Patents by Inventor Terry Wessel

Terry Wessel 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: 20080243302
    Abstract: A sorting system may include a sorting apparatus coupled to a programmable control system which is configured to actuate the sorting apparatus so that it assembles similar products for packaging in an arbitrary, user imposed order or selection bias. In preferred implementations, a user may activate a biasing protocol pursuant to which items bearing certain images appear with a disproportionate frequency on the top of a stack of items such that the selected images are the most common images viewable through a transparent product packaging. In certain implementations, empirical sales data is used to determine weighting factors used in the biasing protocol. In still other implementations, a more specific ordering protocol is imposed by a user such that some or all of the sequence of items in a stack or collection is arbitrarily imposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: HALLMARK CARDS, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Daniel J. Carley, Robert R. Montgomery, James B. Scherer, George Smith, Terry Wessel, John George, Barbara Enright-Anderson
  • Patent number: 7398134
    Abstract: A sorting system may include a sorting apparatus coupled to a programmable control system which is configured to actuate the sorting apparatus so that it assembles similar products for packaging in an arbitrary, user imposed order or selection bias. In preferred implementations, a user may activate a biasing protocol pursuant to which items bearing certain images appear with a disproportionate frequency on the top of a stack of items such that the selected images are the most common images viewable through a transparent product packaging. In certain implementations, empirical sales data is used to determine weighting factors used in the biasing protocol. In still other implementations, a more specific ordering protocol is imposed by a user such that some or all of the sequence of items in a stack or collection is arbitrarily imposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Hallmark Cards, Incorporated
    Inventors: Daniel J. Carley, Robert R. Montgomery, James B. Scherer, George Smith, Terry Wessel, John George, Barbara Enright-Anderson
  • Publication number: 20060058916
    Abstract: A sorting system may include a sorting apparatus coupled to a programmable control system which is configured to actuate the sorting apparatus so that it assembles similar products for packaging in an arbitrary, user imposed order or selection bias. In preferred implementations, a user may activate a biasing protocol pursuant to which items bearing certain images appear with a disproportionate frequency on the top of a stack of items such that the selected images are the most common images viewable through a transparent product packaging. In certain implementations, empirical sales data is used to determine weighting factors used in the biasing protocol. In still other implementations, a more specific ordering protocol is imposed by a user such that some or all of the sequence of items in a stack or collection is arbitrarily imposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2004
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Daniel Carley, Robert Montgomery, James Scherer, George Smith, Terry Wessel, John George, Barbara Enright-Anderson
  • Patent number: 4404816
    Abstract: An improvement in refrigeration assemblies for use in conjunction with cooler structures in which food products are preserved in which an assembly of unitary, modular construction is utilized to selectively provide the refrigeration of the air mass. The assembly can be air defrosted by arranging for the flow through of ambient air to defrost the evaporator coils. At the same time, the flow of ambient air can be blocked against entry into the refrigerated air mass by the use of movable baffles. Cover gates are arranged on the assembly to permit the through flow of ambient air during the defrost cycle of operation.The refrigeration assemblies can be employed for retrofitting and on an interchangeable basis for structures to be refrigerated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1983
    Assignee: Tyler Refrigeration Corporation
    Inventors: Fayez F. Ibrahim, Terry Wessel