Patents by Inventor William Blain
William Blain 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: 7320573Abstract: A system for continuously packaging or sorting fragile articles having varying thicknesses in a stack includes a plurality of proportional shifters coupled to each of a plurality of stripping devices in an article infeed assembly. Each proportional shifter has an article gauge for measuring the height of a stack having a set or desired number of fragile articles, such as crackers or cookies. An article stripping device may be quickly and accurately adjusted in-process to measure the thickness of a set number of stacked articles contained in a given batch coming from an article infeed. The article gauge provides a measure of the height of a stack of a set number of articles sampled from an article infeed. The stack height is equivalent to the height of the stack of articles stripped by the strip feeder.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2003Date of Patent: January 22, 2008Assignee: Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Theodore E. Jones, Jr., William A. Blain, Steve A Ramos, Edward Drake, Jr.
-
Publication number: 20040022618Abstract: A system for continuously packaging or sorting fragile articles having varying thicknesses in a stack includes a plurality of proportional shifters coupled to each of a plurality of stripping devices in an article infeed assembly. Each proportional shifter has an article gauge for measuring the height of a stack having a set or desired number of fragile articles, such as crackers or cookies. An article stripping device may be quickly and accurately adjusted in-process to measure the thickness of a set number of stacked articles contained in a given batch coming from an article infeed. The article gauge provides a measure of the height of a stack of a set number of articles sampled from an article infeed. The stack height is equivalent to the height of the stack of articles stripped by the strip feeder.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2003Publication date: February 5, 2004Inventors: Theodore E. Jones, William A. Blain, Steve A. Ramos, Edward Drake
-
Patent number: 6640523Abstract: A system for continuously packaging or sorting fragile articles having varying thicknesses in a stack includes a plurality of proportional shifters coupled to each of a plurality of stripping devices in an article infeed assembly. Each proportional shifter has an article gauge for measuring the height of a stack having a set or desired number of fragile articles, such as crackers or cookies. An article stripping device may be quickly and accurately adjusted in-process to measure the thickness of a set number of stacked articles contained in a given batch coming from an article infeed. The article gauge provides a measure of the height of a stack of a set number of articles sampled from an article infeed. The stack height is equivalent to the height of the stack of articles stripped by the strip feeder.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2001Date of Patent: November 4, 2003Assignee: Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Theodore E. Jones, Jr., William A. Blain, Steve A. Ramos, Edward Drake, Jr.
-
Publication number: 20020178694Abstract: A system for continuously packaging or sorting fragile articles having varying thicknesses in a stack includes a plurality of proportional shifters coupled to each of a plurality of stripping devices in an article infeed assembly. Each proportional shifter has an article gauge for measuring the height of a stack having a set or desired number of fragile articles, such as crackers or cookies. An article stripping device may be quickly and accurately adjusted in-process to measure the thickness of a set number of stacked articles contained in a given batch coming from an article infeed. The article gauge provides a measure of the height of a stack of a set number of articles sampled from an article infeed. The stack height is equivalent to the height of the stack of articles stripped by the strip feeder.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2001Publication date: December 5, 2002Inventors: Theodore E. Jones, William A. Blain, Steve A. Ramos, Edward Drake
-
Patent number: 4936489Abstract: A particulate solid is dispensed on to articles by depositing the particulate solid on a vibrating dispensing member having a slot cut therethrough, this slot making an acute angle within the direction in which the particulate solid moves along the dispensing member, and moving the articles beneath the slot as the particulate solid is falling therethrough.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 1988Date of Patent: June 26, 1990Assignee: Nabisco Brands, Inc.Inventors: William A. Blain, Amal C. Bhattacharjee
-
Patent number: 4741460Abstract: A particulate solid is dispensed on to articles by depositing the particulate solid on a vibrating dispensing member having a slot cut therethrough, this slot making an acute angle within the direction in which the particulate solid moves along the dispensing member, and moving the articles beneath the slot as the particulate solid is falling therethrough.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 1985Date of Patent: May 3, 1988Assignee: Nabisco Brands, Inc.Inventors: William A. Blain, Amal C. Bhattacharjee
-
Patent number: 4738861Abstract: A process is provided for the continuous production of a uniform density pretzel dough. The ingredients of the pretzel dough are continuously supplied to a continuous operating assemblage and the dough is continuously produced, utilizing a relatively short retention time in the mixer. Within the continuous operating assemblage are mixing units and conveying units in ratio of approximately three to one, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 1986Date of Patent: April 19, 1988Inventors: William A. Blain, John Zabrodsky, III
-
Patent number: 4691625Abstract: A process and system are provided for the continuous production of a uniform density pretzel dough. The ingredients of the pretzel dough are continuously supplied to a continuous operating assemblage and the dough is continuously produced, utilizing a relatively short retention time in the mixer. Within the continuous operating assemblage are mixing units and conveying units in ratio of approximately three to one, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1984Date of Patent: September 8, 1987Assignee: Nabisco Brands, Inc.Inventors: William A. Blain, John Zabrodsky, III
-
Patent number: 4630111Abstract: A system for providing a view of a scene scanned by an electro-optic framing sensor (30) includes control means (36) operable to cause the sensor to scan the scene in a number of frames each of which is viewed at a different viewing angle. Pickoff means (37) provide signals representing that viewing angle. Storage means (32) are provided to store the image information derived from each frame. Circuit means (33) are provided to transform the image information in each store (32) so as to remove distortions due to the different viewing angles, and the transformed image information is stored in a picture store (34). The contents of the picture store represent a view of the scene as viewed from a predetermined viewing angle.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 1984Date of Patent: December 16, 1986Assignee: Ferranti plcInventors: William Blain, Alexander McKeand, William H. McKendrick
-
Patent number: 4458982Abstract: An optical scanning system includes scanning means arranged to scan an object field and comprising, in one form, a rotatable drum (10) carrying a plurality of pairs of mirrors (12, 13). A detector (21) is provided which is sensitive to optical radiation directed on to it by the scanning means. Means, such as telescopes (17, 22) collect radiation from at least two fields of view for presentation to the object field of the scanning means. Optical switching means are provided so that radiation reaches the detector (21) from each field of view in turn. The switching means may be an optical shutter (14) having reflective regions (15) and transparent regions (16).Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 1982Date of Patent: July 10, 1984Assignee: Ferranti plcInventors: William Blain, Nicolas L. Brignall
-
Patent number: 4405298Abstract: A masa sheeter having a sheeting roller provided with a plurality of hoops set in spaced circumferential grooves to carry scrap back into the sheeter infeed zone, a cutter acting against the roller to cut product pieces from the masa sheet between the hoops, and a tensioned flat rectangular wire band passing through said hoops and extending along the surface of the roller for peeling the product pieces from the roller.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 1982Date of Patent: September 20, 1983Assignee: Nabisco Brands, Inc.Inventor: William A. Blain
-
Patent number: 4212617Abstract: Continuously extruded strands of cheese are case hardened by a flow of air directed against the strands as they emerge from the die openings. The strands are periodically cut at the face of the die plate to form short strand pieces. The cutting blade moves within the air flow and the air impinging upon the strand pieces move the pieces away from the blade as they are cut.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 1979Date of Patent: July 15, 1980Assignee: Nabisco, Inc.Inventors: Henry J. Bagdan, William A. Blain