Patents by Inventor John Timothy Sullivan

John Timothy Sullivan 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: 11937627
    Abstract: An apparatus for mass producing smokable products filled with cannabis, hemp, and/or other smokable materials includes a cone loading station that separates individual paper cones from stacks of cones, a cone weighing and filling station for dispensing precisely weighed amounts of powdered biomass into the cones, and a cone twisting station for twisting ends of the cones to complete the smokable products. A transport mechanism is provided to transfer the cones between stations and hold the cones during filling and twisting. The invention also provides a method of manufacturing smokable products that enables production steps to be performed simultaneously while also providing for capacity expansion within a limited production facility footprint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20230225249
    Abstract: A harvester for removing cannabis flower from stalks includes a blade follower iris that adjusts the size of the flower-stripping opening to correspond to the diameter of the stalk. The size of the opening may be controlled by centrifugal and spring forces that cause the iris to open and close. In addition, an improved stalk-pulling belt drive conveyor system utilizes two relatively floating, releasably coupled belt systems to pinch and pull the stalk through the blade follower iris.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20220211095
    Abstract: A power ground oily flower such as cannabis or hemp is loaded into a tapered paper cone by using a linear vibrator having an eccentric drive bearing to focus the forces in the direction the powder was traveling. A linear piston is driven by an eccentric drive mechanism to tap the bottom of the cone with programmable frequencies to achieve the desired pack rates at high speeds. Eccentric actuators are also used to drive the power from the storage hopper to a linear vibrating feeder to a vibration bowl feeder to a weigh station that is dumped into a vibrating funnel that moved up and down with a lineal actuator to align the funnel to a paper cone with a receiving tapered tube to fill a cone with power that is being vibrated by a cone vibrator to pack the cone during filling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20220211094
    Abstract: A carousel magazine that hold stacked paper or hemp smokable cones. The carousel is indexed with a home position sensor to a set of actuators that is controlled by air or electric to open and close two different tapped holders. For example, the top and bottom gripping actuators can open and close to hand off one cone from a stack of one or more cone one at a time. The top actuator with a tapered cone split holder housing grips the top of the upper most stacked cones while the bottom gripper moves up using a second linear actuator the grab the bottom semi-hard filter assemble to pull the bottom cone from the stack with the top gripper applies presser or friction to the top cone allowing to hand off one cone at a time from top gripper to bottom gripper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20210022388
    Abstract: An apparatus for mass producing smokable products filled with cannabis, hemp, and/or other smokable materials includes a cone loading station that separates individual paper cones from stacks of cones, a cone weighing and filling station for dispensing precisely weighed amounts of powdered biomass into the cones, and a cone twisting station for twisting ends of the cones to complete the smokable products. A transport mechanism is provided to transfer the cones between stations and hold the cones during filling and twisting. The invention also provides a method of manufacturing smokable products that enables production steps to be performed simultaneously while also providing for capacity expansion within a limited production facility footprint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20180187322
    Abstract: Radio frequency (RF) power, and in particular microwaves, are used as a source of heat for plasma Exothermic Enhanced Reactions (EERs) in a metal lattice, into which hydrogen is loaded in the presence of lithium or graphene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20170260634
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for carrying out highly efficient switching inductive magnetic Enhanced Exothermic Reactions (EERs) on the surface of electrodes with a conductive electrically heated lithium-polymer electrolyte with switching magnetic fields while under hydrogen loading pressures to produce a second exothermal electrode surface and/or plasma heat reaction to heat a fluid, gas, or heat thermoelectric modules to produce electricity and store energy, while producing a cross-linked carbon graphene by-product at elevated temperatures using an auger to pump and transport the electrolyte fuel in a continuous or intermittent process or a onetime use. The device can self-start from an internal stored charge to electrically start a heated reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20150148943
    Abstract: A dispensing device for dispensing medications or other items required to be dispensed according to a predetermined schedule includes a mechanism for advancing a bandolier containing the medications or other items to a dispensing position only when activated by an authorized user at predetermined time intervals. Access to the bandolier is limited at all other times to personnel in a controlled facility. The dispensing device may be utilized to implement a method of controlling access to addictive prescription medications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7877172
    Abstract: Instruments or gauges arranged to provide feedback detectable by the peripheral vision of a driver when vehicle operating parameters, such as engine speed, temperature, pressure, and voltage, are in a critical range, include one or more of the following types of instruments or gauges and/or features: (a) a tachometer that not only includes a primary numeric display, but also a secondary display made up of a plurality of discrete lights of different colors, the colors indicating whether the engine speed of a vehicle is within a relatively narrow range of engine speeds acceptable for the roadway leading from a race track to service areas, known as “pit road,” the high and low limits of the range being adjustable to meet pit road requirements at different tracks; (b) an instrument or gauge having a background that illuminates to indicate critical sensor readings; (c) an instrument or gauge having improved handling of sensor abnormalities to prevent false readings; (d) a non-linear analog gauge for a motor vehicl
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Inventors: John Timothy Sullivan, Steve Parks
  • Patent number: 7736771
    Abstract: Multi-directional currents are generated in a medium by cyclically reversing the direction of a conventional current applied to at least one of at least two electrodes so that an electromotive force (EMF) pulse travels from side of the electrode to the other, changing the direction of current in the medium. The multi-directional currents may be used to accelerate electrolytic processes such as generation of hydrogen by water electrolysis, to sterilize water for drinking, to supply charging current to a battery or capacitor, including a capacitive thrust module, in a way that extends the life and/or improves the performance of the battery or capacitor, to increase the range of an electromagnetic projectile launcher, and to increase the light output of a cold cathode light tube, to name just a few of the potential applications for the multi-directional currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7612660
    Abstract: Instruments or gauges arranged to provide feedback detectable by the peripheral vision of a driver when vehicle operating parameters, such as engine speed, temperature, pressure, and voltage, are in a critical range, include one or more of the following types of instruments or gauges and/or features: (a) a tachometer that not only includes a primary numeric display, but also a secondary display made up of a plurality of discrete lights of different colors, the colors indicating whether the engine speed of a vehicle is within a relatively narrow range of engine speeds acceptable for the roadway leading from a race track to service areas, known as “pit road,” the high and low limits of the range being adjustable to meet pit road requirements at different tracks; (b) an instrument or gauge having a background that illuminates to indicate critical sensor readings; (c) an instrument or gauge having improved handling of sensor abnormalities to prevent false readings; (d) a non-linear analog gauge for a motor vehicl
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventors: John Timothy Sullivan, Steve Parks
  • Patent number: 7610993
    Abstract: A flow-through muffler includes a plurality of heat conducting walls, baffles, or partitions that together define a plurality of passages arranged to form acoustic waveguides, attenuators, and/or cancellation chambers, the walls, baffles, or partitions increasing a surface area exposed to the exhaust gases to facilitate extraction of heat while attenuating or canceling the resulting sound pressure waves. The muffler may have a cooling arrangement mounted thereon, and thermoelectric generator elements or other heat-powered device, such as a reformer, connected across the heat differential between the cooling arrangement and an exterior surface of the muffler housing that is in thermal contact with the heat conducting walls, bafflers, or partitions. In addition, the muffler may be made tuneable by providing a device for varying a length of one of the passages relative to another passage, and by including a sound cancellation chamber at an intersection of the passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7600607
    Abstract: A sound-cancelling flow-through muffler includes a linear first inner passage, and a curved or zig-zagged second outer passage that wraps around or surrounds the inner passage and that is situated between the linear first inner passage and an exterior wall of the muffler. The outer passage has a length that is equal to, or a multiple of, one-half the wavelength of sound to be cancelled by the muffler such that sound exiting the inner and outer passages destructively interferes or cancels in a sound cancellation or conversion chamber. In addition, the walls of the outer passage serve as a heat sink to extract heat from the exhaust stream and conduct the heat to the outside of the housing. Alternatively, the outer passage may have a closed such that reflects sound back toward the inner passage for cancellation, the walls of the outer passage continuing to serve as a heat sink to extract heat from the exhaust stream and conduct the heat to the outside of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7523607
    Abstract: Emissions from systems that use a catalytic converter are substantially reduced by introducing hydrogen, or a hydrogen containing fluid or fuel component, into the exhaust stream being scrubbed by the catalytic converter, resulting in instant lightoff and a significant reduction in emissions. Hydrogen for injection into the exhaust stream may, optionally, be generated within the vehicle using heat recovered from the catalytic converter, and/or the engine or elsewhere in the exhaust system, by a thermoelectric generator, the electrical output of which may be used to perform electrolysis and/or to power a reformer in order to generate the hydrogen. The thermoelectric generator may be retrofit onto the catalytic converter, or integrated in a way that enhances thermoelectric generation, including providing a catalyst coated heat sink and integrated cooling pipes to enhance the thermal differential required for thermoelectric generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7472940
    Abstract: A bracket enables mounting of non-standard sized or shaped instruments in openings of a standard pillar mount or similar instrument mounting arrangement. The bracket includes a first extension that fits in a standard opening and a second extension that mounts the instrument at a position offset from the standard opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20080088148
    Abstract: A bracket enables mounting of non-standard sized or shaped instruments in openings of a standard pillar mount or similar instrument mounting arrangement. The bracket includes a first extension that fits in a standard opening and a second extension that mounts the instrument at a position offset from the standard opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Patent number: 7041203
    Abstract: Multi-directional currents are generated in a medium by cyclically reversing the direction of a conventional current applied to at least one of at least two electrodes so that an electromotive force (EMF) pulse travels from side of the electrode to the other, changing the direction of current in the medium. The multi-directional currents may be used to accelerate electrolytic processes such as generation of hydrogen by water electrolysis, to sterilize water for drinking, to supply charging current to a battery or capacitor, including a capacitive thrust module, in a way that extends the life and/or improves the performance of the battery or capacitor, to increase the range of an electromagnetic projectile launcher, and to increase the light output of a cold cathode light tube, to name just a few of the potential applications for the multi-directional currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20040200731
    Abstract: Multi-directional currents are generated in a medium by cyclically reversing the direction of a conventional current applied to at least one of at least two electrodes so that an electromotive force (EMF) pulse travels from side of the electrode to the other, changing the direction of current in the medium. The multi-directional currents may be used to accelerate electrolytic processes such as generation of hydrogen by water electrolysis, to sterilize water for drinking, to supply charging current to a battery or capacitor, including a capacitive thrust module, in a way that extends the life and/or improves the performance of the battery or capacitor, to increase the range of an electromagnetic projectile launcher, and to increase the light output of a cold cathode light tube, to name just a few of the potential applications for the multi-directional currents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20040203166
    Abstract: An electrolysis apparatus includes at least two coaxially spaced electrodes, at least one of which is a coil. Currents in the coil generate a magnetic field to accelerate the electrolysis process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventor: John Timothy Sullivan