Includes Gravity Unloaded Movable Support Patents (Class 414/790.5)
  • Patent number: 11203493
    Abstract: A system for managing parcel flow includes: an upstream conveyor for receiving and conveying a bulk flow of parcels; and a damming conveyor positioned to receive parcels offloaded from the upstream conveyor. The system may also include: a destacking conveyor positioned to receive parcels offloaded from the damming conveyor and configured to separate vertically stacked parcels; and a downstream conveyor positioned to receive parcels offloaded from the destacking conveyor. The damming conveyor can be selectively activated and deactivated to offload parcels in discrete batches, instead of a continuous flow. Selective activation and deactivation of the damming conveyor and/or destacking conveyor can be based on instructions communicated from a control subsystem in accordance in a prearranged sequence or based on data from one or more sensors configured to acquire data corresponding to the positioning of parcels within the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Material Handling Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas A. Berg, Jon Todd Fuchs, Jeremiah Jason Futter, Paul Receveur
  • Patent number: 8960402
    Abstract: Provided is a financial device, which comprises a medium entrance, a medium processing apparatus, and a control unit. A medium is deposited or withdrawn through the medium entrance. The medium processing apparatus processes the medium. The control unit controls the medium processing apparatus. The medium processing apparatus comprises a front guider, a rear guider behind the front guider, a pushing member pushing a medium disposed in a medium processing space, and a supporting guider supporting the medium in the medium processing space. The control unit controls an operation of the medium processing apparatus such that states of the front guider, the rear guider, the pushing member, and the supporting guider when moving of a medium is completed in the medium processing space to deposit the medium are the same as states of the front guider, the rear guider, the pushing member, and the supporting guider when moving of a medium is completed in the medium processing space to withdraw or return the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: LG CNS Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sumin Lee
  • Patent number: 8172498
    Abstract: A device for unloading a container having a removal opening has a rotatably mounted supporting surface mounted to turn around a first turning axis, a rotatably mounted retaining device, and a synchronizing device. The unloading device causes a container on the supporting surface to tilt so that the removal opening of the tilted container points obliquely or vertically downwards. The retaining device prevents an article inside the tilted container from moving linearly through the removal opening. The retaining device is mounted to turn around a second turning axis. The synchronizing device is configured for synchronizing turning of the supporting surface around the first turning axis and the retaining device around the second turning axis. The synchronized turning of the supporting surface and retaining device causes the container standing on the supporting surface to tilt such that the removal opening of the tilted container points obliquely or vertically downwards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Akiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Peter Enenkel
  • Patent number: 8002513
    Abstract: A conveyor system for assembling and stacking sliced food products is provided. The conveyor system includes an assembly area, wherein groups of a predetermined quantity of sliced food products travel from a slicer on a conveyor and are deposited on discrete carrier sheets on a downstream conveyor. The assembly area is configured to delay advancement of the carrier sheets on the downstream conveyor until a group of the predetermined quantity is formed. The slicer is configured to calculate the number of slices in each group and determine whether a group is complete. A stacking area of the conveyor system includes a nose conveyor that extends and retracts to deposit each carrier sheet onto a pair of initial supports. The initial supports reciprocate away from each other in opposing directions to drop the carrier sheet onto a subsequent level, with the initial supports reciprocating each time a carrier sheet is deposited thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC
    Inventors: Mark Malenke, Scott Adler, David Hess, Tod Heleniak, Brian Tomac
  • Publication number: 20090245989
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to construction waste removal and provide a method, system and apparatus for construction waste removal. In one embodiment of the invention, a construction waste removal system can be provided. The system can include an assembled waste chute, the assembled waste chute comprising a set of waste chute sections that are joined together in an end-to-end matter and a collapsible waste container configured to receive waste from a downstream end of the assembled waste chute. The system further can include a waste transport vehicle including a main frame disposed along the longitudinal axis of the waste transport vehicle, a grasping mechanism configurable for removing waste from the collapsible waste container and disposed adjacent to an operator cab, and a waste-receiving vehicle bed coupled to the main frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventor: Sheldon Mickelson
  • Patent number: 7520714
    Abstract: A handling apparatus mounted on a moving member for holding, conveying, and installing a workpiece has a floating plate attached for radial movement to an apparatus body 10 connecting with the movable member, and a workpiece holding device for holding the workpiece on the floating plate. A lock plate is provided for fastening the floating plate to the apparatus body in a radial direction, A fastening piston is coupled to the lock plate through a fastening rod, and the floating plate can be fastened at any position. An aligning piston on which a tapered surface is formed is mounted on the apparatus body for reciprocation. The tapered surface of the aligning piston engages an aligning hole of the floating plate to return the floating plate in the radial direction to an origin position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Koganei Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuki Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 7210280
    Abstract: A machining system and unit, especially a welding cell, is provided for use for the machining of workpieces (2), especially body parts of vehicles. The machining system has one or more machining stations (15, 16) with robots (18, 19, 20) and at least one rotation or turning station (5), which has at least two work stations (6, 7) for carrying out different operations simultaneously. The turning station (5) has at least two multiaxially movable turning units (8, 9) arranged next to one another with said gripping tools (11, 12, 13). The working areas (10) intersect each other at the work stations (6, 7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: KUKA InnoTec GmbH
    Inventors: Norbert Cottone, Florian Simons
  • Patent number: 6925931
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for making e.g. boardlike objects (11) arranged in a pile (12), in which method the objects are marked with a marking printed by a print head (26) and containing e.g. information about the object. To improve the marking quality, the objects are pressed together to reduce or eliminate gaps between them in the direction of compression, and the marking is made on an edge of the object that is parallel to the direction of compression of the objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Metso Panelboard Oy
    Inventor: Antti Korhonen
  • Patent number: 6769862
    Abstract: An apparatus for stacking horizontally conveyed individual flats into vertically extending stacks including a stacking housing with an upper station for receiving the flats singly and releasing them downwardly into an intermediate station wherein multiple flats are accumulated and the accumulated grouping is then released downwardly to form an overall vertically extending stack of twenty flats or more for exit conveying. A control system is further disclosed including control plates, link arms and retaining/releasing arms for controlling downward movement of the flats within the stacking housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Inventor: Jeffrey B. Kuhl
  • Patent number: 6749194
    Abstract: A mail handling system that imports data from a thickness measurement device regarding the thickness of a substantially flat mail article, counts the number of flat articles deposited on the top surface of the drop pocket, instructs the drop pocket to open to drop a unitary body of flat mail articles when the total stack thickness and/or number of articles exceeds threshold limits. A computer, operably connected to conventional conveyor system having, a drop pocket, a thickness measurement device, and a conveyor, implements the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce H. Hanson, Michael D. Senger, Bruce A. Williams
  • Patent number: 6325592
    Abstract: In a method for removing printed products (2) from a conveying stream and for forming stacks of the removed printed products (2), the conveying stream is a stream of printed products (2) held by a gripper in a hanging position and conveyed in a direction substantially perpendicular to their main surfaces. For removing the printed products (2) from the conveying stream and for stacking them, the printed products held by the gripper (1) are conveyed over a stacking surface (4) which protrudes into the conveying stream such that a lower region of each printed product (2) conveyed in the conveying stream is laid against the stacking surface (4) or against a printed product already lying against the stacking surface (4), respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventor: Jacques Meier
  • Patent number: 6312208
    Abstract: A system for stacking continuous folded forms or web coming from a folder and separator and moving to a conveyor. A table is positioned adjacent and in line with the conveyor and in a position for receiving a horizontally-extending stack of folded forms disposed on the table top. The table is a tiltable table and is able to be tilted from a substantially-horizontal position to a substantially-vertical position to likewise move the stack from a horizontal to a vertical stack position. A cart is movable to a position adjacent to the tilted table for receiving from the table the vertical stack for support on the cart. The cart can include a plurality of storage locations that can each be provided with a stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Roll Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: H. W. Crowley, John W. Clifford, Peter Bianchetto
  • Patent number: 6280137
    Abstract: An apparatus for transporting rows of products that includes a supply device for supplying rows of products; a first transport device for transporting the rows of products through a certain distance in a first transporting direction, wherein each row of products is supported by a carrier; a sliding device for displacing the rows of products relative to the carrier; and a second transport device for transporting the displaced rows of products in a second transporting direction. The distance between adjacent carriers in the first transporting direction is smaller during the transport than the dimensions of the products. The sliding device is adapted to displace the rows of products parallel to the first transporting direction such that a row of displaced products rests on two adjacent carriers. The second transport device is adapted to lift the displaced rows of products from the carriers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Beheermaatschappij de Boer Nijmegen B.V.
    Inventor: Wilhelmus Jacobus Maria Kosman