Patents by Inventor Mary Ellen Sparrow

Mary Ellen Sparrow 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).

  • Publication number: 20220185585
    Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot including frame defining a payload holding area with a payload seating surface, and having a wheeled traverse system dependent from the frame for substantially free unrestricted roving of the autonomous mobile robot on a riding surface in a facility space, at least one drive section connected to the frame, and at least one motor defining at least one independent degree of freedom; and an articulated pick arm dependent from the frame, the articulated pick arm having an end effector configured so as to stably hold a container therewith, and being operably connected to the at least one motor so that the at least one independent degree of freedom extends and retracts, and raises and lowers the articulated pick arm defining a range of motion of the end effector spanning from an elevation below a lowermost level of the payload seating surface onto the payload seating surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Stephen Toebes, Mary Ellen Sparrow
  • Patent number: 11292667
    Abstract: An automated guided vehicle includes a frame forming a payload area, a vacuum case transfer mechanism having one or more degrees of freedom and configured to vacuum-couple with a case, and a friction case transfer mechanism that is configured to grip the case and at least cooperate with the vacuum case transfer mechanism to effect transfer of the case to the payload area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Jasci Robotics, LLC.
    Inventors: Stephen Toebes, Mary Ellen Sparrow
  • Patent number: 10703567
    Abstract: An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload, the autonomous transport robot includes a payload bed having at least one reference datum surface and at least one payload justification device, the at least one payload justification device being configured to position a payload on the payload bed in substantial contact with the at least one reference datum surface to place the payload in a predetermined position on the payload bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: NEXTSHIFT ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Charles Grinnell, Joe Jones, John Kawola, Mary Ellen Sparrow, Stephen C. Toebes, Clara Vu, Matthew Aprea
  • Publication number: 20200055671
    Abstract: An automated guided vehicle includes a frame forming a payload area, a vacuum case transfer mechanism having one or more degrees of freedom and configured to vacuum-couple with a case, and a friction case transfer mechanism that is configured to grip the case and at least cooperate with the vacuum case transfer mechanism to effect transfer of the case to the payload area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Stephen Toebes, Mary Ellen Sparrow
  • Publication number: 20190389659
    Abstract: An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload, the autonomous transport robot includes a payload bed having at least one reference datum surface and at least one payload justification device, the at least one payload justification device being configured to position a payload on the payload bed in substantial contact with the at least one reference datum surface to place the payload in a predetermined position on the payload bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Charles GRINNELL, Joe JONES, John KAWOLA, Mary Ellen SPARROW, Stephen C. TOEBES, Clara VU, Matthew APREA
  • Patent number: 10399777
    Abstract: An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload, the autonomous transport robot includes a payload bed having at least one reference datum surface and at least one payload justification device, the at least one payload justification device being configured to position a payload on the payload bed in substantial contact with the at least one reference datum surface to place the payload in a predetermined position on the payload bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Nextshift Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Grinnell, Joe Jones, John Kawola, Mary Ellen Sparrow, Stephen C. Toebes, Clara Vu, Matthew Aprea
  • Publication number: 20180346246
    Abstract: An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload, the autonomous transport robot includes a payload bed having at least one reference datum surface and at least one payload justification device, the at least one payload justification device being configured to position a payload on the payload bed in substantial contact with the at least one reference datum surface to place the payload in a predetermined position on the payload bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Charles GRINNELL, Joe JONES, John KAWOLA, Mary Ellen SPARROW, Stephen C. TOEBES, Clara VU, Matthew APREA
  • Patent number: 10040630
    Abstract: An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload, the autonomous transport robot includes a payload bed having at least one reference datum surface and at least one payload justification device, the at least one payload justification device being configured to position a payload on the payload bed in substantial contact with the at least one reference datum surface to place the payload in a predetermined position on the payload bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Nextshift Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Grinnell, Joe Jones, John Kawola, Mary Ellen Sparrow, Stephen C. Toebes, Clara Vu, Matthew Aprea
  • Publication number: 20170297820
    Abstract: An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload the autonomous transport robot includes a payload bed having at least one reference datum surface and at least one payload justification device, the at least one payload justification device being configured to position a payload on the payload bed in substantial contact with the at least one reference datum surface to place the payload in a predetermined position on the payload bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Charles GRINNELL, Joe JONES, John KAWOLA, Mary Ellen SPARROW, Stephen C. TOEBES, Clara VU, Matthew APREA
  • Patent number: 9694977
    Abstract: A storage fill and retrieval system includes fixed storage locations distributed in a storage space and defining at least one human pick zone having at least one collection tote location, at least one autonomous mobile robot configured for holding and transporting a tote within the storage space and having an end effector arranged for autonomous transfer of the tote between the at least one robot and a tote holding station and a collection tote location, and a storage management system communicably connected to the at least one robot and configured to associate each robot with a human pick zone, wherein the at least one robot is configured to transport the tote to the collection tote location of each associated human pick zone, and wherein each collection tote location is arranged for human picker access and defines an interface between a human picker and the at least one robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: NEXTSHIFT ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Aprea, Charles Grinnell, Joe Jones, John Kawola, Mary Ellen Sparrow, Stephen C. Toebes, Clara Vu
  • Publication number: 20160101940
    Abstract: A storage fill and retrieval system includes fixed storage locations distributed in a storage space and defining at least one human pick zone having at least one collection tote location, at least one autonomous mobile robot configured for holding and transporting a tote within the storage space and having an end effector arranged for autonomous transfer of the tote between the at least one robot and a tote holding station and a collection tote location, and a storage management system communicably connected to the at least one robot and configured to associate each robot with a human pick zone, wherein the at least one robot is configured to transport the tote to the collection tote location of each associated human pick zone, and wherein each collection tote location is arranged for human picker access and defines an interface between a human picker and the at least one robot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Charles GRINNELL, Joe Jones, John KAWOLA, Mary Ellen SPARROW, Stephen C. TOEBES, Clara VU, Matthew APREA
  • Patent number: 6285951
    Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for dynamically routing a material transport vehicle using traffic based parameters. A controller directed to allocate a material transport vehicle to a particular node, selects the material transport vehicle that is physically closest to the particular node. The controller calculates an optimal route by identifying the possible routes between the initial node of the material transport vehicle and the destination node, and analyzing each of the nodes within each identified route according to a metric function by calculating a metric function value for each identified route. The controller then selects the route for the material transport vehicle having the smallest metric function value. The metric function may include parameters associated with each of the nodes in the material transport system including a node-to-node distance parameter, a node crossing parameter, and the number of material transport vehicles in a queue at each node within the route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: PRI Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Gaskins, Thomas Mariano, Mary Ellen Sparrow