Patents Examined by Michael C McCullough
  • Patent number: 10370210
    Abstract: A sheet conveyer to shift a sheet at one side of the sheet conveyer in a widthwise direction is provided. The sheet conveyer includes a pair of rollers, a regulative guide arranged at a position closer to the one side than the pair of rollers in the widthwise direction, a first guide arranged at a position upstream from the pair of rollers with regard to a conveying direction to contact a first area on a first face of the sheet at a position closer to the one side in the widthwise direction than a widthwise center of the sheet, and a second guide arranged at a position upstream from the pair of rollers with regard to the conveying direction to contact a second area on a second face of the sheet. The second guide partly overlaps the first guide in a direction of height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuya Morita
  • Patent number: 10370214
    Abstract: A position control system includes a roller rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and a pivotable member having a first member end rotatable about a first pivot axis and a second member end coupled to the roller. The second member end is rotatable about a second pivot axis spaced from the first pivot axis and the first and second pivot axes are movable relative to one another. A motor is adapted to move the roller along the longitudinal axis wherein movement of the roller along the longitudinal axis causes the pivotable member to pivot the roller relative to the longitudinal axis. A control system is responsive to a sensed parameter for controlling the motor. A position control method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Cryovac, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony V. Moscato, Theodore F. Cyman, Jr., Paul Slagle
  • Patent number: 10364122
    Abstract: An infeed module of a valuable media depository is configured to track media edge detection during ejection processing. When sensors of the infeed module report conditions that would otherwise indicate that media has exited or been retracted back into the infeed module during ejection processing, reporting of the conditions are delayed or modified based on a tracked edge detection status. Thereby permitting the infeed module to perform proper ejection processing on both windowed and non-windowed media regardless of the dimensions present for any windowed portions of the media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin T. Widsten, Husameldin Ibrahim, Matthew Gordon Sonnenberg, Yunus Tatar
  • Patent number: 10364124
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to a rope dispensing device for delivering elongated material such as rope, wire, or hosing and generally has a mounting frame operatively coupled to a material feeding device comprising a wheel and pinch device, an adjustable shroud, and a stabilizing device. The elongated material is received into the material feeding device from a first location and driven through the rope dispensing device by the wheel to be output at a second location. The adjustable shroud may be positioned about the periphery of the wheel so as to direct the output elongated material from the rope dispensing device. The invention is at least partially supported by the stabilizing device operatively coupled to a body of a user. Additionally, the stabilizing device is extendable, collapsible, and detachable allowing the invention to take on a more compact form for easier storage and/or transportation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: TOBE'S LLC
    Inventor: William Tobias Sherril
  • Patent number: 10349769
    Abstract: A gloving apparatus that comprises a glove box, a glove-lifting device, a glove-opening device, and a glove-inflating device. The glove box is designed to contain gloves. The glove-lifting device is designed to lift gloves, one at a time, from the glove box and insert the glove opening over said glove-opening device. The glove-lifting device comprises a vertical rod with one or more fastening devices at the bottom end, and vertical and horizontal activators. The glove-opening device has four spreading fingers, each of which can move horizontally and vertically using activators. The glove-inflating device comprises a sealing ring, an air tubule, and an activator that can move the sealing ring back and forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Inventors: Shimon Avshalom, Yomtov Sardeheli
  • Patent number: 10351391
    Abstract: A traction rope adjustment apparatus includes a traction rope pressing device, and a traction rope pulley apparatus. The traction rope lifting apparatus prevents the traction rope sagging, the traction rope pressing apparatus prevents the traction rope drifting, and the traction rope pulley apparatus enables a car and the counterweight to smoothly pass through the traction rope pressing apparatus, thereby implementing forced guidance of the traction rope and the reliable and smooth running of the car and counterweight. The apparatus can meet the demands of variable gradients and can implement reliable running of an inclined running container in variable gradients, such that the traction rope adapts to the different gradients, solving the challenge of the development of an inclined running container that self-adapts to gradients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: CHINA UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Guohua Cao, Lei Wei, Zhencai Zhu, Weihong Peng, Xiaoguang Bo, Lei Wang, Wei Li, Gongbo Zhou
  • Patent number: 10351373
    Abstract: In a banknote pay-in/pay-out device (10) of an ATM (1), respective pawl portions (42) are provided at upper ends of a front storage box conveyance guide (32) and a rear storage box conveyance guide (33) provided to a front storage box conveyance guide (32) of a banknote storage box (26). In each pawl portion (42), plural pawl bodies (43) are discretely disposed along a left-right direction. In each pawl body (43), a guide plate (51) looking onto a conveyance space (34) is connected to an upper end of a main body (41), a facing plate (52) is connected to an upper-side edge of the guide plate (51), and a left-side plate (53) and a right-side plate (54) are respectively connected to the left and right edges of the guide plate (51). This increases the strength of the guide plates (51) of the pawl bodies (43) such that damage to the pawl bodies (43) as a result of collisions with other members or the like can be prevented, and enables banknotes to be guided smoothly in the banknote pay-in/pay-out device (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Hosokawa, Masaaki Okamoto, Yoshitoshi Takefushi
  • Patent number: 10343866
    Abstract: Dragging element for dragging web materials comprising at least a portion with at least one through cut (2) apt to engage a part (40) of a web material (4) intended to be moved in a direction imposed by the same dragging element that follows a predetermined operating path, said at least one cut (2) is helicoidal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: FUTURA S.P.A.
    Inventors: Giovacchino Giurlani, Roberto Gaspari
  • Patent number: 10342169
    Abstract: According to a tape feeder of the present disclosure, a tape pressing member pressing a part which engages with an outer peripheral tooth of a sprocket in a carrier tape from above is connected to a main body by a connection mechanism. The connection mechanism is configured to move the entirety of the tape pressing member in a manner parallel to the main body in a case where a portion of the tape pressing member moves in a vertical direction with respect to the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuo Takanami, Chikara Takata, Yasuo Oku
  • Patent number: 10334830
    Abstract: The present invention provides a robotic system for culturing and conducting experiments on C. elegans comprising a nutating tower, a well plate positioner, a reagent assembly, a liquid dispensing assembly, a wash and camera assembly, a housing assembly, a tip tray, and a three axes positioner wherein the nutating tower stores and nutates well plates. The present invention further provides a method of using the above-described system to culture C. elegans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Inventors: Anthony Constantin Demetrescu, Elijah Jungmin Kim, Cedric Jae Tupas Parsons, Arjun Brannon Ponmalai, Ravi Brannon Ponmalai
  • Patent number: 10322904
    Abstract: An example printing apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure may comprise a platen (10) on which print media may advance and which may comprise a hole (20) that is open towards a print media advance surface and in fluid communication with a vacuum source (40) and with a pressure sensor (50). In implementations of the apparatus a control unit (60) may detect the presence of print media at the hole (20) if the pressure sensor (50) measures an air pressure below a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Alberto Arredondo, Ricardo Sanchis Estruch, Eduardo Martin Orue, Pau Martin Vidal, Dani Gonzalez Perello
  • Patent number: 10321619
    Abstract: A feeder provided with: a feeder main body, on a rear section of which is formed a tape insertion section for inserting carrier tape that stores multiple components; a tape feeding path for feeding the carrier tape from rear to front, the tape feeding path being provided on the feeder main body so as to connect to the tape insertion section; and an insertion guiding member in which is formed a guiding groove capable of guiding the carrier tape to the tape insertion section when the carrier tape is inserted to the tape insertion section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Ohashi, Hiroki Murase
  • Patent number: 10321620
    Abstract: A component supplying device of the disclosure includes a main body, a carrier tape transport unit which transports a component to a component pick-up position, a detector which detects presence or absence of a carrier tape in the transport path, a designation unit which designates a transport mode of the carrier tape using a flag based on a change in the presence or absence of the carrier tape which is detected, a storage unit which stores the presence or absence of the carrier tape, the flag which is designated, and information of the component which is stored by the carrier tape which is mounted in the component supplying device, and a determination unit which determines a processing operation to be performed when power which is supplied to the component supplying device is reintroduced based on the presence or absence of the carrier tape and the flag which is designated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryouji Eguchi, Tatsuo Yamamura
  • Patent number: 10315878
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device, which is included in a sheet discharging device and an image forming apparatus, includes a contact body configured to rotate while contacting a sheet in conveyance, a shaft configured to rotate together with the contact body in a range of rotation of the contact body, a sheet detector configured to detect the sheet through detection of rotation of the shaft, and a rotary body support configured to rotatably support the contact body to the shaft, extending the range of rotation, in a same direction as the direction of rotation of the shaft. The sheet discharging device includes a sheet discharging body, a sheet stacker of the sheet discharged, and the above-described sheet conveying device. The sheet detector is a stack height detector configured to detec't that the height of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacker is equal to or higher than a predetermined height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsutaka Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10315875
    Abstract: An accumulation device is provided with a first roller group which comprises multiple first rollers that can rotate, and a second roller group which comprises multiple second rollers that can rotate and that can move in the direction towards or away from the first roller group. Substrates are conveyed alternately between the first rollers and the second rollers so as to go back and forth in a wound state, and the substrates are accumulated by relative movement of the first roller group and the second roller group in the direction away from each other. The second rollers are supported by a support member which is capable of moving relative to the first roller group, and are independently biased in the direction away from the first roller group by elastic members which are provided on the support member corresponding to each of the second rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Fuji Seal International, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Shigehara, Tsutomu Iwakawa, Takanori Tanaka, Masanobu Tatsumi
  • Patent number: 10294057
    Abstract: In order to provide web handling which mitigates marking of the web, externally-pressurized porous media gas bearings are used for vacuum rollers, which provide differential tension, and also for air turns, which provide non-contact turning of webs. The porous media gas bearings mitigate three of the biggest issues with the current technology, including cost, high flow rates and low pressure, and web marking. By introducing positive pressure or both, various configurations are presented which allow for improved differential tension, or non-contact conveyance. By also employing externally-pressurized radial bearings, more alternatives are provided, including conveyance and lateral motion of webs without the use of motors. Lastly, employing novel lightweight materials allows for yet other configurations which also employ some of the same aforementioned benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: NEW WAY MACHINE COMPONENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Devitt, Richard Duane Pollick
  • Patent number: 10294053
    Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a feeding member, first and second conveying members, a separation member, and drive and control units. The feeding member feeds a recording material placed on a tray. The separation member and the first conveying member form a nip portion and separates recording materials at the nip portion. The second conveying member conveys a conveyed recording material. The drive unit drives at least the feeding member. The control unit controls to feed first and second recording materials such that a second recording material front edge passes the nip portion before a first recording material rear edge passes the nip portion, and controls to stop the second recording material after the second recording material front edge has passed the nip portion such that the first recording material rear edge reaches the second conveying member before the second recording material front edge reaches the second conveying member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Kawamura, Satoshi Tsuda
  • Patent number: 10294049
    Abstract: Provided is a container for transporting a consumable such as a medium on which an image is to be printed. The container includes a support surface and a reading component coupled to the support surface to read a computer-readable code accompanying the consumable. A relay interface is operatively connected to the reading component to receive a signal indicative of the computer-readable code read by the reading component, and communicate with a compatible reader provided to the receiving apparatus to convey information about the computer-readable code read by the reading component to the receiving apparatus. The relay interface can be coupled to the tray at a location remotely located from the reading component and having an orientation that is different from an orientation of the reading component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: CODONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Lawrence Srnka, Kevin S. Litvak, Christopher Tainer, Peter Adam, Arlber Chang
  • Patent number: 10294056
    Abstract: The invention relates to a web guiding device (3) for guiding a material web (2), in particular a film web, with a first and a second frame element (31, 32), which are pivotably mounted on a first spindle (33) in respective first end areas (311, 321), are connected via a rotatably mounted web guide roller (34) in respective second end areas (321, 322) and are connected via a second spindle (35) which is connected to the first spindle (33) by means of a fixing element (37).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: LEONHARD KURZ STIFTUNG & CO. KG
    Inventor: Hans-Peter Jena
  • Patent number: 10294064
    Abstract: A cable pushing device is an apparatus that efficiently pushes a cable into a pipe with minimal effort. The cable pushing device includes a frame, a first wheel assembly, a second wheel assembly, and a cable guide system. The frame upholds the first wheel assembly, the second wheel assembly, and the cable guide system. The first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly press against the cable and push the cable into the pipe. The cable guide system positions both the cable and the pipe onto the frame and between the first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly. The first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly are aligned with each other such that as the second wheel assembly is rotated by a user, the first wheel assembly applies press onto the cable, opposite the second wheel assembly, and consequently pushes the cable into the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Inventors: William Keith Corley, Lance Paige Toland