Patents Examined by Stefano Karmis
  • Patent number: 8423180
    Abstract: The system for monitoring and dispensing medical items which are dispensed for administration to patients includes a data terminal (76, 338) which is connected through a network (82, 328) to at least one remote computer (84, 324) having a processor and a data store. The system also includes a reading device (348) which is connected to the network. A user of the data terminal or the reading device is enabled to select a patient for whom medical items will be used, and responsive to a request to dispense items the requested items are dispensed from dispensing devices (96, 100, 344, 346, 450, 527) connected to the data terminal. A report generating device (384) generates reports (388) which include machine readable indicia corresponding to patients and/or medical items. Users may select patients and dispense medications by reading the indicia from the reports using the reading device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: AutoMed Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David T. Frederick, W. Michael Wright, Richard T. Vangenewitt, William D. Yost, R. Michael McGrady, R. Barrie Slaymaker, Jr., Eser Sukan, Greg Kroah-Hartman
  • Patent number: 8408537
    Abstract: A sheet reversing mechanism for an image forming apparatus including a switchback reverse path for reversing print sheets, including a transfer roller, a drive motor, and a driving force transmission mechanism. The transfer roller transfers a print sheet along the switchback reverse path. The drive motor rotates in a forward direction and in a reverse direction. The driving force transmission mechanism transmits driving force generated by rotation of the drive motor to the transfer roller. The driving force transmission mechanism includes a clutch configured to connect or disconnect transmission of the driving force to the transfer roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Katada, Atsushi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8393613
    Abstract: A media level indicator and a printer having some are disclosed. The printer has the media level indicator, a housing and a media container slidably contained in the housing. The media level indicator includes a media detecting assembly and a level indicating assembly, wherein the media detecting assembly includes a shaft for rotatably engaged with the housing, a detecting arm fixed to the shaft and abutting the top of the paper stack, and a driving arm. The driving arm is articulated with a lever of the level indicating assembly. When the paper amount changes, the detecting arm is moved and drives the media detecting assembly to rotate, which provides motion in an indicating end of the level indicating assembly, which extends outwardly from the media container. Therefore, a change in the paper amount is indicated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yan-Mei Chen
  • Patent number: 8380432
    Abstract: A map information processing apparatus includes a road matching means (143) for comparing the road data with current position data to carry out map matching, an input unit (130) for inputting both a specified detection start point and a specified detection end point, an unregistered road detection means (144) to which both the specified detection start point and the specified detection end point are inputted, for detecting, as an unregistered road, a section between a detection start point and a detection end point of the unregistered road which are acquired on the basis of either the map matching carried out by the road matching means or the result of comparison between running track data and the road data, and a road data generating means (145) for generating road data corresponding to the detected unregistered road and storing the road data in a map data storage means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakae, Atsushi Kohno, Tomoya Ikeuchi, Masaharu Umezu, Makoto Mikuriya, Mitsuo Shimotani, Fumitaka Satou, Yuta Kawana
  • Patent number: 8364507
    Abstract: A system and method for providing reservation capabilities to a reservation or property management system via a plurality of Internet web sites. Each booking party is directed to a web site containing common content and content specific to the type of booking party, such as a travel agent, wholesaler, or traveler. The system ensures the complete and accurate collection of data regarding a customer and the customer's reservation request through the use of distributed software components and association with customer profiles. Each booking party may create or modify customer profile information to be associated with reservations. The product or service provider may establish and maintain its own set of commission rates, fee amounts and discount values for each type of booking party, thereby allowing the provider to control accuracy and completeness of reservations, as well as revenue flow to the booking parties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Joshua A. Norrid
  • Patent number: 8353408
    Abstract: A centrifugal air classifier, in which a relation between an area S1 of a side surface of a cylinder or a truncated cone circumscribed about the rotor blades, an axis of the cylinder or a truncated cone being the rotor rotational shaft, and a calculation average value D of a diameter of a circle orthogonal to the rotor rotational shaft and circumscribed about the rotor blades is S1/D2=0.9 to 1.6, and with the S1, a relation between a cross sectional area S2 of inflow of the air for classification and the D is S2/D2=0.8 to 1.4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Taiheiyo Cement Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ito
  • Patent number: 8317032
    Abstract: A system for sorting and packaging products, chosen from the group consisting of eggs and fruit (10), the system comprising: —a sorting machine with at least one single sorting track (1) with carriers; —at least one sensor for determining at least one characteristic of each product (10); —the control being adapted to classify a said product in accordance with the at least one characteristic; —a plurality of packaging conveyors (2) for supplying and discharging packaging units, such as boxes, crates or trays, crossing the sorting track and extending above the sorting track; —wherein adjacent each packaging conveyor a transferring device (3) is provided at the level of or higher than the packaging conveyor, arranged for taking over a said product from a carrier and for placing the product from above into a packaging unit (20) on the corresponding packaging conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: FPS Food Processing Systems B.V.
    Inventor: Leonardus Crezee
  • Patent number: 8297615
    Abstract: The sheet processing apparatus is provided with: an apparatus main body that performs processing for a sheet; a sheet stacker on which a sheet transported from the apparatus main body is stacked in a first state where the sheet stacker is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and that is downwardly movable; and a moving-down unit that moves the sheet stacker down. The sheet stacker is provided so as to be detachable from the apparatus main body, and so as to change posture from the first state to a second state where the sheet stacker is less inclined relative to the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nakamura, Ryuuichi Shiraishi, Toshio Kawachidani, Yoshimasa Sasaoka, Munetake Nagata
  • Patent number: 8251229
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for removing a plastic wrap from a cylindrical module includes a conveyor transporting the cylindrical module toward a disperser with the cylindrical axis of the module parallel to the direction of conveyor movement. In another embodiment, the disperser is a travelling head disperser thereby providing relative movement between the modules and the disperser. The direction of the wrap around the module is determined and the cover is removed during rotation of the module, either by unwrapping the plastic or by slitting the plastic and then rotating the module. The equipment used to handle a cylindrical module is moved out of the path of movement of a conventional rectangular module so an installation can handle both rectangular and wrapped cylindrical modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Stover Equipment Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Jimmy R. Stover
  • Patent number: 8235219
    Abstract: The device according to the invention for separating or classifying material to be fed into at least two different grain fractions comprises a screen device, which is formed by rotatable elements, particularly a roller table screen, wherein at least one finer grain fraction passes between the rotatable elements and means are provided for cooling the rotatable elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Inventor: Detlev Kupper
  • Patent number: 8235384
    Abstract: A sheet-material transporting device includes a transporting belt configured to attract a sheet material and transport the sheet material along a transporting direction, the transporting belt including a plurality of electrodes arranged at predetermined intervals along the transporting direction, wherein the electrodes are sized and shaped extending in a direction intersecting the transporting direction; a pressing roller configured to press the sheet material against an attraction starting position of the transporting belt; and a charging unit configured to apply a voltage to the electrodes. The sheet-material transporting device is characterized in that the sheet material is attracted to the transporting belt after the leading edge of the sheet material is pressed against the transporting belt by the pressing roller, or the charging unit is configured such that the voltage is not applied upstream of a nip of the pressing roller in the transporting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tadashi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8231007
    Abstract: A static classifier cage is formed in upper and lower tiers of circumferentially spaced bar-shaped vanes of wear-resistant material. The lower tier is formed by and between a bottom ring and an intermediate ring. The top tier is formed by and between the intermediate ring and a topmost ring. In each tier, the lowermost ring is provided with slots to receive and act as a seat for the vertically oriented vanes while the upper ring in the tier is provided with radially outwardly opening notches into which the vanes are moved in a radial fashion. After the vanes are installed, a retainer is fastened into position to prevent the vanes from backing out of the notches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Inventor: Rickey E. Wark
  • Patent number: 8225935
    Abstract: A method and a device for recovering clay derived from a contaminated raw material containing clay. The method includes eliminating from the contaminated material contaminating materials not bound to the clay, mixing the contaminated raw material, free of unbound contaminating materials, with water, separating from the mixture clay suspended in water and residues of raw material depleted in clay, and separately recovering clay and water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Inventor: Albert Fontaine
  • Patent number: 8210518
    Abstract: A sheet-supplying device, including: a sheet stacking plate on which plural sheets are stacked; an air-suction sheet conveying mechanism which draws up a sheet and conveys the sheet; an air-suction detecting sensor which detects that the air-suction sheet conveying mechanism has drawn up the sheet; a floating-air blowing section which blows air against side edges of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking pate to float the sheet; and a control section which controls the floating-air blowing section to conduct a sheet supplying operation, wherein the control section selects a first sheet supplying mode or a second sheet supplying mode, based on at least one of: information of a size of the sheets; information of a thickness of the sheets, and information of a type of the sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8210525
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet stacker includes a stacking table, a pair of side walls, and a sensor. The stacking table is configured to stack a sheet. The pair of side walls is configured to move symmetrically with respect to a center position to regulate both sides of the sheet in a width direction. The sensor is configured to detect a relative position of the center position against the stacking table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yousuke Ushiyama
  • Patent number: 8196924
    Abstract: An upstream-side printing unit group and a downstream-side printing unit group, respectively, are driven by separate prime motors and synchronously controlled. In addition to rotary encoders for the upstream-side and downstream-side prime motors, rotary encoders are provided on a last impression cylinder of the upstream-side printing unit group and a first transfer cylinder of the downstream-side printing unit group to detect differences between rotational phases, which the upstream-side and downstream-side printing unit groups should have, and the actual rotational phase of the last impression cylinder of the upstream-side printing unit group or the first transfer cylinder of the downstream-side printing unit group. In accordance with the rotational phase differences, the rotational speeds of the prime motors are corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventor: Hiromitsu Numauchi
  • Patent number: 8196773
    Abstract: A component suction method including feeding components accommodated in component storage spaces of a tape base to a predetermined position, lowering a nozzle capable of sucking the components supplied to the predetermined position, stopping the nozzle at a predetermined distance from an upper surface of the tape base, pushing an undersurface of the component up when the nozzle is at a bottom dead center position or a position adjacent to the center, vacuum-sucking the component by the nozzle at the bottom dead center position or at the position adjacent to the center, and moving the component sucked by the nozzle to a predetermined position of a board after the vacuum-sucking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Suzuki, Mamoru Inoue, Takashi Ando
  • Patent number: 8181913
    Abstract: An aircraft wing high lift assembly comprising a movable element and a load receiving element including a body portion having a first load receiving region arranged to receive loads from the movable element in a first direction during normal operation of the high lift assembly and including at least one restraining arm projecting from the body portion, the or each restraining arm having a second load receiving region arranged to receive loads from the movable element in a second direction in the event of a failure within the high lift assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventors: Philip R. Jaggard, Robert H. West
  • Patent number: 8167109
    Abstract: The medium conveying mechanism includes a motor, a driving pulley adapted to be rotated by the motor, an endless belt wound around the driving pulley and adapted to be moved by the driving pulley in a belt moving direction, a first driven pulley around which the endless belt is wound and adapted to be rotated by the endless belt, a first conveying roller disposed on the medium conveying path and adapted to be rotated by the first driven pulley to convey the medium, and a first pressure roller disposed to correspond to the first conveying roller so as to press the medium against the first conveying roller. A distance in the medium conveying path between the information reading position and a nip portion between the first conveying roller and the first pressure roller is shorter than a distance between a leading end of the conveyed medium and back end of the recording area. The first driven pulley is disposed upstream from the driving pulley in the belt moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hideki Furihata
  • Patent number: 8167308
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is composed of a main body, an image forming portion provided in the main body to form an image on a sheet, a top receiving tray provided on a top of the main body to load the sheet on which the image is formed in the image forming portion so as to be visible from the top of the main body, a side receiving tray provided at a side of the main body and under the top receiving tray to load the sheet on which the image is formed in the image forming portion with a maximum sheet loading amount more than the top receiving tray, and a control unit to control to select one of the top receiving tray and the side receiving tray as a discharge destination for the sheet according to whether or not a number of the output sheets outputted from the image forming portion exceeds a prescribed threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Norio Tanaka