Patents by Inventor Norman R. Bulley

Norman R. Bulley 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: 4132314
    Abstract: Disclosed is apparatus for sorting objects, e.g. tomatoes, according to both size and color. A preferred embodiment can sort the objects into fourteen size/color categories and yet requires only two photodetectors. The objects travel on a conveyor belt past a sensing station having a light source to illuminate an object and a pair of phototransistors for receiving light reflected from the object in two different color bands, e.g. red and green. The phototransistors produce a pair of output electrical signals. An analog divider forms a ratio of the electrical signals and the peak value is stored and compared with preset limits to produce a color category signal. A size category signal is derived on the basis of the time duration of the signal produced by the summation of the phototransistors' signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1979
    Assignee: Joerg Walter VON Beckmann
    Inventors: Joerg W. von Beckmann, Norman R. Bulley