Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7431164 | Device and method for sorting products The invention relates to a device for sorting products, which device comprises adjacently arranged supporting units which are movable in a direction of transport along a conveying path, each supporting unit being provided with at least one load carrying platform com... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7371041 | Assembly station with rotatable turret which forms and unloads a completed stack of articles Method and apparatus for forming and unloading a completed stack of articles. An assembly station includes a rotatable turret from which at least one stacker arm projects. The turret rotates to each of a number of article loading positions to sequentially load artic... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7341140 | Off-loading conveyor of produce An off-loading conveyor of produce having utility in the discrimination and separation of watermelons includes a support structure defining a conveying path, an endless flexible element mounted on the support structure to extend and to move along the conveying path ... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7337892 | Device for sorting products The invention provides a device for sorting products, comprising bogies which are movable in a direction of transport along a conveying path, which bogies are pivotally interconnected, and supporting platforms comprising a supporting surface for supporting products ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7316322 | Quality evaluation apparatus for fruits and vegetables In order to provide a quality evaluation apparatus having excellent measurement accuracy in obtaining quality evaluation values of fruits and vegetables, transmitted light from one or more measured objects is received by a photo-detective sensor of the charge storag... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7304260 | System and method for filling, removing and transporting containers The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically transporting receiving containers for sorted products. The containers are filled with the sorted products along a sorting stretch at individual, similar target stations, and automatically transpo... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7240800 | Vibratory sand reclaiming apparatus having normal and reject modes An attrition mill for reclaiming foundry sand from deposited material having lumps of used foundry sand and included material includes a housing defining a chamber for receiving the lumps of used foundry sand and included material. A base is disposed within the hous... | 07/10/2007 |
| 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 |
| 6978192 | Single pass sequencer and method of use A single pass sequencer and method of use for transporting the mail pieces in a single pass through a set of feeders. The system includes a transport system which transports articles to an transport system. At least one staging area stages the articles to be injecte... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6921875 | Method for sequentially ordering objects using a single pass delivery point process A method using a single pass sequencer having a transport system for transporting the mail pieces to a transport system having a first carriage system and a second carriage system with a plurality of holders slidable between the first carriage system and the second ... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6905030 | Tilting platform checkweighing method A checkweighing station includes a weigh platform mounted on a load cell which in turn is mounted on a rotatable shaft so that the entire assembly can be rotated to tilt the platform in one direction for an acceptable weight of a weighed item and in another directio... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6817462 | Recycling device A return device for containers, such as bottles, cups, cans, or the like, comprises an insertion opening for receiving the container and at least one distributing means for transporting the container from the insertion opening to a selectable processing means of the... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6662925 | Automatic selective sorting device The invention concerns an automatic selective sorting device (10), for simultaneously loading, transporting and placing objects having very different characteristics in receiving containers, comprising a frame (11) bearing two toothed wheels (12, 13) arra... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6241460 | Offset sorter for envelopes Envelopes in a vertical orientation are delivered in sequence to an envelope bundling table from a sheet insertion table where sheets are inserted into envelopes. A stationary vertical wall forms a part of the envelope bundling table and the respective sh... | 06/05/2001 |
| 6227378 | Sorting system for groups of items having recirculation A sorting system is disclosed, for example for mail items. In the disclosed system, a circulating storage system can receive items from an inlet, and deposit them in an appropriate output receptacle which has been allocated to items in a particular group.... | 05/08/2001 |
| 6179129 | Color sorter assembly and method An article transporting, and preferably also color and/or weight sorting, assembly and method, support the articles (.g. apples or like pieces of fruit), and effect precise rotation (e.g. within about 5°) of all apples transported thereby. This allows ac... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6126017 | Device and method for sorting objects using buffer receptacles at sorting outlets The device for sorting objects, for example mail items, includes a conveyor (1) that directs the objects to be sorted to sorting output receptacles (7) associated with corresponding sorting outputs and in which the sorted objects are stored. A buffer rece... | 10/03/2000 |
| 5998754 | Feeding, sorting and grading system for elongate produce A feed device for a unit for sorting elongate items, particularly vegetables such as carrots, includes a slanted conveyor (23) with a plurality of freely rotatable transverse rollers (24) driven by two endless chains. The conveyor includes three longitudi... | 12/07/1999 |
| 5994657 | Device and method for sorting mailed pieces A device and method for sorting flat mailed pieces. The mailed pieces are individually transferred to conveying cells which can be conveyed one behind the other along a conveying path and are delivered to receptacles which are arranged along the conveying... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5901854 | Object sorting and conveying apparatus The invention relates to an object sorting and conveying apparatus used in the work for sorting and conveying objects, wherein multiple rotary support elements for mounting objects are disposed at the side of a conveying belt stretched in a conveying rout... | 05/11/1999 |
| 5720593 | Apparatus and method of counting, inspecting and stacking planar food products An apparatus for counting, inspecting, and stacking flexible, generally planar food products such as tortillas, or the like. The apparatus has an inclined infeed conveyor with adjustable alignment guides thereon to adjust the lateral position of each tort... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5641072 | Method for sorting post-consumed bottles and apparatus thereof The present invention provides a method for sorting post-consumed bottles exactly and efficiently and an apparatus for carrying out the method. The sorting apparatus comprises a supply section, a separating section, a detecting section comprising a first ... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5538143 | Apparatus for separating cutlery from food scraps An apparatus for separating cutlery from food waste, such as for use in a restaurant, includes a glacis which is angled toward the opening of a waste container. Extending from an end of the glacis are a set of flaps having a closed position whereby they g... | 07/23/1996 |
| 5311998 | Method of grading items and an apparatus materializing same A method and apparatus for grading items such as roots and tubers in which a succession of items are conveyed one after the other in a U-shaped channel of a conveyor. As each item passes a measuring station a grading characteristic of the item is measured... | 05/17/1994 |
| 5301790 | Sorting and storage system for pieces of goods such as flight luggage In a sorting system for flight luggage it it well known to put individual pieces of luggage in totes (4) which are entered onto a conveyor with sideways tiltable carrying platforms (2), whereby the pieces of luggage may be selectively unloaded from the to... | 04/12/1994 |
| 5294004 | Article-holding cup and scale for apparatus that sorts articles by weight In an article sorting apparatus with two parallel, spaced-apart continuous conveyors which pass through a loading zone, a weighing zone, and a discharge zone, having fabric flaps disposed on spaced-apart rods connected between the two conveyors for gently... | 03/15/1994 |
| 5277320 | Shell egg culling system An improved shell egg culling system includes a conveying system having sites for conveying shell eggs, an illuminator together with a video camera in conjunction with a computer having a first algorithm and a second algorithm for determining which of the... | 01/11/1994 |
| 5238120 | Machine for sorting graphic and/or printing products A machine for sorting graphic and/or printing products in which the products are fed one after the other, comprising a framework, a conveyor for receiving individual products one after the other sensors for identifying each of the individual products on t... | 08/24/1993 |
| 5230432 | Apparatus for singulating parts An apparatus (19) for singulating a series of packages (17). The apparatus (19) includes a vertical wheel (12), a retainer spring (10), a gravity feed track (14), a pass track (15), and a reject track (16). The vertical wheel (12) comprises a plurality of... | 07/27/1993 |
| 5207332 | Apparatus for classifying photographic films An apparatus for classifying photographic films in which cartridges are classified according to a customer's order information, each cartridge storing a photographic film having a recording portion on which a customer's order information is magnetically r... | 05/04/1993 |
| 5195641 | Sorting line for processing envelopes, particularly for photographic laboratories A sorting line for processing envelopes, particularly for photographic laboratories, including at least one endless conveyor, for a plurality of boxes, provided with a base which opens under a command correlated with the position of the boxes along their ... | 03/23/1993 |
| 5193685 | Gemstone sorting apparatus and methods An automated gemstone sorting apparatus and method that handles, tests, and sorts a batch of irradiated topaz, or similar gemstones, in an efficient manner in accordance with residual radiation levels. The sorting apparatus and methods of the invention in... | 03/16/1993 |
| 5190162 | Sorting machine A machine for sorting packages having individual bar code identifications. The packages are received at an induction station and an induction conveyor moves the packages up to a gate which is driven by an actuator to allow individual packages to pass thro... | 03/02/1993 |
| 5184712 | Device for transporting articles to a conveyor apparatus of a packaging machine A device for transporting articles from a plurality of dispenser machines to a packaging machine including at least two delivery belts, a delivery device assigned to a furnishing device with furnishing places. Drivers that transfer the furnished articles ... | 02/09/1993 |
| 5181596 | Off-loading conveying system An off-loading conveyor including a support structure mounting an endless chain to extend along a conveying path. Roller carriages including roller mounts and laterally extending elements are pivotally mounted to the chain on either side thereof. The late... | 01/26/1993 |
| 5147048 | Sorting line for processing envelopes, particularly for photographic laboratories A sorting line for processing envelopes for photographic laboratories including a feeder unit of the processing envelopes to be sorted, a main leg for supporting and guiding a first endless conveyor for a plurality of boxes provided with a base which open... | 09/15/1992 |
| 5139150 | Article sorting apparatus and method A gravity conveyor (12) delivers drill bits (10) to carrier tubes (24) which are on an endless conveyor. An optical micrometer (22) or the like identifies the drill bits (10), as to shank type, maximum diameter, overall length, helix angle, back taper, nu... | 08/18/1992 |
| 5101983 | Device for identifying and sorting objects A device for identifying and sorting objects includes a low-friction surface for supporting parcels to be identified and sorted, each provided with a bar code on at least one side thereof, a dragging mechanism capable of conveying parcels from a staging a... | 04/07/1992 |
| 5101982 | Conveying and off-loading apparatus for machines for the automatic selection of agricultural products such as fruit The conveying and off-loading apparatus, used in machines for the automatic selection and distribution of products, comprises a conveyor for transporting individual products from examination stations to discharge stations along a path, including an elonga... | 04/07/1992 |
| 5086929 | Sorting apparatus and method A sorter (3) is disclosed in which an article (A) to be sorted is delivered to a carrier. The carrier is moved by a conveyor drive along a path to a selected one unloading station UL at which two or more receptacles or bags (3) are located and the article... | 02/11/1992 |
