Industries LLC
    Inventors: Barry Allan Clark, David Henry Larson, Lawrence J. Lawson
  • Patent number: 9751578
    Abstract: A load transporting apparatus includes a base structure that supports a load and a plurality of transport devices that move the base structure over a base surface. A first group of transport devices concurrently contact the base surface during a first movement step. Following the first movement step the first group of transport devices are disengaged from the base structure during a second movement step of the base structure. A second group of transport devices are disengaged from the base surface during the first movement step. Following the first movement step the second group of transport devices contact the base surface during the second movement step, and the weight of the load supported by the first group of transport devices is transferred from the first group of transport devices to the second group of transport devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: ENTRO INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Shawn R. Smith, Harlan B. Smith
  • Patent number: 9751701
    Abstract: A storage device for stackable containers for conveying items, in particular items of luggage in a sorting conveyor system in an airport, includes a lifting conveyor with a container receiving device which can be guided between upper and lower conveying planes for storing at least one container. A conveyor is disposed in the upper conveyor plane for guiding storage containers to a transfer position and a discharge conveyor is disposed in the upper conveyor plane for discharging stored containers from a transfer position. A moving device moves a container from the transfer position to the empty container receiving device or to a container placed on the uppermost part of the container receiving device and moves the most upper container placed on the container receiving device to the transfer position. As a result, empty containers can be received, housed and guided back in a simple and cost effective manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Roland Fritzsche, Maik Wesemeier
  • Patent number: 9745779
    Abstract: An automated teller machine (10) has at least one receiving compartment (12 to 18) for receiving a cash box (102). At least one locking element (24, 26) is provided on a wall (20, 22) of the receiving compartment (12 to 18) and is movable between a locked and an unlocked position. The locking element (24, 26) is designed and mounted such that, when a cash box (102) is inserted the locking element (24, 26), the locking element (24, 26) is moved automatically from the unlocked into the locked position by contact with an engagement element (104) of the cash box (102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: WINCOR NIXDORF INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Florante Go, Ronald Hidalgo
  • Patent number: 9741195
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein involve systems and methods for facilitating coin hopper maintenance. In one implementation, a top plate is received in a bucket assembly of the coin hopper at a proximal end. The top plate seals one or more coins in an interior of the bucket assembly. The coin hopper is positioned in an inverted orientation by meeting a target surface with the top plate. The inverted orientation positions the bucket assembly at a distal end near the target surface and a base assembly at the proximal end. A hopper dispenser is disengaged from the base assembly of the coin hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: TIDEL ENGINEERING, L.P.
    Inventors: Flynt Moreland, Doug Powers, Troy Richard, Monte Needham
  • Patent number: 9738354
    Abstract: The invention provides a lifting device (1) for lifting a leg of at least one part of a sea platform comprising a support structure and a top side, wherein the lifting device comprises: a base structure (2) to be mounted on a vessel; a gripping device (3) to grip the leg, wherein the gripping device is movably supported with respect to the base structure; a support device (4) mounted on the base structure, and a lifting beam (5), wherein a first end of the lifting beam is configured to be supported at a support location of the support device and wherein a second end of the lifting beam opposite to the first end is configured to be connected to the gripping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: HEEREMA MARINE CONTRACTORS NEDERLAND SE
    Inventors: Gerardus Cornelius Van Grieken, Timotheus Johannes Rutten, Chris Van Zeijl
  • Patent number: 9738457
    Abstract: A turnover mechanism configured to turn over workpieces includes a bracket, a drive device, and a turnover module mounted on the bracket. The turnover module includes a rotating shaft, a plurality of suction assemblies, a plurality of horizontal drive assemblies, and a plurality of connecting rods. The guide rails are mounted on the rotating shaft. The suction assemblies are slidably coupled to each guide rail. The horizontal drive assemblies are mounted on the corresponding guide rails. Each connecting rod is connected between each two of the plurality of suction assemblies adjacent to each other. The connecting rod is configured to adjust distance between the two suction assemblies. Each horizontal drive assembly is connected to the suction assembly mounted at one end of the corresponding guide rail, and the horizontal drive assembly is configured to drive the suction assemblies coupled to the corresponding guide rail to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignees: HONGFUJIN PRECISION ELECTRONICS (CHENGDU) Co., Ltd., HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yi-Jian Zhang, Jun-Ping Zhao
  • Patent number: 9734651
    Abstract: A money handling apparatus is constituted by a mechanical processing unit configured to mechanically process money, and a manually-handled money storage unit for storing money by a manual handling. The mechanical processing unit includes an inlet for receiving money, a recognition and counting unit configured to recognize and count the money that has been received in the inlet, a mechanically-processed money storage unit configured to store the money, an outlet to which the money fed from the mechanically-processed money storage unit is discharged, and a money transport unit configured to connect these units and portions. The manually-handled money storage unit is not connected to the money transport unit of the mechanical processing unit, and has a structure in which money to be manually managed can be directly stored therein by hand and the stored money can be directly taken out therefrom by hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: GLORY LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Ito, Tatsuo Kugai, Antonio Carrilho, Carlos Pedro
  • Patent number: 9734650
    Abstract: A banknote deposit and withdrawal apparatus causes a control section to function as an inserted medium counting unit, a normal medium counting unit and an abnormal mediums number calculation unit. The normal medium counting unit again feeds out and conveys banknotes from the banknote deposit and withdrawal section to the verification section in a quantity corresponding to the number of inserted banknotes, conveys abnormal banknotes that are verified as abnormal by the verification section to the banknote deposit and withdrawal section together with following banknotes but conveys normal banknotes that are verified as normal by the verification section to the temporary holding section and retains the normal banknotes therein, and counts a number of normal banknotes. The abnormal mediums number calculation unit subtracts the number of normal banknotes from the number of inserted banknotes to calculate an abnormal banknotes number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Togiya, Takamoto Yokote, Satoru Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 9732569
    Abstract: A lifting arm arrangement includes a gripper head arm, a lifting arm, and a lifting cylinder. A gripper head is fastened to a first gripper head arm end. A first lifting arm end is pivotally connected to the gripper head arm. A second lifting arm end is pivotally connected to a stationary lifting cylinder part. A second gripper head arm end is pivotally connected to a movable lifting cylinder part. The stationary lifting cylinder part comprises a cylinder with a cylinder cavity having first and second cylinder openings. A piston rod with a piston is arranged in the cylinder cavity. A first piston rod portion projects from a first piston end of the piston. A second piston rod portion projects from an opposite second piston end of the piston. Working areas of the first and second piston ends are substantially equal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: MHWIRTH AS
    Inventor: Per Morten Loevsland
  • Patent number: 9715779
    Abstract: An apparatus for conveying money items, which is configured to singulate money items during conveyance, sense characteristics of money items during conveyance and eject money items from a conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: CRANE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Robert Blythin, Kevin Mulvey
  • Patent number: 9710991
    Abstract: A money handling apparatus includes an inlet to receive money of a plurality of different currencies, a plurality of outlets, and a control unit to control a transport unit, such that the money is sorted and delivered from the transport unit to respective outlets based on a money recognition result of a recognition unit. As such, the control unit determines whether the currencies that have been recognized by the recognition unit are assigned to any of the outlets. Thus, when the recognized currency is assigned to an outlet, the transport unit is controlled to transport the money of the associated currency to the assigned outlet. In addition, when the recognized currency is not assigned to an outlet, and if there is an outlet to which no currency is assigned, the control unit assigns the currency to such outlet and the associated money is transported to the assigned outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: GLORY LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Matsuura, Kozen Nakai
  • Patent number: 9697666
    Abstract: A method and system for auditing money items within a secure housing, the money items being collected from a multi-denomination money item storage unit and validated while being transported by a conveyor that deposits them back into the multi-denomination storage unit after they have been identified. The same process is done with the money items present in the at least one hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Crane Payment Solutions Limited
    Inventors: Robert James Blythin, Andrew Barson, Wesley Perry
  • Patent number: 9694391
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a screen basket and a drive system coupled to the screen basket. The drive system includes a motor and a drive having a drive shaft. The drive system imparts a gyratory motion to the screen basket. First and second eccentric masses are coupled to the drive shaft. A method includes coupling the drive system to the screen basket of a sifter; the first eccentric mass positioned a distance above the second eccentric mass. The first and second eccentric masses are rotated together. The masses of the first and second eccentric masses are provided and/or adjusted so that a summation of forces generated by rotating the first and second eccentric masses generates a force line in plane with a center of gravity of the sifter. Rotation of the eccentric weights may move a distal end of a first and/or second weight arm a vertical distance upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Marc D. Mayer, Robert A. Lunnemann
  • Patent number: 9687090
    Abstract: A standalone merchandise display and storage table on which retail merchandise is displayed includes one or more shelf subassemblies, which include a counter and a pull-out shelf that telescopes outwardly to provide additional display and storage space without interfering with merchandise stored on counters from which the pull-out shelves extends. Shelf subassemblies can be used in multiple levels, and the pull-out shelves can be extended to a tilted orientation so as not to interfere with merchandise displayed on a different level. The pull-out shelves can be retained when closed and when deployed in a fully extended, tilted position, as well as in intermediate positions. A cabinet supports a lower counter and a central compartment supports and upper counter thereabove. Extendable panels above the upper counter can be deployed for extra display and storage space or can be retracted for displaying advertising media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Imageworks Display & Marketing Group
    Inventors: David Scott Ireland, David Marrell Rogers
  • Patent number: 9688471
    Abstract: The invention relates to a pharmacy picking device (I) comprising a housing (10) with a plurality of shelf bases (II) disposed one above the other, at least one operating device (12), a conveyor device (14), a housing-coupling interface (15), and a universal supply-and-control module (20) This universal supply-and-control module (20) comprises a feed device (21), an identification and measurement device (22), operator input/output devices (23), an electronic controller (24) and a voltage supply assembly (25), as well as a housing-coupling interface (15) and an electrical interface (27), said supply-and-control module (20) being arranged adjacent to the housing (10) such that a mechanical coupling is produced by said housing-coupling interface (15) and module-coupling interface (26), in such a manner that drug packages in or on the supply-and-control module (20), which are to be deposited, are delivered to a position on the conveyor device (14) which is known to the electronic controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: CAREFUSION GERMANY 326 GMBH
    Inventor: Christoph Hellenbrand
  • Patent number: 9691209
    Abstract: A coin delivering device includes plural coin tubes, a coin base, a payout slide, a payout link, and a change slide. At least one of the coin tubes is a multiple-coin delivering coin tube from which plural coins are pulled out in one time of pulling out the payout slide. A recess portion sized for housing a coin is provided at a position corresponding to the multiple-coin delivering coin tube, on the coin base. A vertical wall portion is provided around a coin housing hole corresponding to the multiple-coin delivering coin tube, on the payout slide, protrudes to the side of the coin base, and, in a standby mode, is positioned in the recess portion of the coin base. An upper surface of the change slide corresponding to the multiple-coin delivering coin tube is positioned similar to a bottom surface of the recess portion of the coin base in height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON CONLUX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Kodama, Takahiro Hayashi, Masashi Kondo