Patents by Inventor Thomas Bacon

Thomas Bacon 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: 12337351
    Abstract: Automated sorting of a sealable bag includes contactlessly scanning a surface or surfaces of a sealable bag (upper or lower surface or both) as the sealable bag is conveyed past an inspection station; obtaining a surface profile topology of the scanned surface; calculating apparent volume of the sealable bag from the surface profile topology; determining whether the apparent volume is within volume thresholds of over filled, under filled and unsealed bags; and sorting the sealable bag to a discard station responsive to a determination that the apparent volume of the sealable bag does not fit within the selected threshold(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Inventors: Aaron Thomas Bacon, Aerick William Bacon, Thomas Dell Bacon
  • Patent number: 12269695
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for an end-of-arm tool having multiple robotic grippers, such as two or more grippers, and coordination of motion of the multiple grippers, so as to allow for automated testing and packaging of scalable bags conveyed to an inspection station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Inventors: Aaron Thomas Bacon, Aerick William Bacon, Thomas Dell Bacon
  • Patent number: 11801533
    Abstract: Automated sorting of a sealable bag includes contactlessly scanning a surface or surfaces of a sealable bag (upper or lower surface or both) as the sealable bag is conveyed past an inspection station; obtaining a surface profile topology of the scanned surface; calculating apparent volume of the sealable bag from the surface profile topology; determining whether the apparent volume is within volume thresholds of over filled, under filled and unsealed bags; and sorting the sealable bag to a discard station responsive to a determination that the apparent volume of the sealable bag does not fit within the selected threshold(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Inventors: Aaron Thomas Bacon, Aerick William Bacon, Thomas Dell Bacon
  • Patent number: 11795012
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for an end-of-arm tool having multiple robotic grippers, such as two or more grippers, and coordination of motion of the multiple grippers, so as to allow for automated testing and packaging of sealable bags conveyed to an inspection station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Inventors: Aaron Thomas Bacon, Aerick William Bacon, Thomas Dell Bacon
  • Patent number: 11045947
    Abstract: A tool and system for inspecting, handling, sorting, and packing a sealable bag, the tool including: a housing which includes a mount for mechanically mounting the tool to a tip end of a robot arm; at least four displaceable fingers fixed to the housing in a configuration corresponding to dimensions of the sealable bag, each displaceable finger being displaceable in an axial direction of the displaceable finger and having a sensor for sensing displacement of the displaceable finger by more than a predetermined amount; a suction mechanism fixed to the housing and actuatable to lift the sealable bag; and a controller in communication with the sensor and with the suction mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Inventors: Aaron Thomas Bacon, Aerick William Bacon, Thomas Dell Bacon
  • Patent number: 10639790
    Abstract: A tool and system for inspecting, handling, sorting, and packing a sealable bag, the tool including: a housing which includes a mount for mechanically mounting the tool to a tip end of a robot arm; at least four displaceable fingers fixed to the housing in a configuration corresponding to dimensions of the sealable bag, each displaceable finger being displaceable in an axial direction of the displaceable finger and having a sensor for sensing displacement of the displaceable finger by more than a predetermined amount; a suction mechanism fixed to the housing and actuatable to lift the sealable bag; and a controller in communication with the sensor and with the suction mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Inventors: Aaron Thomas Bacon, Aerick William Bacon, Thomas Dell Bacon
  • Publication number: 20070193922
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a packaging assembly for containing and displaying a product. The packaging assembly includes an inner member that has a front face for displaying a product and one or several extension portions that extend from a back portion of the inner member toward the front. The assembly additionally includes an outer member that is configured to receive the inner member and has a window portion to expose the front face of the inner member. The outer member has one or several retention portions that extend inward from a front edge and engage the extension portions of the inner member in order to prevent removal of the inner member from the outer member through the window portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventors: Thomas Bacon, Raime Merriman, Robert Leftwich