Adolph Coors Company

Coors Brewing Company

Coors Container Company

The Pillsbury Company

Golden Technologies Company, Inc.

Photon Energy Gmbh

Larry M Dugan

Jan L Dorfman

Danny L McMillin

Michael R Perry

Bruce A Moen

Frank L Shriver

Roger A Thompson

Scot P Albright

Christopher S Derks

James S Bader

James W Ditto

Ronald L Moore

Mark A Willcoxen

David A Kirk

David C Young

Davey L McCullough

Raymond W Tucker

David E Rasmussen

Paul H LeFevre

Lewis R Branch

Steve Reil

Robert J DeRoche

William C Carlsen

Michael Dreher

Richard L Szabo

LeRoy J Haverland

Apparatus and method for packaging articles, such as container ends, using a product having a plurality of interconnected compartments formed in two continuous superposed sheets by a lengthwise extending seam and a plurality of spaced apart widthwise extending seams so that each compartment has one open end, by moving one of the compartments to a predetermined location, gripping the widthwise extending seams of the one compartment, moving one of the gripped seams toward the other of the gripped seams, applying a force to the open end to move apart the portions of the superposed strips forming the one compartment, holding a plurality of articles at a location aligned with the open end, pushing the articles into the one compartment, at least partially closing the open end to form a partially closed compartment having articles confined therein, moving the partially closed compartment to move another compartment into the predetermined location and repeating the process to form a plurality of interconnected partially closed compartments each having a plurality of articles confined therein. The interconnected partially closed compartments may be severed along the widthwise extending seams to form a plurality of separate partially closed compartments or may remain interconnected and be palletized. Mounting apparatus for mounting a rodless cylinder is also provided.

Apparatus and method for packaging articles

The subject inventions concern various photovoltaic module designs to protect the module from horizontal and vertical impacts and degradation of solar cell efficiency caused by moisture. In one design, a plurality of panel supports that are positioned adjacent to the upper panel in a photovoltaic module absorb vertical forces exerted along an axis perpendicular to the upper panel. Other designs employ layers of glass and tempered glass, respectively, to protect the module from vertical impacts. A plurality of button-shaped channels is used around the edges of the photovoltaic module to absorb forces applied to the module along an axis parallel to the module and direct moisture away from the module that could otherwise penetrate the module and adversely affect the cells within the module. A spacer is employed between the upper and lower panels that has a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially equivalent to the coefficient of thermal expansion of at least one of the panels.

Apparatus for encapsulating a photovoltaic module

The present invention provides a container suitable for pressurized non-flowable consumer goods such as refrigeratable bread doughs and the like. In a first embodiment, the container includes a removable lid, a shell having sidewalls, and a piston plate. The bottom of the container includes an access port therethrough to permit access to the piston plate, which may be urged upwardly to remove product from the container. In a second embodiment, the container includes a removable lid, a shell having sidewalls and a bottom, and a removable liner. The liner may include manually graspable flanges and a stirrup extending beneath the product. The product may be removed from the container by grasping the flanges of the liner and withdrawing the liner and the product through the open top of the shell.

Method for processing an expandable food product

Registration apparatus for controlling the image height and circumferential orientation of a plate cylinder of a can decorating apparatus using hydraulic linear actuators or electric linear actuators to move first adjustors for the circumferential orientation and second adjustors for the image height orientation.

Plate cylinder registration apparatus

A rodless cylinder and an external yoke which slides thereover are mounted in a relatively rigid generally tubular support that has a guide rail mounted thereon with a bearing slide mounted for sliding movement over the guide rail and the bearing slide has a work performing tool mounted thereon. The bearing slide is coupled to the external yoke for movement therewith and substantially all torques generated by forces on the work performing tool are absorbed by the bearing slide, the guide rail and the relatively rigid generally tubular support.

Apparatus for mounting a rodless cylinder

A joint for connecting a driving member having an end surface to a driven member having an end surface wherein a solid, deformable, non-compressible material is located therebetween and associated therewith to provide a space to permit limited relative movement therebetween so that when a force is applied to the driving member to move the driving member toward the driven member, the solid, deformable, non-compressible material deforms to compensate for any misalignment between the driving member and the driven member until it fills the space and the non-compressible characteristic thereof operates so that a uniform force is then transmitted across the end surface of the driven member to move the driven member.

Joint system

Apparatus for supporting at least one endless movable chain conveyor for carrying articles and having a top run and a bottom run wherein a plurality of spaced apart base support members are mounted on a fixed support surface with each of the base support members having a primary plate support member releasably secured thereto. Each primary plate support member has opposite end portions and a primary support member is releasably secured to each end portion. A rigidifying tube is releasably secured to a plurality of the primary support members to provide rigidity to the apparatus which rigidifying tube in located between the top and bottom runs. Top run chain guides and supports extend between and are releasably secured to adjacent primary support members and bottom run chain guides and supports are releasably secured to the primary plate support members. The apparatus is substantially completely open so that all portions thereof are readily available for inspection and/or cleaning.

Apparatus for supporting an article conveying system

An expandable pouch for applying a pressure to a material to be dispensed from a container wherein two sheets of a fluid impervious material are permanently joined together at their edges and divided into a plurality of compartments by semi-permanent peelable strips. One of the compartments is divided into sub-compartments with fluid communication being provided between two sub-compartments. One of a two component chemical gas generating system is located in each of the two sub-compartments so that when the pouch is inverted, the chemicals combine to start generating gas to force open the peelable strips.

Apparatus and method for generating pressures for a disposable container

A conveying system for crowns used to cap containers having a portion thereof adapted to detect and eject bent crowns comprising a conveyor chute for permitting the gravity feed of bent and unbent crowns therethrough, a conventional crown orienting apparatus for orienting each crown to be in the same relationship and a transfer system between the conveyor chute and the crown orienting apparatus for transferring crowns between the conveyor chute and the crown orienting apparatus and wherein the transfer system has a movable bent crown detecting apparatus for stopping the movement of bent crowns therethrough but permitting the movement of unbent crowns therethrough. A sensing device that is responsive to the stoppage of flow of the crowns through the bent crown detecting apparatus is provided and functions to signal appropriate apparatus to stop the flow of crowns into the transfer system, to move the detecting apparatus so that the bent crown may move therethrough and to activate a bent crown ejecting apparatus to remove the bent crown from the transfer system and to return the conveying system to normal operations.

Apparatus for detecting and ejecting bent crowns

A system for controlling the movement of filled and sealed beverage containers so that they will move from a filling and sealing apparatus to a liquid level testing apparatus in a set period of elapsed time which is maintained substantially constant and wherein all of the filled and sealed containers are first deposited on a first half width portion of a moving endless conveyor and after that every other filled and sealed container is pushed to a second half width portion of the moving endless conveyor. The filled and sealed containers are then transferred to a first or second moving fill test conveyor moving at a linear velocity less than the linear velocity of the moving endless conveyor and which functions to feed the filled and sealed containers to a first or second liquid level testing apparatus and wherein the linear velocity of the first and second moving fill test conveyors controls the period of elapsed time.

System for controlling the movement of filled and sealed containers

Apparatus for attachment to a can filler unit which apparatus functions to properly locate a can in relation to a filling apparatus so as to minimize any possible damage to a can and to provide a support for a sealing and pressure relief member when the can filling system is being cleaned.

Can filling system

A can filling device for minimizing damage to cans during filling by providing full can pockets on a filler wheel having upper and lower arm portions which maintain the constant vertical orientation of the can during the filling process. A locator brush is disposed to induce an inward radial force relative to the rotating filler wheel to maintain the can within the can pocket. Additionally, a hold down guide assembly displaces the cans in a downward position on the rotating filler wheel to prevent damage by the spindle mechanism. Sufficient tangential clearance is provided by the star wheel pockets to prevent damage due to play between the rotating filler wheel and the star wheel. Close tolerances are provided in the radial direction to ensure full transfer of the can from the star wheel pocket to the filler wheel pocket.

Can filling system to prevent damage to cans

A joint for connecting a driving means to a driven means for reciprocating movement wherein a confined deformable, non-compressible material is in contact with a surface area of the driving means and with a surface area of the driven means and when a force is applied to the driving means to move the driving means toward the driven means, the deformable, non-compressible material deforms to compensate for any misalignment between the driving means and the driven means until it reaches its non-compressible state so that a uniform force is then transmitted across the surface area of the driven means in one direction to move the driven means.

A shaft alignment system for pumps which utilizes a clamp for holding a reciprocating shaft to a piston in an abutting relationship. The clamp can be loosened and retightened after the piston, which is attached to the reciprocating shaft, is inserted in a cylinder. Forces induced on the piston after insertion in the cylinder cause the piston and shaft to be realigned. Resecuring the reciprocating shaft assembly to the piston assembly causes the system to be precisely aligned in a transverse direction.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Larry M Dugan