Patents Examined by Prasad V Gokhale
  • Pedal with sliding and locking mechanisms for surgical robots
    Patent number: 10921842
    Abstract: A foot pedal system for controlling a surgical robotic system, the foot pedal system comprising a foot pedal assembly movably coupled to a foot pedal assembly platform. The foot pedal assembly having a foot pedal base, a foot pedal pivotally coupled to the foot pedal base, and a foot pedal platform, the foot pedal base operable to slide across the foot pedal platform along an x-axis and a y-axis to an arrangement of activation positions. The foot pedal platform operable to translate and rotate with respect to the foot pedal assembly platform to any position along the foot pedal assembly platform, and the foot pedal platform is operable to engage or disengage with the foot pedal assembly platform at the any position along the foot pedal assembly platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Verb Surgical Inc.
    Inventors: Taylor Cone, Joan Savall
  • Sheet conveyance unit and sheet conveyance system including same
    Patent number: 10919720
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance unit includes a sheet inlet port, an inlet guide, and a guide switching mechanism. The inlet guide has an upper guide and a lower guide below the upper guide. The guide switching mechanism switches a position of the inlet guide between a conveyance position at which the upper guide and the lower guide face each other with a first distance and a separation position at which the upper guide and the lower guide are spaced from each other by a second distance greater than the first distance. To connect the sheet conveyance unit to the sheet discharge unit, the inlet guide is disposed to the separation position before the discharge guide is inserted between the upper guide and the lower guide, and is disposed to the conveyance position after the discharge guide is inserted between the upper guide and the lower guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Masami Fuchi, Masayuki Kakuta, Sachio Izumichi, Seiji Okada, Risa Hibino
  • Belt driving device and transfer device
    Patent number: 10919719
    Abstract: A belt driving device includes an annular belt member, rotary members, a protrusion, and a contact member. The belt member includes first and second edges. The belt member is wound around the rotary members. The protrusion protrudes from an inner peripheral surface of the belt member. The protrusion and each rotary member are arranged in an extending direction of the rotary member. The protrusion is provided at the second edge. The contact member is closer to the first edge. When the belt member deviates, the contact member comes into contact with the belt member. A difference between a position of the belt member when the protrusion comes into contact with an end surface of one of the rotary members and a position of the belt member when the belt member comes into contact with the contact member is equal to or less than a width of the protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Daisuke Tanaka
  • Terminal securing device
    Patent number: 10920821
    Abstract: [Problem] To provide a terminal securing device the size of which can be reduced. [Solution] When a key lock 7 is positioned in a second position a key 6 and the key lock 7 are arranged at overlapping positions in the lengthwise direction of a rod 3, so a portion of a space for displacing the key lock 7 from the second position to a first position can be provided at a position overlapping the key 6 in the lengthwise direction of the rod 3. Thus, an increase in the size of a holder 4 in the lengthwise direction of the rod 3 can be avoided, so the size of the terminal securing device 1 can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: CHUO HATSUJO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenta Imai, Shinji Okamoto, Seiji Yamada
  • Sheet conveying apparatus
    Patent number: 10913625
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a conveying roller configured to convey a sheet in a conveying direction; driven rollers arranged with intervals in a width direction intersecting with the conveying direction, the driven rollers being opposed to the conveying roller in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and the width direction; and coil springs provided corresponding to the driven rollers respectively and serving as rotating shafts for rotatably supporting the driven rollers, wherein the coil springs include a right-handed twining coil spring and a left-handed twining coil spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masao Mimoto, Shohei Ichikawa, Kengo Noda, Tsuyoshi Ito, Yoshimitsu Taniguchi
  • Horizontal articulated robot and reverse installation method thereof
    Patent number: 10913147
    Abstract: A horizontal articulated robot including a base; one or more arms, attached to the base so as to be capable of rotating horizontally; a ball screw spline shaft that is disposed at an end of the one or more arms and that supports a workpiece at one end of the ball screw spline shaft; a ball screw nut through which the ball screw spline shaft passes and which is driven; and two ball spline nuts configured to support the ball screw spline shaft passing through the ball spline nuts, respectively, on both sides of the ball screw nut interposed therebetween in a longitudinal axis direction. At least one of the ball spline nuts drives the ball screw spline shaft about the longitudinal axis with respect to the arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Adachi
  • Medium conveyance device
    Patent number: 10913629
    Abstract: A medium conveyance device includes a first loading base that has a first loading surface formed thereon and is movably supported on a main body, a second loading base that has a second loading surface formed thereon and is movably supported on the first loading base so that the second loading surface is positioned next to with the first loading surface and so that the second loading surface overlaps with the first loading surface, a mechanism that converts motion of the first loading base into motion of the second loading base so that the second loading base is arranged in a position corresponding to a position in which the first loading base is arranged, and an elastic member that is elastically deformed when the second loading base is not arranged in a position corresponding to a position in which the first loading base is arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Shogo Yoshita
  • Pedal unit for a vehicle, particularly a utility vehicle
    Patent number: 10908633
    Abstract: A pedal unit for a vehicle, particularly a utility vehicle, has at least one pedal shaft, at least one control cam, at least one pedal and at least one lever arm. The pedal is rigidly secured to the pedal shaft by the lever arm. The control cam is also rigidly secured to the pedal shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Stefano Rizzi, Giorgio Andreetta
  • Linear delta systems, hexapod systems, and related methods
    Patent number: 10906172
    Abstract: A linear delta system includes a support frame, rails mounted to the support frame, linear actuators, each linear actuator configured to translate along a longitudinal length of a respective rail, pairs of parallel rods each coupled to the linear actuators, a platform coupled to a longitudinal end of each of the pairs of parallel rods opposite the respective linear actuator, and an object coupled to the platform. Longitudinal axes of the rails are oriented parallel to each other and lie within a common plane or an uncommon plane. A method of forming a linear delta system includes mounting rails to a support frame, the rails having longitudinal axes that are parallel to each other and lying within a common plane, coupling a linear actuator to each of the rails, coupling a pair of parallel rods to each linear actuator, and coupling a platform to the pairs of parallel rods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
    Inventor: Anthony L. Crawford
  • Sheet conveyance apparatus and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 10906762
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a control unit for executing a stop process of stopping a second sheet in a state in which the second sheet is nipped by a second conveyance portion, and a conveyance restart process of restarting conveyance of the second sheet stopped by the second conveyance portion. The control unit has a first mode in which the conveyance restart process is performed at a first timing at which a first time has elapsed since a first sheet has passed a reference position, and a second mode in which the conveyance restart process is performed at a second timing at which a second time longer than the first time has elapsed since the first sheet has passed the reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryou Sakaguchi
  • Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 10906760
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked, and a one-way clutch configured such that (i) in delivering the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion toward a separation nip, rotation of a drive shaft in a first rotational direction is transmitted through the one-way clutch, a drive gear and a gear train rotate a pick-up roller without slipping of the one-way clutch, and (ii) after a leading edge of the sheet has reached the separation nip, the pick-up roller is dragged and rotated by the sheet conveyed by a feed roller, rotation of the pick-up roller is transmitted through the gear train to the drive gear, and the drive gear is rotated in the first rotational direction with respect to the drive shaft that is rotated in the first rotational direction while the one-way clutch is slipping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satohisa Tateishi
  • Pivotable lever for bikes or the like
    Patent number: 10889349
    Abstract: A pivotable lever includes a seat and a ball part is connected to the seat. The ball part has a first magnet received therein which includes a first magnetic pole. A lever includes a ball-shaped hole in which the ball part is located. The lever is pivotable relative to the ball part and the seat such that the lever is prevented from being damaged or broken due to impact. A second magnet is connected to the inner periphery of the ball-shaped hole which includes a second magnetic pole. The first and second magnetic poles are magnetically opposite to each other. The lever returns to its initial position thereof by magnetic attraction of the first and second magnetic poles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Inventor: Judy Wu
  • Collective control system for a rotorcraft
    Patent number: 10890936
    Abstract: The control system for attachment to a collective lever in a rotorcraft which comprises a body with an extended horn portion which is generally contoured to provide for a place to rest the palm and grip the collective lever at the end in the form of an open spherical grip as opposed to the more traditional cylindrical grip used to grasp the throttle and/or collective lever directly. The control system generally includes a plurality of controls which can be manipulated by any or all of the four fingers of the hand and the thumb without need to substantially move the palm. The collective lever can also be moved without having to remove the hand from the control system or the fingers or thumb from the controls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Essex Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Culp, Greg Kemner, Bob Hale
  • Sheet conveyance device, image forming apparatus, method, and storage medium
    Patent number: 10882708
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance device includes a conveyance roller pair to convey a sheet, a skew correction roller pair to correct a skew of the sheet in a state in which the skew correction roller pair is being stopped, first and second conveyance guides, and a protrusion. The first conveyance guide includes a bend contact portion to come into contact with a portion forming a bend on the first surface of the sheet. The second conveyance guides the sheet. The protrusion is disposed between the skew correction roller pair and the bend contact portion to come into contact with the first surface of the sheet. The protrusion protrudes toward the second conveyance guide from the first conveyance guide in a manner as to intersect with a straight line connecting two nip portions and the bend contact portion in a cross section perpendicular to a width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuta Suzuki
  • Media tray with ramp
    Patent number: 10875736
    Abstract: A media tray may include a number of mezzanines to accumulate media as the media is ejected from a printing device and a number of ramps to selectively engage with a leading edge of the media as the media is accumulated based on a plurality of positions of the number of ramps, the number of ramps positionable based on movement of the number of mezzanines. In one example, movement of the number of mezzanines from a first position to a second position may cause the number of ramps to be in a position to selectively engage and disengage with a leading edge of the media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Bruce G Johnson, Elliott Downing, Steve O Rasmussen
  • Sheet orienting apparatus using ball drive
    Patent number: 10870551
    Abstract: An ATM includes a sheet driving system with a sheet path along which sheets travel, and sheet sensors and sheet drive mechanisms adjacent the sheet path. One sheet drive mechanism is disposed apart from another sheet drive mechanism in a direction relative to the sheet path, and each sheet drive mechanism is selectively operative to change relative speed and direction of movement of disposed areas of a sheet as the sheet travels adjacent to the sheet drive mechanisms along the sheet path. A control system is responsive to sensing a sheet with a sensor to selectively actuate a sheet drive mechanism to change the position of the sheet relative to the sheet path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Capital One Services, LLC
    Inventors: David Wurmfeld, Kevin Osborn
  • Conveying device and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 10870549
    Abstract: A conveying device includes a first guide section, a second guide section, and an urging section. The second guide section has a guide center portion and pivots about the guide center portion. The second guide section is pivotable between a guide position and a separation position. The guide position is a position in which the second guide section is located when a conveyance path of a sheet is formed between the second guide section and the first guide section. When the second guide section is in the guide position, the urging section urges the second guide section in a first pivot direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tetsuro Kawashima
  • Electronic throttle control assembly
    Patent number: 10864962
    Abstract: An electronic throttle control assembly for a vehicle has a housing that mounts to a handlebar of the vehicle and defines an interior. A rack gear is mounted in the interior for movement in a linear, translational, and/or radial direction. A pinion gear within the interior moves the rack gear upon rotation of the pinion gear. A sensor target is coupled to the rack gear. A sensor detects a position of the sensor target and generates an electric signal for a vehicle control unit. A grip is coupled to the pinion gear, rotation of the grip moving the rack gear and sensor target in a linear, translational, and/or radial direction, the electric signal varying based on the change in position of the sensor target. Opposing springs within the housing resist movement of the rack gear and rest in a normally preloaded state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Sensata Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Allen Pankratz, Edmund Charles O'Neill, Joshua Gayle Boltz, Paul Robert Erickson, Andrew Reid Daavettila, Jeremiah Thomas Rau, Gerald Scherbing
  • Image reading device
    Patent number: 10865065
    Abstract: An image reading device includes: a supply tray including a movable plate which moves from a first position to a second position according to a decrease in the number of sheet to be supported by a supply tray; a discharge guide including a discharge opening for discharging the sheet conveyed by a conveyance guide to a discharge tray, and moves from a third position to a fourth position according to the decrease in the number of the sheets to be supported by the supply tray; a first drive source and a first drive train that transmits a drive force from the first drive source to a discharge roller. The discharge roller discharges a sheet through a discharge opening by receiving the drive force from the first drive source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuo Ito, Takashi Fujiwara
  • Recording-material-storing device and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 10858206
    Abstract: A recording-material-storing device includes a detection object whose position is to be detected, a pressing portion that is movable toward and away from a side of a recording material placed in the recording-material-storing device and is to be pressed against the side, and a moving portion that moves the detection object by undergoing a relative motion with respect to the pressing portion when the pressing portion is moved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hajime Yoshii, Yambe Chi, Haanu Jon, Jonson I, Jonfun Imu, Girufun Ri, Donhon Jon, Myonjin O, Jungaru I, Minji Kimu, Kyofun Byon