Patents Represented by Law Firm Watts, Hoffmann, Fisher & Heinke, Co.
  • Patent number: 6076343
    Abstract: A harvester especially for grape harvesting that has a picking head which includes a support frame and picking rods of fingers to contact the leaves and stems in the canopy of a grape vine to thereby shake the vines to remove grapes. The picking head includes one or more oscillation aims pivotably connected to the support frame on a respective pivot axis to allow oscillation about the respective pivot axis. The oscillation arms are pivotably connected with a respective picking rod or ringer support by a connection, so that the respective picking rod support is driven by the oscillation arm to oscillate in a picking direction. An oscillation flywheel is mounted on the oscillation are to impart an oscillating moment on the oscillation arm and the oscillation flywheel connected solely with the one or each of the oscillation arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: U.R. Machinery (Sales) Pty. Ltd.
    Inventor: Desmond Charles Burke
  • Patent number: 6075217
    Abstract: A chip sorting apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an article transport mechanism, a light source positioned to direct light across surfaces of transported articles, and a detector positioned to detect light reflected from such surfaces and emit signals each indicative of a spectrum of light reflected by one such article as such articles are transported. A signal analyzer compares detector signals with stored data representative of the colors of articles of a set of articles being sorted. The analyzer emits article identifying signals reflective of such comparison. The apparatus also includes a sorter which is responsive to such identifying signals and directs identified articles from the transport mechanism into appropriate ones of a set of collection stations. A method of sorting a set of articles according to color is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Chipper 2000 Limited
    Inventor: Alexandre Ivanovitch Kiritchenko
  • Patent number: 6068708
    Abstract: A method of making electrical steel strip characterized by low core loss, high permeability and good cleanliness includes producing a slab having a composition consisting essentially of (% by weight): up to 0.02 C, 0.20-1.35 Si, 0.10-0.45 Al, 0.10-1.0 Mn, up to 0.015 S, up to 0.006 N, up to 0.07 Sb, up to 0.12 Sn, and the balance being substantially iron. The slab is hot rolled into a strip with a finishing temperature in the ferrite region. The strip is coiled at a temperature less than 1200.degree. F. and, preferably, less than 1000.degree. F. The strip which has not been subjected to an annealing operation after the coiling is subjected to cold rolling. The strip is then batch annealed and temper rolled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: LTV Steel Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry A. Lauer, Gerald F. Beatty, Jeffrey P. Anderson
  • Patent number: 6062475
    Abstract: A portable data collection device providing for dataform decoding and color imaging. An imaging assembly is provided that includes a board camera having black and white circuitry and generates a composite video signal representing an image of a target area of the imaging assembly when actuated. The imaging assembly includes a two dimensional photosensor array overlaid by a color filter having a repeating pattern of four color filter elements. The imaging assembly is selectively actuatable with a first trigger for reading a target dataform in the imaging assembly's target area and actuatable with a second trigger for capturing a image of the target object in the target area. When the device is operated in the dataform reading mode, compensation circuitry is actuated to operate on digital gray scale values extracted from the composite video signal to adjust gray scale value magnitudes to compensate for the transmittivity differences of the color filter elements to improve decodability of the imaged dataform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Metanetics Corporation
    Inventor: Chen Feng
  • Patent number: 6064165
    Abstract: A controller for energizing a power-operable element, such as a sunroof, window, door, vehicle seat, a component of a major appliance or of a machine or of a conveyor system. The disclosed controller senses both hard and soft obstructions and de-activates or otherwise alters operation of a motor that drives the element when an obstruction is detected. The controller can also be used to actuate a brake. The controller senses obstructions during start-up of the motor and regulates the speed of the power-operable element by pulse width modulating motor energization signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Nartron Corporation
    Inventors: Mario P. Boisvert, Stephen R. W. Cooper, John Washeleski
  • Patent number: 6055796
    Abstract: A packaging machine and process for loading bags of a novel web of side connected bags are disclosed. The web is fed through a bagger section by a pair of grooved main transport belts and a pair of lip transport belts each disposed in the groove of the associated main belt to trap bag lips in the grooves. Adjustable belt spreaders space reaches of the transport belts as they move through a load station whereby to sequentially open the bags into rectangular configurations. A closure section in the form of a novel and improved heat sealer is releasably connectable to the bagger section. The sections are adjustable together between horizontal and vertical orientations. Processes of opening, closing and sealing side connected bags are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Automated Packaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Hershey Lerner, Dana J. Liebhart
  • Patent number: 6047935
    Abstract: A roof top cooler (10) is provided with perforate side walls (11), a top panel or lid (12), and a bottom panel which comprises a sump (13), and the sump (13) has four upstanding bosses (15) adjacent the four comers of the cooler (10). Hollow spacer posts (18) are carried by the bosses (15) and extend to the top panel (12), and telescopic legs (22) which are also of circular cross-sectional shape and form the inner component of a leg and post assembly, the telescopic legs (22) being slidably adjustable within the spacer posts (18) and retractable for packaging purposes, and the telescopic legs (22) terminating in their lower ends in respective feet (23) which are affixed to their lower ends by means of swivel means (24, 25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: F. F. Seeley Nominees Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Peter Sydney Wright
  • Patent number: 6045098
    Abstract: A keyboard suppport includes a support body having a throughpassage that passes through the support body and opens on opposite sides of the support body. The support body also defines a support surface configured to accomodate a keyboard such as a keyboard for inputting alphanumeric symbols to a personal computer. A moveable mouse support fits within a portion of the throughpassage of the support and extends outwardly from the support to define a mouse support surface having a region that extends in front of a front edge of a keyboard with the keyboard resting the support surface. Although the term "mouse" has become almost universally used for the rolling input device used to move an arrow on the display screen and "pick" functions or data values, other terms such as "trackball" can be used interchangeably with the term "mouse".
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Work-Rite Ergonomic Accessories, Inc.
    Inventor: Derek Timm
  • Patent number: D422375
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: The L.D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Libbe A. Milicia
  • Patent number: D422466
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Superior Tool Workshop Company
    Inventor: James A. Kovach
  • Patent number: D423729
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Snaffles Pet Furniture Limited
    Inventor: Charles Morgan
  • Patent number: D423972
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Bellman & Symfon AB
    Inventors: Jan Hampf, Karl-Henrik Arvidsson Kockars
  • Patent number: D423988
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Inventor: S. Richard Luntz
  • Patent number: D424231
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: The L. D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Kevin Von Kluck
  • Patent number: D425236
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: The L.D. Kichler Co.
    Inventors: David H. Porter, Kenneth J. Nicholas
  • Patent number: D425653
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: The L. D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Nelson J. Bleisch
  • Patent number: D425654
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: The L. D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Nelson J. Bleisch
  • Patent number: D426016
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: The L. D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Kevin Von Kluck
  • Patent number: D426017
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: The L.D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Nelson J. Bleisch
  • Patent number: D426669
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: The L.D. Kichler Co.
    Inventor: Kenneth J. Nicholas