Patents by Inventor James W. Finkowski

James W. Finkowski has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5596137
    Abstract: The present invention includes a device and a method for testing a can for leakage with the device including a main body, a mechanism for sealing against an internal surface of the can to effect a sealed chamber within the can, a mechanism for placing the mechanism for sealing in a sealing relationship with the internal surface of the can to effect the sealed chamber, and a mechanism for effecting an increase of pressure in the sealed chamber for determining leakage from the sealed chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: The Pillsbury Company
    Inventors: Michael R. Perry, James W. Finkowski, James A. Kivi
  • Patent number: 5388390
    Abstract: A dough cutting and packing apparatus for cutting a sheet of dough into dough pieces and transferring the dough pieces to containers. A cutting unit is defined by a plurality of cutting plates having dough retaining openings. The sheet of dough is partially sheeted into the dough retaining openings by an initial compressor roll which is spaced from an upper surface of the cutting plates. A terminal compressor roll contacts the upper surface of the cutting plates, and acts to sheet a remaining portion of the dough sheet into the dough retaining openings to divide the dough sheet into a plurality of dough pieces retained in the openings. The initial compressor roll is driven at a peripheral rate of speed that exceeds an instantaneous liner rate of speed of the cutting unit. The terminal compressor roll is frictionally driven via contact with the cutting plates such that a peripheral rate of speed of the terminal compressor matches the linear rate of speed of the cutting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: The Pillsbury Company
    Inventors: James W. Finkowski, William L. Murphy, Steven K. Hanson
  • Patent number: 5189944
    Abstract: A french fry cooking apparatus for deep-frying french fries includes a cooking unit having a plurality of frying baskets. Mounted above the cooking unit is a refrigeration unit which includes a first conveyor upon which a supply of frozen french fries is stored. The first conveyor discharges the fries onto a second conveyor which dispenses a metered quantity of fries to a delivery mechanism. The delivery mechanism includes a shaft and a rotatable directional chute for directing the frozen fries from the second conveyor into any one of the plurality of frying baskets. The frying baskets are pivotally attached to the cooking unit and are each movable by way of a drive unit between a loading/draining position for receiving fries from the chute and for draining oil from deep fried fries, a cooking position for deep frying the fries, and a dump position for discharging the deep fried fries from the frying basket. Deep fried fries are discharged onto a further conveyor which takes the fries to a holding bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Burger King Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn O. Rasmussen, James W. Finkowski, Robert F. Meyer, Richard L. Keller, Thomas P. Kempf, Ronald N. Phillips