Patents Examined by Gene O. Crawford
  • Patent number: 11723842
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for a pill dispenser system. The dispenser system includes a dispenser software application that manages the administration of pills to a patient. The pills can be stored in multiple compartments of a hopper. The hopper includes openings in the bottom of each compartment. A disc below the hopper has openings that correspond to the hopper openings, but are offset, keeping the pills in each compartment. The hopper and the disc move together to index a compartment above a dispensing cup. The hopper moves in the opposite direction, without the disc, creating a dispensing aperture, where a pill is dropped onto an elevator. The elevator lowers the pill and drops it into a dispensing cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Blueberry Pill Dispenser Public Benefit LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Matthew Haueter, Alexandru Sima
  • Patent number: 11724918
    Abstract: There is provided a method of renewing a passenger conveyor that is capable of preventing the passenger conveyor from being unavailable for a long time period when the passenger conveyor is renewed in a stepped manner. The method of renewing a passenger conveyor includes a safety device update process of updating an existing safety device to a new safety device in the passenger conveyor, and a drive machine and control panel update process of, after the safety device update process, updating an existing drive machine of the passenger conveyor to a new drive machine and updating an existing control panel of the passenger conveyor to a new control panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yukiyasu Nagao
  • Patent number: 11727746
    Abstract: A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: 24/7 Pizza Box, LLC
    Inventors: Eduardo Lopez, Allan L. Cube, Simon Shue
  • Patent number: 11724890
    Abstract: A pickface builder for a storage and retrieval system for storing goods units and having an in-feed conveyor and a picking device, each goods unit holding at least one product package therein, the pickface builder including a frame, a pusher member movably coupled to the frame, and a snugger member movably coupled to the frame, wherein the pickface builder is configured to receive goods units from the in-feed conveyor and the pusher member and snugger member are movable at least in a direction transverse to a direction of goods unit travel on the in-feed conveyor and configured to form the goods units into a pickface picked by the picking device as a unit and having a predetermined reference datum relating the pickface to a placement position of goods units forming the pickface along a storage surface of the storage and retrieval system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Symbotic LLC
    Inventors: Robert Sullivan, Stephen C. Toebes
  • Patent number: 11724887
    Abstract: A system (500) for distributing a stream of articles (100) at a fix pitch (P) includes a belt assembly (250) with belt segments (252) carrying a stream of articles (100), a sensor assembly (510) with sensors (512), a control system (550) interfacing with the belt assembly (250) and the sensor assembly (510), wherein the sensor assembly (510) provides measurements of initial positions of each article of the stream of articles (100) and transmits the measurements to the control system (550), wherein the control system (550) utilizes the measurements to determine deficits of the initial positions to final positions for each article based on a predefined pitch value (P), and wherein the control system (550) controls a speed of the plurality of belt segments (252) to provide the final positions for each article according to the predefined pitch value (P).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Körber Supply Chain LLC
    Inventor: Rajeev Dwivedi
  • Patent number: 11724772
    Abstract: The invention relates to a toothed wheel assembly for a cassette having a first toothed wheel and a second toothed wheel that are concentric. The second tooth wheel has a greater number of teeth than the first toothed wheel; a radially inner cylindrical portion to engage a sprocket support body; a plurality of spokes comprising respective first constraining portions to the first toothed wheel and second constraining portions to the radially inner cylindrical portion; and a plurality of connection bodies that connect the first. The second toothed wheel has an axially-extending portion with at least one pair of spokes having connection bodies that include axially-extending portions in the circumferential direction and at least partially contained in the minimum circumferential extension a respective spoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: CAMPAGNOLO S.r.l.
    Inventors: Christian Marangon, Marco Porro, Marco Marchi
  • Patent number: 11724888
    Abstract: A conveyor controller for being implemented into a conveyor system includes control circuitry and one or more network interfaces for coupling with other conveyor controllers. In one embodiment, the control circuitry configured for detecting whether another conveyor controller is connected and to determine which network interface is used in order to set the direction of the conveyor system. In another embodiment, the control circuitry is configured, to receive configuration data from a conveyor controller connected to a network interface, and to detect if another conveyor controller is and to transmit configuration message to another conveyor controller that includes additional configuration data associated with the conveyor controller. In still another embodiment, the control circuitry transmits configuration data to a replacement conveyor controller upon getting a request from the replacement conveyor controller that has been connected to a network interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Insight Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles R. Combs, James P. Knapke, Dimitar Ivanov Petrov, Timothy A. Barnes, David W. Sellers
  • Patent number: 11718482
    Abstract: A system and method for monitoring disturbance forces experienced by a mover in an independent cart system monitors current generated by a controller and a feedback signal corresponding to operation of the mover in response to the current generated by the controller. The controller stores a value of the current reference and of the feedback signal, sampled in tandem, and determines a disturbance force experienced by the mover as it travels along the track as a function of the stored values of the current reference and of the feedback signal. The controller may store the measured disturbance force experienced by the mover as a function of the location of the mover along the track. For each subsequent time the mover travels along the same length of track, the controller may add a compensation value to the current reference to reduce the disturbance force experienced by the mover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuhong Huang, Sean Lu, Tracy M. Clark
  • Patent number: 11718488
    Abstract: A linear motor conveyor system having a moving element including a first and a second magnetic element on opposite sides; a first track including a first linear motor configured to generate a dynamic magnetic field which acts on the first magnetic element to provide a first lateral force and a first longitudinal force; a second track with a transfer region positioned adjacent to the first track, the second track configured to generate a magnetic field that acts on the second magnetic element to provide a second lateral force; and a controller to control the first linear motor such that the first dynamic lateral force is configured to bias the moving element toward the first linear motor until the moving element reaches a switch point in the transfer region, where the first and second lateral forces are selectively adjusted to bias the moving element toward the second track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: ATS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Albert Kleinikkink, Roger Hogan
  • Patent number: 11718483
    Abstract: The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement, comprising a motor-operated conveyor roller, comprising a roller body which is mounted so as to be rotatable about a roller axis, a drive unit which is arranged within the roller body and is mechanically coupled between the roller body and an axle element and is designed to generate a torque between the axle element and the roller body, and a control data interface which is connected in a signal-transmitting fashion to the drive unit. The invention is characterized by an electronic addressing model which can be coupled in a signal-transmitting fashion to the sensor and to the bus line and is designed to encode a sensor signal, which is generated by the sensor and received in the addressing module, to form a bus-encoded sensor data block which comprises a digital sensor signal data block which characterises the sensor signal and a sensor address data block, and to transmit the bus-encoded sensor data block into the bus line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Interroll Holding AG
    Inventors: Daniel Heinen, Herbert Henze, Claus Blödorn, Wolfgang Puntigam
  • Patent number: 11719327
    Abstract: The present disclosure periodically monitors an oil condition through a temperature sensor installed in a driving motor of an in-wheel-type running gear, the generated torque of the driving motor, or the like and transmits oil condition information to a driver through a vehicle warning light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hae Jun Yang, Yeo Jeong Kim
  • Patent number: 11721158
    Abstract: A system for dispensing an item from a dispensing apparatus is disclosed. The system is attached to a dispensing apparatus lower portion of the dispensing apparatus. The system includes a plate and a flap movably attached to the plate. The flap has a flap open position and a flap closed position. As stop extends outward from a flap first surface of a flap lower portion. A movable arm is in attachment with the flap and moves the flap between the flap open position and the flap closed position. A heating element at least proximate to the flap. An opening on the flap extends between the flap first surface and a flap second surface. A rod is substantially vertically arranged and in attachment with the plate and configured such that the rod passes through the opening when the flap moves between the flap open position and the flap closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Braido, Audley Wilson, Christopher Carbonaro, Justin Dawber, Theodore Halbach
  • Patent number: 11721157
    Abstract: Disclosed is a first dispenser module with a product holder for holding a plurality of beverage cans and a dispensing mechanism for dispensing one beverage can of the plurality of beverage cans at a time in a dispensing direction from the product holder, wherein the product holder is arranged for holding the plurality of beverage cans with their central axes parallel to said product orientation direction. The dispensing mechanism has a retaining cam that is movable with at least a vector component in the production orientation direction between a retaining position for retaining the plurality of beverage cans and a release position for releasing the beverage cans from the product holder, wherein the retaining cam, in the retaining position, is arranged to be in the path of the top rim or the bottom rim of one of the beverage cans in the dispensing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Inventor: Leonard Jakob Van Schothorst
  • Patent number: 11713198
    Abstract: The present invention provides a medicine checking assembly line. The present invention solves a problem of low automation degree of the existing medicine checking assembly line. The medicine checking assembly line includes a conveying device, a turnover device, a separation device, a medicine bottle recycling device, a medicine bag stacking device and a medicine basket stacking device, which are connected sequentially. The conveying device is used for transferring medicine baskets between medicine dissolving personnel and medicine checking personnel; the turnover device is used for turning over the medicine baskets; the separation device is used for separating the medicine baskets, medicine bottles and medicine bags; the medicine bottle recycling device is used for recycling the used medicine bottles; the medicine bag stacking device is used for stacking and collecting the medicine bags; and the medicine basket stacking device is used for stacking and recycling the medicine baskets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Shengjie Wu
  • Patent number: 11713196
    Abstract: A conveyor drive system for installation in a load-holding compartment, the load-holding compartment having a compartment floor having a top surface, the conveyor drive system includes a linear actuator, a framework, and at least one linear-actuator-to-slat connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Hallco Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy M. Berthelsen
  • Patent number: 11713796
    Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a fastener is provided for securing to an end of a conveyor belt having cables. The fastener comprises a crimp configured to be fixed to a conveyor belt cable and a connector. The connector has a unitary, one-piece fastener body with an upper portion for being disposed adjacent an upper surface of the conveyor belt end and a lower portion for being disposed adjacent a lower surface of the conveyor belt end. The upper and lower portions are spaced apart to receive the crimp therebetween and permit the conveyor belt cable to extend in an outboard direction between the upper and lower portions. The connector includes a stop arranged to block inboard movement of the crimp and the conveyor belt cable fixed thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Flexible Steel Lacing Company
    Inventors: Daniel W. Dailey, Brett E. DeVries, John Dale Culbertson
  • Patent number: 11713095
    Abstract: A bicycle derailleur includes a base member mountable to a bicycle frame and a cage assembly moveably coupled to the base member. One or both of a motor and/or electrical generator system may be coupled to and moveable with the cage assembly. The motor is operable to move the cage assembly. The electrical generator system includes a generator and a generator drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: SRAM, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Shipman, Sage Hahn
  • Patent number: 11701668
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and their methods of use, for sorting or separating magnetic particles are provided. A magnetic source, e.g., with at least one sharp feature, can be employed to exert a strong magnetic field on magnetic particles in order to separate particles of a desired and predictable property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: 10x Genomics, Inc.
    Inventor: Alireza Salmanzadeh
  • Patent number: 11703181
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control system for reducing rotor vibrations, in particular the variability thereof, in shafting, in particular turbine shafting, in which the temperature of the bearing (6) of the shaft is measured and the oil (8) supplied to the bearing is adjusted to a temperature as is assigned as the output variable in an allocation for minimised rotor vibrations with the measured temperature of the bearing as the input variable. The allocation can, for example, be provided by an initial measurement of the rotor vibrations or by a self-learning system. According to the invention, the variability of the rotor vibrations is restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Andrey Mashkin, Robin Burzan, Sebastian Zahn, Gerta Zimmer, Esteban Grau Sorarrain, Alexander Münnekhoff, Florian Röhr, Christian Jäkel, Matthias Kowalski
  • Patent number: 11702289
    Abstract: A storage and order-picking system including a warehouse, wherein the warehouse includes a storage module formed by two racks including one rack aisle therebetween; separation stations associated with the storage module, each separation station having associated therewith a respective pick up location; separate conveying systems for feeding storage containers from the warehouse to the pick up locations of the separation stations, respectively; and a robot arranged between the separate conveyors such that the robot can pick up during one movement cycle from each of the separate conveying systems respectively one article and can deliver between the corresponding article pick up locations one article which has already been picked up to a deposition location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: SSI Schäfer Automation GmbH (DE)
    Inventors: Elmar Issing, Christian Herzmaier