Bell Telephone Laboratories

Hdn Development Corporation

Platt Saco Lowell Corporation, Inc.

Toter, LLC

Major Oil Company, Inc.

J.a. King & Company, Inc.

Charles David Crawford

James A King, Jr

Garcie M McCall

Robert Simpson

Joey R Spruill

Akiva Pinto

Alex Jacques Keller

Stanley N Lowry

Joseph R Williams

John T Prout

Stan Lowry

Erhard A Fechner

John H Randolph

Fleming W Atkin

Riley C Maness

A method for automatically forming dough-based products, such as doughnuts involves pressurizing a tank containing dough. The dough is extruded to form a flight of dough-based products. The weight of the flight of dough-based products is measured. The weight data is transmitted to a computer. The measured weight is compared to a predetermined weight stored in the computer memory. The pressure in the tank is adjusted automatically before subsequent extrusions.

Methods and systems for automatically extruding and cutting dough-based products having pre-selected weights

A system for monitoring a storage tank containing a fluid. The system measures the buoyancy force acting on a displacer suspended in a storage tank by means of a load cell. The resulting force acting on the displacer is proportional to the mass of fluid in the tank. A look-up table is first developed by making periodic entries of the resulting load cell output during the initial filling of the tank. This data is then stored in a computer memory. By utilizing this data and interpolating between entries, a very accurate measurement of the fluid mass in the tank is calculated. In addition, by making periodic measurements over time, small leaks can be detected. In the preferred embodiment, the monitor includes an A/D converter located adjacent to the sensor assembly, thereby substantially eliminating measurement errors due to thermoelectric effects. The sensor assembly includes a generally cylindrical displacer extending from near the tank bottom or at least below the lowest level reached by the fluid in the tank to the maximum level reached by the fluid. In one preferred embodiment, the displacer has a tapered cross-section on at least one of its ends to substantially eliminate measurement errors which occur due to changes in fluid temperature.

System for monitoring storage tanks

A weighing apparatus for determining the weight of a load while the load is in vertical motion, comprising a stationary support, a lifter for lifting and lowering the load thorough a range of vertical motion, and at least three elongate weigh beams secured to the stationary support and the lifter by respective opposite ends thereof and rigidly spacing the lifter horizontally from the stationary support. The weigh beams sense the weight of the load continuously while the load is in motion. A computer is operatively connected to the weigh beams for receiving and processing weight information sensed by the weigh beams and outputting data representative of the weight of the load. A first weight is sensed representing the container and refuse contained in the container. A second weight is sensing after the container has been emptied and subtracted from the first weight to derive a net weight representing the weight of the emptied refuse. The lifter includes a reader for reading data from an identity tag carried by refuse containers to be emptied.

Weighing apparatus for weighing the contents of a refuse container and

Method and apparatus for feeding, weighing and releasing a predetermined quantity of fiber in reoccurring cycles for use in a fiber blending operation or the like whereby the quantity of fiber released in each cycle is maintained at an essentially constant and preselected level, which includes means for sensing the actual weight of fiber dumped from a weigh pan or container, comparing such weight with a constant preset desired weight setting, and varying the weight of fiber delivered during the next cycle to compensate for any differences between the preset weight and the actual weight dumped during the preceding cycle.

Method and apparatus for feeding, weighing and releasing fiber

A hybrid circuit for coupling a bidirectional telephone cable to two unidirectional cables is balanced automatically by employing an adjustable balance network and a control circuit. Optimum adjustment of the balance network is achieved over a frequency band of interest by employing a signal source having one or more frequency components within the frequency band of interest and by generating signals for controlling magnitude and phase components in the balance network. The magnitude control signal is representative of the difference between the absolute magnitudes of signals detected at the bidirectional cable connection to the hybrid and at the balance network connection to the hybrid in the frequency band of interest. Signals for controlling the phase components of the balance network are representative of the difference between the absolute magnitudes of the detected signals modified by a first prescribed weighting function less a component proportional to the phase difference between the detected signals modified by a second prescribed weighting function within the frequency band of interest. The weighting functions are obtained by employing a filter having a prescribed low-pass characteristic. The component values of the filter are determined by the locations of adjustable pole(s) and/or zero(s) within the frequency band. The filter characteristic may be adjusted during the balance process further to optimize the balance network adjustments.

Automatic cable balancing network

Impedance settings are obtained automatically for manually adjusting a network to obtain a driving point impedance substantially equal to a particular unknown impedance. Discrete impedance settings for setting up, for example, a manually adjustable hybrid balance network are obtained by employing a hybrid network, a noise signal source, at least first and second automatically adjustable balance networks and at least first and second control circuits. An impedance to be matched, for example, a 2-wire telephone cable, is connected to the hybrid. Signals detected at the cable and at the inputs to the respective balance networks are employed to generate control signals for adjusting impedance elements in the automatically adjustable balance networks. Impedance elements in the first balance network are continuously adjusted to match substantially exactly the impedance of the cable. Then, the most sensitive of the corresponding control signals is rounded off to a discrete value and supplied to adjust a corresponding discretely adjustable impedance element in the at least second adjustable balance network. The second control circuit then generates signals for adjusting the remaining impedance elements in the second balance network to obtain the most optimum driving point impedance to match the cable impedance. Values of the impedance control are displayed in binary form to be used by a craftsperson for setting up a corresponding manually adjustable balance network to match the particular cable connected to the hybrid.

Test apparatus for obtaining impedance settings for hybrid balance

Signals representative of information bits are converted from one binary code, for example, Gray code, to another binary code, for example, conventional binary, and vice versa, by advantageously employing optical couplers in conjunction with buffer amplifiers. The optical couplers include light emitting diodes and associated phototransistors which are uniquely connected in circuit relationship with the outputs of the buffer amplifiers to effect the desired code conversions.

Optical Gray to binary code converter

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, NC, United States of America

Charles David Crawford