Patents by Inventor William C. Whetlor

William C. Whetlor 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: 5487698
    Abstract: An apparatus for use in stunning fowl prior to slaughter has a mechanism for passing a predetermined electrical current through a series of items of varying electrical resistance, the mechanism including a continuous shackle train (10) having shackles (11) evenly spaced along its length, a water bath (15), electrical circuitry (21) having a connection to the bath (15) and means (12,16,17) for connecting the circuitry to the shackles (11) such that any object bridging a shackle (11) and the water bath (15) completes an individual electrical circuit, the circuitry being adapted (20) to maintain the predetermined current in all the circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1996
    Assignee: British Technology Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Peter J. Kettlewell, Mark E. R. Paice, William C. Whetlor, Julian M. Sparrey
  • Patent number: 5433658
    Abstract: According to the present invention a test apparatus for testing stunning baths in which fowl, each having a head, legs, and a body having a center, are to be stunned, includes a casing containing; electric circuitry having resistances corresponding to the electrical resistance between; the head and a point in the center of the body, the legs and the point in the center of the body, and any single point of contact with an adjacent bird and the point in the center of the body; means for suspending the casing from a moving shackle train; means for completing an electric circuit involving a water bath and the shackle train; and means for monitoring the current passing through at least one of the resistances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: British Technology Group Limited
    Inventors: Peter J. Kettlewell, Mark E. R. Paice, William C. Whetlor, Julian M. Sparrey