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A fork with timer for providing a cue to a user after an elapsed period of time for indicating that another bite of food using the fork may be taken.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7316351 | Marking a deposit item In order to identify an item, on which a return deposit can be imposed, an element, which can at least be read in the radio frequency range and/or optionally one which can be switched or activated, are/is provided on the item. This element is activated optionally be... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7271726 | RFID tag-pallet A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and systems and methods of using an RFID tag. The RFID tag is a multi-planar tag that may be incorporated with an object, such as a container or pallet. The tag and/or the tag/object combination may then be used in a metho... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7224273 | Device and method for identifying a container The present invention relates to an wireless communication device and method for identifying a container. The device includes a wireless communication device for transmitting information regarding the container. The container includes an outer wall forming an enclos... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7180026 | Device for a reverse vending machine for bottles and cans In a reverse vending machine the feed opening (22) in the front cover (14), for bottles and cans, is without a fixed connection to pipework, etc. At the same time, an opening (26) for emptying remnants is formed in the front cover (14), i... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7083093 | Method and apparatus for vending a containerized liquid product utilizing an automatic self-service refill system A method and apparatus for vending a containerized fluid includes placing a machine-readable indicia on the container identifying the base fluid. The container may be filled and then distributed or distributed prior to filling through various distribution channels t... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7077588 | Printer and keyboard combination A printer includes a housing containing a pagewidth printhead. A keyboard to operate the computer is integrated with the housing. The printer is operated by a controller PCB located within the housing that is responsive to commands from the computer. Integration of ... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7079292 | Modular mobile phone with integrated printer A modular mobile phone includes a printhead and ink supply module that is received and retained into a support chassis. A battery module cradles the printhead and ink supply module from a rear side of the mobile phone. An external casing locates on a front side of t... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7066215 | Method for product mixing A process is provided for the mixing of one or more concentrates in a machine, wherein one or more concentrates and/or one or more diluents are mixed together in a mixing chamber; and the product is dispensed from said machine into a storage container. A machine is ... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7032820 | System and method for utilizing RF tags to collect data concerning post-consumer resources Data concerning post-consumption items is collected from RF tags. RF tags applied to goods and materials that have been consumed or used and/or discarded or stored for recycling are read by a reader. The reader collects data from the tag and stores the data and/or t... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6994023 | Compactor device A compactor device for the automatic compacting of empty containers (5), e.g. disposable bottles/cans of metal, plastic, glass or other suitable material, wherein the container (5) is essentially being pressed flat and possibly punctured, possibly crus... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6993758 | Method and apparatus for renewing software in a software-operated machine A method and apparatus for renewing software in a software-controlled machine is provided wherein a sensor 16 detects external command information to shift an operation control circuit 50 from an operating mode to a renewal mode, and then detects exter... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6943692 | Apparatus and methods for on-line monitoring of fluorinated material in headspace of vial Apparatus and methods for monitoring the presence of an analyte in a closed vial wherein a sample contained within the closed vial is conveyed to an analyzer. The analyzer determines a value of a spectral property dependent on analyte concentration at a position wit... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6874611 | Teller machine for the infeed and outfeed of banknotes A teller machine for the infeed and outfeed of banknotes having detectors for checking respectively the quality, denomination and validity of banknotes. The detector for checking the validity of a banknote carries out on each deposited and by-passing banknote a chec... | 04/05/2005 |
| 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 |
| 6370266 | Financial document processing system and method of operating a financial document processing system to verify zone coordinates A financial document processing system has a transport path and an I/O device disposed along the transport path. The system comprises an input device for receiving a set of zone coordinates. An I/O device is disposed along the transport path. A memory is ... | 04/09/2002 |
| 6321894 | Method and device for handling means for payment and means for payment In a novel financial transaction system, a consumer exchanges payment means for goods or services provided by a retailer. The retailer then feeds the payment means, which may be in the form of bills or coinage, into a device which reads the value of the p... | 11/27/2001 |
| 6186308 | Reverse vending machine A reverse vending machine is configured to selectively accept bulk fed containers, the machine including an in-feed station with an in-feed door and a hopper accessible via the in-feed door, the hopper having a first mouth which is open when the in-feed d... | 02/13/2001 |
| 6044953 | Independent device for verifying, validating and codifying inductive cards Apparatus for verifying, validating and codifying an inductive card having a plurality of individual credit cells, each of which represent a credit value until burned out so that a partially used card has valid and burned-out cells. The apparatus includes... | 04/04/2000 |
| 6026367 | Method of billing the parking of vehicles by means of pay meters A method of cash card billing with the aid of parking or pay meters when parking a vehicle. A pay meter system is provided which includes a plurality of pay meters, wherein each pay meter constitutes an independent operative unit and is equipped with a ca... | 02/15/2000 |
| 5988054 | Automated system for handling returned drink containers An automated container handling and processing system includes a metal container handling subsystem and a plastic container handling subsystem. Each container subsystem includes a roller conveyor for conveying a plurality of large bins carrying crushed co... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5970165 | Paper discriminating device including peak counting and analysis A papers discriminating device which improves the accuracy in true or false judgment of imitation papers which are made by pasting parts of genuine papers on other papers. To a conventional process, a process is added in which the colors and shades of pap... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5947256 | Tag for identifying recyclable materials and method and apparatus for same A responsive tag and a method, apparatus and system for identifying a type of recyclable material. The tag includes an element attached to the recyclable material. The element responds to a selected interrogation signal of a recycling machine to provide a... | 09/07/1999 |
| 5921372 | Multiple chambered container compaction assembly with diverter A container compaction assembly includes a chamber. First and second parallel counter-rotating shafts are mounted in the chamber. A plurality of interleaved compacting wheels are mounted on the first and second shafts, respectively. A divider is mounted i... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5678696 | Aluminum can recycling A compact aluminum can separator have a a continuous conveyer belt, means mounting the conveyer belt to have an upper layer and a lower layer and for revolving said belt to cause the upper layer to travel generally horizontally from an input end of the se... | 10/21/1997 |
| 5671666 | Can recycling apparatus A system for recycling cans includes a housing adapted for displaying promotional advertising, a deposit slot for receiving the cans and a discharge system for providing immediate payment for the recyclable cans. The system incorporates a rotating drum fo... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5630493 | Acceptance assembly for a reverse vending machine An acceptance assembly for a commodity collection, densification, and storage device includes a frame, an insert tube disposed in the frame defining an inlet for receiving a commodity and an outlet, a sensor disposed in the frame proximate the outlet for ... | 05/20/1997 |
| 5624018 | Aluminum can recycling and coupon dispenser apparatus Aluminum can recycling and coupon dispenser apparatus includes a housing having a front door and a can receiving slot on the front of the door. Cans fall onto a conveyor belt which transmits or transports the cans to a conduit through which aluminum cans ... | 04/29/1997 |
| 5577590 | Machine for collecting used disposable cups The machine comprises an identification device for accepting suitable or ejecting unsuitable used cups, which on being accepted are conveyed through an inlet mouth towards a bin, following a journey whereon are situated one or more operative groups, throu... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5555497 | Charitable contribution centralization system and apparatus A multiplicity of charitable collection stations are provided with selectors for choosing the charity to which a contribution is destined, a change maker for issuing change if desired, a display for displaying information with respect to premiums availabl... | 09/10/1996 |
| 5546303 | Method of and system for correlating charitable contributions A central office correlates charitable contributions made at vending stations in food service establishments which issue information carriers in return for charitable contributions which are receipts for the contribution and entitle the donor to a beverag... | 08/13/1996 |
| 5477953 | Filter and filter cleaning system for a reverse vending machine A commodity densification and storage assembly has a housing having an insert port for receiving a commodity, such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles. The assembly further includes a device for densifying the commodity oriented downstream of... | 12/26/1995 |
| 5465822 | Commodity densification assembly having a multiple path distribution device An assembly is provided for densifying and distributing recycled commodities, such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles. A sensor senses a feature of the commodity, including material of composition and color. Based on the sensed material of c... | 11/14/1995 |
| 5461972 | Device for handling recycling packages, such as bottles and cans Method and device for handling recycling packages, such as bottles and cans in which a recycling package is introduced into a receiving space in the device and is transferred by a conveyor device into an identification position. After the identification o... | 10/31/1995 |
| 5408079 | Article with information for retrieval and article retrieval system An article which bears information representative of a convertible value thereof is deposited by a consumer for retrieval by the manufacturer of the article. The information is represented by a bar code on the article and read by a bar-code reader. A valu... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5402872 | Environmental protective amusement and vending method and apparatus A method and apparatus for providing for the destruction of used beverage containers while at the same time providing slot machine simulating amusement wherein a slot machine resembling apparatus receives the used beverage container and by activation of s... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5392890 | Obliterator and relative card An obliterating machine can be operated by means of a card, made of synthetic plastic material, that features longitudinal grooves and a toothing and that can be inserted in a receiving seat delimited by a pair of plates mounted within the machine and for... | 02/28/1995 |
| 5361913 | Reverse bottle vending, crushing and sorting machine The apparatus consists of a machine for refunding glass bottle deposits, crushing the bottle and sorting the crushed glass as to color, either clear, brown or green. The bottle has a label provided with an optically read bar code which identifies the bott... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5355987 | Single station reverse vending machine A commodity collection, densification and storage assembly comprises a housing, an insert port in the housing for receiving a commodity, a gate mechanism adjacent the insert port movable between an open and closed position for allowing the commodity to pa... | 10/18/1994 |
| 5348128 | Apparatus for the collection, identification and reclamation of recyclable waste Waste collection units include an orifice (4a) for accepting the waste materials. The units are equipped with (a) the orifice (4a), transmitter (25), receiver (26) and color sensors (27 and 28) adapted to ascertain an approximate identification of the was... | 09/20/1994 |
| 5346048 | Apparatus for collecting articles An apparatus for collecting articles is housed in a parallelepipedic casing, on the front panel of which is arranged a display part of a playing part. An article-return part with an article-receiving container is also provided in the apparatus. The front ... | 09/13/1994 |
