Patents by Inventor Dan Rice, deceased

Dan Rice, deceased 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: 7210893
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for combining multiple small stacks of flats mailpieces into a single large stack of mailpieces and then transferring the large stack to a standard flats mail tray, all while maintaining the sequence order of the mail in the accumulated stack. The apparatus is comprised of three primary subsystems: a bridge conveyor, a stack accumulator, and an output tray station. The bridge conveyor carries mailpieces from the exit conveyor of a mail processing machine such as a collator, to the stack accumulator. The stack accumulator combines small stacks of mailpieces into large stacks in a desired sequence. The output tray station provides support for an empty tray as the accumulated mail stack is transferred to the tray, and then releases the filled tray in a controlled manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Bowe Bell + Howell Postal Systems Company
    Inventors: John Overman, George Rabindran, Steve Archer, Sherrie Rice, legal representative, Mike Stollenwerck, Mike Ogarek, Dan Rice, deceased