Patents by Inventor Michael A. Near

Michael A. Near 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: 7183518
    Abstract: A system configured to provide food storage, preparation, and delivery in a finished cooked state includes a computer control interface, a freezer/refrigeration module, a food transport mechanism, a heating/cooking module, and a delivery area. The meal system is configured to provide food storage, preparation, and delivery in a finished cooked state. The system may be configured in the form of an independent unit or in the form of a combination of separate modules. The computer control interface, freezer/refrigeration module, food transport mechanism, heating/cooking module, and delivery area may be communicatively interconnected wirelessly or non-wirelessly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Inventors: Michael Near, Nancy Rae Funk
  • Publication number: 20060191885
    Abstract: A system configured to provide food storage, preparation, and delivery in a finished cooked state includes a computer control interface, a freezer/refrigeration module, a food transport mechanism, a heating/cooking module, and a delivery area. The meal system is configured to provide food storage, preparation, and delivery in a finished cooked state. The system may be configured in the form of an independent unit or in the form of a combination of separate modules. The computer control interface, freezer/refrigeration module, food transport mechanism, heating/cooking module, and delivery area may be communicatively interconnected wirelessly or non-wirelessly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Publication date: August 31, 2006
    Inventors: Michael Near, Nancy Funk
  • Patent number: 5123226
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for sealing thermoplastic transparent overwraps on packages, in particular cigarette packages, using axially shiftable cylindrical cams enabling variable contact times dependent upon variable rotational speeds of the driving shaft of the overwrap machine as transferred to the cam support shafts. An encoder reads the rotational speed of each cylindrical cam and sends a signal representing that speed to a programmable controller which in turn sends a signal representative of an axial position of the cylindrical cam corresponding to the rotational speed to a reversible servo motor which functions to axially shift the cam support shaft to shift the cam relative to a cam follower. This in turn changes the dwell time of the cam follower and accordingly the contact time between the cam-controlled heater and the seam to be sealed over a variable range, while enabling the contact pressure and the temperature of the heater to remain constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Inventor: Michael A. Near
  • Patent number: 4893727
    Abstract: An automated delivery system includes a unitary wheel assembly having a plurality of horizontally disposed tiers each supporting a plurality of radially extending product bins. Electronic control components including customer interfacing devices, regulate the operation of a motor to rotate the wheel assembly to position a specific bin juxtaposed a single, fixed delivery chute, at which point one stationary discharge assistant as provided for each tier is actuated to manipulate a gate assembly associated with each bin to cause the discharge of its product, by gravity, into the chute. Input keyboard, monitor, credit card and currency processing devices connected to the control components permit varied types of transactions by customers of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Inventor: Michael A. Near