Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7315007 | Method and apparatus for stiffness and thickness detection in mail sorting systems A method is provided for preventing flat mail pieces having excessive thickness or stiffness from entering a mail processing machine wherein flat mail pieces are held on opposite sides and conveyed by paired conveyor belts around one or more curves, including one cu... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7216013 | Singulation detection system for objects used in conjunction with a conveyor system A system and method for reliably detecting singulated parcels traveling on a conveyor belt by comparing parcel characteristics before and after parcel agitation. First, parcel characteristics are evaluated. Then parcels are agitated to promote a change in characteri... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7194924 | System and method for biohazard detection using compression The present invention includes a system and method for detecting contaminated objects, for example mail pieces, through use of a pinching device that compresses the objects, thereby possibly releasing potential contaminant-containing particles into the air in a clos... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7165681 | Device and method for sorting of bent elongated articles A device for sorting bent elongated articles, in particular rods or tubes, having a measuring span with an inclined plane, down which the articles roll. A separating system provided at the outlet end of the measuring span sorts the bent articles from the straight ar... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7096743 | Device for measuring the bending strength of flat consignments An apparatus for measuring the flexural rigidity in the longitudinal direction of flat items of mail transported one after another on a conveying path includes a control device, a sensor for detecting the edges of the items of mail and signaling the control device w... | 08/29/2006 |
| 6905119 | Pressurized roller A roller for use in an imaging system includes a variable hardness, fluid-pressurizable roller core, and a roller cover surrounding the roller core. A source of pressurized fluid can be used to pressurize the roller core to a fixed, predetermined pressure prior to i... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6788995 | System and method of flexibly sorting and unloading finished parts during part manufacturing process The present invention relates to a system and method therefor of sorting and unloading various pieces cut from sheet blanks which have different dimensions in a sheet metal fabricating environment. To achieve this end, prior to the production run, the various progra... | 09/07/2004 |
| 6377864 | System and method of flexibly sorting and unloading finished parts during part manufacturing process The present invention relates to a system and method therefor of sorting and unloading various pieces cut from sheet blanks which have different dimensions in a sheet metal fabricating environment. To achieve this end, prior to the production run, the var... | 04/23/2002 |
| 5829600 | Method and apparatus for identifying different, elongated metallic objects The invention is concerned with a method for identifying different, elongated metallic objects according to position and/or shape and/or type. In this method, by means of a conveyor, an object lying singly in a predetermined or a random position on convey... | 11/03/1998 |
| 5771003 | Locating system and process A user-friendly process and fail safe system instantaneously identifies, locates, and help retrieve products and their contents in drawers, shelves, rooms, offices, stores, warehouses, etc. The efficient process and economical system is particularly usefu... | 06/23/1998 |
| 5511670 | Needle sorting device A needle sorting device comprises an infeed device which singulates and randomly deposits surgical needles upon a first conveyor for transmission to a processing station. Upon transit, one or more cameras to obtain an image of the deposited needles. The i... | 04/30/1996 |
| 5419441 | Needle blank sorting apparatus The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for sorting needle blanks. Generally, the apparatus includes a needle transferring assembly which receives needle blanks at a needle loading position and sequentially transfers the needle blanks to ... | 05/30/1995 |
| 5375722 | Carton monitoring system A carton glue monitoring system includes a conveyor moving a plurality of cartons in a first direction. An encoder provides pulses at a rate proportional to conveyor line speed. A glue applicator applies a glue strip having a fluorescent material added th... | 12/27/1994 |
| 5337902 | Tablet sensor An apparatus for measuring the capacitance of tablets of varying shapes and sizes by conveying the tablets along a curved path which includes a zone of travel between the plates of a capacitive sensing device. The tablets are conveyed in a relatively fixe... | 08/16/1994 |
| 5305895 | Method and device for measuring a dimension of a body, and use of said method The image of a body which is located in a measuring zone is projected by a mirror into a camera having an optoelectric transducer, for instance a row of photodiodes. The stripe pattern is thrown onto the upper side of the body by a light beam which is inc... | 04/26/1994 |
| 5265733 | Method of checking the composition of multilayer units composed of sheetlike parts and apparatus for composing, and checking the composition of, such units A method for verifying any of a plurality of predetermined compositions of multilayered units composed of stacked sheetlike parts passed in spaced succession by a checkpoint, including the steps of determining a first value according to a thickness of a f... | 11/30/1993 |
| 5184732 | Shape sorting In order to provide an accurate sort into many different classes, objects are dropped through a viewing zone and viewed in the same instant by a number of viewers. Each viewer provides electronic signals representative of three basic shape features, namel... | 02/09/1993 |
| 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 |
| 5130653 | Apparatus for detecting surface flaws in cylindrical articles Apparatus for detecting surface flaws in cylindrical articles having central longitudinal axes, including a guide assembly for guiding the cylindrical articles along a displacement path having a central longitudinal axis extending coaxially of the central... | 07/14/1992 |
| 4956079 | Apparatus for transporting objects Apparatus for transporting objects in succession through a measuring head. A common drive shaft provides synchronised movement of transfer apparatus, gripper apparatus and indexing apparatus. The transfer apparatus receives objects from a supply and carri... | 09/11/1990 |
| 4946587 | Automated gauging apparatus To qualify the heights of inwardly projecting nuclear fuel rod-positioning stops formed in the sidewall of tubular ferrules 12 utilized in fuel bundle spacers, an automated gauging apparatus, seen in FIG. 6, is provided to handle successive ferrules on an... | 08/07/1990 |
| 4923067 | Automated drill sorting system and method Drill bits (16) are delivered in a mixed, bulk form, in a random orientation, into an alignment unit (30). Aligned drill bits (16) move from the alignment conveyor (30) into the upper end of a singulator (36). Singulated drill bits (16) are delivered by t... | 05/08/1990 |
| 4838435 | Installation for processing photograph envelopes An installation for processing of photograph envelopes intended to equip a large photography processing laboratory. The installation includes a picking station, a bar code reading station, a thickness detection station, a station for recognition of shapes... | 06/13/1989 |
| 4801020 | Apparatus and method for detecting defects in a spherical object An apparatus wherein a spherical object is rotated on its equatorial axis (b-b) and its polar axis (a-a) adjacent a sensor (s) for detecting defects is described. The roller shaft (128) has spherical projections (129 and 130) and spaced apart parallel spi... | 01/31/1989 |
| 4795554 | PLCC co-planarity measurement method and apparatus There is provided, a method and apparatus for determining if the lengths of all of the leads on all four sides of a PLCC packaged devices are within a selected tolerance of each other. To do so a relatively smooth surface across which the device is to be ... | 01/03/1989 |
| 4735508 | Method and apparatus for measuring a curvature of a reflective surface A method for measuring a curvature of a reflective surface includes the steps of directing a pair of collimated light beams onto a substantially smooth portion of the reflective surface and measuring the separation of the light beam images reflected from ... | 04/05/1988 |
| 4733360 | Device and method for inspecting card-like articles A card-like article inspection device has an inclined table for placing articles thereon in an upright and aligned state, a camera for detecting the foremost article, and an article feed frame for transferring the article having been inspected along one s... | 03/22/1988 |
| 4727989 | Automatic tie plate orientation sensing system An electro-mechanical orientation system for conveyed articles having a distinguishable top and bottom such as a rail tie plate or the like is disclosed comprising a sensor frame having a transverse pivot axis, a plurality of elongate sensor fingers pivot... | 03/01/1988 |
| 4608646 | Programmable parts feeder A micro-controller system for recognizing and identifying same or dissimilar parts being transferred along the track of a parts feeder, such as a bowl feeder, as well as checking the part orientation, and sorting the oriented parts in a predetermined repe... | 08/26/1986 |
| 4582200 | Device for measuring the offset between the faceplate panel and funnel of a kinescope A device for measuring the offset between the funnel and panel of a kinescope includes a pivotable member which engages the reference pads on the funnel. The pivotable member is mounted on a slidable mount which is biased to an extended position. When the... | 04/15/1986 |
| 4573934 | System for identifying envelopes having excessive panel-funnel offset and dispensing articles A kinescope envelope which rests on a fixture is positioned at a location where the envelope size is determined. The envelope is removed from the fixture and positioned at a preselected position where the panel-funnel offset is determined. The size and of... | 03/04/1986 |
| 4569445 | Apparatus for measuring the thickness of disc-like articles An apparatus (10) for automatically feeding and measuring circular discs (12) includes a gauging station (15). The latter includes a pair of opposed capacitive displacement measuring probes (27 and 28). The probes are connected to a thickness measuring te... | 02/11/1986 |
| 4475368 | Method and apparatus for restraightening container support skirts Method and apparatus for restraightening depending bent metal end skirts of cylindrical containers, such as beer kegs, wherein the containers moving in a path of travel for processing are automatically interrogated by sensing heads which engage the rims o... | 10/09/1984 |
| 4402139 | Method and apparatus for detecting dome depth A dome depth detector for a drawn and ironed container having a domed end wall includes a frame that has a first rotatable means supported thereon for guiding the containers along a path, a guide surface on one side of the path on the frame, and a rotatab... | 09/06/1983 |
| 4385701 | Article elevating apparatus with inclined roller carriers In an article elevating apparatus, articles such as cigarette cartons, are picked up at a loading station by inclined roller carriers moving in an upward vertical direction. During upward movement the articles are held on the roller carriers by sliding en... | 05/31/1983 |
| 4380295 | Automatic drill deburring and sorting machine Drills (35), vertically oriented in a row/column array in a drill block (31), are moved in the column direction across a slot (49) located at a loading station (41). As the drills in each partially or fully occupied row reach the slot and drop, drill bloc... | 04/19/1983 |
| 4379509 | High efficiency sorting apparatus Apparatus for sorting items according to size wherein the items are dropped between a pair of opposed sorting discs having facing sides with the spacing between the sides varying radially of the discs, with withdrawing elements being interposed at various... | 04/12/1983 |
| 4360108 | Method and apparatus for checking letter thickness A method and apparatus are described for automatically checking envelopes for objects which would interere with an automatic postal mail sorting operation. The envelopes are moved between inflated rollers and changes in the roller pressures caused by obje... | 11/23/1982 |
| 4355724 | Apparatus for sensing depressions in top panels of containers Apparatus for detecting whether the top panel of a container cap is properly depressed as capped containers are conveyed along a travel path. The apparatus is of the type comprising a floating shoe disposed over the travel path and carrying a proximity se... | 10/26/1982 |
| 4260483 | Bottle cap inspecting machine In accordance with the present invention, methods and machinery are provided for automatically inspecting shaped, lined closures and rejecting those which fail to meet pre-established criteria for shape and seal. Specifically, shaped closures having conca... | 04/07/1981 |
