Patents by Inventor John H. Ferguson, Sr.

John H. Ferguson, Sr. 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: 5732544
    Abstract: A yarn remnant removal system for flexible textile yarn tubes deflects the textile yarn tube inwardly in order to effectively reduce the tube circumference and loosen the yarn remnants wrapped thereon. The system provides for a tube receiver over which a textile yarn tube is placed and a deflection arm or blade which operates to engage and deflect the textile yarn tube inwardly while the tube rests on the tube receiver. Preferably, the tube receiver will include vacuum cups for providing a vacuum to engage a deflected portion of the textile yarn tube and to hold the textile yarn tube in an inwardly deflected state. The textile yarn tube remains deflected after the deflection arm is released. Multiple jets of air may be used to blow the yarn remnants from the textile yarn tube and the tube receiver may be rotated downwardly into a vertical position to further facilitate remnant removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Inventor: John H. Ferguson, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5343630
    Abstract: A system used to recycle remnant fiberglass that has been removed from bobbins by water jets. The fiberglass recycling system includes a conveyor system for transporting the fiberglass to a centrifuge which dewaters wetted fiberglass. A detector having photoelectric devices is positioned at a discharge end of the conveyor system to detect dimensions of clusters of fiberglass conveyed past the discharge section of the conveyor. The detector is connected to a control unit which calculates the approximate amount of fiberglass conveyed past the detector and deposited into the centrifuge. In response to the amount of fiberglass detected, the control unit directs the operation and timing of the recycle system by selectively controlling the speed of the centrifuge and by placing the conveyor system between a discharge mode and an accumulation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Inventor: John H. Ferguson, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5341828
    Abstract: An apparatus for washing tires mounted on a vehicle includes a vehicle supporting frame to support a vehicle as it passes over the frame. Right and left frame portions support right-side and left-side tires on the vehicle. A plurality of nozzles connected to a pressurized supply of a cleaning liquid are oriented to direct pressurized cleaning liquid toward the tires of the vehicle as the vehicle passes over the frame. The plurality includes upwardly- and forwardly-directed nozzles to direct cleaning liquid upward at a tread faces of the tires, respectively as the vehicle passes over the frame, and mounted in the frame for reciprocation fore-and-aft in the direction of motion of the vehicle. Inner and outer laterally- and forwardly-directed nozzles are mounted inwardly and outwardly of the left and right tires, respectively, for reciprocation fore-and-aft in the direction of motion of the vehicle as the vehicle passes over the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Inventor: John H. Ferguson, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5310302
    Abstract: A dumping hopper and truck trailer washing stand used in connection with cleaning the interior of a truck trailer. The hopper and stand together form a trailer washing apparatus. The stand includes support legs that extend from a ground surface to a platform. Beneath the platform is a container storage area where the hopper can be positioned beneath the platform. To clean the interior of a truck trailer, a truck is positioned adjacent to the stand while the hopper is located below the platform. Waste material is washed from the interior of the trailer and onto the stand's platform. The waste material falls through a grate on the platform and into the hopper located below the stand. A frame structure on the hopper enables the hopper to be transported and vertically positioned by a fork lift. The hopper has a loading position where the hopper is in an upright position with waste material held therein and a dumping position where the hopper is in a tilted-downward position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
    Inventor: John H. Ferguson, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5247952
    Abstract: A stripped bobbin treatment apparatus for inspecting, cleaning and packing bobbins which have been stripped of residual yarn includes a conveyor, an inspection station. a cleaning station and a packing station. The conveyor is in the form of a plurality of endless belts trained around sheaves which permit the bobbins to travel in non-linear paths on the conveyor. Bobbins which are not completely stripped may be redirected to a stripper for additional stripping, and bobbins which are damaged may be discarded. The cleaning station is traversed by the conveyor and includes a housing and nozzles therein for spraying water to clean the bobbins. These include nozzles mounted for pivoting reciprocation in a plane perpendicular to the path, nozzles mounted for pivoting reciprocation in a horizontal plane parallel to the path and nozzles located below the path mounted for rotation about a vertical axis to spray water upwardly through the bobbins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Inventor: John H. Ferguson, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5179769
    Abstract: Apparatus for assuring complete stripping of fibers from a bobbin in a bobbin stripping system includes a bobbin stripping station including oscillating water jets, a viewer to view bobbins as they are being stripped at the stripping station and to generate signals representative of a bobbin being stripped. A water jet position sensor generates a signal indicative of whether the position of the water jets is such that the viewer's view of the bobbin is unobscured. An indexing conveyor moves fully stripped bobbins from the stripping station and unstripped bobbins to the bobbin stripping station. A bobbin transport sensor generates a signal when the indexing conveyor is moving a bobbin to or from the bobbin stripping station. A computation device selects pixels of the signals from the viewer, counts a first number of pixels indicative of fibers and a second number of pixels indicative of bobbin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: John H. Ferguson, Sr.
    Inventors: John H. Ferguson, Sr., James D. Heiss