The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 11, 1995
Filed:
Aug. 11, 1993
Chandrakant R Bhatia, Libertyville, IL (US);
Richard J Kuhns, Crystal lake, IL (US);
Steven D Vannice, Wheeling, IL (US);
Michael E Stober, Woodland Hills, CA (US);
Videojet Systems International, Inc., Wood Dale, IL (US);
Abstract
A system for analyzing the physical condition of a moving article, such as a glass bottle, in a stream of articles of manufacture which are moving at a predetermined speed. A light source illuminates a portion of the moving article to be analyzed at an illumination angle, and a camera obtains an image of the illuminated portion of the article. The camera is disposed to view the article at a viewing angle that is distinct from the illumination angle, thereby substantially reducing the amount of reflected light received by the camera. A transparent surface is interposed between the camera and the article and angled to reduce the amount of reflected light received by the camera. A computer or the like processes the image to evaluate the physical condition of the article, and categorizes the article into distinct categories based upon the physical condition of the article.