Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items – By queueing items from quantity source of items into stream...
Patent
1988-09-07
1990-01-09
Spar, Robert J.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items
By queueing items from quantity source of items into stream...
198397, B65G 4712
Patent
active
048921823
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a device for the orderly removal of elongated objects from a container holding a disarray of such objects, said device having an endless conveyor belt which is provided on its outer side with transverse grooves extending throughout the entire width of the conveyor belt and having a width slightly exceeding the width of the objects, and which has an upper run extending through the container in order, in its transverse grooves, to receive and transport objects from the disarray of objects in the container.
The invention relates in particular to a device for the orderly removal of plastic spoons and will be described hereinbelow with reference to such use.
In the packaging of certain food products, it is sometimes desirable to attach on each package a plastic spoon which may be used for eating the product. Such attachment of plastic spoons to packages is suitably carried out during the continuous advance of a ribbon consisting of two plastic films between which the plastic spoons are fixed in a uniform manner. The present invention primarily aims at solving the problems which precede the manufacture of such a ribbon of plastic spoons and which substantially reside in properly withdrawing plastic spoons from a disarray of plastic spoons and arranging them such that when being fed out, they are advanced in their transverse direction in a row following upon each other.
The object of the present invention is more generally to provide a device for the orderly removal of elongated objects, such as plastic spoons, from a container holding a disarray of such objects, said device advancing the elongated objects in the transverse direction and in a row following upon each other.
According to the present invention, this object is achieved by means of a device which is of the type stated in the introduction to the specification and which is characterized by an endless spoon-shifting belt having a lower run the plane of which is parallel to the plane of the upper run of the conveyor belt, and extending obliquely across the conveyor belt throughout a portion of its width and having spoon-shifting means which are adapted to engage in the transverse grooves in the upper run of the conveyor belt in order, during synchronous advance of the conveyor belt and the shifting belt, to displace objects received in the transverse grooves in the upper run of the conveyor belt, laterally transversely of the direction of travel of the conveyor belt so as to place the objects straight behind one another at one end of the transverse grooves.
In order to maximize the outfeed capacity of the device i.e. the number of objects withdrawn per unit of time, without necessitating an excessive speed of travel of the conveyor belt, the width of the conveyor belt preferable is considerably greater than the length of the objects. The width of the conveyor belt then is at least three, preferably four times greater than the length of the objects.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper run of the conveyor belt is inclined upwardly in the direction of travel, and a collecting chute is provided at the side edge of the conveyor belt where said one end of the transverse grooves is located, for collecting objects ejected from the transverse grooves by the spoon-shifting means and returning them to the container.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the transverse grooves are so shallow that two or more objects placed on top of each other cannot be accommodated therein, stripper means being provided over the conveyor belt for removing objects entrained on the upper part thereof but not properly received in the transverse grooves.
A plate is preferably arranged close above the upper run of the conveyor belt beside the shifting belt, for preventing objects- from moving up on top of each other during the lateral displacement thereof by the shifting means.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention which is especially intended for the outfeed of plastic spoons will now be described in greater detail
REFERENCES:
patent: 2609912 (1952-09-01), Engel
patent: 3024889 (1962-03-01), Reading
patent: 3070207 (1962-12-01), Molins et al.
patent: 3300021 (1967-01-01), Holmes
patent: 3658167 (1972-04-01), Zabroski et al.
patent: 4082177 (1978-04-01), Aidlin et al.
patent: 4353455 (1982-10-01), Mumma et al.
Research Disclosure, Jun. 1976.
Aktiebolaget Tetra Pak
Bidwell James R.
Spar Robert J.
LandOfFree
Device for the orderly removal of objects from a container does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for the orderly removal of objects from a container, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for the orderly removal of objects from a container will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-140619