Patents by Inventor William R. Coots, Jr.

William R. Coots, Jr. 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).

  • Sensor and apparatus for positioning railroad tie plates along a railroad track
    Patent number: 7827916
    Abstract: An apparatus for positioning railroad tie plates along a railroad track comprises a carrier vehicle having a carrier conveyor, a roller conveyor formed of frame members and a plurality of idler rollers, the roller conveyor having an upper input end and a lower output end for gravity feeding the plurality of tie plates, the roller conveyor adapted to receive a plurality of tie plates at the input end and feed the tie plates toward the output end, the roller conveyor connected to the carrier vehicle and in feeding communication with the carrier conveyor adjacent an input end of the roller conveyor, the roller conveyor further comprising a rolling support adjacent the output end for movable support of the roller conveyor along the railroad track, an actuator positioned at the output end of roller conveyor, the actuator successively engaging each of the plurality of tie plates during feeding, a sensor adapted to detect an in-service railroad tie plate wherein the sensor signals a controller and the controller act
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: B & B Metals, Inc.
    Inventor: William R. Coots, Jr.
  • Sensor and Apparatus for Positioning Railroad Tie Plates along a Railroad Track
    Publication number: 20090133598
    Abstract: An apparatus for positioning railroad tie plates along a railroad track comprises a carrier vehicle having a carrier conveyor, a roller conveyor formed of frame members and a plurality of idler rollers, the roller conveyor having an upper input end and a lower output end for gravity feeding the plurality of tie plates, the roller conveyor adapted to receive a plurality of tie plates at the input end and feed the tie plates toward the output end, the roller conveyor connected to the carrier vehicle and in feeding communication with the carrier conveyor adjacent an input end of the roller conveyor, the roller conveyor further comprising a rolling support adjacent the output end for movable support of the roller conveyor along the railroad track, an actuator positioned at the output end of roller conveyor, the actuator successively engaging each of the plurality of tie plates during feeding, a sensor adapted to detect an in-service railroad tie plate wherein the sensor signals a controller and the controller act
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2007
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Inventor: William R. Coots, JR.