Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system having auxiliary section for storing items...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-23
2001-01-09
Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system having auxiliary section for storing items...
C198S465100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170634
ABSTRACT:
Packaged or non-packaged (naked) products are usually temporarily buffered or collected from a production supply for the subsequent fully or partially automatic further processing, such as measuring, counting, packaging, coding etc., in an apparatus which is especially suitable for this purpose. An example of such an apparatus is described in applicant's European patent 0 509 583.
With this known apparatus products supplied with random spacing can be set at an almost constant pitch, which is important for the above mentioned further processing. In order to obtain a sufficiently high capacity, wherein for instance six hundred products per minute are fed and discharged, all components of this known apparatus must meet very high standards, particularly because of the great decelerations and accelerations taking place at each step of feed and discharge.
The present invention provides an apparatus for temporarily storing or buffering and/or setting to pitch of products, comprising:
a conveyor belt;
carrying means for transporting by the conveyor belt for carrying a plurality of products;
infeed means for feeding products into the carrying means at a predetermined location of the conveyor belt; and
outfeed means for discharging the products from the carrying means at a second predetermined location at a distance from the above said location.
Because the above mentioned accelerations and decelerations only need take place at feed and discharge and not in the case of the conveyor belt on which the product carrying means are transported, a simple and therefore less expensive storage/buffer apparatus is provided by the present invention.
The carrying means preferably comprise a product carrier for receiving a plurality of products fed mutually adjacently, which product carriers can then be transported over the conveyor belt at relatively low speed.
It is important that the product carriers are positioned precisely in relation to the infeed means and outfeed means during feed and discharge of products respectively.
Preferred embodiments of the product carriers comprise a tooth track on the underside of a product carrier, suction means close to an infeed location, or a groove or a pin on a product carrier whereby transport thereof can take place a in precise manner.
Through use of the product carrier, an extremely flexible apparatus and method can be applied in accordance with conditions desired by the user.
The present invention further provides a method and a product carrier for use in the apparatus and method.
The product carrier is preferably constructed from standardized carrier elements and a plurality of the product carriers can be releasably connectable to each other.
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Bidwell James R.
Dykema Gossett PLLC
EBM Techniek B.V.
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