Patents by Inventor Rachel Marie McGinness

Rachel Marie McGinness 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).

  • Publication number: 20240122437
    Abstract: An automated cleaning machine may include one or more short cleaning cycles in which the duration of a cleaning cycle is shortened relative to the duration of a default cleaning cycle. During a short cleaning cycle, other cleaning cycle parameters may also be adjusted to ensure that the articles subjected to the short cleaning cycle are adequately cleaned and sanitized. For example, the wash temperature, rinse temperature, and/or cleaning product amounts or concentrations, may be adjusted to account for the shortened duration of the cleaning cycle. The automated cleaning machine may further include one or more short cycle mode(s) during which short cleaning cycle parameters are used and one or more default cycle mode(s) during which default cleaning cycle parameters are used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Rachel Marie McGinness, Jonathan Charles Butwinick, Paul R. Kraus, Alissa R. Ellingson, Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul Dominic Christian
  • Patent number: 11889963
    Abstract: An automated cleaning machine may include one or more short cleaning cycles in which the duration of a cleaning cycle is shortened relative to the duration of a default cleaning cycle. During a short cleaning cycle, other cleaning cycle parameters may also be adjusted to ensure that the articles subjected to the short cleaning cycle are adequately cleaned and sanitized. For example, the wash temperature, rinse temperature, and/or cleaning product amounts or concentrations, may be adjusted to account for the shortened duration of the cleaning cycle. The automated cleaning machine may further include one or more short cycle mode(s) during which short cleaning cycle parameters are used and one or more default cycle mode(s) during which default cleaning cycle parameters are used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Rachel Marie McGinness, Jonathan Charles Butwinick, Paul R. Kraus, Alissa R. Ellingson, Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul Dominic Christian
  • Publication number: 20240009714
    Abstract: A soil-based coupon having an electronically readable verification code printed thereon is used for verification of soil removal by a cleaning process. The coupon includes a soil overlay covering the verification code. The verification code is at least partially revealed by removal of all or part of the soil overlay during the cleaning process. If the data encoded in the verification code can be correctly decoded after completion of the cleaning process, the cleaning process can be verified. The soil overlay can be designed to match the application. The coupons may be used in a cleaning process verification procedure in which one or more computing devices analyze images of the verification codes to determine whether or not cleaning processes can be verified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Paul R. Kraus, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Publication number: 20230337891
    Abstract: Systems and/or methods for the monitoring and/or control of thermal sanitization in automated cleaning machines are described. A cleaning machine controller may predict a number of heat unit equivalents that will be delivered during a cleaning process based on a sump temperature difference (i.e., a change in the temperature of the cleaning solution in the sump) experienced at or near the beginning of the cleaning process. One or more cleaning process parameters may be adjusted and/or controlled based on the sump temperature difference in order to ensure that a target number of heat unit equivalents are delivered in order to achieve thermal sanitization of the wares subjected to the cleaning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Elizabeth Minhee Han, Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul R. Kraus, Paul Dominic Christian, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Patent number: 11794216
    Abstract: A soil-based coupon having an electronically readable verification code printed thereon is used for verification of soil removal by a cleaning process. The coupon includes a soil overlay covering the verification code. The verification code is at least partially revealed by removal of all or part of the soil overlay during the cleaning process. If the data encoded in the verification code can be correctly decoded after completion of the cleaning process, the cleaning process can be verified. The soil overlay can be designed to match the application. The coupons may be used in a cleaning process verification procedure in which one or more computing devices analyze images of the verification codes to determine whether or not cleaning processes can be verified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Paul R. Kraus, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Publication number: 20230218137
    Abstract: Image classification is used to dynamically control one or more wash parameters in an automated cleaning machine. An imaging device installed in the wash chamber of the cleaning machine captures one or more image(s) of articles to be cleaned at various times throughout a cleaning process. A computing device analyzes the captured image(s) to classify the images as to an article type and a rack volume. Based on the article type classification and the rack volume, the computing device dynamically controls one or more parameters of the cleaning process to achieve a satisfactory cleaning and/or sanitizing result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul Dominic Christian, Elizabeth Minhee Han, Paul R. Kraus, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Patent number: 11666198
    Abstract: Systems and/or methods for the monitoring and/or control of thermal sanitization in automated cleaning machines are described. A cleaning machine controller may predict a number of heat unit equivalents that will be delivered during a cleaning process based on a sump temperature difference (i.e., a change in the temperature of the cleaning solution in the sump) experienced at or near the beginning of the cleaning process. One or more cleaning process parameters may be adjusted and/or controlled based on the sump temperature difference in order to ensure that a target number of heat unit equivalents are delivered in order to achieve thermal sanitization of the wares subjected to the cleaning process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Minhee Han, Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul R. Kraus, Paul Dominic Christian, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Patent number: 11627861
    Abstract: Image classification is used to dynamically control one or more wash parameters in an automated cleaning machine. An imaging device installed in the wash chamber of the cleaning machine captures one or more image(s) of articles to be cleaned at various times throughout a cleaning process. A computing device analyzes the captured image(s) to classify the images as to an article type and a rack volume. Based on the article type classification and the rack volume, the computing device dynamically controls one or more parameters of the cleaning process to achieve a satisfactory cleaning and/or sanitizing result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul Dominic Christian, Elizabeth Minhee Han, Paul R. Kraus, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Publication number: 20230091952
    Abstract: A soil-based coupon having an electronically readable verification code printed thereon is used for verification of soil removal by a cleaning process. The coupon includes a soil overlay covering the verification code. The verification code is at least partially revealed by removal of all or part of the soil overlay during the cleaning process. If the data encoded in the verification code can be correctly decoded after completion of the cleaning process, the cleaning process can be verified. The soil overlay can be designed to match the application. The coupons may be used in a cleaning process verification procedure in which one or more computing devices analyze images of the verification codes to determine whether or not cleaning processes can be verified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Paul R. Kraus, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Publication number: 20220104680
    Abstract: Systems and/or methods for the monitoring and/or control of thermal sanitization in automated cleaning machines are described. A cleaning machine controller may predict a number of heat unit equivalents that will be delivered during a cleaning process based on a sump temperature difference (i.e., a change in the temperature of the cleaning solution in the sump) experienced at or near the beginning of the cleaning process. One or more cleaning process parameters may be adjusted and/or controlled based on the sump temperature difference in order to ensure that a target number of heat unit equivalents are delivered in order to achieve thermal sanitization of the wares subjected to the cleaning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Elizabeth Minhee Han, Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul R. Kraus, Paul Dominic Christian, Rachel Marie McGinness
  • Publication number: 20210369076
    Abstract: An automated cleaning machine may include one or more short cleaning cycles in which the duration of a cleaning cycle is shortened relative to the duration of a default cleaning cycle. During a short cleaning cycle, other cleaning cycle parameters may also be adjusted to ensure that the articles subjected to the short cleaning cycle are adequately cleaned and sanitized. For example, the wash temperature, rinse temperature, and/or cleaning product amounts or concentrations, may be adjusted to account for the shortened duration of the cleaning cycle. The automated cleaning machine may further include one or more short cycle mode(s) during which short cleaning cycle parameters are used and one or more default cycle mode(s) during which default cleaning cycle parameters are used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Rachel Marie McGinness, Jonathan Charles Butwinick, Paul R. Kraus, Alissa R. Ellingson, Conor Sylvester Smith, Paul Dominic Christian