Tropicana Products, Inc.

Frederick Erdman Association

Frank H Erdman

William J Ellis

A non-invasive method and apparatus for sensing relative blood conditions in extremities, such as using photoelectric dermachromography to measure differential blood flow and/or pooling between extremities, for the purpose of diagnosing cardiovascular conditions. Reflective colorimeters are employed for performing comparative light reflection rheology (LRR). The resting, steady-state LRR for both the left and right palms are simultaneously measured when both arms are in a raised, steady-state condition, and again when both arms are in a lowered, steady-state condition, thereby providing a repeatable measurement of overall vasomotor tone, the tone of the smooth muscles of the arterial walls. Two portable light gauges are used, each including a plurality of light sources such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged around at least one light detector. Each gauge is removably attachable to the palms of the hands of the patient whose vasomotor tone is to be determined. The gauges are removably attached to the palms so that the hands are movable, and measurements are taken of both hands in a raised, substantially steady-state UP condition, and then again while both hands are in a lowered, substantially steady-state DOWN condition. After a series of these UP and DOWN measurements are taken, the gauges are switched and another series of UP and DOWN measurements with the gauges reversed are taken. Each gauge is independently calibrated by using standardized reference scales.

Method and apparatus for cardiovascular diagnosis

A non-invasive method and apparatus for sensing relative blood flow to extremities, such as using photoelectric dermachromography to measure differential blood flow between extremities, for the purpose of diagnosing cardiovascular conditions, employs reflective colorimeters for performing comparative light reflection rheology (LRR) on blood flow to the extremities. The resting, steady-state LRR for both the left and right palms are simultaneously measured when both arms are in a raised, steady-state condition, and again when both arms are in a lowered, steady-state condition, thereby providing a repeatable measurement of overall vasomotor tone, the tone of the smooth muscles of the arterial walls. Two portable light gauges are used, each including a plurality of light sources such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged around at least one light detector. Each gauge is removably attachable to the palms of the hands of the patient whose vasomotor tone is to be determined. The gauges are removably attached to the palms so that the hands are movable, and measurements are taken while the left and/or right hands are in a raised, substantially steady-state UP condition, and then again while the left and/or right hands are in a lowered, substantially steady-state DOWN condition. After a series of these UP and DOWN measurements are taken, the gauges are switched and another series of UP and DOWN measurements with the reversed gauges are taken. Each gauge is independently calibrated by using standardizing reference scales.

Method and apparatus for non-invasive cardiovascular diagnosis

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 sensor. The shoe includes a reference portion arranged to be contacted by the caps to conform the shoe to the orientation of the cap. The floating shoe is mounted for lateral movement and includes guide flanges. The flanges extend generally fore-to-aft and are arranged to be contacted by the caps to shift the shoe laterally so as to position the proximity sensor over the same portions of successive caps. If caps of non-metallic material are being sensed, a metal spring member is carried by the shoe and is arranged to be contacted by the top panel of each cap and assume a spacing from the proximity sensor in accordance with the degree of depression of the top panel. The proximity sensor is directed toward the spring member to sense the latter.

Apparatus for sensing depressions in top panels of containers

A method and apparatus are disclosed for unloading a pallet stacked with inverted, bottom-open cases of bottles to be filled. The loaded pallet is placed on a pivotable support frame which embraces the top, bottom, and one or three sides of the loaded pallet, and the support frame and pallet are rotated through approximately ninety degrees. A hinged, fingered, platform on the pivotable support frame that embraces the top layer of cases of the pallet load is next rotated together with that layer through another 90.degree. arc, transferring the case to a succeeding hinged, fingered platform which, in turn, rotates the layer another 180.degree. (back to its original orientation). The transposed layer is then pushed onto a conveyor, the covering cartons removed, and the bottles conveyed to a filling machine. The fingered platforms return for another layer, repeating the cycle until all of the cases have been removed from the pallet. The empty pallet is ejected and stacked or removed and the pivotable support frame returns to the original position to accept another full pallet load of cases.

Method and apparatus for depalletizing

A bottle check detector is disclosed which detects both vertical and horizontal checks in the neck portion of a transparent glass bottle that may be of a rectangular half-gallon size, a circular half-gallon size, a round quart size or a square quart size. The check detector includes a continuously rotating head having infrared light emitters and receivers for detecting a wide range of horizontal and vertical checks. The emitters and receivers are pulsed and coupled to detect any checks. The head also includes downwardly extending fingers having reflecting surfaces thereon positioned below the plane of the bottle mouth to reflect the light reflected by generally vertical cracks upwardly to light receivers. Bottles are singularly advanced into an inspection position directly below the rotating head by an intermittently advancing conveyor having opposed lugs to space bottles from one another and to push them forwardly. The intermittently advancing conveyor is synchronously driven with the continuously rotating head with a geneva gear means. A mechanical memory device is provided to actuate a bottle segregation device spaced from the inspection station.

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Newtown Square, PA, United States of America

Frank H Erdman