Patents by Inventor William N. Schjerven

William N. Schjerven 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: 5400838
    Abstract: An automatic packaging machine is provided which has a chute for directing objects such as cooked french fries into the interior of a rotatable loading drum. The drum is rotated by a motor about a horizontal axis at a speed to cause the french fries to first be carried upwardly and then to fall through a predetermined path within the drum. A staging carousel is provided for carrying a supply of varying sized packaging containers such as cups. The carousel can be rotated to a dispensing position where a single selected size container will be dispensed to an index carousel. The index carousel will move the container to a position within the drum to intercept the falling french fries to fill the container. A detector is provided for sensing when the container has been filled. Once the container is filled it is moved via various transfer mechanisms to a deposit or storage area which can accommodate a plurality of containers and has a mechanism for clearing space to receive additional containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Gas Research Institute
    Inventors: William N. Schjerven, Ramojus P. Vaitys