Patents by Inventor Trent R. Wetherbee

Trent R. Wetherbee 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: 8156851
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Publication number: 20110011223
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Patent number: 7849771
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Patent number: 7789000
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Patent number: 7748303
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Publication number: 20090056562
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Publication number: 20090049966
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Publication number: 20090053377
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Patent number: 7430947
    Abstract: This invention includes a system for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into proportional length pieces. In a one embodiment, the system includes a cutting assembly, sensors upstream of the cutting assembly and a programmable logic controller. The cutting assembly preferably includes a housing defining a passageway, at least two separately actuatable stops extendable into the passageway to provide an abutment to hold the food product in place, and at least two separately actuatable blades for slicing the food product into pieces. The controller cooperates with the sensors to determine the length of each food product and, based on a length determinative algorithm, selectively actuate one of the stops and at least one of the blades to determine how many times the food product will be sliced and location of the cut(s) relative to the leading end of the food product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Julian, Gary R. Brockman, Trent R. Wetherbee
  • Patent number: D861178
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Ulthera, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles D. Emery, Brian Lee Prout, Dwayne E. Quatier, Alexander Michael Diener, Spencer Michael Denton, Kristin Marie Will, Luke David Springer, Trent R. Wetherbee, Jered L. Singleton, Peter J. Heinrich, Cameron Andrew Harder, John R. Murkowski
  • Patent number: D880703
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Ulthera, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles D. Emery, Brian Lee Prout, Dwayne E. Quatier, Alexander Michael Diener, Spencer Michael Denton, Kristin Marie Will, Luke David Springer, Trent R. Wetherbee, Jered L. Singleton, Peter J. Heinrich, Cameron Andrew Harder, John R. Murkowski
  • Patent number: D900325
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Ulthera, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles D. Emery, Brian Lee Prout, Dwayne E. Quatier, Alexander Michael Diener, Spencer Michael Denton, Kristin Marie Will, Luke David Springer, Trent R. Wetherbee, Jered L. Singleton, Peter J. Heinrich, Cameron Andrew Harder, John R. Murkowski
  • Patent number: D901020
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Ulthera, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles D. Emery, Brian Lee Prout, Dwayne E. Quatier, Alexander Michael Diener, Spencer Michael Denton, Kristin Marie Will, Luke David Springer, Trent R. Wetherbee, Jered L. Singleton, Peter J. Heinrich, Cameron Andrew Harder, John R. Murkowski