Patents by Inventor Steven Will
Steven Will 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: 12767463Abstract: A bulk material discharging system includes a transmission station including a transmitting vessel having a transmitting vessel inlet configured to receive bulk material from an outlet of a bulk material transporter, and a transmitting vessel outlet to transmit bulk material therefrom. The system also includes a transporter handling station located operatively upstream of the transmission station and including at least a portion of a transporter handler including at least one carriage with transporter couplings configured to engage corresponding carriage couplings of the bulk material transporter and configured to convey the bulk material transporter over the transmitting vessel.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: October 20, 2026Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will, Manfred Robert Romstöck, Guenther Josef Mlynar
-
Publication number: 20260084906Abstract: A bulk material handling method includes: a) receiving and pneumatically conveying bulk material via pressurized dilute phase, dense phase, and/or hybrid dilute/dense phase, and/or vacuum drawn conveyance into bulk material containers; b) storing the bulk material in the containers; c) dispensing the bulk material into a bulk material transporter; d) transporting the transporter to a bulk material transmitting vessel; and e) discharging the bulk material into the transmitting vessel, including releasing the bulk material from the transporter into the transmitting vessel, and pneumatically transmitting the bulk material to downstream bulk material processing equipment.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2025Publication date: March 26, 2026Inventors: Philip J. Rausch, Kirk Holmes, Karin Gabriela Bastarrachea, Steven Will, Roger Smith, Manfred Robert Romstöck, Guenther Josef Mlynar
-
Publication number: 20260008709Abstract: A batch delivery system is disclosed that includes a shared batch distribution unit and at least one companion batch distribution unit. The shared batch distribution unit supplies a partial batch material to the companion batch distribution unit. A counterpart batch material is added to the partial batch material at the companion batch distribution unit to form a batch feed material that is ultimately delivered to a glass production line for melting. A glass manufacturing plant that includes the batch delivery system and related methods are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2025Publication date: January 8, 2026Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will
-
Publication number: 20250353663Abstract: A bulk material handling method includes conveying bulk material directly from a mobile bulk material container into a stationary bulk material container at a glass manufacturing facility. The conveying of the bulk material is performed via dense-phase pneumatic conveying and/or after non-human verification that the type of bulk material contained in the mobile bulk material container is the same type intended to be stored in the stationary bulk material container.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2025Publication date: November 20, 2025Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will, Manfred Robert Romstöck, Guenther Josef Mlynar
-
Patent number: 12404091Abstract: A bulk material handling system includes a majors material handling system including bulk material storage modules and bulk material dispensing modules. The dispensing modules include bulk material dosing assemblies and docking assemblies. A bulk material handling method includes conveying bulk material from a mobile bulk material container into a stationary bulk material container at a glass manufacturing facility via dense phase pneumatic conveying.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: September 2, 2025Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will, Manfred Robert Romstöck, Guenther Josef Mlynar
-
Patent number: 12291410Abstract: A bulk material handling method includes: a) receiving and pneumatically conveying bulk material via pressurized dilute phase, dense phase, and/or hybrid dilute/dense phase, and/or vacuum drawn conveyance into bulk material containers; b) storing the bulk material in the containers; c) dispensing the bulk material from the containers into a bulk material transporter; d) transporting the transporter from the containers to a bulk material transmitting vessel; and e) discharging the bulk material from the transporter into the transmitting vessel, including releasing the bulk material from the transporter into the transmitting vessel, and pneumatically transmitting the bulk material out of the transmitting vessel to downstream bulk material processing equipment. Discharging also may include rejecting the bulk material from the transporter to a waste container. A related system, subsystems, and apparatuses are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: May 6, 2025Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.Inventors: Philip J. Rausch, Kirk Holmes, Karin Gabriela Bastarrachea, Steven Will, Roger Smith, Manfred Robert Romstöck, Guenther Josef Mlynar
-
Patent number: 12246926Abstract: A bulk material transport system includes one or more bulk material transport bins, weighing platforms, and vehicles arranged in various combinations as bulk material transporters, assemblies, and units. The system is useful for coupling with a bulk material container, forming a reduced pressure region at an inlet of the transport bin, and dispensing bulk material into the transport bin through the reduced pressure region.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: March 11, 2025Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will, Manfred Robert Romstöck, Guenther Josef Mlynar
-
Publication number: 20220106133Abstract: A bulk material handling method includes: a) receiving and pneumatically conveying bulk material via pressurized dilute phase, dense phase, and/or hybrid dilute/dense phase, and/or vacuum drawn conveyance into bulk material containers (a112, c276); b) storing the bulk material in the containers (a112, c276); c) dispensing the bulk material from the containers (a112, c276) into a bulk material transporter (b100); d) transporting the transporter (b100) from the containers to a bulk material transmitting vessel (d240); and e) discharging the bulk material from the transporter (b100) into the transmitting vessel (d240), including releasing the bulk material from the transporter (b100) into the transmitting vessel (d240), and pneumatically transmitting the bulk material out of the transmitting vessel (d240) to downstream bulk material processing equipment. Discharging also may include rejecting the bulk material from the transporter (b100) to a waste container (W).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Philip J. Rausch, Kirk Holmes, Karin Gabriela Bastarrachea, Steven Will, Roger Smith
-
Publication number: 20220106104Abstract: A bulk material handling system includes a majors material handling system including bulk material storage modules and bulk material dispensing modules. The dispensing modules include bulk material dosing assemblies and docking assemblies. A bulk material handling method includes conveying bulk material from a mobile bulk material container into a stationary bulk material container at a glass manufacturing facility via dense phase pneumatic conveying.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will
-
Publication number: 20220106135Abstract: A bulk material discharging system includes a transmission station including a transmitting vessel having a transmitting vessel inlet configured to receive bulk material from an outlet of a bulk material transporter, and a transmitting vessel outlet to transmit bulk material therefrom. The system also includes a transporter handling station located operatively upstream of the transmission station and including at least a portion of a transporter handler including at least one carriage with transporter couplings configured to engage corresponding carriage couplings of the bulk material transporter and configured to convey the bulk material transporter over the transmitting vessel.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will
-
Publication number: 20220106123Abstract: A bulk material transport system includes one or more bulk material transport bins, weighing platforms, and vehicles arranged in various combinations as bulk material transporters, assemblies, and units. The system is useful for coupling with a bulk material container, forming a reduced pressure region at an inlet of the transport bin, and dispensing bulk material into the transport bin through the reduced pressure region.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will
-
Publication number: 20220106106Abstract: According to one aspect of the disclosure, a bulk material handling method includes receiving bulk material on a first level of a system at receiving stations equipped with dust control filtration equipment, pneumatically conveying the bulk material up to a third level into bulk material storage hoppers, storing the bulk material, dispensing the stored bulk material to a bulk material transporter on the first level, including dosing the stored bulk material to an interior of a bulk material dosing hopper to create a bulk material dose, docking the dosing hopper with the transporter via a docking apparatus, and releasing the dose into the interior of the transporter, through a reduced pressure region in an internal volume of the docking apparatus. Other disclosed aspects include a related system, subsystems, and apparatuses.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Kirk Holmes, Steven Will
-
Publication number: 20060135180Abstract: A method, system and computer program product of determining the location of one or more cell reception areas having predefined signal characteristics relative to a current location of the wireless mobile device; and, dynamically determining directions from the wireless mobile device at the current location to selected ones of the one or more cell reception areas having at least predefined signal characteristics. In addition, further included is the providing the directions from the wireless mobile device at the current location to the one or more cell reception areas having predefined signal characteristics.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2004Publication date: June 22, 2006Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Donald Jakel, Eric Nelson, Steven Will