Patents by Inventor Patrick Metzler

Patrick Metzler 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: 7480564
    Abstract: A system for determining the relative position of first and second farm vehicles, each equipped with a satellite-supported position sensing device. A data transmission link transmits position data between the vehicles, and a computer on one of the vehicles determines data with respect to the relative position of the vehicles. A control device responsive to satellite signal quality assures that the two position sensing devices operate in the same reception modes for improved accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Patrick Metzler, Werner Flohr, Michael Höh
  • Patent number: 7253721
    Abstract: An engine-driven vehicle/implement coupling system includes a mechanical coupling and one or more electronic and/or hydraulic connections. A coupling condition monitoring system includes one or two electronic control units, sensors for sensing a coupling condition of the electronic and/or hydraulic connection, and a sensor on the mechanical coupling for generating a signal representing a coupling condition of the mechanical coupling. Sensor signals are transmitted to the electronic control unit which, in response prevents erroneous coupling or uncoupling and prevents drive-away of the vehicle or implement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Werner Flohr, Uwe Vollmar, Patrick Metzler
  • Patent number: 7162956
    Abstract: A method and control device for determining a register error, whereby at least one register mark is printed and at least one sensor records the register mark, whereby the sheet edge of the sheet is recorded by the sensor, and the register error is determined from the sensor data and the target data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dieter Karl-Heinz Dobberstein, Walter Dworschak, Christian Friedrich Engeln, Heiko Hunold, Patrick Metzler, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Rolf Johannes Spilz, Stefan Theden
  • Publication number: 20060047418
    Abstract: The entire right, title and interest in and to this application and all subject matter disclosed and/or claimed therein, including any and all divisions, continuations, reissues, etc., thereof are, effective as of the date of execution of this application, assigned, transferred, sold and set over by the applicant(s) named herein to Deere & Company, a Delaware corporation having offices at Moline, Ill. 61265, U.S.A., together with all rights to file, and to claim priorities in connection with, corresponding patent applications in any and all foreign countries in the name of Deere & Company or otherwise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2005
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Inventors: Patrick Metzler, Werner Flohr, Michael Hoh
  • Publication number: 20060013468
    Abstract: A method and control device for determining a register error, whereby at least one register mark is printed and at least one sensor records the register mark, whereby the sheet edge of the sheet is recorded by the sensor, and the register error is determined from the sensor data and the target data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2003
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: Dieter Dobberstein, Walter Dworschak, Christian Engeln, Heiko Hunold, Patrick Metzler, Karlheinz Peter, Rolf Spilz, Stefan Theden
  • Publication number: 20050225587
    Abstract: Positioning a printing head of a printing press in which marks are applied on a support that is detected by sensors and as a consequence, the printing head is adjusted, the marks being applied on two opposite sides of the support that are detected by two correspondingly arranged sensors, and the printing head is oriented in response to the results of the two sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Inventors: Uwe Hoffmann, Patrick Metzler, Karlheinz Peter, Holger Runkowske, Christopher Liston
  • Publication number: 20050212665
    Abstract: An engine-driven vehicle/implement coupling system includes a mechanical coupling and one or more electronic and/or hydraulic connections. A coupling condition monitoring system includes one or two electronic control units, sensors for sensing a coupling condition of the electronic and/or hydraulic connection, and a sensor on the mechanical coupling for generating a signal representing a coupling condition of the mechanical coupling. Sensor signals are transmitted to the electronic control unit which, in response prevents erroneous coupling or uncoupling and prevents drive-away of the vehicle or implement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Inventors: Werner Flohr, Uwe Vollmar, Patrick Metzler
  • Patent number: 6934041
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for minimizing the influence of register differences in multicolor printing, in particular in digital printing processes, register values (1) in the transport direction (2), which are different transversely with respect to this direction being set to a value between the extremes (3, 3?). The invention is intended to carry out a development such that the influence of register differences on the image quality can be minimized reliably and to a great extent. This is achieved by a number of individual values of the register values (1) being measured and an average value (4, 4?) being determined from these and brought into alignment with the average value (4, 4?) from at least one further color printing unit (5, 5?, 5?, 5??).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Christopher Liston, Patrick Metzler, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Ralph Petersen, Ingo Klaus Dreher
  • Patent number: 6920292
    Abstract: A method and a control device for prevention of registration errors. In the current state of the art, a control circuit of a control device eliminates registration errors. A first sensor detects a sheet before a printing module and a second sensor detects the sheet after the printing module, an actual number of pulses is counted between the detection of the sheet by the first sensor and by the second sensor and this actual number of pulses is fed into a closed-loop control system as an actual parameter, the actual number of pulses is compared with a reference number of pulses, which represents a reference parameter of the closed-loop control system, a control signal of the closed-loop control system is determined from this comparison, and a number of pulses is conducted into a controlled process of the closed-loop control system, which number of pulses is in direct relation to the current sheet to be printed in the printing module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Patrick Metzler
  • Patent number: 6848361
    Abstract: A control device for removing register errors on printing machines. The control device for controlling the printing drums for a printing machine has at least a first sensor to detect sheets on a conveyor belt and printing drums to apply printing images, whereby a spacing, which is defined between a position on the conveyor belt determined by a signal of the first sensor and the nip of a printing cylinder on the conveyor belt, corresponding to a whole-numbered multiple of the circumference of a nip roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Patrick Metzler
  • Patent number: 6836635
    Abstract: Printers wherein a snub pulley gripping the conveyor belt from below changes contact force, a first register error occurs; and due to change of the spacing between the image lines on the sheet change, a second register error occurs. To prevent the first register error, time-lags of the first start signals (START OF FRAME) for the application of image lines are changed; and to prevent a second register error, time-lags of the second start signals (START OF LINE) for the application of image frames are changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Patrick Metzler, Stefan Schrader
  • Patent number: 6817295
    Abstract: A method and device for register mark setting of a printing press for multicolor printing. A calibration run is used for the calibration of register frames, and the correction data produced by the calibration of the frame is used to calibrate the register mark keeping of individual lines or areas of lines from the printing modules of the printing press, whereby the data of the register marks are detected to determine the correction data and are set in relationship to positions of an illustration drum and/or a separation drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventor: Patrick Metzler
  • Publication number: 20040109714
    Abstract: A method and a control device for prevention of registration errors. In the current state of the art, a control circuit of a control device eliminates registration errors. A first sensor detects a sheet before a printing module and a second sensor detects the sheet after the printing module, an actual number of pulses is counted between the detection of the sheet by the first sensor and by the second sensor and this actual number of pulses is fed into a closed-loop control system as an actual parameter, the actual number of pulses is compared with a reference number of pulses, which represents a reference parameter of the closed-loop control system, a control signal of the closed-loop control system is determined from this comparison, and a number of pulses is conducted into a controlled process of the closed-loop control system, which number of pulses is in direct relation to the current sheet to be printed in the printing module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Inventor: Patrick Metzler
  • Publication number: 20040089175
    Abstract: A control device for removing register errors on printing machines. The control device for controlling the printing drums for a printing machine has at least a first sensor to detect sheets on a conveyor belt and printing drums to apply printing images, whereby a spacing, which is defined between a position on the conveyor belt determined by a signal of the first sensor and the nip of a printing cylinder on the conveyor belt, corresponding to a whole-numbered multiple of the circumference of a nip roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2003
    Publication date: May 13, 2004
    Inventor: Patrick Metzler
  • Patent number: 6734449
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for detecting the location of an edge (2) of a transparent, anisotropic material (3,3′) comprising at least one sensor (1) with a light source (4), two polarization filters (6,7) with transmission axes (8,9) meeting at a 90° angle as well as a light detector (10), whereby the light source (4) and one polarization filter (6) are located on one side of the edge (2) to be detected and the second polarization filter (7) and the light detector are located on the other side. This type of device is to be configured in such a way that it can be used for detecting material (3,3′) with optical axes (14) in various directions without requiring assembly. This is achieved by at least one of the sensors (1) being configured and/or adjustable so that various angles (32) between the transmission axis of the first polarization filter (6) and the optical axis (14) of the transparent, anisotropic material (3,3′) are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Karlheinz Walter Peter, Rolf Johannes Spilz, Patrick Metzler, Stefan Theden
  • Publication number: 20040086304
    Abstract: Printers wherein a stub pulley gripping the conveyor belt from below changes contact force, a first register error occurs; and due to change of the spacing between the image lines on the sheet change, a second register error occurs. To prevent the first register error, time-lags of the first start signals (START OF FRAME) for the application of image lines are changed; and to prevent a second register error, time-lags of the second start signals (START OF LINE) for the application of image frames or frames are changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Applicant: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Patrick Metzler, Stefan Schrader
  • Patent number: 6718879
    Abstract: Determining and correcting registration errors, which are caused by the rotational speed of a print cylinder changing because of a sheet passing between the print cylinder and a sheet transport conveyor belt. At least one first registration mark is applied onto the conveyor belt prior to a sheet being transported thereby, and at least one second registration mark is applied onto the conveyor belt after the transported sheet. By the detection of the first registration mark and the second registration mark, a calculation of a timing number between the detection of the first registration mark and the second registration mark can be made. The calculated timing number is compared to a target value to determine any error due to change in angular velocity of the print cylinder due to engagement with the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Ingo Klaus Michael Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Patrick Metzler, Stefan Schrader
  • Patent number: 6682163
    Abstract: Detection of crosstrack aberrations of registration marks in order to prevent color errors during multicolor printing. The detection of crosstrack aberrations of registration marks is with a single sensor which detects each triangle as a registration mark per color selection, whereby the triangles are each assigned a color of the multicolor printing. Sensor values are detected and formed from these differential values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Patrick Metzler, Ralph Petersen
  • Patent number: 6631680
    Abstract: A printing unit (1) for a printing machine, having an image cylinder (2), an image generating device (3) for setting an image on the peripheral surface (4) of the image cylinder (2), and an image transfer cylinder (5) which transfers the image from the image cylinder (2) to a printing substrate (6), the image transfer cylinder (5) having a resilient cover (7) which exhibits a deformation (10, 10′) in the force transmission areas (8, 9), and a transport belt (11) that carries the printing substrates (6) and is supported by a back-pressure cylinder (12) driving the image transfer cylinder (5) and the latter driving the image cylinder (2), by friction. The printing unit has a continuous image cylinder speed (v(ü)).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventor: Patrick Metzler
  • Patent number: 6619209
    Abstract: A process and printing machine for determining registration errors and correcting therefore. At least one first registration mark is applied onto a conveyor belt for transporting a sheet, and at least one second registration mark is applied onto the sheet adjacent to the first registration mark. The first registration mark and the second registration mark are detected, the distance between the first registration mark and the second registration mark is calculated, and the difference between the calculated distance and a distance without different speeds of the conveyor belt and the sheet (a target value) is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Ingo Klaus Michael Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Patrick Metzler, Stefan Schrader