Patents by Inventor James T. Benzing

James T. Benzing 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: 11939194
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Patent number: 11932518
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Patent number: 11897734
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Publication number: 20230264928
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Publication number: 20230257237
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Publication number: 20230257239
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Publication number: 20230257241
    Abstract: Based upon the identification of a structural member, a projective path and final attachment location for the structural member is presented to the crane operator. Further, the dimensions of each structural member are determined and compared against a construction site database. Structural members not conforming to the dimensions listed in the construction site database are identified and the crane operator alerted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin
  • Publication number: 20230257238
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents systems and methods for assisting a crane operator. An imaging system automatically images each building material object contained within a shakeout field on a construction site and processes the images to determine each object's identifying indicium and its geometric properties. These values are compared with a construction site database to ensure that all necessary building materials are present. A positioning device tracks, in real time, the location of the imaging system, the location of structural members within the shakeout field, and/or other important features of the job site, such as obstacles that the crane operator will need to avoid while lifting a structural member from its initial location to its destination location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Publication number: 20220324050
    Abstract: A shear stud feeder for a stud welding gun may include a support frame having a first slide rail and a second slide rail longitudinally spaced apart from the first slide rail to form a slot therebetween. The shear stud feeder may also include a magazine removably engaged with the support frame. The magazine may be adapted to support a plurality of shear studs by the head of each shear stud in a manner in which the body of each shear stud hangs below a bottom of the magazine and wherein the magazine is adapted to dispense the plurality of shear studs to the slot. The shear stud feeder may include a feed mechanism disposed adjacent to either the first slide rail or the second slide rail and a gate assembly adjacent to a front end of each of the first slide rail and the second slide rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, Jacob Bruce Patterson, William R. Haller
  • Publication number: 20220324679
    Abstract: Based upon the identification of a structural member, a projective path and final attachment location for the structural member is presented to the crane operator. Further, the dimensions of each structural member are determined and compared against a construction site database. Structural members not conforming to the dimensions listed in the construction site database are identified and the crane operator alerted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Seth T. Slavin, Marta Kasica-Soltan
  • Publication number: 20220152723
    Abstract: A system for automatically identifying one or more welding site locations on a surface of a target metal marked with a plurality of welding site candidates, includes an imager configured to acquire an image of the surface of the target metal, wherein the acquired image includes a plurality of pixels each having a corresponding intensity value; and a processing circuit configured to: compare each intensity value to an intensity threshold, identify a plurality of pixel clusters, wherein each pixel cluster is made up of contiguous pixels that have intensity values that are equal to or greater than the intensity threshold, for each pixel cluster, determine whether a total pixel area of the pixel cluster is less than a threshold pixel area, and remove any pixel cluster from consideration as a welding site location if the total pixel area of the pixel cluster is less than the threshold pixel area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller
  • Publication number: 20210078094
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches systems and methods for robotic welding of studs onto the surface of I-beams. These systems and methods will find industrial applicability in, for example, the steel erection industry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Applicant: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Jacob B. Patterson
  • Publication number: 20190201998
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches systems and methods for robotic welding of studs onto the surface of I-beams. These systems and methods will find industrial applicability in, for example, the steel erection industry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Jacob B. Patterson
  • Patent number: 10252368
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches systems and methods for robotic welding of studs onto the surface of I-beams. These systems and methods will find industrial applicability in, for example, the steel erection industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Jacob B. Patterson
  • Publication number: 20170368632
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches systems and methods for robotic welding of studs onto the surface of I-beams. These systems and methods will find industrial applicability in, for example, the steel erection industry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Jacob B. Patterson
  • Patent number: 9840852
    Abstract: A mobile support apparatus that includes one or more extension and refraction devices and a unit that is releasably attachable to vertical members of the apparatus such that the apparatus can be extended in one or more stages to a vertical height that is substantially greater than the height of the fully retracted apparatus. The mobile support apparatus is useful for a multitude of new and existing construction-related applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Inventor: James T. Benzing
  • Publication number: 20170291242
    Abstract: The present application teaches systems and methods for automating all or portions of a construction process including the steps of locating stud welding locations on the surface of an I-beam, I-beam grinding, ferrule placement, stud placement and welding to ground welding sites, and ferrule fracturing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller
  • Patent number: 9764411
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches systems and methods for robotic welding of studs onto the surface of I-beams. These systems and methods will find industrial applicability in, for example, the steel erection industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Structural Services, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Jacob B. Patterson
  • Publication number: 20170114556
    Abstract: A mobile support apparatus that includes one or more extension and refraction devices and a unit that is releasably attachable to vertical members of the apparatus such that the apparatus can be extended in one or more stages to a vertical height that is substantially greater than the height of the fully retracted apparatus. The mobile support apparatus is useful for a multitude of new and existing construction-related applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Inventor: James T. Benzing
  • Publication number: 20160214199
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches systems and methods for robotic welding of studs onto the surface of I-beams. These systems and methods will find industrial applicability in, for example, the steel erection industry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2014
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Inventors: James T. Benzing, William R. Haller, Jacob B. Patterson