Patents Examined by Patrick H. Mackey
  • Patent number: 8011654
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet stacking apparatus including: a sheet stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked; a sheet conveying portion which conveys the sheet onto the sheet stacking portion; a first aligning member moving along a sheet conveying direction to align the position of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion; and second aligning members which move in a width direction crossing the sheet conveying direction to align the position in the width direction of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion, wherein the second aligning members align the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion, and the first aligning member aligns the sheet aligned by the second aligning member, and the sheet conveying portion conveys the next sheet onto the sheet stacking portion while the first aligning member is moving for aligning the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 7980554
    Abstract: A friction backup roller assembly for a peripheral device, comprising an auto-compensating mechanism having a pick tire at one end, a media tray disposed adjacent to the auto-compensating mechanism, a backup roller extending through an aperture in the media tray, the backup roller having a tire, the auto-compensating mechanism pivotally positioned for engagement and disengagement of the pick tire with the backup roller, and a biasing element acting on the backup roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Dean Alan Eltzroth, Kevin Matthew Johnson, Michael William Lawrence, Robert Sandheinrich
  • Patent number: 7775517
    Abstract: A card collection mechanism may include a card collection box for collecting a card, a feeding roller for carrying the card from a feeding passage to the card collection box, and a guide part for guiding the card to the card collection box. The guide part guides the card while the guide part causes the card to be resiliently bent in a direction where an urging force directed to a surface of the feeding roller is applied to the card when the card is fed to the card collection box, and the feeding roller carries the card to a state in which the card is capable of being collected in the card collection box. The card collection mechanism may be used in a card issuing device having a card issuing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corporation
    Inventor: Keiji Ohta
  • Patent number: 7516832
    Abstract: A two door electronic safe is described wherein a bill acceptor, as well as other electronic control circuitry, and a banknote canister are partitioned in first and second compartments with access by first and second access doors, respectively, so that a service call can be made to service the bill acceptor or other electronics without having to allow access to the banknote canister thereby facilitating service calls and allowing the separation of the service call function from the cash collection function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Ellenby Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Bob M. Dobbins
  • Patent number: 7513370
    Abstract: A portable screening trommel having a chassis, at least one wheel assembly at a rear portion of the chassis, a hopper for receiving a material, a rotary trommel being chain driven at a discharge end and which receives the material from a feed conveyor beneath the hopper, a first product conveyor extending from a rearward end of the chassis to a forward end and feeding a rotatable stacking conveyor, and a second product conveyor receiving material from within the trommel and being rotatable between an operating position and a traveling position. The stacking conveyor is positioned at the forward end of the chassis and is rotatable between a first operating position and a second traveling position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Wildcat Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Boris Fridman, Jerry L. Warlow
  • Patent number: 7494000
    Abstract: A snack dispenser comprises tiers stacked to resemble a wedding cake. Each tier includes a trough divided into transparent slots into which a snack may be placed. The troughs are mounted on a rotatable carousel having a transparent front shell with transparent locked doors therein. The doors are unlocked by a door control mechanism when coins of proper monetary value are inserted into a coin box. The coin box accepts and learns the value of different types of coins, or accepts personal identification numbers. Opening the door blocks the rotation of the carousel, blocks the opening of other doors, and resets the credit of the coins inserted. When closed, the door locks all doors until additional coins are inserted. Servicing the dispenser includes removal of the front shell, removal of empty tiers, and replacement of replenished tiers. All segments can be removed and collapsed into a flat position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Newco Enterprises Inc.
    Inventor: Billy J. Castleberry
  • Patent number: 7416086
    Abstract: An in-line sorter for fasteners which includes a track for receiving the head of a fastener. Fasteners move along the track, past one or more stations which reject those fasteners which do not meet certain specifications. Specifically, four stations may be provided—a first station for rejecting fasteners which have bolt portions which are too short; a second station for rejecting fasteners which have too long a head or too long a shaft portion extending above the head; a third station for rejecting fasteners which have bolt portions which are too long; and a fourth station for rejecting fasteners which have too large a head or washer portions which are either too small or too large. More or less than four stations may be provided. Also, the stations may be provided in a different sequence. Still further, in some cases, stations may be combined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Acument Intellectual Properties LLC
    Inventor: Victor A. Lanni
  • Patent number: 7413087
    Abstract: A screen deck runner assembly (20) suitable for use in a vibratory screening machine characterized by the assembly including a saddle member (5), being configured and 420 dimensioned to removably straddle a screen deck runner (1) and to engage a screen panel (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Multotec Manufacturing (PTY) Limited
    Inventor: Nigel Peter Kriel
  • Patent number: 7404553
    Abstract: Sheets (12, 14) of a medium stored in a stack (10) are separated and fed into an office machine. The edge of the top sheet (12) is lifted off the corresponding edge of the following second sheet (14). At least one separator (26) is inserted into the gap (32) resulting from the lifting of the top-sheet (12) and the top sheet (12) is lifted by the separator from the following sheet (14). This causes a reduction of the friction between the top sheet (12) and the following sheet (14) during separation of the top sheet (12), so that the electrical charge of the sheets (12, 14) generated by this friction is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Inventor: Helmut Steinhilber
  • Patent number: 7401775
    Abstract: In an apparatus for aligning sheets that are deposited on a sheet stack, there are sheet leading edge stops disposed so as to be vertically displaceable by a common leading edge shaft. An auxiliary stack carrier that is to be introduced into the stack region for nonstop operation causes the leading edge shaft or leading edge stops to be raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Roland Hirth, Rainer Klenk
  • Patent number: 7392982
    Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding sheets one-at-a-time along a path having: a feeder/separator for engaging the sheets and feeding them one-at-a-time along the path whilst remaining sheets not being fed along the path are halted by the separator; and a clearance mechanism for engaging the remaining sheets and removing them from the separator region in a sheet clearance process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Ltd.
    Inventors: Geoffrey A. Farmer, Peter J. Watson
  • Patent number: 7392981
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device (01) for aligning at least along one edge several stacked sheets (09) into a book, while maintaining the serial order of sheets, said device comprising an editing table (11), having on one of its sides, a front stop (13) for aligning the edges of the sheets (09). The invention is characterized in that upstream of the editing table (11) is provided a support plate (02), whereon the sheet (09) can be set into a bound book with non-aligned edges, and is further provided in the device (01), a sheet feeder (08, 04, 06) whereby the sheets can be conveyed from the support plate (02) towards the front stop (13) of the editing table (11), while forming a stream of subjacent webs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: KBA-Giori S.A.
    Inventors: Thilo Hahn, Johannes Georg Schaede
  • Patent number: 7388168
    Abstract: A mail processing system includes a plurality of trays that are each adapted to hold a plurality of mail items. The mail items in a tray are directed to a common recipient. The system also includes a plurality of mail processing machines that are adapted to process the mail items. The different mail items may take different processing paths through the plurality of mail processing machines. The system also includes a tray tag generator that is configured to produce tray tags. Each of the plurality of trays is associated with a tray tag and each tray tag includes recipient information identifying processing requirements relating to the recipient of the mail items in the tray associated with the tray tag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: First Data Corporation
    Inventors: Jennifer Chamblee, John Mottola, Kwun Ng
  • Patent number: 7380673
    Abstract: A flow diverter and a vacuum blower for vibrating screen separator assembly. The flow diverter decelerates and increases the exposed surface of materials. The exhaust blower removes vapors from the materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gary Fout, Roger Suter
  • Patent number: 7380688
    Abstract: The instant invention proposes to utilize pre-cut unbacked labels releasably attached to one another in a stacked arrangement within a disposable tube having one open end. The labels have a diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the tube and have adhesive on one side with the adhesive sides facing the open end of the tube. A spring biased compression mechanism at the closed end of the tube serves to urge the stack of labels-toward the open end of the tube. When the outward-facing label contacts the object to be labeled, the label is released from the stack and adheres to the object exposing the next label in the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Inventor: Robert Scott Fore
  • Patent number: 7380788
    Abstract: To provide a sheet transporting device which can control sheet transport also with respect to plural kinds of tab sheets different from each other in terms of a tab position in a vertical direction with respect to a transporting direction without increasing the cost. In case of switching back the tab sheet, a timing for the switch back is controlled in accordance with a timing at which the sheet sensor detects a front end of the tab sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Ueda, Kenji Takahashi, Shuhji Fujii
  • Patent number: 7380672
    Abstract: A flow diverter and a vacuum blower for vibrating screen separator assembly. The flow diverter decelerates and increases the exposed surface of materials. The exhaust blower removes vapors from the materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gary Fout, Roger Suter
  • Patent number: 7377509
    Abstract: A sheet feed cassette includes a case, and right and left guide members that are disposed in the case and guide edges of a sheet parallel with a sheet feeding direction. The guide members are movable in a sheet width direction in synchronization with each other. The guide members are adjusted in association with a size of the sheet to be accommodated in a sheet accommodation area. The right guide member includes a slide member and a leaf spring attached to the slide member. As the right guide member is moved toward a side wall of the case, a protrusion extending from the side wall contacts the leaf spring, through a slit formed on the slide member. The leaf spring is deformed and the sheet accommodation area in the case gradually becomes larger toward a sheet stacking direction from a bottom of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 7378610
    Abstract: A mail sorting and distributing transfer system, which smoothly conveys mail on a mail sorting line having a compound curve whose line is not in a plane, but is three-dimensional, whereby the mail can be reliably transferred to a conveyor basket and conveying power savings are achieved. The system 100 receives mail in a transfer basket 120 hung at an outer circumferential edge of a mail sorting and distributing turn table 110 and transfers the mail through a transfer port 122 to a conveyor basket 130, which circulates on a mail sorting line O. The conveyor basket 130 includes an inner circumferential side carriage 131 and an outer circumferential side carriage 132, which respectively travel on an inner circumferential side rail 142 and an outer circumferential side rail 143 of the mail sorting line O while hanging a basket body 133 by both sides in a carried state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
    Inventors: Kenji Umezawa, Shogo Okamoto, Masahiro Asukai, Masahiko Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7377400
    Abstract: A stacked assembly of disposable biohazard containment bags having a reinforced holder for displaying and dispensing the disposable biohazard containment bags from a bracket member of a display stand. The display holder is formed from a piece of cardboard folded upward along an upward fold and downward along a pair of downward folds to thereby form a pair of opposing display holder flaps and an integral reinforcement member comprising a pair of opposing reinforcement member flaps. The reinforcement member flaps are fixedly attached to one another and are sandwiched between the display holder flaps and depend downward from an upper portion of the opposing display holder flaps. The disposable biohazard containment bags are stacked together, and are sandwiched between the opposing display holder flaps such that a disposable biohazard containment bag can be detached from the holder by pulling the biohazard containment bag in order to break a frangible perforation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Inventor: Joseph Bernard Rink, Jr.