Gary Duane Hunt

US Patent:

7559737, Jul 14, 2009

Filed:

Jan 14, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/036921

Inventors:

Christopher A. Ray - Port Orange FL, US
David N. Cooley - Port Orange FL, US
Gary D. Hunt - Port Orange FL, US
J. Michael Connor - West Chester PA, US
Gert B. Gast - Kleve, DE
Donald Peter Welch - Port Orange FL, US
Mark T. Brogan - Lake Helen FL, US
John P. Choufani - Port Orange FL, US
Kevin F. Keyes - New Smyrna Beach FL, US

Assignee:

Sentry Equipment Erectors Inc. - Forest VA

International Classification:

B65G 57/02
B65G 1/18
B65G 57/00

US Classification:

4147929, 414793, 414799, 1984183, 198435

Abstract:

A new type of pallet stacking assembly line. Two pick-and-place robots are used. The first robot has a relatively low position. The second robot is in an elevated position. A pallet dispenser dispenses a first pallet onto a pallet conveyor. The pallet conveyor then moves the first pallet to a first build position in front of the first robot. The first robot then begins picking products from a first pick position and stacking them on the first pallet. Once the products on the first pallet reach approximately half the finished height, the pallet conveyor carries the first pallet over to a second build position in front of the second robot. At the same time, the pallet dispenser dispenses a second pallet which is carried to the first build position. The second robot picks products from a second pick position and places them on the upper portion of the first pallet in order to complete the stack. Meanwhile, the first robot is picking and placing products on the lower portion of the second pallet.

US Patent:

20090200137, Aug 13, 2009

Filed:

Apr 17, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/425881

Inventors:

Christopher A. RAY - Port Orange FL, US
David N. Cooley - Port Orange FL, US
Gary D. Hunt - Port Orange FL, US
J. Michael Conner - West Chester PA, US
Gert B. Gast - Kleve, DE
Donald Peter Welch - Port Orange FL, US
Mark T. Brogan - Lake Helen FL, US
John P. Choufani - Port Orange FL, US
Kevin F. Keyes - New Smyrna Beach FL, US

Assignee:

Sentry Equipment Erectors Inc., a Virginia Corporation - Forest VA

International Classification:

B65G 43/10

US Classification:

19834106

Abstract:

A pallet stacking assembly line having at least two pick-and-place robots are used. The first robot has a relatively low position. The second robot is in an elevated position. A pallet dispenser dispenses a first pallet onto a pallet conveyor The pallet conveyor moves the first pallet to a first build position in front of the first robot. The first robot picks products from a first pick position and stacks them on the first pallet. Once the stack of products on the first pallet reach approximately half the finished stack height, the pallet conveyor carries the first pallet to a second build position in front of the second robot. At the same time, the pallet dispenser dispenses a second pallet which is carried to the first build position. The second robot picks products from a second pick position and places them on the upper portion of the stack on the first pallet to complete the stack. Meanwhile, the first robot is picking and placing products on the lower portion of the second pallet. The process continues indexing, with both robots ideally being busy all the time. Each robot builds half the stack on the pallet,

US Patent:

50658565, Nov 19, 1991

Filed:

Jun 12, 1989

Appl. No.:

7/365207

Inventors:

Laurie M. Reid - Casselberry FL
Archie Koster - Casselberry FL
Gary D. Hunt - Longwood FL

Assignee:

Simplimatic Engineering Company - Lynchburg VA

International Classification:

B65G 4726

US Classification:

1984193

Abstract:

An improved tray packer-shrink wrapper is provided in a preferred embodiment with a computer control to permit relatively efficient changeover from processing a batch of one product size to a batch of another product size. A servocontrolled pin grouper is provided wherein at least two sets of pins such as pins A and B are mounted on corresponding endless chains such as chains A and B, which endless chains are independently cyclable by corresponding independently controlled servomotors A and B. The pin sets are inserted into a row of articles positioned on a stationary deadplate, with one pin set leading a trailing pin set, and the leading pin set is accelerated with respect to the trailing pin set to separate articles downstream of the leading pin set into an article group, which separation operation is continuously carried out in a cyclical fashion to group articles from the row. The computer control can be readily reprogrammed to control servomotors A and B differently for different sized articles and articles groups. Also, a servocontrolled film feed device and a servocontrolled wrapping device responsive to the same computer control are provided.

US Patent:

49782754, Dec 18, 1990

Filed:

Jul 31, 1989

Appl. No.:

7/387692

Inventors:

Laurie M. Reid - Casselberry FL
Gary D. Hunt - Longwood FL

Assignee:

Simplimatic Engineering Company - Lynchburg VA

International Classification:

B65G 5714

US Classification:

4147895

Abstract:

An improved palletizer is provided for receiving successive groups of articles in a pattern forming area and transferring the groups in succession to a stacking area on a pallet. A servocontrolled sweep system transfers article groups from the pattern formings to the stacking area for stacking one group on top of the other as the pallet is indexed downward by a hoist system after each successive group, and a carriage system interleaves separator sheets between successive groups. A programmable logic controller controls the servocontrolled sweep system in accordance with a velocity characteristic designed to increase machine speed and efficiency.

US Patent:

55156681, May 14, 1996

Filed:

Sep 3, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/116368

Inventors:

Gary D. Hunt - Lake Mary FL
Dave Cooley - Sanford FL
John M. Connor - Longwood FL
Keith B. Weisenstein - Deltona FL
Roger K. Calabrese - Sanford FL
Gregory S. Gulik - Deltona FL
Archie Koster - Casselberry FL
David A. Foskett - Orlando FL

Assignee:

Simplimatic Engineering Company - Lynchburg VA

International Classification:

B65B 3530

US Classification:

53543

Abstract:

A laning conveyor is provided which may be used as an infeed for a packer. The laning conveyor comprises a central lane guide and a movable lane guide unit including at least two lane guides connected thereto spaced apart a first lane width. The unit is mounted adjacent the central lane guide to form a lane therebetween having the first lane width. The unit is movable to provide the lane with a second lane width. A method of laning articles is also disclosed.

US Patent:

20160031656, Feb 4, 2016

Filed:

Mar 6, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/641001

Inventors:

- Forest VA, US
Gary D. HUNT - Ponce Inlet FL, US
David N. COOLEY - Port Orange FL, US
William M. CONNOR - Port Orange FL, US
John P. CHOUFANI - Port Orange FL, US
Mark T. BROGAN - Lake Helen FL, US
Brian S. CHILDRESS - Port Orange FL, US
Keith A. KNOWLES - New Smyrna Beach FL, US
Gert B. GAST - Port Orange FL, US

International Classification:

B65G 47/51

Abstract:

A method of accumulating products traveling in a conveyor system according to system conditions including: receiving products from an infeed conveyor onto a first conveyor in an accumulator; transferring by a carriage products from the first conveyor to a second conveyor in the accumulator; moving products from the second conveyor to an outfeed conveyor; detecting a density of products moving on the second conveyor; and moving the carriage with along the first and second conveyors if the detected density is above a certain density value.