Patents Examined by Johnathan R. Miller
  • Patent number: 6883667
    Abstract: The invention is an automatic debris separation system for effecting air separation of fragmented materials, such as size-reduced fiber feedstocks derived from textile wastes. The system uses high-velocity air within an elutriation assembly to efficiently remove ferrous and non-ferrous metal debris from recyclable polymer fibers. In particular, the system may employ automatic process control strategies to vary airflow within the elutriation assembly in process-controlled response to measured metal contamination, thereby ensuring that post-separation metal contamination is maintained at or below an upper contamination limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Wellman, Inc.
    Inventors: James A. Lindsey, Daniel A. Allen, Jr., Jonathan W. Skelley
  • Patent number: 6390465
    Abstract: A sheet process apparatus includes a stapler for performing a stapling process on a sheet any a shift sheet discharge unit for performing shift sheet discharging. The shift sheet discharging discharges and stacks the sheets on a tray in a status that the sheet intended to be discharged is shifted from the sheet already put on the tray. A control unit causes the shift sheet discharge unit to perform shift sheet discharging when the stapling process by the stapler is not included in any of a previous-time job and a present-time job. The control unit also causes the shift sheet discharge unit to perform the shift sheet discharging when the stapling process by the stapler is not included in any of a previous-time job and a present-time job. In addition, the control unit also causes the shift sheet discharge unit to discharge the sheet without performing the shift sheet discharging when the stapling process by the stapler is included in at least one of the previous-time job and the present-time job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuyoshi Kakigi
  • Patent number: 6244585
    Abstract: Every time the paper size setting key is operated, the count value in the counter is increased by one. It is judged whether the count value in the counter after increment is greater than the maximum value Cm. If the count value of the counter is greater than the maximum value Cm, the count value is set at ‘1’. Then the CPU highlights the feeder position corresponding to the count value of the counter, among several feeder positions in the paper size setting frame. If new paper is loaded during the waiting period for the operation of the paper size setting key, the CPU detects count value Cs corresponding to the feeder position to which new paper has been loaded and sets the counter at a count value of Cs−1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Syoichiro Yoshiura, Tatsuo Nomura
  • Patent number: 6189702
    Abstract: The present invention reveals a sorting device, positioned above and orientated across a plurality of conveyors, capable of diverting objects between the conveyors or removing objects entirely from the conveyors, based on the object's destination location or some other characteristic. To accomplish its purpose, the device comprises: a primary conveyor; a secondary conveyor; a monorail positioned above and orientated across the conveyors; a carriage that mounts the monorail; a linear actuator that drives the carriage side to side the length of the monorail; a paddle attached to the carriage that extends downward to contact the objects; a wiper located along the bottom edge of the paddle that is biased in contact with the conveyors; and a controller capable of positioning the carriage so the paddle contacts the object to be diverted and pushes it between conveyors or from conveyors to adjacent destination locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Henri Bonnet