Patents by Inventor Daniel L. Blount

Daniel L. Blount 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: 9359726
    Abstract: A paver for laying down a strip of concrete and inserting therein dowel bars parallel to the strip. A dowel bar inserter orients the bars and places them into the concrete. A pair of transport chains transverse to the travel direction extends across a width of the inserter. Pairs of generally L-shaped opposing cups hold the bars so that they can drop downwardly from the cups towards the strip. The chains move in a single direction. A dowel bar holding magazine, above the chains, stores bars, and gravitationally moves the bars towards the chains for pick-up by cups as the chains move the cups past a bar loading station. Elastic bands extend about a bar engaging surface defined by a wheel and resiliently bias the bars moving along the chain turn-around section against the wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Guntert & Zimmerman Canst. Div., Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Francis, Mark E. Storz, Daniel L. Blount
  • Publication number: 20160102435
    Abstract: A paver for laying down a strip of concrete and inserting therein dowel bars parallel to the strip. A dowel bar inserter orients the bars and places them into the concrete. A pair of transport chains transverse to the travel direction extends across a width of the inserter. Pairs of generally L-shaped opposing cups hold the bars so that they can drop downwardly from the cups towards the strip. The chains move in a single direction. A dowel bar holding magazine, above the chains, stores bars, and gravitationally moves the bars towards the chains for pick-up by cups as the chains move the cups past a bar loading station. Elastic bands extend about a bar engaging surface defined by a wheel and resiliently bias the bars moving along the chain turn-around section against the wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Richard W. Francis, Mark E. Storz, Daniel L. Blount
  • Patent number: 9039322
    Abstract: A paver for laying down a strip of concrete and inserting therein dowel bars parallel to the strip. A dowel bar inserter orients the bars and places them into the concrete. A pair of transport chains transverse to the travel direction extends across a width of the inserter. Pairs of generally L-shaped opposing cups hold the bars so that they can drop downwardly from the cups towards the strip. The chains move in a single direction. A dowel bar holding magazine, above the chains, stores bars, and gravitationally moves the bars towards the chains for pick-up by cups as the chains move the cups past a bar loading station. Elastic bands extend about a bar engaging surface defined by a wheel and resiliently bias the bars moving along the chain turn-around section against the wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Francis, Mark E. Storz, Daniel L. Blount
  • Patent number: 8382396
    Abstract: A slipform paver including a dowel bar inserter unit having a pair of spaced-apart, endless transport chains oriented transversely to the travel direction. Each chain defines upper and lower strands with turn around chain sections at respective ends of the chain strands. A plurality of pairs of generally L-shaped opposing cups carried by exterior sides of the chain hold the dowel bars so that they can drop downwardly from the cups towards the concrete strip. A dowel bar holding magazine is located above the upwardly facing sides of the chains. Elastic bands having ends fixedly attached to the magazine extend generally about a portion of a convexly curved dowel bar engaging surface defined by a wheel and resiliency bias the dowel bars moving along the chain turn-around section against the wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Francis, Mark E. Storz, Daniel L. Blount
  • Publication number: 20110058899
    Abstract: A slipform paver for laying down a strip of concrete over a ground surface and for intermittently inserting into the strip spaced-apart dowel bars that are oriented substantially parallel to the length of the strip that is being laid down. The paver has a dowel bar inserter unit that orients the dowel bars substantially parallel to the travel direction of the paver and places the dowel bars into the concrete as the strip is being laid down. The inserter has a pair of spaced-apart, endless transport chains oriented transversely to the travel direction that substantially extends across a width of the inserter unit. Each chain defines upper and lower strands with turn-around chain sections at respective ends of the chain strands. A plurality of pairs of generally L-shaped opposing cups carried by exterior sides of the chain hold the dowel bars so that they can drop downwardly from the cups towards the concrete strip when the pair of cups holding the dowel bar are on the exterior chain side that faces downwardly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Francis, Mark E. Storz, Daniel L. Blount