Patents by Inventor Tony Thomas

Tony Thomas 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: 6974035
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for sorting a plurality of green wood veneer sheets into a plurality of subsets of sheets, the subsets including a “driest” subset, a “wettest” subset, and one or more “intermediate” subsets. The system has a light source for transmitting light through a sheet of veneer as it passes along a conveyor system, and a light sensor for sensing the light passing through the sheet. The pattern of light is recorded by an image acquisition and processing subsystem as an image, which is fed to an image analysis subsystem programmed to analyse the light pattern and to produce a mathematical representation of the image. An integrated moisture content value (IMCV) is set for the particular veneer sheet. Based on this value, a controller sends signals to the conveyor system to convey the particular sheet to a location storing sheets having similar IMCV values for drying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Forintek Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Chunping Dai, Tony Thomas, Kevin Groves, Heng Xu
  • Publication number: 20040206676
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for sorting a plurality of green wood veneer sheets into a plurality of subsets of sheets, the subsets including a “driest” subset, a “wettest” subset, and one or more “intermediate” subsets. The system has a light source for transmitting light through a sheet of veneer as it passes along a conveyor system, and a light sensor for sensing the light passing through the sheet. The pattern of light is recorded by an image acquisition and processing subsystem as an image, which is fed to an image analysis subsystem programmed to analyse the light pattern and to produce a mathematical representation of the image. An integrated moisture content value (IMCV) is set for the particular veneer sheet. Based on this value, a controller sends signals to the conveyor system to convey the particular sheet to a location storing sheets having similar IMCV values for drying.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Chunping Dai, Tony Thomas, Kevin Groves, Heng Xu
  • Patent number: 6526908
    Abstract: A machine for applying sauce to a pizza crust rapidly and accurately. The crust is placed on a turntable, is centered by stationary platforms having terraced surfaces, and the turntable raises the crust to beneath a plurality of nozzles. The nozzles are mounted to cylinder blocks in which cylindrical cavities are formed. Pistons are slidably mounted in the cavities, and are drivingly linked to a linear prime mover to be displaced upwardly and downwardly to pump sauce into and out of the cavities. Check valves control the flow of sauce from the source of sauce to the crust through the nozzles. The pistons are selectively linked to the linear prime mover for reducing the area onto which the sauce is dispensed, for accommodating smaller and larger pizza crusts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: J. E. Grote Company, Inc.
    Inventors: James J. Gardner, Mark A. Brick, Allan Hopkins, Tony Thomas, Ty Tomlinson, Dave Petty
  • Patent number: 5382338
    Abstract: A process for reduction of waste flue gases in an electricfield, as well as producing products, in the form of methane, methanol, nitrogen gas, carbon, and sulphur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1995
    Inventor: Tony Thomas
  • Patent number: D368827
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Inventor: Tony Thomas