Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Stalnaker

Thomas A. Stalnaker 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).

  • Apparatus and method for determining residual seal force of sealed containers
    Patent number: 6615672
    Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method for testing the residual seal force of the closure of a container, particularly a container for parenteral pharmaceutical products. An automated and instrumented press collects stress and strain data for a closure of a container for parenteral pharmaceutical products. An algorithm is automatically applied to the resulting data set, determining candidate residual seal forces for several data smoothing spans. Confidence levels are determined for each of the candidate residual seal forces. The candidate residual seal force corresponding to the highest confidence level is selected. The process is repeated and the results averaged to determine a final residual seal force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Genesis Machinery Products
    Inventors: Thomas A. Stalnaker, Bruce Smith
  • Apparatus and method for determining residual seal force of sealed containers
    Publication number: 20030047005
    Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method for testing the residual seal force of the closure of a container, particularly a container for parenteral pharmaceutical products. An automated and instrumented press collects stress and strain data for a closure of a container for parenteral pharmaceutical products. An algorithm is automatically applied to the resulting data set, determining candidate residual seal forces for several data smoothing spans. Confidence levels are determined for each of the candidate residual seal forces. The candidate residual seal force corresponding to the highest confidence level is selected. The process is repeated and the results averaged to determine a final residual seal force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Thomas A. Stalnaker, Bruce Smith
  • Robotic tray loader system, method and apparatus
    Patent number: 5477663
    Abstract: In a system for transferring groups of containers from one location to another, a loading station including a transfer mechanism for continuously delivering rows of containers from the transfer station to a tray loading station. A device at the tray loading station is included for cycling the tray in a predetermined controlled sequence to receive rows of containers delivered by the transfer mechanism and to position them in a compact array in the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: The West Company
    Inventors: Bruce D. Smith, William J. Covert, Edward F. Vander Bush, Roy B. Melton, Paul W. Sirgenson, Frank C. Tammaro, Bernard F. Sykes, Eric Shoup, J. Donald Birtwell, Thomas A. Stalnaker
  • Liquid level detector system with fill-level signature detection
    Patent number: 4956560
    Abstract: An apparatus for checking the fill level of a vial. The apparatus indicates the presence of a vial in a predetermined location. Light is sensed to measuring the amount of light which is able to pass through the vial at that location. A signal is produced which is porportional to the amount of material in said vial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: The West Company
    Inventors: Bruce D. Smith, Jr., Thomas A. Stalnaker