Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Unit load conveying surface means moved about an endless or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2001-10-09
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Unit load conveying surface means moved about an endless or...
C414S790400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298980
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a conveyor for arranging and feeding sheet materials such as plastic bags discharged into a discharge position.
PRIOR ART
A bag making machine has been commercially available for successively making plastic bags. The plastic bags are successively discharged into a discharge position and stacked on a conveyor. The conveyor is intermittently driven to feed the plastic bags at a stroke, whenever a number of plastic bags are discharged into the discharge position and stacked on the conveyor. Accordingly, the conveyor can arrange the plastic bags into stacked groups and feed them group by group.
However, the conveyor is problematic, especially with respect to a standing pouch. The standing pouch is a type of plastic bag comprising a bottom portion and the other portion, the bottom portion being thicker than the other portion. In the case, the plastic bags may be disturbed and inclined when stacked, due to an accumulation of difference in thickness between the bottom portions and the other portions of the plastic bags. It is therefore required to accompany the conveyor with additional guide members for conveniently arranging and feeding the plastic bags along the guide members without breaking down. The arrangement must therefore be complicated and expensive. In addition, each of the plastic bags has a certain size which is subject to change. It is therefore required to exchange the guide members for other ones or shift them for adjustment of position in accordance with the size of plastic bag.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a unique and improved conveyor for arranging and feeding sheet materials such as plastic bags in a feeding direction, the sheet materials being discharged into a discharge position, to thereby overcome the above problems.
Another object of the invention is to conveniently arrange and feed the sheet materials to be stable without breaking down.
According to the invention, the conveyor comprises first sprocket or pulley means disposed near the discharge position of sheet material. The conveyor further comprises second sprocket or pulley means disposed downstream of the first sprocket or pulley means in the feeding direction of sheet material. Endless chain or belt means is stretched between the first and second sprocket or pulley means. A plurality of receivers are spaced at a distance from each other along the endless chain or belt means and mounted on and fixed to the endless chain or belt means to extend outwardly of and vertically to the endless chain or belt means, one of the receivers being disposed at the discharge position to receive the sheet materials successively discharged.
The receivers are intermittently moved by the endless chain or belt means around the first sprocket or pulley means to feed the sheet materials and make them stand, whenever a number of sheet materials are discharged into the discharge position and stacked on the receiver disposed at the discharge position. In additions the receivers are intermittently moved by the endless chain or belt means between the first and second sprocket or pulley means to feed the sheet materials with keeping them standing, whenever the number of sheet materials are discharged into the discharge position and stacked on the receiver disposed at the discharge position.
In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor further comprises third sprocket or pulley means disposed below the first sprocket or pulley means. The chain or belt means is stretched between the first, second and third sprocket or pulley means. The conveyor further comprises drive means by which the first sprocket or pulley means is reciprocatingly moved to advance outwardly of the endless chain or belt means and then retract inwardly of the endless chain or belt means, whenever the number of sheet materials are discharged into the discharge position and stacked on the receiver disposed at the discharge position. The conveyor further comprises resiliently urging means for resiliently urging the third sprocket or pulley means outwardly of the endless chain or belt means to permit the first sprocket or pulley means to advance and retract without slacking the endless chain or belt means.
The conveyor further comprises first locking means for locking the second sprocket or pulley means from rotating to rotate the first sprocket or pulley means when the first sprocket or pulley means advances outwardly of the endless chain or pulley means so that the receivers are intermittently moved by the endless chain or belt means around the first sprocket or pulley means to feed the sheet materials and make them stand. The conveyor further comprises second locking means for locking the first sprocket or pulley means from rotating to rotate the second sprocket or pulley means when the first sprocket or pulley means retracts inwardly of the endless chain or belt means so that the receivers are intermittently moved by the endless chain or belt means between the first and second sprocket or belt means to feed the sheet materials with keeping them standing.
Each of the receivers takes the form of a comb including a plurality of teeth between which a plurality of slots are formed. A plurality of rails are inserted into the slots in the receivers to extend in a direction in which the receivers are intermittently moved so that the sheet materials are engaged with the rails, stacked on the teeth and then fed along the rails. Each of the sheet materials has a certain size which is subject to change, the rails being movable along the slots in the receivers longitudinally thereof for adjustment of position in accordance with the size of sheet material.
The first sprocket or pulley means comprises a pair of first sprockets or pulleys spaced horizontally from each other. The second sprocket or pulley means comprises a pair of second sprockets or pulleys spaced horizontally from each other. The third sprocket or pulley means comprises a pair of third sprockets or pulleys spaced horizontally from each other. The endless chain or belt means comprises a pair of endless chains or belts extending parallel to each other, the endless chains or belts being stretched between the first, second and third sprockets or pulleys respectively to be spaced horizontally from each other. Each of the receivers is disposed between the endless chains or belts and mounted on a holder which has opposite ends fixed to the endless chains or belts.
The first sprocket or pulley means is mounted on a first shaft for rotation. The conveyor further comprises guide means for guiding the first shaft for movement outwardly and inwardly of the endless chain or belt means. The drive means comprises cylinder means connected to the first shaft so that the first shaft can be reciprocatingly moved along the guide means by the cylinder means.
The third sprocket or pulley means is mounted on a third shaft for rotation. The resiliently urging means comprises cylinder means connected to the third shaft to resiliently urge the third shaft outwardly of the endless chain or belt means.
The second sprocket or pulley means is mounted on and fixed to a second shaft for rotation integrally therewith. The first locking means comprises a first locking plate disposed coaxially to, mounted on and fixed to the second shaft for rotation integrally therewith. The first locking means further comprises cylinder means cooperating with the first locking plate to lock the second shaft from rotating. The first locking plate may include a plurality of notches formed therein, disposed circumferentially of the first locking plate and spaced equiangularly from each other, the cylinder being connected to a stop which is moved toward and fitted into one of the notches radially of the first locking plate by the cylinder means to lock the second shaft from rotating.
The first sprocket or pulley means is mounted on and fixed to a first shaft for rotation integrally therewith. The second locking means comprises a second locking plate disposed coaxially to,
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Noland Kenneth W.
Totani Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd.
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