Patents by Inventor Russell Walter Morin
Russell Walter Morin 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).
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Patent number: 9675224Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2015Date of Patent: June 13, 2017Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, Jr., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20160374528Abstract: A mobile robot includes a body configured to traverse a surface and to receive debris from the surface, and a debris bin within the body. The debris bin includes a chamber to hold the debris received by the mobile robot, an exhaust port through which the debris exits the debris bin; and a door unit over the exhaust port. The door unit includes a flap configured to move, in response to air pressure at the exhaust port, between a closed position to cover the exhaust port and an open position to open a path between the chamber and the exhaust port. The door unit, including the flap in the open position and in the closed position, is within an exterior surface of the mobile robot.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2016Publication date: December 29, 2016Inventors: Russell Walter Morin, Harold Boeschenstein, David Orrin Swett, Jude Royston Jonas
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Patent number: 9462920Abstract: A mobile robot includes a body configured to traverse a surface and to receive debris from the surface, and a debris bin within the body. The debris bin includes a chamber to hold the debris received by the mobile robot, an exhaust port through which the debris exits the debris bin; and a door unit over the exhaust port. The door unit includes a flap configured to move, in response to air pressure at the exhaust port, between a closed position to cover the exhaust port and an open position to open a path between the chamber and the exhaust port. The door unit, including the flap in the open position and in the closed position, is within an exterior surface of the mobile robot.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2015Date of Patent: October 11, 2016Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Russell Walter Morin, Harold Boeschenstein, David Orrin Swett, Jude Royston Jonas
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Publication number: 20160183752Abstract: An evacuation station includes a base and a canister removably attached to the base. The base includes a ramp having an inclined surface for receiving a robotic cleaner having a debris bin. The ramp defines an evacuation intake opening arranged to pneumatically interface with the debris bin. The base also includes a first conduit portion pneumatically connected to the evacuation intake opening, an air mover having an inlet and an exhaust, and a particle filter pneumatically the exhaust of the air mover. The canister includes a second conduit portion arranged to pneumatically interface with the first conduit portion to form a pneumatic debris intake conduit, an exhaust conduit arranged to pneumatically connect to the inlet of the air mover when the canister is attached to the base, and a separator in pneumatic communication with the second conduit portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 18, 2015Publication date: June 30, 2016Applicant: iRobot CorporationInventors: Russell Walter Morin, Faruk Halil Bursal, Harold Boeschenstein
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Publication number: 20160166126Abstract: A robot floor cleaning system features a mobile floor cleaning robot and an evacuation station. The robot includes: a chassis with at least one drive wheel operable to propel the robot across a floor surface; a cleaning bin disposed within the robot and arranged to receive debris ingested by the robot during cleaning; and a robot vacuum configured to pull debris into the cleaning bin from an opening on an underside of the robot. The evacuation station is configured to evacuate debris from the cleaning bin of the robot, and includes: a housing defining a platform arranged to receive the cleaning robot in a position in which the opening on the underside of the robot aligns with a suction opening defined in the platform; and an evacuation vacuum in fluid communication with the suction opening and operable to draw air into the evacuation station housing through the suction opening.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2014Publication date: June 16, 2016Inventors: Russell Walter Morin, Harold Boeschenstein, Faruk Bursal, Chris Grace
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Patent number: 9320400Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2014Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane L. Gilbert, Jr., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20160073846Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2015Publication date: March 17, 2016Applicant: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, JR., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Patent number: 9282867Abstract: A mobile surface cleaning robot including a robot body having a forward drive direction, a drive system supporting the robot body above a floor surface for maneuvering the robot across the floor surface, and a robot controller in communication with the drive system. The robot also includes a collection volume supported by the robot body and a cleaning module releasably supported by the robot body and arranged to clean the floor surface. The cleaning module includes a first vacuum squeegee having a first duct, a driven roller brush rotatably supported rearward of the first vacuum squeegee, a second vacuum squeegee disposed rearward of the roller brush and having a second duct, and a third duct in fluid communication with the first and second ducts. The third duct is connectable to the collection volume at a fluid-tight interface formed by selectively engaging the cartridge with the robot body.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2012Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Marcus R. Williams, Joseph M. Johnson, Andrew Stephen Sweezey, Thomas Schregardus, John Reimels, Russell Walter Morin, Christopher J. Fischella, Erik Amaral
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Patent number: 9220386Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot comprise: a chassis having a drive system in communication with a control system; a cleaning head assembly having a lower cage and mounted to the chassis; a debris collection bin mounted to the chassis; a vacuum airway having a vacuum inlet and an airway outlet positioned adjacent the debris collection bin, and configured to deliver debris from the cleaning head assembly to a debris collection bin, the vacuum airway extending between the cleaning assembly and debris collection bin and being in fluid communication with an impeller disposed within the debris collection bin; and a cleaning head module connected to the chassis and having a front roller including a front shape-changing resilient tube and an adjacent rear roller including a rear shape-changing resilient tube rotatably opposing therewith beneath the vacuum inlet.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2012Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, Jr., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20150107037Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 31, 2014Publication date: April 23, 2015Applicant: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, JR., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Patent number: 8955192Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2014Date of Patent: February 17, 2015Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, Jr., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Patent number: 8910342Abstract: A robot cleaning system includes a debris collection volume, a vacuum airway configured to deliver debris to the debris collection volume, and a cleaning head in pneumatic communication with the vacuum airway. The cleaning head includes two shape-changing resilient tubes separated by an air gap opposing the vacuum airway. The cleaning head is operable in a first configuration, where the two shape-changing resilient tubes rotate against a cleaning surface engaged by the cleaning head to agitate debris on the cleaning surface to pass through the air gap and into the vacuum airway, and a second configuration, where both shape changing resilient tubes deform opposite one another to roll an object larger than the air gap to pass into the vacuum airway.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2014Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, Jr., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Patent number: 8881339Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a chassis having forward and rearward portions. A drive system is mounted to the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot over a cleaning surface. A cleaning assembly is mounted on the forward portion of the chassis and has two counter-rotating rollers mounted therein for retrieving debris from the cleaning surface, the longitudinal axis of the forward roller lying in a first horizontal plane positioned above a second horizontal plane on which the longitudinal axis of the rearward roller lies. The cleaning assembly is movably mounted to the chassis by a linkage affixed at a forward end to the chassis and at a rearward end to the cleaning assembly. When the robot transitions from a firm surface to a compressible surface, the linkage lifts the cleaning assembly from the cleaning surface.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2012Date of Patent: November 11, 2014Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, Jr., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20140289999Abstract: A robot cleaning system includes a debris collection volume, a vacuum airway configured to deliver debris to the debris collection volume, and a cleaning head in pneumatic communication with the vacuum airway. The cleaning head includes two shape-changing resilient tubes separated by an air gap opposing the vacuum airway. The cleaning head is operable in a first configuration, where the two shape-changing resilient tubes rotate against a cleaning surface engaged by the cleaning head to agitate debris on the cleaning surface to pass through the air gap and into the vacuum airway, and a second configuration, where both shape changing resilient tubes deform opposite one another to roll an object larger than the air gap to pass into the vacuum airway.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2014Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, JR., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20140289983Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a cleaning assembly having forward roller and rearward rollers counter-rotating with respect to each other. The rollers are arranged to substantially maintain a cross sectional area between the two rollers yet permitting collapsing therebetween as large debris is passed. Each roller includes a resilient elastomer outer tube and a partially air-occupied inner resilient core configured to bias the outer tube to rebound. The core includes a hub and resilient spokes extending between the inner surface of the outer tube and the hub. The spokes suspend the outer tube to float about the hub and transfer torque from the hub to the outer tube while allowing the outer tube to momentarily deform or move offset from the hub during impact with debris larger than the cross sectional area between the two rollers.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2014Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: iRobot CorporationInventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, JR., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20120317744Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a chassis having forward and rearward portions. A drive system is mounted to the chassis and configured to maneuver the robot over a cleaning surface. A cleaning assembly is mounted on the forward portion of the chassis and has two counter-rotating rollers mounted therein for retrieving debris from the cleaning surface, the longitudinal axis of the forward roller lying in a first horizontal plane positioned above a second horizontal plane on which the longitudinal axis of the rearward roller lies. The cleaning assembly is movably mounted to the chassis by a linkage affixed at a forward end to the chassis and at a rearward end to the cleaning assembly. When the robot transitions from a firm surface to a compressible surface, the linkage lifts the cleaning assembly from the cleaning surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Inventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, JR., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Publication number: 20120311813Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot comprise: a chassis having a drive system in communication with a control system; a cleaning head assembly having a lower cage and mounted to the chassis; a debris collection bin mounted to the chassis; a vacuum airway having a vacuum inlet and an airway outlet positioned adjacent the debris collection bin, and configured to deliver debris from the cleaning head assembly to a debris collection bin, the vacuum airway extending between the cleaning assembly and debris collection bin and being in fluid communication with an impeller disposed within the debris collection bin; and a cleaning head module connected to the chassis and having a front roller including a front shape-changing resilient tube and an adjacent rear roller including a rear shape-changing resilient tube rotatably opposing therewith beneath the vacuum inlet.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2012Publication date: December 13, 2012Inventors: Duane Leigh Gilbert, JR., Faruk Halil Bursal, Richard Joseph Therrien, Russell Walter Morin
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Patent number: D754315Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2013Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventor: Russell Walter Morin