Bizarre Patents
A method for inducing cats to exercise consists of directing a beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus onto the floor or wall.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8136650 | Apparatus and methods for book handling Apparatus and methods for the management of books returned by patrons in a library or similar setting are disclosed. In various aspects, apparatus for receiving a book from a patron, conveying the book, and placing the book onto a book collector in a near vertical o... | 03/20/2012 |
| 7413069 | Methods and apparatus for transferring a substrate carrier within an electronic device manufacturing facility In a first aspect, a first method is provided for electronic device manufacturing. The first method includes the steps of (1) receiving a request to transfer a carrier from a first substrate loading station to a second substrate loading station of an electronic devi... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7277773 | Material handling apparatus and method A material handling apparatus comprising a material delivery configuration configured with a first end and a second end, a transfer configuration connected to the first end of the garment delivery rail, a movable material handling arrangement configured to transfer ... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7245988 | Garment inventory management system A laundry inventory management system comprises several components in combination. A structure has a computer system with a program to store data with the computer being coupled to an electrical source. A pair of trolley rails with each rail having a set of indicia ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7212884 | Network controlled sorter conveyor The present invention relates to a sorter conveyor having a plurality of conveyor units with article-supporting means, such as tilt trays or cross-belts, equipped with discharge means for discharging articles conveyed on the article-supporting means, which discharge... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7145094 | System and method for processing flat mailings The invention relates to a method and a device for processing flat mailings, according to which two or more piles of mailings, the destination addresses of which are known and which are sorted according to the distribution order, are separated by a separating device... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7138596 | Apparatus and method for mail sorting A method for sorting mail to a case having a plurality of slots is described, wherein each slot corresponds to a destination. The method includes steps of loading a mail piece to be sorted into a delivery robot, determining for the mail piece a destination slot the ... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7086518 | Method of supplying workpieces to workstations using an autoloader A method of controlling an autoloader that supplies workpieces to a plurality of workstations. Each of the workstations is operable to generate and transmit a call signal, a ready signal and an error signal. In accordance with the method, the autoloader supplies wor... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7066315 | Sorting method and apparatus A sorting apparatus 10 which uses a sorting/conveying line 11 with branch destination, including a branch line 22 for sorting the commodities more than a quantity necessary for the branch destination and a surplus article returning line 23 | 06/27/2006 |
| 7011006 | Automated board processing apparatus In preferred embodiments the invention includes a transverse board conveyor, a board extrusion portion, a marking station, a sawing portion, and a plurality of board feeding portions, all of which are controlled by a process controller. In such preferred embodiments... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6945386 | Bucket elevator conveyors A bucket elevator conveyor system of the straight horizontal, “C” and “Z” configurations. In these bucket elevator conveyor systems, loading of the buckets can occur anywhere along the horizontal run adjacent the take-up end and discharge of the buckets can ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6876888 | Modular system and method for controlling a material handling system A control system (60) controls a material handling system and has a first control module (120), a second control module (140), and a third control module (160). The first module (120) includes a first control cabinet (12) fo... | 04/05/2005 |
| 6799671 | Automatic warehouse System capable of being governed entirely by a computer, which permits the complete handling of a warehouse right from the entry of merchandise from suppliers up to its delivery to the customer, in the quantities and types of merchandise that may be specified. This ... | 10/05/2004 |
| 6598747 | Selection and bundling apparatus for random length materials An apparatus for selecting random length boards for nesting into a single row of predetermined lengths includes an accumulating conveyor with longitudinal tracks positioned adjacent a storage rack with the longitudinal channels aligned with the tracks. A ... | 07/29/2003 |
| 6579717 | Specific solution handling method for calibration and quality control by automatic analytical apparatus A method for handling specific sample solutions for calibration and quality control by an automatic analytical apparatus in which a sample rack to hold calibrator bottles for required analysis items is set on a rack supply unit by an operator. Identificat... | 06/17/2003 |
| 6551833 | Method for handling samples and diagnostic measuring device A sample handling method, in which the information on the sample to be examined is transferred throughout the entire measuring process by transferring the sample cup. The sample cups are handled in two independently operating drums, in which case at least... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6466828 | Device controller with intracontroller communication capability, conveying system using such controllers for controlling conveying sections and methods related thereto Featured is a device controller in a system having a multiplicity of such controllers and a conveying system and method for controlling a multiplicity of devices using such controllers. Each controller includes a plurality of bi-directional communications... | 10/15/2002 |
| 6382390 | Electronic-component supplying apparatus and method An electronic-component supplying apparatus, including a bed with two linear guides; six tables movably supported by the guides, each table supporting electronic-component supplying cartridges such that respective component-supply portions of the cartridg... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6378687 | High speed sorting/diverting apparatus, an apparatus controller and systems using same Featured is a sorting/diverting apparatus that diverts articles from a plurality of moving belts, the sorting/diverting apparatus including a plurality of rollers that are rotatably mounted to a support frame and a moving mechanism that moves the support ... | 04/30/2002 |
| 6202829 | Conveyor system for clinical test apparatus The conveyor system for clinical test apparatus includes a main transport conveyor and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors located alongside the main transport conveyor. The auxiliary conveyors define straight line paths of travel parallel to the straight ... | 03/20/2001 |
| 6170633 | Electronic-component supplying apparatus and method An electronic-component supplying apparatus, including a bed with two linear guides; six tables movably supported by the guides, each table supporting electronic-component supplying cartridges such that respective component-supply portions of the cartridg... | 01/09/2001 |
| 6120604 | Powder coating painting apparatus with universal modular line control A conveyor system for transporting parts through a plurality of processing areas. The conveyor system comprises a plurality of conveyors, each of the conveyors for transporting parts through an associated one of the processing areas. Each of the conveyors... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6085892 | High speed sorting/diverting apparatus, an apparatus controller and systems using same Featured is a sorting/diverting apparatus that diverts articles from a plurality of moving belts that are at a nominal base height. The apparatus includes a support frame, a plurality of rollers that are rotatably mounted to the support frame, a moving me... | 07/11/2000 |
| 6082521 | Apparatus and method for transposing sorted goods into an ordered sequence For processing sorted goods, in particular for processing mail pieces in postal facilities, an apparatus is proposed for transposing address-bearing sorted goods into an ordered sequence according to a predetermined order of possible addresses, starting w... | 07/04/2000 |
| 6076652 | Assembly line system and apparatus controlling transfer of a workpiece An automated assembly line is controlled by a computer system. The assembly line is comprised of a plurality of machines which are each segmented into its basic unit operations providing work stations. The work stations are then controlled by the computer... | 06/20/2000 |
| 6059091 | Apparatus for and method of merging stream of presorted pieces into an ordered row An apparatus and and a method for merging streams of presorted pieces provided with addresses into a row of pieces in accordance with a predetermined sequence of possible addresses, starting from at least two presorted rows in which the pieces are sorted ... | 05/09/2000 |
| 5984078 | Automated shuttle sorter for conveyors A conveyor sorter includes a shuttle moving transversely to the conveyor direction to place in the path of articles either a pass-through conveyor or a diverting conveyor. The shuttle is mounted on a reversible belt drive and preferably has two diverting ... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5959868 | Arrangement for distributing articles for dispatch In order to increase the efficiency of an arrangement for distributing articles for dispatch with a distributing conveyor, a transfer device is proposed. The distributing conveyor is used to deliver the articles for dispatch to collecting containers that ... | 09/28/1999 |
| 5937513 | Electronic component mounting method of exchanging support blocks which support circuit boards An electronic component mounting apparatus is provided with a plurality of support blocks for supporting boards. A support block is automatically selected from among the plurality of support blocks and exchanged in accordance with the switching of the kin... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5860504 | Transfer buffer and inserter and method Apparatus and method are provided for providing multiple loading sites or entry sites for a single conveyor belt. This apparatus and method is particularly adapted to handling of pieces of flat mail. For each such loading site, another conveyor belt feeds... | 01/19/1999 |
| 5810061 | Drug dispenser and method for dispensing drug A drug dispenser which can dispense drugs with high efficiency. The dispenser has a plurality of drug feeders each having a drug discharging chute and capable of discharging a predetermined amount of drugs into the chute. The drug feeders are arranged in ... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5755316 | Commissioning system A commissioning system has a substantially random arrangement or array of positions (1 to 53) associated with specific articles or objects. It also has a removal device, with a guidance system (60) and a flexible conveying member (67) movable in push or p... | 05/26/1998 |
| 5632589 | Apparatus for centralized mechanical and systems control in a material handling system A material handling and transport system for transporting goods between a number of discharge/induction stations and selectively receiving and discharging goods at the stations. A moving transport unit, for example a train-type string or cars or trolleys ... | 05/27/1997 |
| 5566834 | Method and system for transport of good and luggage in an airport or similar facility In airports, large amounts of luggage have to be sorted and transported. Departing the luggage comes from check-in areas (14) to various finger conveyors (4) that radiate from a central area. A large amount of transit luggage must be handled directly betw... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5551822 | Order filling system with cartridge dispenser An automated ordering system has a gathering conveyor belt and a plurality of product dispensers for dispensing products onto the gathering conveyor belt, the plurality of product dispensers arrayed in a matrix in rows and columns wherein each row of prod... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5529166 | Central control apparatus for an automated laboratory conveyor system A central control apparatus for an automated laboratory conveyor system includes a conveyor track arranged in a closed loop to continuously transport a specimen carrier having a laboratory specimen therein. A receiving station is provided along the track ... | 06/25/1996 |
| 5351801 | Automated laboratory conveyor system An automated laboratory conveyor system includes a conveyor track arranged in a closed loop to continuously transport a specimen carrier having a laboratory specimen therein. A receiving station marks an individual specimen carrier to identify the carrier... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5325972 | Method of controlling sorting systems, and a sorting system thus controlled A converyor sorting system wherein articles to be sorted are loaded on letter towable trays adapted to be moved past a plurality of unloading or receiving stations at which the articles are selectively unloaded. A control system is provided which includes... | 07/05/1994 |
| 5322406 | Order filling system with cartridge dispenser An automated ordering system has a gathering conveyor belt and a plurality of product dispensers for dispensing products onto the gathering conveyor belt, the plurality of product dispensers arrayed in a matrix in rows and columns wherein each row of prod... | 06/21/1994 |
| 5125783 | Automatic conveyance system An automatic conveyance system comprises a buffer storage for storing a plurality of unit racks containing units; a plurality of test cells for testing the units contained in the unit racks; and a plurality of test cell controllers, each being provided in... | 06/30/1992 |
