Patents Examined by Anna K Kinsaul
  • Patent number: 11684409
    Abstract: An electrosurgical instrument (10) with two branches (11, 12) that are pivotably supported at each other by means of a pivot joint (13) is disclosed. The pivot joint (13) has a support pin (34) and a support cavity (37). The support pin (34) is particularly torque-proof connected with one of the branches (11) or (12) and rotatably supported in the support cavity (37) of the respective other branch (12) or (11). Between the branches (11, 12) a seal (45) is provided that sealingly abuts at the two branches (11, 12) and that surrounds the support pin (34) completely in the circumferential direction. Preferably, the support pin (34) is sealingly connected with the respective branch (11, 12) at its axial ends. In doing so, entering of contaminants in the area between the support pin (34) and the support cavity (37) from all sides or access possibilities is inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: ERBE ELEKTROMEDIZIN GMBH
    Inventor: Rolf Weiler
  • Patent number: 11678880
    Abstract: A surgical instrument insertable through a trocar comprising a shaft including a frame, an end effector, and an articulation joint, wherein the end effector is rotatable about the articulation joint. The shaft further comprises an outer housing slidable relative to the shaft frame including a distal non-round housing portion adjacent the articulation joint and a longitudinal round housing portion extending proximally from the distal housing portion, wherein the longitudinal round housing portion comprises a first diameter, and wherein the distal housing portion comprises a second diameter which is less than the first diameter. The surgical instrument further comprises an articulation lock configured to prevent the rotation of the end effector, wherein the articulation lock is positioned within the distal non-round housing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Cilag GmbH International
    Inventors: Frederick E. Shelton, IV, Jason L. Harris, Gregory J. Bakos
  • Patent number: 11679574
    Abstract: Method for producing a padding product, comprising the following steps: providing a flat, elongate paper strip, which has a central region extending in the longitudinal direction and two-layered or multi-layered adjacent edge regions, which are not joined to one another, opening up adjacent edge regions, and crumpling the paper strip along the central region, characterized in that before the crumpling along the central region the edge regions are turned over towards the center region, and a device for producing a padding product, and a padding product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Storopack Hans Reichenecker GmbH
    Inventor: Jean-Marc Slovencik
  • Patent number: 11679479
    Abstract: A power tool includes an air spring cylinder. A piston is movably positioned within the cylinder and a driver blade and a rack are attached to the piston. The power tool includes a lifter gear including a lifter gear wheel portion, and a plurality of teeth extending radially from the lifter gear wheel portion and configured to engage the rack. A hub includes a first end operably connected to a motor output and a second end including a hub wheel portion. A first receptacle is provided in one of the lifter gear and the hub and a first bearing element extends from the other of the lifter gear and the hub into the first receptacle. A first elastomeric damper is positioned within the first receptacle between the first bearing element and a bearing element defined portion of the first receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH, Basso Industry Corp.
    Inventors: Ramon Tam, Peter Wierzchon, Chien-Kuo Po
  • Patent number: 11673245
    Abstract: A stapler for stapling sheet material with staples, each staple having two staple legs and a staple crown. The stapler having an anvil arm, with a stapling unit being pivotable relative to the anvil arm and including a staple magazine receiving the staples and a driver for pushing staples through the sheet material, with a base part, on which the anvil arm is mounted movably towards it, and with two two-armed bending levers pivotably mounted on the anvil arm about a respective pivot axis, each bending lever having a first and a second lever arm. Upon approach of the anvil arm to the base part, the second lever arms are pivoted and bend the staple legs. The pivot axes extend substantially perpendicular to the staple crowns and the second lever arms have end portions which are arranged offset to one another in the axial direction of the pivot axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Isaberg Rapid AB
    Inventor: Robert Ohlsson
  • Patent number: 11667020
    Abstract: In a driving tool, during and/or after a driving operation has been completed, a restriction member is retained in an on-position by a cam. An energizing switch is retained in an on-state by an actuation portion of the restriction member. Because of this configuration, if a trigger is released during and/or after the driving operation has been completed, an electric motor continues to be activated, which causes a driver to return to a standby position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: MAKITA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shun Kuriki, Yukiyasu Okouchi, Yoshitaka Akiba, Norikazu Baba
  • Patent number: 11667019
    Abstract: A driving mechanism for fastener driving machine, including a rotatable crank; a driving rack element rotatably installed on the crank, which comprises an engaging element, a support element and a driving rack; at least one fixed guide element. The support element and/or engaging element can move along the set trajectory. The present invention has a simple structure, a few parts and stable operation. When the crank rotates, the motion trajectory of the engaging element is straight or approximately O°, so as to reduce the kinetic friction force of load to the maximum extent, preventing wear problem, and guaranteeing constant direction of thrust on the impact unit in the course of compressed energy storage and low eccentric load in late stage, the quick release of driving mechanism is implemented, the operational stability and smoothness of impact unit are guaranteed, the work quality is upgraded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Uniwisdom Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Ying Xu
  • Patent number: 11666331
    Abstract: A surgical instrument includes an end effector having a first jaw, a second jaw movable relative to the first jaw to grasp tissue therebetween, an anvil, a staple cartridge comprising staples deployable into the tissue, wherein the staples are deformable by the anvil, and a sensor configured to provide a sensor signal according to a physiological parameter of the tissue. The surgical instrument further includes a control circuit coupled to the sensor, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the sensor signal, and assess proximity of the sensor to cancerous tissue based on the sensor signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Cilag GmbH International
    Inventors: Frederick E. Shelton, IV, Jason L. Harris, Chad E. Eckert
  • Patent number: 11667414
    Abstract: A vertical bag-making/filling/packaging machine (1) comprises: a film supplying portion (5) which lets out a film (F) from a roll (Fr); a bag-making guide (31) which folds the film (F) into a tubular shape and changes a conveying direction downward; a vertical sealing portion (60) which thermally seals side edges of the film (F) to each other in an up-down direction so as to make the film into a tubular shape; a film conveying portion (50) which conveys the film (F) downward; a filling portion (70) which loads a content (X) into an interior of the film (F); a lateral sealing portion (80) which thermally seals the film (F) in a left-right direction so as to make a bag body; a square-bottom sealing portion (90) which expands a bottom of the bag body to a rectangular shape from an inside and then thermally seals the bottom to form a rectangular bottom surface; and a cutter (89) which cuts off the bag body from the film (F).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: ORIHIRO ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masataka Tsuruta, Akira Yamaguchi, Takayuki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 11661225
    Abstract: Heat shrink wrap product packaging oven or tunnel apparatus and processing methods are provided which incorporate or utilize a central divider mechanism. The central divider moves over a conveyor between a vertical, dual track position, and a retracted, single track position. The divider can additionally include a curved deflector that focuses and/or smooths air flow from the divider laterally across the dual track conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Robert C. Beesley, Mark Davidson
  • Patent number: 11654540
    Abstract: A fastener driver includes a housing, a cylinder supported by the housing, and a moveable piston positioned within the cylinder. A driver blade is attached to the piston and movable therewith between a top-dead-center position and a driven or bottom-dead-center position. The driver blade includes a body having a first side and an opposite, second side with the driving axis passing therebetween, a plurality of teeth extending from the first side of the body, and a plurality of projections extending from the second side of the body. The body and the projections are bisected by a common plane. The teeth extend at an oblique angle from the first side of the body relative to the common plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Casey D. Garces, Mitchell T. Neuhoff, Jacob N. Zimmerman, Christopher J. VanAckeren, Grace Whitmore, Marcus Wechselberger, Jason M. Julius
  • Patent number: 11654466
    Abstract: A hand held planishing hammer is provided that includes a power unit mounted on a base plate with a handle and powering means that is controllable to produce a hammering action by a combination of a hammer head and slapper to provide flattening, smoothing, and polishing of sheet metal for the aircraft, automobile collision repair, restoration and architectural sheet metal industries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Inventor: Theodore Allen Buresh
  • Patent number: 11638989
    Abstract: An active safety device and method for fastener tools that includes a first sensor that detects a hazardous target; a first driver that drives the fastener a minimal distance into the material, the fastener being conductive and acting as a second sensor; a second driver that drives the fastener into the material; a processor that receives information from the first sensor and determines if a hazardous target is detected by said first sensor and engages a trigger interlock if the hazardous target is not detected the first driver is engaged and said second sensor provides information on the composition of the material to the processor; wherein the processor engages the trigger interlock when it determines if the composition of the material is classified as a hazardous target and otherwise initiates the second driver to drive the fastener into the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: LANTERN HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Chad Thomas Green, Destin Sandlin, Ty Batchelor
  • Patent number: 11633841
    Abstract: A method for controlling a nail-striking operation of an electric nail gun is proposed. The electric nail gun includes a control module and at least one switch. The at least one switch outputs a first switch signal that has a first voltage and a second switch signal that has a second voltage when triggered. The control module set a flag that corresponds to the at least one switch to a predetermined state upon determining that a striking condition is met. The striking condition includes that, for each of the at least one switch, the first switch signal has the first voltage and the second switch signal has the second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Basso Industry Corp.
    Inventors: Cheng-En Tsai, Chun-Min Shih
  • Patent number: 11628963
    Abstract: This box assembling and packing system is provided: a first jig which is fixed at a predetermined position and against which a side part of a body of a packing box is thrust; a second jig which is fixed at a predetermined position and against which a flap part and a tuck part of the packing box are thrust; and a robot having two articulated arms. A first articulated arm of the two articulated arms holds and moves the packing box in a flatly collapsed form by a packing box holding mechanism, folds and raises the body of the flatly collapsed packing box into a rectangular tubular shape in cooperation with the first jig, and maintains the folded and raised body of the packing box in the rectangular tubular shape by a packing box rectangular tubular shape maintaining mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignees: SHISEIDO COMPANY, LTD., KAWADA ROBOTICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ken Nishio, Yuta Horibata, Tadahiro Fujiwara, Kiyoshi Terasaki
  • Patent number: 11628548
    Abstract: A compressed air nailer comprises a driving tappet connected to a compressed air supply and configured to drive in a fastener. A triggering apparatus is configured to trigger a driving process and a working piston is coupled to a driving tappet. A safety actuator is configured to be displaced between a locked position and an open position, wherein when in the locked position, the safety actuator is configured to inhibit the triggering of the driving process when an actuation of the triggering apparatus occurs. The compressed air nailer further comprises a throttle and a safety control chamber configured to be aerated and deaerated by the throttle. A counterforce generator is configured to generate a counterforce that acts on the safety actuator and is directed in an opposite direction from the actuating force. The counterforce is linearly dependent on an operating pressure of the compressed air nailer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG
    Inventor: Joachim Bauer
  • Patent number: 11628549
    Abstract: A compressed air nailer comprises a working piston connected to a driving tappet configured to drive a fastener. A trigger and a placing sensor are configured to be actuated to aerate or deaerate a main control line to enable triggering of the driving process. A control valve assembly is configured to define a locked position and an open position by controlling a first pressure in a first control space and a second pressure in a second control space. The first control space is connected to the trigger valve and actuation of the trigger valve is configured to bring the safety valve assembly into the locked position. When the safety valve assembly is in the open position, an actuation of the placing sensor valve is configured to bring the safety valve assembly into the open position when the trigger valve is actuated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG
    Inventors: Martin Theberath, Joachim Bauer
  • Patent number: 11623828
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for autonomously packing folded laundry articles into a container are described. A packing system includes a refillable cartridge, a queue conveyor having one or more folded laundry articles and stacks of folded laundry articles disposed thereon, at least one retractable conveyor loading end between the refillable cartridge and the queue conveyor for loading the folded laundry articles into the refillable cartridge, a driven lifter for selectively raising and lowering the into and out of the container, and a controller in operative configuration with processors and drives of all of the foregoing and one or more sensors detecting a fill height of the refillable cartridge. The refillable cartridge includes a removable receiving surface that moves from a closed position to an open position during loading of the folded laundry by the retractable conveyor and unloading of the folded laundry into the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: MONOTONY.AI, INC.
    Inventors: Madeline R. Hickman, Samuel Duffley, Noa M. Rensing, Kayla M. Swiston, Jesse Sielaff, Benjamin D. Bixby
  • Patent number: 11623330
    Abstract: A driving tool without necessary to secure an arrangement space dedicated to an actuator is provided. A driving tool includes: a striking unit movable to strike a fastener; a housing for supporting the striking unit; a trigger provided in the housing; a push lever provided in the housing, and a trigger valve, and the driving tool further includes: a slide member provided in the trigger; and a solenoid provided in the trigger and configured to move the slide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: KOKI HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Ootsuka, Yoshimitsu Iijima
  • Patent number: 11622825
    Abstract: Various embodiments of tool assemblies are provided having at least one rotary input coupling and at least one linear input coupling for allowing either a rotary output or a linear output (e.g., from a tool driver on a surgical robot) to activate at least one mechanism of the tool assembly. For example, mechanisms of the tool assembly can include a clamping assembly, a firing assembly, an articulation assembly, and a roll assembly. The clamping assembly can open and close jaws of an end effector, the firing assembly can translate a knife assembly through the end effector to fire staples and cut tissue, the articulation assembly can articulate the end effector, and the roll assembly can rotate the elongate shaft and/or the end effector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Cilag GmbH International
    Inventors: Mark D. Overmyer, Jeffrey S. Swayze, Robert L. Koch