Magazine for the fixation of small components

Details Magazine for the fixation of small components Magazine for the fixation of small components

1999-03-12

2000-12-26

Gehman, Bryon P.

Special receptacle or package

Article held in aperture in base

Supplementary retainer

206562, 206818, 211 601, B65D 7300, B65D 136, A47F 700

Patent

active

06164448&

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a magazine for the fixation of small components secured to a magazine base in a predetermined pattern.
Magazines of this type are employed for the fixation of and storage of a great variety of different small components, such as used in micro system technology and in light engineering. Generic magazines may serve, if need be in conjunction with additional cassettes or boxes, as transport or storage containers or as an intermediate storage unit during a production step in an interlinked production system.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Transporting and placing small parts at disposal in a unordered state is known. This unordered state of components does not allow precise positioning of these parts for assembly or manufacturing processes without the additional separation and handling. Moreover, transporting components as bulk material may damage the components. This is especially the case with components in micro system technology and in light engineering.
Furthermore, providing a carrier with multiple pockets covered with lids, so-called trays, is also known. Carriers of this type are usually used only as transport containers for stored components. Automatic further processing of components in assembly and production is only possible with additional costs and effort, because removing covers can only be automated with great difficulty, and in addition complicates handling the single components, by way of illustration with simple gripper systems. A complex gripper system, which for example has to be provided with an image processing device for determining the orientation and the position of the components, is required for handling and removing the components. Moreover, a fundamental disadvantage of these carriers with pockets is that due to the design of the pockets, the components located in the magazine are not accessible from all sides; however for processing, inspection or cleaning, the small components have to be accessible from all sides. In practice at any rate, processing the small components inside the carrier with pockets is impossible.
Furthermore, fixing small components on foil belts or so-called gel-paks by means of an adhesive layer is known. The gel-paks respectively foil belts possess no articulated structure and therefore are only suited to a limited extent for automated processing production. Placing the small components at disposal, by way of illustration for automated assembly, in this case, too, has to occur by means of additional handling steps. This again requires suited grippers. These grippers have to be provided with an additional image processing, because the location of the small components is only roughly defined on the foil belt and no defined pickup of the small components can otherwise occur. In this case, too, measures which make the small components accessible from all sides, by way of illustration in production, are not possible, because at least one side of the small component lies on the adhesive surface and is not freely accessible. An additional disadvantage are the residues of adhesive adhering to the small components, which gains in significance with the increasing miniaturization of components and practically does not allow use of such gel-paks or foil belts in micro systems technology.
Magazines for the fixation of small components, on which the formulation of the generic part of claim is based, are known from EP 0 392 331 A1 or DE 41 16 866 A1:
From EP 0 392 331 A1, a magazine for jewelry stones or other small components is known, which as a magazine base carrier is provided with a magazine strip composed of a plastic foil provided with recesses for the reception of jewelry stones. The recesses are adapted at least to one partial profile of the jewelry stones to be positioned and disposed in rows.
As holding means, retaining lips are provided adjacent to the recesses. In a closed position, these retaining lips grip the positioned jewelry stones and thereby fix their position. For this purpose, the retaining l

REFERENCES:
patent: 1278354 (1918-09-01), Kendis
patent: 2366886 (1945-01-01), Van Tuyl
patent: 3405377 (1968-10-01), Pierce
patent: 3472365 (1969-10-01), Tiedema
patent: 3871936 (1975-03-01), Boyer et al.
patent: 3968873 (1976-07-01), Pomeroy et al.
patent: 4099611 (1978-07-01), Feibelman
patent: 4282975 (1981-08-01), Ovadia
patent: 4693370 (1987-09-01), Aceti
patent: 5131535 (1992-07-01), O'Connor et al.

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