Patents by Inventor Claudiu D. Pruteanu

Claudiu D. Pruteanu 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).

  • Patent number: 8182194
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a refuse collection vehicle including a vehicle body for receiving, compacting, transporting and ejecting refuse materials of a type using a packer panel that operates reciprocally along in said vehicle body with a connected follower panel in which the receiving and packing arrangement enables refuse to be deposited into a receiving section or area at any time regardless of the reciprocal position of the packer panel and which includes an efficient, low maintenance wiper member design in conjunction with a follower panel attached to the packer panel such that the top surface of both the follower panel and the packer panel are cleaned or swept off during the return or retraction stroke of the packer panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, Jarud H. Hoefker, Timothy J. Edelbach
  • Publication number: 20090317219
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a refuse collection vehicle including a vehicle body for receiving, compacting, transporting and ejecting refuse materials of a type using a packer panel that operates reciprocally along in said vehicle body with a connected follower panel in which the receiving and packing arrangement enables refuse to be deposited into a receiving section or area at any time regardless of the reciprocal position of the packer panel and which includes an efficient, low maintenance wiper member design in conjunction with a follower panel attached to the packer panel such that the top surface of both the follower panel and the packer panel are cleaned or swept off during the return or retraction stroke of the packer panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: MCNEILUS TRUCK AND MANUFACTURING, INC.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, Jarud H. Hoefker, Timothy J. Edelbach
  • Patent number: 7559735
    Abstract: A container handling mechanism suitable for mounting on the side of a refuse vehicle for loading material from refuse containers is disclosed that includes a lift assembly, having a pair of spaced, generally parallel lift support members, attachable to a refuse vehicle, a carriage device reciprocally operable along the lift support members of the lift assembly, a container grabbing system carried by the carriage device and further including a pair of opposed grabber fingers and an actuator system for closing and opening the grabber fingers to engage and release containers of interest, the container grabbing system being vertically pivotable on a short radius for adjusting the position of and tipping a container. A chain and cylinder drive system operates the carriage device along the lift assembly, and a control system controls operation of the container handling mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, Brian R. Meldahl, Randall L. Bice, Jason M. Gillard
  • Patent number: 7284943
    Abstract: A manual/automatic side loading and rear discharge refuse collection truck body as disclosed which incorporates full ejection without truck body tipping. A unique packing system as provided which includes a low profile packer panel which operates in a low profile charging material receiving hopper which also features lowered or dropped floor to facilitate optional manual loading. The charging hopper features a low profile which creates a dropped area beneath the forward portion of the storage enclosure so that material deposited in the charging hopper can be fed by the packing system into the storage enclosure through a bottom forward charging opening. A packer-ejector assist panel is provided to assist in clearing material from the dropped area portion of the charging hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, John G. Pecka
  • Patent number: 7086818
    Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle for loading, compacting, transporting and ejecting refuse materials is disclosed including a hollow refuse storage enclosure having a forward refuse receiving opening, and a rear refuse discharge opening closed by a tailgate. A generally full width charging hopper is located forward of the storage enclosure for receiving refuse from refuse containers, the charging hopper having sidewalls and a floor and being in communication with the storage enclosure. A variable stroke followerless packer-ejector panel mechanism is provided to move refuse materials to the sweep charging hopper, pack the refuse materials into the storage enclosure and fully eject the refuse materials from the storage enclosure. The truck body accommodates one or more container handling devices selected from narrow profile side-loading and front-loading container handling devices or a combination thereof for emptying containers into the charging hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, Randall L. Bice
  • Patent number: 7070382
    Abstract: A manual/automatic side loading and rear discharge refuse collection truck body as disclosed which incorporates full ejection without truck body tipping. A unique packing system as provided which includes a low profile packer panel which operates in a low profile charging material receiving hopper which also features lowered or dropped floor to facilitate optional manual loading. The charging hopper features a low profile which creates a dropper area beneath the forward portion of the storage enclosure so that material deposited in the charging hopper can be fed by the packing system into the storage enclosure through a bottom forward charging opening. A packer-ejector assist panel is provided to assist in clearing material from the dropped area portion of the charging hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, John G. Pecka
  • Publication number: 20040208733
    Abstract: A manual/automatic side loading and rear discharge refuse collection truck body as disclosed which incorporates full ejection without truck body tipping. A unique packing system as provided which includes a low profile packer panel which operates in a low profile charging material receiving hopper which also features lowered or dropped floor to facilitate optional manual loading. The charging hopper features a low profile which creates a dropped area beneath the forward portion of the storage enclosure so that material deposited in the charging hopper can be fed by the packing system into the storage enclosure through a bottom forward charging opening. A packer-ejector assist panel is provided to assist in clearing material from the dropped area portion of the charging hopper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Applicant: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, John G. Pecka
  • Publication number: 20040071537
    Abstract: Rear loading, rear-discharging refuse truck bodies are disclosed which also serve as sealed, stackable, transportable containers. The truck bodies of the invention include a loading or charging hopper mounted in a vertically opening tailgate which closes a storage receptacle. The loading hopper is mounted so that it can be deployed during collection efforts and retracted when not in use to enable the body to be transformed into or assume the shape of a modular container box that is removable from the truck chassis much as a maritime shipping container. The truck bodies in this modular container box configuration are capable of self sealing and are transportable and stackable as interchangeable modular units separate from the truck chassis. The truck bodies of the invention include hydraulic cylinders connected to raise the tailgate and a conventional ejector panel to discharge the packed contents with the tailgate raised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Applicant: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, Randall L. Bice, James M. Johnston
  • Publication number: 20030175104
    Abstract: A container grabbing device is disclosed which utilizes a rotary actuator to open and close opposed converging fingers of the grabber in which the actuator has reversing counter-rotating, in-line opposed output shafts, one of which is used to operate each finger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Applicant: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: Claudiu D. Pruteanu
  • Publication number: 20020159870
    Abstract: A container handling system is disclosed, including subsystems for accessing, grabbing, lifting and tipping collection containers into the charging compartment of a collection vehicle, or the like, and thereafter returning emptied containers to their pick up locations. The invention includes an automated, short radius pivot arm capable of operation in close quarters which may further be mounted to and operated by means of a hydraulic rotary actuator. Electronic control is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Applicant: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudiu D. Pruteanu, Gregory P. Dantzman, Ronald E. Christenson