Patents by Inventor Francis LECLAIR

Francis LECLAIR 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: 10558223
    Abstract: There is provided an autonomous vehicle for pushing feed lying on a floor, comprising a frame; a skirt rotatably connected to the frame, wherein a bottom portion of the skirt continuously contacts the floor to push the feed. The vehicle comprises a sensor assembly for detecting a magnetic field emitted from a magnetic guiding element inserted in the floor and a control unit mounted for directing rotation of the skirt and for guiding the vehicle along a predetermined path formed by the magnetic guiding element. Also provided is an autonomous vehicle with a skirt drive mechanism mounted to the frame for driving rotation of the skirt, and an autonomous vehicle comprising a prism-shaped skirt rotatably connected to the frame. There is also provided methods for installing a magnetically guided autonomous vehicle and for pushing feed using an autonomous vehicle, as well as systems and kits comprising said vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: ROVIBEC INC.
    Inventors: Francis Leclair, Pascal Leclerc, Marc-Antoine Durand, Richard Fleurent, Marjolaine Marcotte, Yvon Therrien, Jean-Pierre Malleret, Kevin Rousseau, Victor Rousseau, Martin Rousseau, Claude Beauregard
  • Publication number: 20190129443
    Abstract: There is provided an autonomous vehicle for pushing feed lying on a floor, comprising a frame; a skirt rotatably connected to the frame, wherein a bottom portion of the skirt continuously contacts the floor to push the feed. The vehicle comprises a sensor assembly for detecting a magnetic field emitted from a magnetic guiding element inserted in the floor and a control unit mounted for directing rotation of the skirt and for guiding the vehicle along a predetermined path formed by the magnetic guiding element. Also provided is an autonomous vehicle with a skirt drive mechanism mounted to the frame for driving rotation of the skirt, and an autonomous vehicle comprising a prism-shaped skirt rotatably connected to the frame. There is also provided methods for installing a magnetically guided autonomous vehicle and for pushing feed using an autonomous vehicle, as well as systems and kits comprising said vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Francis LECLAIR, Pascal LECLERC, Marc-Antoine DURAND, Richard FLEURENT, Marjolaine MARCOTTE, Yvon THERRIEN, Jean-Pierre MALLERET, Kevin ROUSSEAU, Victor ROUSSEAU, Martin ROUSSEAU, Claude BEAUREGARD
  • Publication number: 20170231186
    Abstract: An automatic animal processing device for automatically retrieving a domestic animal partly from a stall to process the animal while restraining the animal. The animal processing device includes an animal controlling mechanism operative to engage, position and restrain the animal for processing. The animal controlling mechanism may include at least on articulated arm to constrain and immobilize an animal to process it, e.g. milk it. The animal processing device may be a milking machine may be a milking machine having a milking head assembly and a cleaning system therefor whereby the milking head assembly is cleaned inside a compartment. The animal processing device may be a dual animal milking machine having full and half operation modes whereby two sets of processing equipments are used to service two animals simultaneously or only one set is used for both respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Victor ROUSSEAU, Marc-Andre JETTE, Françis LECLAIR