Patents by Inventor Gene DiFonso

Gene DiFonso 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: 5277125
    Abstract: Material handling car and track assembly, the assembly comprising a car having wheels mounted thereon, and a track having two parallel rails, the wheels being adapted to roll on the rails to facilitate movement of the car along the track, a metal slider extending from an underside of the car and lengthwise of the car, and opposed linear motors mounted beween the tracks and spaced from each other to define a gap between the motors, the slider being daapted to pass through the gap, the motors being operative to act on the slider to impart thrust to the car, the motors being oriented such as to substantially eliminate magnetic atraction between the mtors and the car. The invention further contemplates opposied magents mountede beween the tracks and spaced from each other to define a gap between the magnets, the slider being dapted to pass through the gap between the magnets, the magnets being operative to act on the slider to impart braking to the car, whereby to decelerate the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Assignee: BAE Automated Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Gene DiFonso, Joel L. Staehs
  • Patent number: 5277124
    Abstract: Direction control assembly for a material handling car having travel wheels mounted thereon and adapted to operate on parallel rails, the control assembly comprising a ramp assembly adapted to receive and respond to a signal from a computer to direct a next approaching car onto one of a main track and a side track, a sensor upstream of the ramp assembly operative to detect the approach of the car and initiate the signal from the computer to the ramp assembly, a first guide wheel mounted on a first arm extending outwardly from the car on a first side of the car, a second guide wheel mounted on a second arm extending outwardly from the car on a second side of the car, each of the guide wheels being connected to a divert arm pivotally mounted on the car and having mounted thereon a divert wheel, the ramp assembly being adapted in response to the signal to assume a position in which part of the ramp assembly is engageable by one of the guide wheels, causing one of the divert arms to pivot and one of the divert wh
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Assignee: BAE Automated Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Gene DiFonso, Joel L. Staehs, Charles A. Kemp, William C. Bortzfield, deceased
  • Patent number: 5267514
    Abstract: A material handling car and track assembly, the assembly comprising a track having a pair of opposed U-shaped rails, and a car having a chassis with four wheel assemblies mounted on the chassis, each of the wheel assemblies comprising a first generally vertical travel wheel movable along a bottom plate portion of the rail, a second generally horizontal travel wheel engagable with a side wall portion of the rail, and a wear block engagable with a top plate portion of the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1993
    Assignee: BAE Automated Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel L. Staehs, Charles A. Kemp, Gene DiFonso, William C. Bortzfield
  • Patent number: 5251563
    Abstract: A material handling car and track assembly is presented. The assembly comprises a car having a chassis portion, travel wheels mounted on the chassis portion, and a track having two parallel rails, the travel wheels being adapted to roll on the rails to facilitate movement of the car along the track. Frame portions depend from an underside of the chassis portion, the frame portions comprising first and second frame walls spaced from each other. First and second spindles are mounted between the rails, and contact wheels mounted on the spindles, the contact wheels being in a plane normal to the spindles. Bands are on the peripheries of the contact wheels for engaging the frame walls, the contact wheels being operative to modify the speed of the car in accordance with the selected rotational speed of the contact wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: BAE Automated Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel L. Staehs, Gene DiFonso, William C. Bortzfield, deceased