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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7331273 | Pneumatic actuator A pneumatic actuator having a flexible plate, the flexible plate being made of a rigid flexible material. The pneumatic actuator further includes at least two elongate, flexible but poorly extensible pneumatic pressure ducts that are disposed side by side and are in... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7258379 | Laminated-type multi-joint portion drive mechanism and manufacturing method therefor, grasping hand and robot arm provided with the same A laminated-type multi-joint portion drive mechanism includes a bone member having at least two elastic deformation portions, a laminated-type pneumatic tube member having at least twoline-tubes which are stacked on the bone member and which are connected to a pneum... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7204533 | Animal faeces collector device The present invention relates to a collapsible animal faeces collector device (1) having a handle portion (2) and a receptacle support (6), supporting a receptacle (8) with an upwardly facing surface (10) for receiving a faecal dep... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7036397 | Granular particle gripping surface An improved die insert for gripping oil field tubular members in tubular handling systems such as power tongs, slips, safety clamps and the like. The die insert has a gripping surface which comprises a backing surface adapted to contact the tubular member. The backi... | 05/02/2006 |
| 6959231 | Robot system A robot system includes a plurality of segments 3, joints 4 for linking the segments together, drive units 5 for actuating the joints, and a controller 8 for controlling the drive units. Further, the robot system has bladders 2 fil... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6932557 | Gripping mechanisms, apparatus, and methods The present invention provides grasping mechanisms, gripper apparatus/systems, and related methods. Grasping mechanisms that include stops, support surfaces, and height adjusting surfaces to determine three translational axis positions of a grasped object are provid... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6732015 | Robot system A robot system includes a plurality of segments 3, joints 4 for linking the segments together, drive units 5 for actuating the joints, and a controller 8 for controlling the drive units. Further, the robot system has bladders 2 fil... | 05/04/2004 |
| 6527686 | Variable pitch spindle line drilling machine A movable spindle tool machine, such as a printed circuit board line drilling machine includes a base and a spindle mounted to the base. A magazine is mounted proximate the spindle for storing a supply of tools. A pitch independent tool changer is moveabl... | 03/04/2003 |
| 6513848 | Hydraulically actuated wafer clamp The present invention is directed to a wafer clamping mechanism responsive to fluid pressure to retain wafers on a surface with minimal clamping force. The clamping mechanism houses simple operative elements within a housing proximate the wafer and can ut... | 02/04/2003 |
| 6488323 | Apparatus for gripping oilfield tubulars without causing damage to such tubulars An apparatus for gripping tubular members in a single or multi-string arrangement about their outer diameter without causing surface damage or structural deformation to the tubular members, so that they may be axially rotated or secured against axial rota... | 12/03/2002 |
| 6484601 | Bellows actuation device, specially for robotic manipulator, and method to operate said device An actuation device uses, for the active element, a flexible bellows operated by a pressurized fluid (usually, but not necessarily, at a pressure higher than the ambient one). The bellows is housed, for the most part of its length, inside a cylindrical ca... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6467827 | IC wafer handling apparatus incorporating edge-gripping and pressure or vacuum driven end-effectors Presented is an end-effector for grasping integrated circuit wafers with a talon-like device that effectively grips an arcuate peripheral "free zone" of the wafer-without effecting contact of the wafer in a manner to contaminate it. Structurally, in one a... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6419291 | Adjustable flexible vacuum gripper and method of gripping A flexible vacuum gripper device and method of gripping. The device includes a housing, an inflatable gripper element defining an internal chamber and being radially or circumferentially expandable, the inflatable gripper element having a front end which ... | 07/16/2002 |
| 6382576 | Clamping apparatus A medical instrument mountable upon a support member includes a bladder that expands against or constricts around the support member when inflated to clamp the instrument to the support member. The medical instrument may include a pressure release valve w... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6302364 | Pneumatic container holder A container holder adapted for use with a structure has a pneumatically operated bladder member for selectively adjusting the size of a container holder depression or opening. The bladder member is positioned on the periphery of the container holder and i... | 10/16/2001 |
| 6217275 | Pickup apparatus A pickup apparatus which can easily pick up and pull out a thin plate member from a number of thin plate members disposed alongside one another in a narrowly spaced relationship and which assists in automating the picking up and pulling out of the thin pl... | 04/17/2001 |
| 6179357 | Automatically-actuated cargo and personnel scooping apparatus with pivoted extensions, magnets and buckets This apparatus is a tongs-like, load-lifting device for automatically loading and unloading objects and liquids, comprising two elongated numbers pivoted at a selected distance from the apparatus' top with a main pivot pin. Its lower portions are essentia... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6102650 | Apparatus for shifting rows of tiles into a skew position Apparatus for simultaneously shifting a plurality of tiles (2) or tile mouldings arranged in at least one row (1), into a skew position with respect to the tile row, comprising at least two gripper devices (3) which engage opposite end faces (5) of the ti... | 08/15/2000 |
| 5833291 | Inflatable gripping or support device In one embodiment, a tool is provided for gripping an object while in another embodiment, the tool is provided for supporting or tuning a person or object resting on a bed or other support. The tool is comprised of a hollow body which can be deformed unde... | 11/10/1998 |
| 5758917 | Dog faeces collector A disposable, substantially lightweight faece collector device having a receptacle support and a handle portion whose light-weight construction is just sufficient for bearing an empty receptacle, but insufficient to bear, in canti-levered support, a faeca... | 06/02/1998 |
| 5711538 | Chucking tool with an expansion sleeve A chucking tool for non-positive precision chucking of a part such as a workpiece or the shank of a tool, for example. The tool consists of a base body, an expansion sleeve that is detachably mounted on a part of the base body which is elastically deforma... | 01/27/1998 |
| 5568957 | Pressure actuated gripping apparatus and method A pressure actuated gripping apparatus for use as a robot hand or in other applications. The device comprises a plurality of fingers moveable in response to pressurization with a fluid such as hydraulic oil. The apparatus includes a casing made of soft fl... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5536056 | Gripping apparatus An improved gripping and pinching device particularly useful with laboratory glassware and adaptable for use with a robot or automated system, is disclosed. The device uses flexible tubing as a gripper, eyedropper pincher and as a pinch valve which biases... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5518231 | Self adjusting sheet gripping apparatus An apparatus for gripping a sheet includes a first gripping member and a second gripping member, one or both of which are equipped with one or more inflatable self adjusting gripper pads or tubes. The inflatable gripper pad provides a more efficient, reli... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5467525 | Apparatus for picking and placing components using a morphing vacuum tip A pick and place machine (30) having morphing vacuum tip (10) comprises a chamber (24) having a sealed first port (25), a filter (22) on a second port (27), and a vacuum (12) on a third port (23), a needle (28) pierced through the sealed first port and th... | 11/21/1995 |
| 5372786 | Method of holding a sample container A method of holding a container with a container holder comprises the following steps. The container is received within a bore on the container holder, and a fluid is conveyed through a fluid passage operatively connected with a flexible element within th... | 12/13/1994 |
| 5364146 | Robotic gripper for handling objects of various sizes Robotic hand includes retractable paddles for supporting an article and a vertically-movable top paddle for engaging an upper surface of the article. The top paddle is mounted on an upper free end of a band of sheet-like material, which may be extended ab... | 11/15/1994 |
| 5358296 | Substrate holding device An apparatus is disclosed for internally holding an at least partially hollow substrate having at least one open end. The apparatus includes a member defining a fluid passageway, a normally inflated porous material mounted on the member in communication w... | 10/25/1994 |
| 5306469 | Sample container holder A holder is pneumatically actuated to grasp and hold a plurality of sample containers during an analytical process which requires movement of the containers. The holder comprises a body having holes therein for receiving the caps and upper portions of the... | 04/26/1994 |
| 5249625 | Soft set overshot fishing tool A fluid operated overshot with an outer metal mandrel internally supports a resilient internal sleeve. The sleeve telescopes over a fish to grip the fish on expanding radially inwardly. This expansion is fluid powered by applying a force to the inner slee... | 10/05/1993 |
| 5245885 | Bladder operated robotic joint A robotic joint wherein an elongated support member attached at one end to a base has the other end thereof pivotally attached to one end of a lever, the other end of the lever extending away from the support member. A tension strip extends along the supp... | 09/21/1993 |
| 5224746 | Drum handling apparatus An outer cylindrical housing mounts a control shaft coaxially extending upwardly from the housing through a top plate. A ratchet bracket is mounted to the control shaft above the top plate, with a drive end extending above the ratchet sprocket for recepti... | 07/06/1993 |
| 5209538 | Automatically actuated, automatically-adjustable cargo and personnel scooping and releasing apparatus This apparatus is a tongs-like device for automatically loading and unloading containerized cargo, comprising two elongated member pivoted at a selected distance from the device's top with a pivot pin. Its lower portions are vertical to enable it to hold ... | 05/11/1993 |
| 5090759 | Apparatus for gripping an object A catching apparatus has a body to which an open ended inflatable cylindrical tube is affixed, for sealingly catching a fluid filled object. The fluid filled object is caught by the surface of the tube when air is supplied to the space between the tube an... | 02/25/1992 |
| 5090758 | Rigid spine inflatable end effector This invention relates to an end effector device for robotic or teleoperated type systems for remotely handling various items which includes an inflatable bladder surrounding a rigid cylindrical spine either on its outer surface for grasping the inner bor... | 02/25/1992 |
| 5083824 | Gripping head of apparatus for handling objects such as lipsticks and the like A gripping head of a handling apparatus grips objects, such as lipsticks or the like by means of the inflated surface of the tube thereof. A fluid inlet is formed on top of the hard body, and a fluid path is formed in the hard body. The outer cylinder ope... | 01/28/1992 |
| 5080000 | Flexible robotic links and manipulator trunks made thereform Single or multiple flexible robotic manipulator trunks can be made from individually activated, three degree-of-freedom, flexible robotic links. Three dimensional positioning and orientation of the distal end of each link is achieved exclusively by elasti... | 01/14/1992 |
| 5058372 | Apparatus for releasably gripping the tube of a yarn package of a textile machine An apparatus for gripping tubes of yarn packages in a textile machine includes a pressurized fluid drive member. The pressurized fluid drive member is fixedly mounted to a support frame and, in one aspect of the invention, extends interiorly of a generall... | 10/22/1991 |
| 5029438 | Apparatus for changing bobbin tubes and tube gripper therefor The grippers are mounted on a doffer bar so as to disengage from both the top and bottom of the bar should a mis-alignment occur relative to a bottin tube. The removal or separation of a gripper from the bar causes a pneumatic or electrical signal to be g... | 07/09/1991 |
| 5023046 | Drive unit for inspecting nuclear fuel rods A drive unit for gripping and rotating a fuel rod during inspection of the fuel rod. A housing has a drive motor mounted at its first end with a spindle rotatably mounted in the housing and directly coupled to the drive motor. A recess at one end of the s... | 06/11/1991 |
