Patents by Inventor William J. Furnas

William J. Furnas 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).

  • Bottle reject system
    Patent number: 6296123
    Abstract: A bottle reject system comprising a conveyor for carrying formed bottles, a first rejector operated at a time selected so that a defective bottle will be removed from the conveyor, a first sensor for confirming that the operation of the first rejector removed a bottle from the conveyor, and a second rejector operable at a time selected so that in the event the defective bottle was not removed from the conveyor when the first rejector operated, the defective bottle would be removed by operation of the second rejector at that time, and a control for operating the second rejector at the selected time, in the event that the first sensor fails to confirm that the operation of the first rejector removed a bottle from the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Emhart Glass S.A.
    Inventors: Saeid Zakeri, Mark P. Claypool, William J. Furnas
  • Container inspection machine
    Patent number: 6031221
    Abstract: A machine is disclosed for inspecting the profile and wall of a bottle which is delivered by a conveyor sequentially to two inspection stations. A pair of light sources, when fully illuminated, define two images of the bottle on a CCD camera image, so that the wall can be inspected. Portions of the light sources are darkened so that two different images of the bottle will be imaged on the CCD camera image so that the profile can be inspected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Emhart Glass S.A.
    Inventor: William J. Furnas
  • Glass container body check detector
    Patent number: 5895911
    Abstract: A glass container body check detector is disclosed which comprises a conveyor for conveying glass containers in a predetermined direction to an inspection station, a rotator for rotating a glass container at the inspection station about the axis of the glass container, and an inspection assembly for detecting a check in the body of the rotating glass container. The inspection assembly includes a diffuse light source for directing diffused light at the sidewall of the rotating glass container in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction of conveyance of the glass container, a pair of angularly related directed light sources located above the rotating container for focusing light through the container into coincident vertical lines of light on the sidewall of the container, from the top of the bottle to the bottom of the container, and a linear array camera located above the rotating glass container and focused on the coincident lines of directed light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Emhart Glass S.A.
    Inventors: Stephen M. Giometti, William J. Furnas