Patents Examined by Gabriela Puig
  • Trash spearing tools with retractable spearing pins
    Patent number: 9033385
    Abstract: A trash spearing tool and method are provided. The tool includes a spearing pin, a trigger assembly, an inner tube, and an outer tube. The trigger assembly is movable between a normal position and an activated position. The outer tube is slidable between a storage position and a use position. The spearing pin is operatively coupled to the trigger assembly in such manner that, when the outer tube is in the use position and the trigger assembly is in the normal position, the spearing pin is normally biased to an extended position in which a portion of the spearing pin extends from the outer tube and, when the outer tube is in the storage position and the trigger assembly is in either the normal position or use position, the spearing pin to in a retracted position in which the spearing pin does not extend from the outer tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Unger Marketing International, LLC
    Inventor: Anthony Sgroi, Jr.
  • Vacuum-lifting device
    Patent number: 9016740
    Abstract: A vacuum-lifting device of variable configurations includes a first slat element, a second slat element, and four suction members. The first slat element is detachably fixed to the second slat element, and the first slat element intersects with the second slat element defining an intersection. A first slot is defined in the first slat element and a second slot is defined in the second slat element. Two of the four suction members are translatably secured in the first slot. The other two of the four suction members are translatably secured in the second slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Zhongshan Innocloud Intellectual Property Services Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yun-Yu Chou
  • Pick up mechanism
    Patent number: 9016745
    Abstract: A pick up mechanism includes a pick up rod, a pick up head, and a resisting assembly. The pick up head is assembled to an end of the pick up rod. The resisting assembly includes a guiding seat, a resisting member, a pair of guiding rods, and a pair of elastic members. The guiding seat is fixedly sleeved on the pick up rod, the resisting member slidably shields the pick up head. The pair of guiding rods is fixed on the guiding seat, and blocks the resisting member. The pair of elastic members is resisted between the guiding seat and the resisting member, wherein the pick up head is exposed or shielded by moving the resisting member relative to the pick up rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignees: Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Cheng-Huan Lei, Yong-Feng Wang, Yun Zhao, Zhi-Tang Dai, Dong Li, Sha Shen
  • Switchable plate manufacturing vacuum tool
    Patent number: 9010827
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided to enable a vacuum tool to have a switchable plate, such that a common vacuum tool may be adapted with different plates. A switchable plate may form the entirety of the vacuum tool's material contacting surface or a switchable plate may form a portion of the material contacting surface. The vacuum tool is effective for picking and placing one or more manufacturing parts utilizing a vacuum force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Conall Regan, Kuo-Hung Lee, Chih-Chi Chang
  • Cargo strap with handle
    Patent number: 9010824
    Abstract: A cargo strap with carrying handle and mechanism for securing the cargo strap around a load. A first end of the cargo strap is preferably removably anchored to the strap securing mechanism by a clevis pin that permits rapid and easy disconnection of the first end of the cargo strap from the strap securing mechanism. The second end of the cargo strap is retained within the strap securing mechanism and prevented from removal therefrom by a stop proximate the second end of the cargo strap. The stop is preferably constructed as a loop formed in the second end of the cargo strap and sewn to the strap with a strap flap portion intermediate the second end of the cargo strap and the strap securing mechanism. The strap securing mechanism preferably has either a ratchet style mechanism with a reel or a modified cam buckle mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Inventor: John W. Hayes
  • Closure apparatus and method of using same
    Patent number: 9010825
    Abstract: An apparatus for closing opened packaging includes a base having an upper surface and a lower surface, a strap attached to the base, and two complementary handle sections attached to the base. The handle sections extend upwardly from the upper surface of the base, and together form a grippable handle. A space exists between the handle sections to receive the strap therethrough. The handle sections can be releasably attached to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Bag-Straps, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason W. Shepherd, Heyward A. Moore, Juan Carlos Perez
  • Compliant underactuated grasper
    Patent number: 9004559
    Abstract: A compliant underactuated grasper includes a palm base and two fingers. Each of the fingers comprises: a proximal phalanx; a distal phalanx; a compliant flexure joint connecting the distal phalanx to the proximal phalanx; and a pin joint connecting the proximal phalanx to the palm base, the pin joint constraining angular movement of the proximal phalanx relative to the palm base to rotation about a pin pivot axis. The grasper further includes at least one actuator to move the fingers. The grasper has fewer actuators than degrees of freedom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Claffee, Nicholas Roy Corson
  • Suction structure, robot hand and robot
    Patent number: 8991887
    Abstract: A suction structure includes a pad and a fixing base. The pad includes a contact portion which makes contact with a target object to be sucked and which has a seal wall, and a major surface portion which is surrounded by the contact portion and which defines an inner space in conjunction with the seal wall as the contact portion makes contact with the target object. The fixing base includes a support portion configured to support the pad at a position offset from the center of the major surface portion of the pad, and a suction hole configured to bring the inner space into communication with a vacuum source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
    Inventors: Daisuke Shin, Machiko Kamijo, Ryuji Ando
  • Compliant underactuated grasper
    Patent number: 8991885
    Abstract: A compliant underactuated grasper includes a base and a plurality of fingers. At least one of the plurality of fingers includes: a proximal phalanx; a proximal joint connecting the proximal phalanx to the base; a distal phalanx; a distal joint connecting the distal phalanx to the proximal phalanx; and a member for moving the phalanges. At least one of the proximal joint and the distal joint includes a flexure joint having a first compliance in a first direction and a second compliance in a second direction, the second compliance being stiffer than the first compliance. The distal phalanx includes: a rounded end face; and a lifting portion including a lifting edge adjacent the rounded end face. The member acts in parallel to the first direction. The grasper further includes at least one actuator associated with the member. The grasper has fewer actuators than degrees of freedom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Claffee, Nicholas Roy Corson
  • Process and apparatus for coating a porous substrate with a coating liquid
    Patent number: 8991882
    Abstract: An engagement head for engaging a porous substrate includes at least two pin sets, each pin set including a plurality of pins arranged in a plurality of parallel pin rows at a predetermined pin angle, wherein pins of immediately neighboring pin rows are arranged such that pin angles for the pins in a pin row are inversely symmetrical to pin angles for the pins in a neighboring pin row. The pins of a pin row move collectively in the same direction when a pin set is extended, which direction is determined by the pin angle of the pin row, whereby neighboring pin rows move in opposite longitudinal directions from one another when the pin set is extended. The pin sets may be extended and retracted in unison by a single actuation source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Clifford Dey, Markus Bohn, Hans-Steffen Schacht, Ashley P. Deanglis, Robert W. Van Holten, Dwayne Looney, Gerard Llanos, Avner Brandes
  • Gripping or clamping device
    Patent number: 8991886
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gripping or clamping device for gripping or clamping objects, comprising at least one actuator that can be driven by a drive, at least one jaw, and a transmission provided between the actuator and the jaw, wherein the force produced by the drive is transmitted to the object at least by means of a force transmission element provided on or formed by the transmission and/or the clamping means, wherein the force transmission element has a force conducting section, wherein a clamping element that permits an elastic flexibility in the force transmission direction is provided between the force conducting section and the force transmission element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Schunk GmbH & Co. KG Spann- und Greiftechnick
    Inventors: Andreas Schuster, Michael Drab, Matthias Quaas
  • Waste collector
    Patent number: 8985653
    Abstract: A waste collector having a body and a scooper, the scooper having a trap door that opens in one direction to allow waste to move through the door into the body, but prevents the waste from coming back out of the body in the opposite direction, thereby securely containing the waste. The scooper is movably attached to the body to allow the scooper to be opened from the body to discard the waste. The body comprises a back door to allow the waste to be discarded through the back end. The scooper comprises a plurality of openings to allow re-usable litter to pass through while containing the waste. The body has a slot to hold a roll of bags configured to fit inside the body to give the user the option of lining the interior of the body with a bag for easier disposal of the collected waste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Inventor: Anthony M Kest
  • Clamping attachment with regenerative hydraulic circuit
    Patent number: 8979154
    Abstract: A regenerative hydraulic circuit for a clamping attachment limits the clamping force applied to a clamped load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Cascade Corporation
    Inventor: David W. Petronek
  • Substrate-processing apparatus and method of transferring substrate in the same
    Patent number: 8979462
    Abstract: A substrate-processing apparatus includes a plurality of process chambers, a buffer unit, and a transfer member. The transfer member transfers the substrate between the process chambers and the buffer unit, and collects the substrates processed in at least two of the process chambers where processes are simultaneously finished to transfer the processed substrates to the buffer unit at once. Accordingly, a number of times during which the transfer member transfers substrates is decreased so that the substrate-processing apparatus reduces the process time and improves the productivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Semes Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyung Mo Kim, Sang-Seok Hong
  • Chute arrangement with strip-off feature
    Patent number: 8967691
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for a chute arrangement comprising an element for objects, such as, test tubes, caps, etc. released by a gripper unit such that the released objects may be collected in a container. The element may comprise a plurality of slots for a plurality of gripper fingers in the gripper unit to pass through. The element may be configured to restrain the object as the plurality of gripper fingers release the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Beckman Coulter, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Mueller, Lukas Bearden
  • Materials scoop
    Patent number: 8967693
    Abstract: A sanitary scoop that includes a scoop portion, a handle portion, a shield portion, a partition wall formed between the scoop portion and the handle and shield portions, and a tab. The sanitary scoop is constructed to allow placement of the scoop in various orientations while maintaining sanitation of the scoop portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: San Jamar, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Young, Cynthia Rosenthal
  • Suction device
    Patent number: 8960750
    Abstract: A device for vacuum-lifting workpieces includes a driving assembly, a rotating table, a plurality of suction assemblies mounted on the rotating table spaced from each other, and a vacuum pump. Each suction assembly includes a suction cup. An airflow guiding part is configured to align each suction cup with a vacuum when the suction cup is positioned above a picking station. The driving assembly makes the suction cups communicate with the airflow guiding part in succession. Each suction assembly is capable of picking a different type of workpiece, therefore the suction device can take the place of a plurality of individual manipulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Co., Ltd., FIH (Hong Kong) Limited
    Inventors: Xu Gong, Bing Yu, Jian-Ping Jin
  • Hybrid pickup tool
    Patent number: 8960751
    Abstract: Systems of the present invention relate to apparatus for a multi-aperture vacuum tool that is comprised of a distributed vacuum tool that has a number of apertures distributed across an area for manipulating material portion, such as textile, mesh, cloth, and foam. The multi-aperture vacuum tool is also comprised of a refined vacuum tool. The refined vacuum tool generally has a couple of apertures that allow the refined vacuum tool to manipulate smaller portions of material than that which are handled by the distributed vacuum tool. Further, it is contemplated that an affixing tool, such as an ultrasonic welder, is also incorporated with exemplary aspects of the multi-aperture vacuum tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Conall Regan, Kuo-Hung Lee, Chih-Chi Chang, Ming-Feng Jean
  • Zoned activation manufacturing vacuum tool
    Patent number: 8960745
    Abstract: Aspects relate to systems, methods, and apparatus for a zoned vacuum tool comprised of independently operable vacuum sources provided a vacuum force to segregated zones. A vacuum force is generated in connection with a first zone independently of an activation or deactivation of vacuum force generation associated with a second zone. Therefore, a single vacuum tool can selectively apply a vacuum force to material portions, which allows for control as to which material portions are manipulated by the vacuum tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc
    Inventors: Patrick Conall Regan, Kuo-Hung Lee, Chih-Chi Chang, Chang-Chu Liao, Ming-Feng Jean
  • Underwater magnetic retrieval apparatus
    Patent number: 8960746
    Abstract: An underwater magnetic retrieval apparatus and method utilizing same are provided. The apparatus is specifically constructed for underwater retrieval of a magnetically-attractable object. The apparatus includes at least one housing including at least two spaced attachment portions, a plurality of magnets disposed within the at least one housing and at least one line extending from the two spaced attachment portions of the at least one housing to facilitate underwater manipulation of the apparatus and underwater retrieval of the magnetically-attractable object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Inventor: Mathew R. Syrowik