Patents Examined by James R. Bidwell
  • Patent number: 11661289
    Abstract: A transfer device for use with a conveying apparatus for controlling the flow of articles, including a first conveyor and a second conveyor. The transfer device is disposed generally across and movable along the first and second conveyors. The transfer device includes a belt guide attached to the transfer device. The belt guide includes a base configured to attach to an actuating frame of the transfer device and a tension roller that slideably engages with a portion of the base to aid in conveying articles between the first conveyor and second conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Jimmy D. Whitten, Anthony T. Burns, Jeffrey T. Allison
  • Patent number: 11661317
    Abstract: A side monitoring device for a passenger transport system is described. The device monitors a force application upon a base plate of the passenger transport system along a gap formed between a transport band of the passenger transport system and the base plate. The device includes a mounting structure, at least one elongate belt, and a force sensor. The mounting structure is configured for the installation of the device in a base plate region of the passenger transport system adjacent to a transport region. A belt is functionally connected to the mounting structure and extends parallel to at least a portion of the traveling path. The force sensor is functionally connected to the belt and configured for detecting a force exerted upon the mounting structure by the belt in a direction of displacement extending parallel to the traveling path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: Csaba Boros
  • Patent number: 11661285
    Abstract: An apparatus/method for a conveyor belt lifter apparatus that can be manually-configured to accommodate differently-sized conveyor belts of conveyor systems. The apparatus includes a pair of lifts in between which a trough-shaped adjustable conveyor belt support arm is releasably-secured. An adjustable shaft coupler connects the lifts to allow simultaneous activation and movement of both lifts by an operator engaging only one lift. An adjustable base also allows the apparatus to be adjusted for the conveyor system size. These adjustable components comprise segments that can be releasably secured using quick-release pins. The height of the ends of the conveyor belt support arm can also be manually adjusted to eliminate any gap between the conveyor belt and the support arm before lift activation. Each lift comprises a manually-controlled screw jack with an extender formed thereon to allow the lifter apparatus to raise or lower the particular conveyor belt once the lifter apparatus is installed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: ASGCO MANUFACTURING, INC.
    Inventors: Justin L. Zsido, Andrew M. Collier, Leroy C. Williams
  • Patent number: 11655125
    Abstract: Provided is a guide shoe for a passenger conveyor, including: a base portion to be slid across a skirt guard provided along a moving direction of a plurality of steps that are movably provided; and a weight containing a material having a specific gravity larger than a specific gravity of a material of the base portion, which is provided to the base portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryu Okuda, Kenta Shirai, Takahiro Kondo, Hiroki Mori, Nobuyuki Sowa
  • Patent number: 11655126
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a diagnostic system includes a conveyor device first and second sensors and a diagnostic device. The conveyor device includes an endless chain having a plurality of rollers coupled at regular pitches and each fit into a bush, to circularly move between a first sprocket and a second sprocket. The first and second sensors diagonally are disposed apart from each other on a moving path of the chain, irrespective of an operating direction of the conveyor device, to detect a passage of each of the rollers of the chain. The diagnostic device measures an amount of elongation of the chain based on a first detection signal output from the first sensor and a second detection signal output from the second sensor according to movement of the chain during operation of the conveyor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA ELEVATOR KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Hirai, Tadashi Shudo, Motoki Yoshida, Yoshinobu Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11643282
    Abstract: A method and a device for buffering containers grouped in a single row in a filling system are described. For this purpose, the containers are entered into storage on at least one infeed conveyor belt in the infeed direction, moved in a single row onto a transversely adjoining buffer area by rail-guided and individually driven shuttles with row pushers in a buffering direction running transverse to the infeed direction, and are removed from storage on at least one outfeed conveyor belt transversely adjoining in the buffering direction. Due to the fact that the row pushers receive the containers in a single row in a guide channel formed/defined by an anterior row guide leading in the buffering direction and by a trailing posterior row guide, the groups of containers can be moved in the buffering direction and positioned precisely, quickly and secured against falling over without back pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Alexander Demel, Christian Holzer, Franz Lautenschlager, Christian Richter, Konrad Senn, Peter Muehlstein, Torsten Kilgenstein, Helmut Schuesslburner
  • Patent number: 11643277
    Abstract: A linear motor system, in particular to a transport system, e.g. a multi-carrier, including: a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets arranged distributed along the guide track; at least one carrier that is guided by and movable along the guide track and that includes a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carrier; and a control device for controlling the movement of the carrier relative to the guide track by a corresponding control of the electromagnets, wherein the control device is configured to detect an inertial response of the moving mass of the carrier during a movement of the carrier and to determine mass information relating to the mass of the carrier on the basis of the inertial response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
    Inventor: Juergen Nickel
  • Patent number: 11639269
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for transporting objects and in particular containers and/or liquid containers with a first conveyor device which is arranged at least temporarily below the objects to be conveyed and which conveys the objects, wherein the conveyor device includes a point device, and a feed section which conveys the objects to the point device, and wherein the objects are selectively conveyable along at least a first discharge section and a second discharge section by the point device, wherein the feed section extends substantially rectilinearly and wherein the first discharge section follows the feed section in a rectilinear manner and the second discharge section deviates from the rectilinear course of the feed section, and wherein the apparatus includes a selection tool for selectively conveying the objects onto the first discharge section or the second discharge section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Miriam Hartwig, Tobias Puerzer, Thomas Lehner
  • Patent number: 11639266
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a goods to operator workstation is provided. The goods to operator workstation include an upper level. The upper level includes an upper level conveyor and one or more upper level container bays configured to receive and present one of the one or more upper level containers. The goods to operator workstation also includes at least one connector panel extending from the upper level. The goods to operator workstation further includes a lower level coupled to the at least one connector panel. The lower level is configured to receive one or more lower level containers. A gap is defined between the upper level and lower level that is sized to allow the one or more lower containers to be placed on the lower level. A method of operating the goods to operator workstation is also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: INTELLIGRATED HEADQUARTERS, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Lee Oberpriller, Anthony James Turco, Jari Nicholas Sebastian, Michael James Wells, Richard Graff
  • Patent number: 11634564
    Abstract: Conveyor belts having a reinforcement layer, a carry cover layer above the reinforcement layer, and a pulley cover layer disposed beneath the reinforcement layer, where the carry cover layer includes least one hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) material. The HNBR material(s) may have a percentage of hydrogenation of from about 90% to about 96%, from about 92% to about 95%, or even about 94%. The carry cover layer may be from about 4 mm to about 6 mm thick, or even from about 4 mm to about 5 mm thick. In some cases, the reinforcement layer includes a rubber matrix, which may be formed of a nitrile rubber (NBR), or mixture of nitrile NBR and natural rubber blended in a NBR:NR weight ratio of from 3:1 to 9:1. In some aspects, the reinforcement layer includes a plurality of reinforcement plies embedded in the rubber matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: ContiTech Transportbandsysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Guangzhuo Rong, Thomas George Burrowes
  • Patent number: 11634287
    Abstract: Provided is a drive mechanism capable of withstanding sterilization treatment using a sterilization gas such as hydrogen peroxide and capable of performing positioning operation with heightened accuracy. In a drive mechanism according to the invention, a movable block disposed in the internal space of a partition wall for blocking a sterilization gas is coupled to a movable platform disposed in the external space of the partition wall by means of a magnet coupling mechanism. Further, biasing magnet units are disposed on surfaces, of the movable block and the movable platform, on which no magnet coupling mechanism is disposed, such that the biasing magnet units serve as magnetic poles repelling each other. Repelling force generated by the biasing magnet units serves as biasing force that biases the movable platform toward the partition wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: RORZE LIFESCIENCE INC.
    Inventor: Yukito Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 11629013
    Abstract: A method for performing operations on items (A) transported along a manufacturing line including feeding a sequence of items (A) with respective resting portions along a first feed path onto a first transport surface, arranging a gripping assembly having a first gripping head and a second gripping head, picking up a first item (A) from the first feed path using the first gripping head, rotating the first item (A) around a first rotation axis (R1), performing at least one operation on the item (A) during the rotation thereof around the first rotation axis (R1), swapping the positions of the first gripping head and the second gripping head, resting the first item (A) on a second transport surface and releasing the first item (A), and picking up a further item (A) from the first feed path using the second gripping head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A
    Inventors: Luca Cavazza, Stefano Sinigardi, Enrico Campagnoli, Luca Cerati, Andrea Biondi
  • Patent number: 11623822
    Abstract: An automated storage and retrieval system including at least one autonomous transport vehicle, a transfer deck that defines a transport surface for the vehicle, at least one reciprocating lift, a first and second pickface interface station connected to the deck and spaced apart from each other, each station forming a pickface transfer interfacing between the vehicle on the deck and the lift at each station so that a pickface is transferred between the lift and the vehicle at each station, wherein the vehicle is configured to pick a first pickface at the first station, traverse the deck and buffer the first pickface, or at least a portion thereof, at the second station so that the second station has multiple pickfaces buffered on a common support in an order sequence of pickfaces according to a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed case pickfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Symbotic LLC
    Inventors: Juergen D. Conrad, Robert Hsiung, Kirill K. Pankratov, Robert Sullivan, Larry M. Sweet
  • Patent number: 11618630
    Abstract: A net chain driving structure includes a conveying net chain. The conveying net chain includes a plurality of chain links successively inserted in a conveying direction, a plurality of lugs spaced apart from each other are arranged on two sides of the chain links, an end portion of the lug is an arcuate face, a meshing groove is disposed on the chain link, the meshing groove is spliced by an open slot provided on a back side of the chain link and the lugs on the adjacent chain links, a gear in transmission meshing with the meshing groove is disposed on each end of the conveying net chain, a tangent plane tangential to the arcuate face is disposed on the arcuate face of the lug, and transmission contact toothed surfaces of the tangent plane and the gear are attached to each other in parallel during meshing transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Inventor: Xiang Wu
  • Patent number: 11618636
    Abstract: A bulk material conveyor include a housing having a first end with an inlet and a second end with a discharge and a conveyor at least partially positioned in the housing and extending from the inlet to the discharge. A support assembly has a base frame and an extension mechanism operably connected to the base frame for positioning the housing into an inclined position. A motor assembly is configured to drive the conveyor for advancing bulk material through the housing. A hopper is disposed at the intake end of the housing and includes a tapered wall section extending downwardly from a first end to a second end adjacent the inlet in the housing. A gate assembly is interposed between the hopper and the housing and includes a door positionable between a closed position and a fully opened position for metering the bulk material directed into the housing at the inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: SANDBOX LOGISTICS, LLC
    Inventors: C. John Allegretti, Kevin S. Corrigan, Angelo L. Flamingo
  • Patent number: 11613429
    Abstract: A quick-change vacuum starwheel assembly including at least one of a quick-change height adjustment assembly or a quick-change vacuum starwheel mounting assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Stolle Machinery Company, LLC
    Inventors: Richard James Edward Mercer, Ian Kenneth Scholey, Michael Bryan Maxwell, Daniel A. Jansen
  • Patent number: 11608235
    Abstract: In order to specify a flexible transport arrangement for a long stator linear motor which can be used more flexibly for the transport of products, a transport arrangement includes a transport unit and a product carrier. The transport unit and the product carrier each have at least one guide element arranged in the direction of movement and transport unit has drive magnets arranged in a direction of movement for driving the transport unit. The product carrier has no drive and is couplable to the transport unit via a coupling point and is drivable by the transport unit via the coupling point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: B&R INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Kastinger, Philipp Rogner
  • Patent number: 11603271
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a diversion device for a transport device for transporting products. The diversion device comprises a first element mounted to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation and a second element mounted to be rotatable about a second axis of rotation, where the axes of rotation form an angle with one another and the first and the second elements overlap in a region so that the first and the second elements enclose a diversion region. A product supplied to the diversion region can be diverted in the diversion region by rotating the first and the second elements and can exit the diversion device after having passed the diversion region due to mass inertia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: MULTIVAC SEPP HAGGENMUELLER SE & CO. KG
    Inventor: Christian Fauter
  • Patent number: 11597602
    Abstract: A conveyor construction for a continuous belt conveyor. The conveyor includes a conveyor frame assembly constructed from a plurality of separate extruded and joined frame sections. The frame assembly can include a pair of side frame extrusions joined to a center frame extrusion by a pair of attachment rails. The conveyor construction further includes a series of spindle mounting assemblies that support a tensioning spindle on opposite ends of the conveyor frame. Each of the spindle mounting assemblies includes a gear rack and a pinion head that is rotatable to move the gear racks. The gear racks contact one of a pair of head plates that support the tensioning spindle relative to the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Dorner Mfg. Corp.
    Inventors: Michael A. Hosch, Scott Grahl
  • Patent number: 11596130
    Abstract: An egg-examining device, comprising a sampling device, by which a liquid sample to be taken can be taken from an egg of a rack loaded with eggs, a feeding device for feeding the rack loaded with eggs to the sampling device, and a control unit, by which the feeding device and the sampling device can be controlled. The feeding device feeds the rack to the sampling device at an oblique angle of between 20° and 80° to a plane perpendicular to the direction of gravity. A lifting-out device is provided, by which the egg can be lifted out of the rack and by which the egg can be put into a sampling position, in which the liquid amount to be taken can be taken from the egg by the sampling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: SELEGGT GMBH
    Inventor: Almuth Einspanier