James R. Doyle
Engineering at Idlewild St, Memphis, TN

5588578, Dec 31, 1996

Sep 2, 1994

8/300710

James J. Doyle - Germantown TN

B27F 704, B23P 1900

227155

A nail flattening apparatus for use primarily in re-furbishing wooden pallet components, comprising a loading station and an operating station interconnected by a conveyor. Boards having nail stubble protruding from opposite sides are placed onto the conveyor in the loading station and transferred to the operating station, whereupon a reciprocating hammer and stationary anvil disposed on opposite sides of the conveyor cooperate to substantially flatten all nail stubble in a single operation. In the preferred embodiment, a microprocessor controls a plurality of hydraulic cylinders which automatically move each board into the proper operating position, lift each board off of the surface of the conveyor, move the hammer to compress substantially all nail stubble, release the hammer to its retracted position, return the board to the conveyor for transfer out of the operating station, and move the next board from the loading station into the operating station.

5457869, Oct 17, 1995

Dec 7, 1992

7/986289

James J. Doyle - Germantown TN

B23P 1904

295643

Apparatus for use in repairing damaged pallets, having both a slat removal station and a nail stubble elimination station. In a preferred embodiment, the stations are in close proximity to one another, with the apparatus having a plurality of hydraulicly actuated fingers for removing a damaged slat, and vertically opposed upper and lower press bars activated by hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, respectively, for clamping the pallet end immediately subsequent to the removal of a slat therefrom, thereby flattening the resulting nail stubble and preparing the pallet for replacement of the removed slat.