Patents Examined by Kavel P Singh
  • Patent number: 7497321
    Abstract: A conveyor system including a crank arm having a base end portion rotatably supported by a second support axle and a free end portion rotatably supporting a suspended supporting apparatus, and a swinging arm having a base end portion fixed to a first support axle and a front end portion coupled to an intermediate position of the crank arm. A movable bearing stand supporting the second support axle is provided to be movable toward and away from a fixed bearing stand supporting the first support axle. Further, a suspended section parallel link mechanism of a suspended supporting apparatus is so configured that a free end support axle is located above a line connecting suspension pins at both ends of an upper frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignees: Taikisha Ltd., Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Izuru Matsubara, Hisashi Kyotani
  • Patent number: 7497324
    Abstract: A right angle conveyor has a first trough and a second trough to move product by reciprocating motion with the second trough at an angle to the first trough. Rocker arms and corresponding reactor springs joined to a chassis form the first and second troughs. The first trough has a motor upon the chassis, eccentric cam, and a linkage to induce reciprocating motion into the conveyor. To induce reciprocation, the first trough has a first bracket connected to a yoke upon a trunnion joined to the chassis, a yoke connected to a slave drive spring bracket, a slave spring connected to the slave drive spring bracket and to a second bracket, the slave spring connected to a second bracket beneath the second trough. The yoke has three pinned connections to permit rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Conveyor Dynamics Corporation
    Inventors: Fred T. Chauvin, Michael Didion
  • Patent number: 7484618
    Abstract: A conveyor belt having a longer effective operating life when continuously conveying hot materials of the order of from about 300° F. to about 330° F. and without the need for premature production line shutdowns for belt shortening and resplicing. The belt includes woven upper and lower cotton fiber layers and two intermediate layers of woven polyester fibers. The layers are held together in face-to-back relationship with rubber skim that is subsequently vulcanized. The upper and lower cotton layers are structured to provide heat insulation for the inner polyester fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Inventor: Jerry D. Foust
  • Patent number: 7481310
    Abstract: A panel transportation device of the present invention has a panel grasp portion for grasping a panel, a link mechanism for moving the panel grasp portion in a panel transportation direction, and a slide mechanism for operating the link mechanism so as to move the panel grasp portion in the panel transportation direction and moving the entire link mechanism. The slide mechanism is constituted of a first slide mechanism with a first slide block and a second slide mechanism with a second slide block. The link mechanism is constructed such that the first slide block and the second slide block are connected to the panel grasp portion and the panel grasp portion is moved in the panel transportation direction by individually and linearly driving the first slide block and the second slide block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventor: Yasushi Dodo
  • Patent number: 7478722
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for transporting coat hangers employing a conveyor screw capable of being driven about its longitudinal axis by a driving system. The conveyor screw is adapted to convey, in a direction of transport, hook coat hangers to be transported. The driving system is coupled to the front end of the conveyor screw, as regarded in the direction of transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Inventor: Franz Gärtner
  • Patent number: 7472784
    Abstract: A conveyor belt cleaner scraper blade for cleaning the surface of a conveyor belt and a method of manufacture of the scraper blade. The scraper blade includes a body having a base member adapted to be attached to a cross shaft of a conveyor belt cleaner and a scraping member which extends outwardly from the base member to a scraping tip. The scraper blade includes one or more electrical sensors that are embedded in an insert member. The insert member and the sensors are molded and embedded within the body of the scraper blade. Each of the sensors is adapted to provide an electrical output signal representing a physical condition of the scraper blade sensed by the sensor. A variety of sensor embodiments are described, as well as two embodiments of control and monitoring systems for use in conjunction with the various blade and sensor combinations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Martin Engineering Company
    Inventors: R. Todd Swinderman, Andrew J. Waters, Pablo F. Perez, Phillip E. Dietsch
  • Patent number: 7467703
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device for separating imbricated flat products, in particular, folding boxes, with a delivery belt on which the products are supported in the form of an imbricated flow and are transported at a transport speed, with a transfer conveyor belt, disposed downstream of the delivery belt, which has a higher transport speed than the delivery belt. The transfer conveyor belt is designed as vacuum belt, or comprises a vacuum belt, and a retaining device is provided for the trailing flat products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Wilhelm Bahmueller Maschinenbau-Praezisionswerkzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Furthmüller, Bruno Fezer
  • Patent number: 7464809
    Abstract: A flat belt is used for conveying an object on a surface of the flat belt. The flat belt has a tension member and fabric. The tension member is resistant to load in a longitudinal direction of the flat belt. The fabric is disposed on at least one of an inner side and an outer side of the tension member. And, the fabric is stretchable in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Nitta Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Nozaki, Seiichi Kitamura, Yoshiro Tamaki
  • Patent number: 7445111
    Abstract: A transport system for conveying articles along conveyance paths including straight, curvilinear, horizontal, inclined and declined conveyance sections. The articles are conveyed between a pair of vertical belts while being supported by protrusions extending from the vertical belts. The vertical belts are guided using a multiplicity of vertical rollers that are configurable into straight, curvilinear and dynamically changing conveyance sections. Multiple conveyance sections can be joined end to end to transport articles over complex paths and over long distances. The articles conveyed may include semiconductor wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Aquest Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Barry Kitazumi, Michael D. Brain, Mihir Parikh
  • Patent number: 7438176
    Abstract: In a transfer conveyer wherein a pair of guide rails respectively provided with guide surfaces for guiding both side surfaces of a transferred article in a transfer direction are extended in the transfer direction and wherein flexible endless belts are provided for supporting lower surfaces at both sides of the transferred article, whose both side surfaces are guided on the guide surfaces, to transfer the transferred article in the transfer direction, a stretching mechanism is provided on one end portion of each guide rail to be stretchable in the transfer direction, a stretchable guide surface for defining a flat surface continuous and even with the guide surface regardless of any stretched position is formed at a facing surface of each stretching mechanism, and plural pulleys for circulatably supporting a part of the endless belt are provided on the facing surface of the stretching mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Fuji Machine Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mikio Furuuchi
  • Patent number: 7431144
    Abstract: A temporary storage system (1) of belt type for lightweight hollow bodies (C), said system being particularly suitable for use with empty plastic containers (C) and of the type comprising a storage buffer vessel (2) provided with a feed entry opening (3) in its upper part and a discharge exit (4) in its lower part, said exit (4) being situated above conveyor means (5) for removal from the buffer vessel (2), said system comprising at least one movable storage belt (6a, 6b, 6c) positioned substantially horizontally in the interior of said buffer vessel (2), said storage belt (6a, 6b, 6c) being arranged to receive a falling plurality of desired volumes (D) of said hollow bodies (C), while advancing during the fall of said hollow bodies (C) by a distance sufficient to maintain said volumes (D) separate, said volumes (D) being made to advance towards the discharge exit (4) and allowed to fall onto the removal conveyor means (5) when said stored hollow bodies (C) are required to be withdrawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Zeccheiti S.R.L.
    Inventor: Mauro Giovanelli
  • Patent number: 7431150
    Abstract: An adjustable curved neck guide for a conveyor is disclosed. The guide comprises a plurality of segments mounted on first and second plates using a series of pin and slot assemblies. Each segment has first and second surfaces and a guide edge, the segments arranged end to end such that the guide edges define a curve having radius. As the second plate is moved relative to the first plate, the pins slide in the slots thereby moving the segments and changing the radius of curvature defined by the guide edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Sidel (Canada) Inc.
    Inventor: Michel Ranger
  • Patent number: 7419051
    Abstract: An endless side-flexing conveyor is described comprising a conveyor belt made from a number of rows of hinged interconnected belt links, where each row comprises at least one link, where each link has a front end, a back end, a top surface, a bottom surface and two sides, where hinge parts separated by apertures are arranged along the front end and the back end such that front hinge parts on the front end will fit inside apertures on the back end of an adjacent belt link, and where the front end and back end are substantially parallel to a first axis parallel to the width direction of the link, wherein the hinge parts of each link are defined by a top and bottom which are substantially flush with the top and bottom surfaces respectively, and two side surfaces and a free front surface, and that the front hinge parts on one end of each link are provided with a protrusion on each side surface, where the protrusions fit inside elongated apertures provided in the side surfaces of the rear hinge parts on the opposi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: PED Invest A/S
    Inventor: Poul Erik Damkjær
  • Patent number: 7401696
    Abstract: The present invention is featured in that a plurality of transfer pieces composing a transfer conveyer are connected to be able to be piled vertically spirally, the transfer pieces having pairs of spacer members each of which is formed to have an inside-part and an outside part continuing to the inside-part and offsetting outward in lateral direction perpendicular to the transfer direction, an engaging part having a contact face extending in the direction parallel to the transfer direction being formed at the upper and lower end part of the outside-part of the spacer member; the transfer pieces can be piled such that vertically adjacent spacer members contact to each other with the contact face of the upper and lower engaging part; an inside chain and an outside chain are provided for allowing the inner side and outer side spacer members to ride on respective chain to advance the transfer conveyer; and the inside chain and outside chain are driven by a single motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Mayekawa Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Miyanishi, Akira Sekino, Hidenori Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 7401691
    Abstract: A mountainous or valley-shaped curved part 13 is provided in a part of a footstep guide rail 3 for guiding a movement of footstep rollers 5 linked by a footstep chain 7, the part being positioned in the vicinity of a drive sprocket 9. Consequently, owing to meshing of the footstep rollers 5 with the drive sprocket 9, an unevenness in velocity of the footstep rollers 5 is absorbed by the curved part 13, so that a moving velocity of the footstep rollers 5 moving on the downstream of the curved part 13 is maintained constantly, suppressing vibrating of the footsteps 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Ishikawa, Tadashi Munakata, Yoshio Ogimura, Nobuhiko Teshima, Shigeo Nakagaki, Hitoshi Kawamoto, Kenichi Fujii, Tomohiko Matsuura, Yoshifumi Ikeda, Kazuhisa Hara, Takayuki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7383943
    Abstract: A method of repairing a slat conveyor includes an anchor bar and a ratchet puller. The anchor bar preferably includes an anchor frame and a pair of C-clamps. A first C-clamp is pivotally coupled to a first end of the anchor bar with at least one link and the second C-clamp is coupled to a second end of the anchor bar with at least one link. The anchor bar is secured to conveyor frame with the pair of C-clamps. A first end of the ratchet puller is secured to the anchor bar and to a first end of a broken conveyor chain. A second end of the ratchet puller is attached to a second end of the broken conveyor chain. The ratchet puller is actuated, until the first and second ends of the broken chain meet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Inventor: Guy E. Davis, Jr.