Patents by Inventor Meredith E. Smith

Meredith E. Smith 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: 4457434
    Abstract: Apparatus for orienting and sorting mushrooms includes an inclined plate along which the mushrooms move, a tunnel for erecting an air dam in the path of movement of the mushrooms to singulate the mushrooms, and a photoelectric mechanism for sorting the mushrooms according to size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory J. Brown, Meredith E. Smith, Jr., Hasmukh T. Shah, Cecil D. Beadles, deceased
  • Patent number: 3995517
    Abstract: A system for obtaining N slices of substantially uniform thickness from a solid to provide a batch having a desired weight, where N is an integer which may have a value between predefined limits. A partial batch weight is taken in response to weighing a number of slices less than N. A terminal value of N is estimated on the basis of the number of slices in the partial batch and the ratio of the desired batch weight and the partial batch weight. A predicted terminal deviation from the desired batch weight is calculated based on the partial batch weight and the ratio of the estimated value of N and the number of slices in the partial batch. In one embodiment the feed rate of the solid into a slicing device, and accordingly the slice thickness and terminal batch weight, is controlled as a function of the value of the predicted terminal deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1974
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1976
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Meredith E. Smith