Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Minigrip LLC

Signode Corporation

Prince Castle Inc.

Zip-Pak Incorporated

Other

Shippers Paper Products Company

The Dow Chemical Company

Restaurant Technology Inc.

Shipper Paper Products Company

Signode International IP Holdings LLC

Van Erden, Donald L.

Donald L. Vanerden

Donald L Van Erden

Art Malin

Manuel C Enriquez

Hugo Boeckmann

Loren Jay Veltrop

John P Wojcik

Steven Ausnit

Michael J McMahon

Kui-Chiu Kwok

James E Doherty

Lawrence Share

Parimal M Vadhar

Christopher F Lyons

James W Stone

Juergen O Rathgeber

Terry Tae-Il Chung

Donald W Noren

James W Robinson

Joseph S Adams

Daniel P McDonald

Deepak H Mehta

Brian Hee-Eun Lee

Michael J Mcmahon

Scott J Rote

Larry M Moeller

Robert G Kobetsky

Zdenek Machacek

Robert A Iverson

Frederick A Kish

Russell J Gould

Thomas C Keenan

G Michael Velan

Hugh J Zentmyer

George M Velan

Richard Joseph Urban

Eric Schmidt

Daniel Ryan Somen

Stanley C Veoukas

Christian Paul Andre Ricordi

James G Kohl, Jr

Paul R Harding

James E Hoadley

Hans Weltekamper

Yukio A Matsunaga

Korey V Kohl

Mark F Kurth

Aaron B Eiger

Anatoly I Gosis

Yury Shkolnikov

Timothy J Payne

Anthony R Caringella

John R Beach

Peter Lems

Jeffrey M Stupar

Joseph E Fabin

Werner K Diehl

Jack Guasta

Christopher B Lyons, Jr

Eldridge Presnell

Mark D Bauer

Guenther Reinhard Kram

Wieslaw W Tomczyk

James P Nelson

Jan Toczycki

Gary L Vadnais

Donald Buytaert

Philip B Lo Presti

Bruce Joseph Maliner

Karl G Adams

Scott A Howell

David E Fredericksen

Abram Cervantes

Penmetesa N Varma

James M Kniola

David E Frederickson

Kenneth C Rinehart

Parimal M Vedhar

Otto G Weber

Philip B Lo Prestl

Hans Weitekamper

G Michael Volan

Ronald L Smith

Paulette Van Erden, Legal Representative

James G Kohl

In one embodiment, a food heating device includes a first platen and a first conveyor arranged and spaced to transport a food product between the first platen () and the first conveyor (). A second platen () and a second conveyor () arranged and spaced to transport the food product () between the second platen () and the second conveyor (). A first end of the first platen () is disposed near a first end of the second conveyor () and a first end of the first conveyor () is disposed near a first end of the second platen () such that the food product () is automatically transferred from the first platen () to the second platen ().

Food heating device

A food heating device includes a platen () and a pair of conveyor segments (). A first conveyor segment is arranged and spaced to transport a food product () between a first side of the platen () and the first conveyor segment (). A second conveyor segment () is arranged and spaced to transport the food product between a second side of the platen () and the second conveyor segment (). A transfer device () may be disposed at one end of the platen () such that the transfer device transfers the food product () from the first side of the platen () to the second side of the platen ().

A food product steamer includes rotatable platforms that can be covered and uncovered by one or more rotatable, concave hoods. In a first position for the platform(s), the platform(s) supports a food product over a steam-emitting opening above a steam generator. In a first position for the hood, the hood covers the food product such that steam from the steam generator is trapped within the hood to steam the food product. In a second, open position, the hood is rotated where it can receive the food product when the food product slides or falls off the platform as the platform is rotated from its first position to a second, elevated position. At least one embodiment enables food products to be removed from either side of the steam generating base by using a double-acting hinge.

Food product steamer

Passive temperature control is provided to vessels too tall to be stored in a shallow, temperature-controlled tray or basin by a vertically oriented thermally-conductive tube. In one embodiment, an insulative collar covers the tray and insulates portions of the tube that extend above the top of the tray. Optional heat sinking fins and air convection holes increase heat transfer between the tube and the tray.

Drop-in passive thermal insert for food service counters

A piston and piston rod for a rodless dispenser for extrudable material are configured such that compressive force exerted on the piston from a push chain causes a reactive torque to be created that locks the links of the chain together. The push rod is located away from the piston's geometric center.

Piston and piston rod for a rodless dispenser

A push chain is used to drive a piston into a canister of extrudable material. The push chain is stored in an elongated chain magazine, withdrawn from the magazine and into the canister by actuation of a trigger connected to a sprocket for the chain. The push chain obviates the need for an elongated piston rod used in conventional extrudable material dispensers.

Rodless dispenser

A motion transmitting drive chain (drive chain) is prevented from buckling by applying a relatively small compressive bias force to one side of the pins around which the chain links rotate. The bias force is applied on the locking projection side of the pins axes of rotation such that the links are urged to rotate in the direction required to lock them against each other.

Push chain with a bias spring to prevent buckling

Temperature control is provided to food dispensing vessels like condiment dispensers that are too tall to be stored in a shallow, temperature-controlled tray or basin by using inclined or tilted, thermally-conductive tubes placed inside a temperature-controlled tray. Thermal insulating covers improve the thermal efficiency of the tubes.

Passive thermal insert for temperature-controlled trays and food service counters

One embodiment of a food heating device includes a platen () and an opening () disposed in the platen (). The opening () is arranged and sized to receive a food product () from a first side of the platen () and to output the food product () to a second side of the platen (). Alternative embodiments involve diagonally guiding a food product () along a different arrangements of platens ().

A new and improved sealed joint or system is disclosed for securing together the opposite ends of plastic strapping, which is encircled around the package or bale, in order to ensure that the opposite ends of the plastic strapping do not exhibit any slipping or relative movement with respect to each other whereby the predeterminedly formed size or shape of the package or bale is able to be preserved or maintained. In accordance with various different embodiments of the present invention, different arrangements of the sealed joint, with respect to the opposite ends of the plastic strapping, are structured whereby enhanced frictional contact is effectively developed between the sealed joint and the opposite ends of the plastic strapping, or between the opposite ends of the plastic strapping per se, so as to in fact reduce the amount of slipperiness effectively defined between the opposite ends of the plastic strapping. In accordance with a still further embodiment of the present invention, the opposite ends of the plastic strapping are effectively locked within a tubular sleeve member, by means of a chain-link type insert, such that the opposite ends of the plastic strapping are positionally fixed with respect to each other.

Sealed joint devices for securing strap ends together

A method of producing a plastic sheet-strap includes the steps of providing first and second work rollers such that the work rollers rotate in opposite directions and at different lineal surface velocities. The work rollers are spaced apart with respect to each other so as to define a work roller nip therebetween. A pinch roller is provided that is operably associated with the first work roller. The pinch roller and the first roller defining a deaerating nip therebetween. A solid sheet of material having a thickness is fed into the deaerating nip. The material is pinched against the first work roller and moves with rotation of the first work roller to the work roller nip between the first and second work rollers. The material is simultaneously milled and stretched substantially at the nip during a single pass of the solid sheet material through the nip as the rollers rotate in opposite directions and at different lineal surface velocities to form a milled and stretched oriented sheet. The second roller has a concave profile to work the edges of the sheet more than a central region of the sheet. A chill roller is disposed downstream of the second work roller to cool the milled and stretched oriented sheet.

Method and apparatus for producing oriented plastic strap

A new and improved fastening system for attaching relatively thin-gauge sheet metal members, such as, for example 14-25 gauge sheet metal members, wherein the power output parameters of the power tool are controlled such that when the driver blade member of the power tool acts upon each one of the brad-type nail fasteners, the brad-type nail fasteners will attain a predetermined velocity value, such as, for example, within the velocity range of 1000-2500 in/sec. Any one of various different types of power tools may be employed, and in addition, various geometrical characteristics of each brad-type fastener are important, such as, for example, the tip geometry, the aspect ratio A/R of the shank member of the fastener, and the use of an adhesive or painted coating upon the external surface areas of the shank member of the fastener. The fasteners preferably comprise dual-width fasteners which exhibit enhanced pull-out resistance values.

Fastening system for attaching metal studs to metal track

A zipper strip for a reclosable bag or package includes a male interlocking profile and a female interlocking profile. The male interlocking profile includes a male interlocking member and a male web coextruded therewith. In like manner, the female interlocking profile includes a female interlocking member and a female web. The male interlocking member snappingly engages into the female interlocking member to join the profiles to one another. One of the male and female webs is wider than the other in at least one of two directions from the male and female interlocking members, the greater width being represented by at least one flange extending widthwise beyond the other web. The zipper strip is designed to be attached to thermoplastic sheet material by sealing the at least one flange thereto without sealing the male and female webs to each other. Methods for securing the zipper strip to thermoplastic sheet material, and for making packages on a horizontal form-fill-and-seal machine, are also disclosed.

Zipper strip and method of positioning the strip transverse longitudinal axis

A gas combustion-powered apparatus includes a piston chamber housing a driveable piston, and a combustion chamber having a generally flat wall assembly and a cup-shaped wall defining at least one combustion volume therebetween. The cup-shaped wall is moveable in relation to the piston chamber, and has a generally flat portion opposing, and generally parallel to, the generally flat wall assembly. An ignition source is in operable relationship to the combustion volume, which can ignite a combustible gas within the combustion volume. The piston forms at least a portion of the generally flat wall assembly when the piston is in an undriven state.

Combustion apparatus having collapsible volume

A combustion chamber assembly for use in a combustion tool including a combustion chamber, at least one combustion chamber plate disposed in the chamber, the at least one combustion chamber plate and the chamber members being configured for relative reciprocal movement, the combustion chamber assembly having at least one latch member associated with control of movement of at least one plate within the combustion chamber to divide the chamber into multiple volumes. The combustion chamber assembly further has a release for the latch member for permitting relative movement of the at least one combustion chamber plate and the combustion chamber.

Latching mechanism for combustion chamber plate of a fastener driving tool

Growing community of inventors

Wildwood, IL, United States of America

Donald L Van Erden