Patents by Inventor Allen Ely
Allen Ely has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10011444Abstract: A card feeding system that feeds cards from a stack to a conveyor system beneath product being carried. A card feed path arranged between a feed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor includes a fixed feed pinch roll and a pivot arm with a pivoting pinch roll and a pair of delivery rolls. A card stack receiving platform is located beneath a picker arm. An elevator is provided for raising the platform with the card stack. The picker arm has suction cups, and is pivotable from a card pick-up position to a feed position in which the card is positioned between the pivoting and fixed pinch rolls. A controller actuates the elevator, the picker arm, the pivot arm, the fixed and delivery pinch rolls to deliver single ones of the cards as product to be placed on the card transitions from the feed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2016Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventors: Charles S. Corallo, Renzo Naimo, Aaron Taney, Allen Ely
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Publication number: 20160221773Abstract: A card feeding system that feeds cards from a stack to a conveyor system beneath product being carried. A card feed path arranged between a feed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor includes a fixed feed pinch roll and a pivot arm with a pivoting pinch roll and a pair of delivery rolls. A card stack receiving platform is located beneath a picker arm. An elevator is provided for raising the platform with the card stack. The picker arm has suction cups, and is pivotable from a card pick-up position to a feed position in which the card is positioned between the pivoting and fixed pinch rolls. A controller actuates the elevator, the picker arm, the pivot arm, the fixed and delivery pinch rolls to deliver single ones of the cards as product to be placed on the card transitions from the feed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2016Publication date: August 4, 2016Applicant: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventors: Charles S. Corallo, Renzo Naimo, Aaron Taney, Allen Ely
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Patent number: 9309059Abstract: A card feeding system that feeds cards from a stack to a conveyor system beneath product being carried. A card feed path arranged between a feed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor includes a fixed feed pinch roll and a pivot arm with a pivoting pinch roll and a pair of delivery rolls. A card stack receiving platform is located beneath a picker arm. An elevator is provided for raising the platform with the card stack. The picker arm has suction cups, and is pivotable from a card pick-up position to a feed position in which the card is positioned between the pivoting and fixed pinch rolls. A controller actuates the elevator, the picker arm, the pivot arm, the fixed and delivery pinch rolls to deliver single ones of the cards as product to be placed on the card transitions from the feed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2013Date of Patent: April 12, 2016Assignee: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventors: Charles S. Corallo, Renzo Naimo, Aaron Taney, Allen Ely
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Publication number: 20140126986Abstract: A card feeding system that feeds cards from a stack to a conveyor system beneath product being carried. A card feed path arranged between a feed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor includes a fixed feed pinch roll and a pivot arm with a pivoting pinch roll and a pair of delivery rolls. A card stack receiving platform is located beneath a picker arm. An elevator is provided for raising the platform with the card stack. The picker arm has suction cups, and is pivotable from a card pick-up position to a feed position in which the card is positioned between the pivoting and fixed pinch rolls. A controller actuates the elevator, the picker arm, the pivot arm, the fixed and delivery pinch rolls to deliver single ones of the cards as product to be placed on the card transitions from the feed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2013Publication date: May 8, 2014Inventors: Charles S. Corallo, Renzo Naimo, Aaron Taney, Allen Ely
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Patent number: 8635837Abstract: A food processing system having a slicer/former for food preparations having a feed conveyor, a stacker for stacking food preparations, and n interleaver for inserting a substrate under a food preparation from the food slicer/former as it transitions to the stacker. The interleaver is arranged such that a portion of the interleaver is located beneath the feed conveyor of the slicer/former. The interleaver includes an interleaver conveyor which extends from the feed conveyor to the stacker in-feed conveyor, and an overall length of the interleaver conveyor is less than a length of the interleaver in order to provide a reduced footprint interleaver for new and retro-fit applications having a limited length for the food processing system.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2009Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventors: Lawrence Ward, Dante Pietrinferni, Allen Ely
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Patent number: 8322970Abstract: A conveying and stacking apparatus for stacking items or substrates carrying items received from an infeed conveyor is provided. The stacker has a housing and at least one movable platform upon which the item or substrate with one or more items located thereon is placed. An overhead loading belt assembly which includes at least one belt assembly positioned to travel over at least a portion of the infeed conveyor adjacent to the at least one moveable platform and the at least one moveable platform is provided. The at least one belt assembly carries the item or the substrate with the items located thereon to a stacking position on the at least one platform.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2009Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventors: Lawrence Ward, Allen Ely
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Publication number: 20110081225Abstract: A food processing system having a slicer/former for food preparations having a feed conveyor, a stacker for stacking food preparations, and n interleaver for inserting a substrate under a food preparation from the food slicer/former as it transitions to the stacker. The interleaver is arranged such that a portion of the interleaver is located beneath the feed conveyor of the slicer/former. The interleaver includes an interleaver conveyor which extends from the feed conveyor to the stacker in-feed conveyor, and an overall length of the interleaver conveyor is less than a length of the interleaver in order to provide a reduced footprint interleaver for new and retro-fit applications having a limited length for the food processing system.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2009Publication date: April 7, 2011Applicant: PACKAGING PROGRESSIONS, INC.Inventors: Lawrence Ward, Dante Pietrinferni, Allen Ely
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Publication number: 20100189538Abstract: A conveying and stacking apparatus for stacking items or substrates carrying items received from an infeed conveyor is provided. The stacker has a housing and at least one movable platform upon which the item or substrate with one or more items located thereon is placed. An overhead loading belt assembly which includes at least one belt assembly positioned to travel over at least a portion of the infeed conveyor adjacent to the at least one moveable platform and the at least one moveable platform is provided. The at least one belt assembly carries the item or the substrate with the items located thereon to a stacking position on the at least one platform.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2009Publication date: July 29, 2010Applicant: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventors: Lawrence Ward, Allen Ely
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Publication number: 20080173519Abstract: A centralizing conveyor assembly for establishing and/or maintaining a centered or aligned position of a product on the conveyor assembly is provided. The centralized conveyor assembly includes a main conveyor, preferably in communication with an interleaver assembly located downstream, and a laterally adjustable infeed conveyor located upstream. The laterally adjustable infeed conveyor is slidably connected to the main conveyor. An actuator laterally moves the laterally adjustable infeed conveyor, thereby aligning the product with respect to a centered or aligned position on the main conveyor as the product is conveyed from the laterally adjustable infeed conveyor downstream to the main conveyor. This results in centered or aligned product being delivered to the interleaver assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2008Publication date: July 24, 2008Applicant: PACKAGING PROGRESSIONS, INC.Inventor: Allen Ely
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Publication number: 20050067750Abstract: A paper jam detector for use in connection with a substrate interleaver of an automated food processing line is provided. At least one jam detector sensor is located along at least one of the feed path from the substrate feed mechanism and a second conveyor that receives product from a first conveyor, and is adapted to detect when a substrate passes from the substrate feed mechanism onto the second conveyor. A controller is connected to the at least one jam detector sensor and to the substrate feed mechanism such that upon detection of an unsuccessful substrate feed, the controller turns off the substrate feed mechanism to prevent feeding of more substrates into the jam area, which creates a hard jam and longer down time for the production line for clearing the jam. A method for detecting jams is also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2004Publication date: March 31, 2005Applicant: Packaging Progressions, Inc.Inventor: Allen Ely
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Patent number: 5768857Abstract: Automatic in-line food preparation machines. The machines comprise perforating mechanisms which can provide multiple perforations in substrates. Preformed portions of food are then placed on the predetermined lengths of substrate having multiple perforations. An in-line foldover mechanism is also provided which folds paper flaps over food slices for efficient food preparation creation.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 1996Date of Patent: June 23, 1998Assignee: Lawrence A. WardInventors: Lawrence A. Ward, Dante Pietrinferni, Allen Ely