Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed... – By conveyor and means driven for turning successive conveyed...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-03
2001-01-30
Olszewski, Robert P. (Department: 3652)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed...
By conveyor and means driven for turning successive conveyed...
C198S456000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179112
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conveying systems are often employed to convey articles through a series of working stations. In certain conveyor systems, a number of different articles are separately stacked in a series of individual dispensers mounted along a moving conveyor. Through operation of a computer program, individual articles are selectively dispensed from the dispensers onto the moving conveyor, and the articles are then conveyed to a location where they can be packaged for shipment to the customer.
Typically, the articles are generally rectangular and include a pair of relatively wide flat face surfaces and an outer peripheral edge defined by relatively narrow individual side surfaces. The articles are fed by the dispensers onto the conveyor such that the face surface of each article contacts the conveyor. Since the articles are typically dropped onto the conveyor, the wider face surface provides stable support for the article on the conveyor. Downstream from the dispensers, the individual articles are typically assembled into a stack, with each individual article resting on one of its side surfaces as the stack of articles is assembled. Therefore, each of the articles must be reoriented from its face surface to one of its side surfaces before the stack can be assembled.
In the past, stationary guide members were positioned in relation to the moving conveyor such that the stationary guide members caused the article to be reoriented onto one of its side surfaces. However, conveying systems in which stationary guide members reorient the article entail certain drawbacks. For example, when the article slides along the stationary guide members, the guide members can wear off printing on the article and can mar or scrape the surface of the article.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a mechanism for reorienting articles supported on a moving conveyor from a face surface of the article to a side surface of the article. A plurality of articles, such as video cassette containers, compact disc containers, audio cassette containers, or the like, are conveyed along a moving infeed conveyor in a generally flat position, such that the face surface of the article is supported on the infeed conveyor. An article reorientation mechanism of the present invention receives each of the individual articles on a primary conveyor assembly. The primary conveyor assembly includes a moving primary conveyor belt extending between an upstream end and a downstream end of the primary conveyor assembly. The primary conveyor belt includes an upper, conveyor surface that is preferably located in a generally horizontal plane. As one of the articles enters the article reorientation mechanism, the face surface of the article is supported by the generally horizontal conveyor surface of the primary conveyor belt.
The primary conveyor assembly moves the article from the upstream end to the downstream end of the article reorientation mechanism. A guide assembly, preferably including a guiding conveyor belt, is positioned to extend across a portion of the primary conveyor belt included in the primary conveyor assembly. An angled portion of the guide assembly extends across the primary conveyor assembly at an angle from one lateral edge of the primary conveyor belt to a location near the opposite lateral edge. As the article moves along the primary conveyor assembly, the angled portion of the guide assembly forces the article laterally across the primary conveyor assembly toward the lateral edge of the primary conveyor belt.
A transfer conveyor assembly is positioned adjacent to the lateral edge of the primary conveyor assembly. The transfer conveyor assembly includes a transfer conveyor belt having a transfer surface. Preferably, the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor assembly is positioned at an angle relative to the generally horizontal conveyor surface of the primary conveyor assembly. The guide assembly thus forces the article onto the transfer conveyor assembly, where the article is supported at an angle relative to horizontal.
A twist guide member is positioned downstream from the transfer conveyor assembly. The twist guide member receives the article leaving the transfer conveyor assembly and tips the article onto one of its side surfaces. After being tipped by the twist guide member, the side surface of the article is supported on the primary conveyor assembly. Guide rails are positioned downstream of the twist guide member for maintaining the article on its side surface upon discharge from the primary conveyor assembly.
In accordance with the invention, the primary conveyor assembly, the guide assembly, and the transfer conveyor assembly all operate at substantially the same speed. In this manner, the article reorientation mechanism of the invention prevents damage to the article by eliminating sliding of the article along a stationary surface.
It is an object of the invention to provide an article reorientation mechanism that can receive a stream of single articles supported on their face surfaces and reorient each article onto a side surface. It is an additional object of the invention to provide an article reorientation mechanism that includes a transfer conveyor assembly operated at substantially the same speed as the primary conveyor assembly to reduce damage to the article being transported. It is another object of the invention to provide a guide assembly including a guiding conveyor belt operated at substantially the same speed as the primary conveyor assembly to prevent damage to the article. It is a further object of the invention to provide a twist guide plate member that tips the article from an angled position to an upright position on the primary conveyor assembly. A still further object of the invention is to provide an article reorientation mechanism which is relatively simple in its construction and operation, and which is readily adapted for use in an overall article conveying assembly.
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Andrus Sceales Starke & Sawall LLP
Dorner Mfg. Corp.
Jaketic Bryan
Olszewski Robert P.
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