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:
Mar. 06, 2012
Filed:
Sep. 18, 2009
Bryan Turner, Redmond, WA (US);
Bryan Turner, Redmond, WA (US);
RAF Technology, Inc., Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for weighing an article, such as a mail piece, while the article is moving at high speed. An article () is received from an intake transport (), and gripped in a weighing station (), in between a capstan roller and a pinch roller (), which are synchronized to minimize slipping. A first precision servo system () alters the speed of the article, and in the process acquires torque data for storage and analysis (). A second precision servo system () applies a constant force, via a tension arm (), urging the pinch roller () against the capstan roller, independently of the thickness of the mail piece. Fourier analysis can conveniently be applied for analyzing the acquired current data and comparing to stored calibration data to determine weight. Weight is determined without regard to the actual speed of the moving article.