FR2644441A1 - Device for storing and dispensing articles, individually, such as envelopes, pouches, etc - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for storing and dispensing objects 501, 502, individually, including a plurality of annular magazines 10 which are superposed and form a cylindrical structure 9 capable of being driven in rotation about an axis 2 by a stepping motor 3 or the like. At each stage is arranged a member 20 for controlling the removal of objects, arranged in a stationary manner inside the structure and interacting with means 131, 513 located inside housings 111 containing the objects.

Description

Device for the storage and individual distribution of objects such as envelopes, pouches, etc.

 The present invention relates to a unit storage and distribution device for objects, such as envelopes, letters, sleeves, etc.

We have described in French patents FR-A-2,600,984,
FR-A-2 613 203 and FR-A-2 611 670, a device for storing and distributing objects, comprising a plurality of superimposed annular magazines having a common axis of symmetry and forming a cylindrical structure, each annular magazine comprising a plurality of housings intended to store either a unitary boot, or a stack of boots, or a line of boxes, and having an opening to allow passage to a single box.

Each housing comprises in its bottom an extraction cartridge from a box, this cartridge comprising, in line with said opening, a gear portion with a truncated vertical tooth whose base is located in a first horizontal plane, the base of the others vertical teeth being located in a second horizontal plane of level lower than the first.

At each annular store is located at least one control member for extracting said box; it consists of a toothed plane sector located between said first and said second horizontal plane, this sector being provided with a first movable, controllable tooth, located in the event of non-extraction control in the same plane as the other teeth and in the event extraction control above said first horizontal plane so as to mesh said truncated tooth.

A stepping motor or a motor associated with an angle encoder rotates around the axis of said structure, either said structure or said extraction control member.

A programmed computer controls said movable tooth as a function of its angular position with respect to said housing, said angular position being determined by the rotation of said motor, the extraction of a boot resulting from the relative rotary movement of said toothed planar sector and said extraction means after gear of said truncated tooth.

 When said housings are provided for storing a boot or stack of boots, each extraction cartridge has a slot opening into said opening and it contains a chain with tabs capable of being introduced into said slot, said chain constituting said portion of gear cooperating with said extraction control member. Such a chain consists of links sliding on a closed ramp having two rectilinear portions joined by two semicircles whose axes are substantially vertical.

Two diametrically opposite links each carry an ejector cleat capable of being introduced into said slot; one of said rectilinear portions of said ramp is inclined relative to the plane of said bottom to allow the retraction of a cleat under said bottom while the other cleat performs its ejection function.

Each link cooperates with the adjacent link by means of a ball-type socket.

 If such a device is perfectly suited to the extraction of a boot, it is not suitable for extracting any flat and not very rigid object such as a letter or a pocket, like the pocket of photographs, or the like.

 The object of the present invention is to avoid this drawback and to improve the aforementioned device to make it usable in particular for such applications.

 The subject of the present invention is a device for the storage and individual distribution of objects such as envelopes, pouches, etc.

comprising - a plurality of superimposed annular magazines having a common axis of symmetry and forming a cylindrical structure, each annular magazine comprising a plurality of housings intended for each storing an object and having an opening on the periphery of said cylindrical structure to allow passage to this object, each housing comprising on its bottom a cartridge for extracting a product which it contains, this cartridge having a slot opening into said opening and containing a chain with two ejector lugs capable of being introduced into said slot, said chain constituting a gear portion with a truncated vertical tooth, the base of which is situated in a first horizontal plane, the base of the other vertical teeth being situated in a second horizontal plane of level lower than the first, - at the level of each annular magazine, at least one control member for extracting said object, arranged in a fi fixed relative to said cylindrical structure, and constituted by a toothed plane sector located between said first and said second horizontal plane, this sector being provided with a first movable, controllable tooth, located in the event of non-extraction control in the same plane than the other teeth and in the event of an extraction command above said first horizontal plane so as to mesh said truncated tooth, - a stepping motor associated with an angle encoder to drive in rotation about the axis of said structure, either said structure, or said extraction control member, the extraction of an object resulting from the relative rotary movement of said toothed plane sector and said extraction means after gear of said truncated tooth, device characterized by the fact - that on the upper face of said cartridge is fixed a fixed object support plate, the interval between this plate and said upper face being sufficient to allow the libr e circulation of said ejector cleats, - that an object pusher located above said fixed plate and provided with a lug intended to cooperate under said fixed plate with one of said ejector cleats is capable of sliding on said fixed plate.

 Preferably said object pusher is provided with a flap perpendicular to the plane of said fixed plate.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear during the following description of an embodiment given by way of illustration, but in no way limiting. In the accompanying drawing - Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of a storage and distribution device according to the invention.

- Figure 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an extraction cartridge belonging to a housing of the device of Figure 1.

- Figure 3 is a schematic longitudinal view of the cartridge of Figure 2 inside its housing.

- Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view along line IV-IV of Figure 3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the entrainment chain of an object according to the invention, located in the cartridge of FIG. 2.

- Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a few links of the drive chain of Figure 5.

FIG. 7A is an elevation view of an ejector link belonging to the training chair of FIG. 5.

- Figure 7B is a side view of the ejector link of Figure 7A.

- Figure SA is an elevational view of a normal link belonging to the drive chain of Figure 5.

- Figure 8B is a side view of the link of Figure 8A.

- Figure 9 shows in top view very schematically the chain of Figure 5 associated with its extraction control member.

- Figure 10 is a partial sectional view along line X-X of Figure 9.

FIG. 11 is a semi-cut transverse view showing the cooperation of the extraction control member with an ejector link of the drive chain of FIG. 5.

 FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 11 showing the cooperation of the extraction control member with a normal link in said chain of FIG. 5.

 There is in Figure 1 a semi-cutaway overview of an example of a device according to the invention.

 There is shown a frame 1 comprising a stack of annular magazines such as magazine 10 having a common axis 2 and secured to each other.

As will be seen in detail below, - each store is provided with radial housings 111 each containing an envelope 501 or a package 502.

The cylindrical structure 9 of axis 2 which has just been defined is rotated around this axis by a stepping motor 3 or a motor associated with an angle encoder. The direction of rotation is indicated by arrow 23.

Reference 8 corresponds to the area where an object extracted from the device can be received.

 We see in Figure 2 an extraction cartridge 131 located at the bottom of each housing 111. This cartridge which contains a chain 200 with ejector lugs 225 passing through a slot 130 will be described in detail below.

The upper face 122 of the cartridge 131 is secured, for example at the level of the orifices 523, to a fixed plate 510 by means of a beam 520 leaving between this plate and the face 122 a sufficient interval for the free movement of the cleats 225.

The fixed plate 510 is engaged in the two grooves 521 and 522 of a pusher 511 which can slide all along the fixed plate 510. The pusher 511 is provided with a lug 514 capable of cooperating with a cleat 225. It also comprises advantageously a vertical flap 513.

 The preceding elements are found in FIG. 3 when the lug 514 is in contact with an ejector cleat 225 and will drive the pusher 511 in the direction of the arrow 51.

 The chain 200 allowing the drive is described below in more detail with the aid of FIGS. 5 to 8.

The channel 200 comprises a plurality of identical links 201 cooperating with each other by means of ball joints.

 A link 201 seen from above in FIG. 5 is shown in elevation in FIG. 8A with its ball joint 202 and its cavity 203, and in side view in FIG. 8B. The portion 204 of the link constitutes a tooth of the chain 200 while the faces 205 and 206 constitute the guide faces of the chain in its ramp. It can be seen in FIG. 8B that the tooth 204 is the full height of the link 201.

 The channel 200 further comprises two particular diametrically opposite links 220 and 230, but of identical shape, intended for the extraction of objects.

We see in Figure 6 the link 220 in top view with its ball joint 202, its cavity 203 and its tooth 224. In Figure 7A we see this same link in elevation and in Figure 7B in side view. it should be noted that the tooth 224 of the link 220 is cut in its lower part and therefore truncated with respect to the tooth 204 of the adjacent links 201. On the other hand, like the links 201, the links 220 and 230 have guide faces 205 and 206; they are also each provided, above the plane of the links, with an ejection stopper 225.

 The chain of FIGS. 5 and 6 is intended to cooperate with a ramp visible in section in FIG. 4, and when it is there, it is presented in top view as in FIG. 5.

 FIG. 4 shows a housing 111 with its cartridge 131 comprising two parts 524 and 525 defining a ramp for the chain 200; the faces 124 and 125 form a groove and are intended to come into contact respectively with the faces 205 and 206 of the links of the chain 200. The groove thus formed is not located in a horizontal plane, because it is preferable that during the extraction a single ejector cleat 225 is located above the level of the face 122 to push the lug 514.

 We therefore observe (FIG. 5) a first end zone 251 of the thatch forming a semicircle with a center 252, then a zone 253 where the ramp descends relative to the plane of the first zone to a level where the zone 254 of the chain makes it possible to completely retract the upper part of a link with ejector cleat 220 or 230. There is again a zone 255 in the form of a semicircle of center 256 from which a cleat 225 can emerge again from its slot, and a linear zone 257 connecting to the circular zone 251.

 The situation of the two cleats 225 is clearly shown in FIG. 4 where we see the link 230 playing the ejector r81e by pushing with its cleat the lug 514, while the cleat of the link 220 is retracted under the surface 122.

 Referring to Figure 9, we see that the extraction of an object from a housing 111 of a store 10 is provided by a control member 20, located outside of the cylindrical structure 9. The different control members 20 are secured to each stage of the device at the level of columns 5 (FIG. 1). Each member 20 essentially comprises a metal sector toothed on its periphery 21, the first fixed tooth of which is referenced 22. In front of this tooth is provided a movable tooth 24 carried by an arm 25 pivoting about an axis 27 by the use of '' an electromagnet 26.

 These elements are enlarged in Figures 10 to 12. In the event of non-excitation of the electromagnet 26, the tooth 24 is located in front of the tooth 22 in the same plane as it or below. If the electromagnet 26 is energized (see FIG. 10), the arm 25 supporting the tooth 24 is pushed upwards in the direction of the arrow 28, to reach the position 25'-24 'illustrated in dotted, and located at a level higher than that of teeth 21-22 (see Figure 11).

 The device according to the invention operates as follows.

Each housing 111 is defined by the stage of its magazine 10 and a coded value of the angle of rotation of the motor 3. The cylindrical structure 9 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 23 (Figures 1 and 5).

 In the event of non-control, the tooth 24 of the member 20 is in the low position and does not come to attack the chains 200.

 When ordered, the tooth 24 of the member is controlled in the high position by the electromagnet 26 (see Figure 10) just before the passage of the housing 111 (see Figure 9). It is then in contact with the truncated tooth 224 of the ejector link 220 (see position in FIG. 11); as the store rotates around its axis 2, it begins to drive the chain 200; the teeth 22 then 21 of the toothed sector then take over and attack the teeth 204 of the ordinary links 201 (see FIG. 12).

 During this time (see FIG. 5), the chain 200 operates in the direction of the arrows 51, the stopper 225 of the link 220 disappears under the bottom 122 at the level of the area 254 while the stopper 225 of the link 230 plays its role of ejector and pushes the lug 514 of the pusher 511 (see Figures 3 and 4). The object 513 is driven on the fixed plate 510 by the pusher 511 until the link 230 carrying the cleat 225 is found in line with the opening of the housing 111 and is no longer driven by the toothed sector 20.

 The pusher is particularly well suited for extracting envelopes or pouches, but the device according to the invention can be adapted to any form of object.

 To recharge the device, simply introduce the object through the opening of the housing on the fixed plate and push it with its pusher to the bottom of the housing.

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described,

Claims (2)

CLAIMS 1 / Device for the storage and individual distribution of objects such as envelopes, pouches, comprising - a plurality of superimposed annular magazines (10) having a common axis of symmetry (2) and forming a cylindrical structure, each annular magazine comprising a plurality of housings (111) each for storing an object (501, 502) and having an opening on the periphery of said cylindrical structure to allow passage to this object, each housing (111) comprising on its bottom a cartridge for extracting (131) a product which it contains, this cartridge having a slot (130) opening into said opening and containing a chain (200) with two ejector cleats (225) capable of being introduced into said slot1 said chain constituting a gear portion with a truncated vertical tooth (224) whose base is located in a first horizontal plane, the base of the other vertical teeth (204) being located in u n second horizontal plane of level lower than the first, - at the level of each annular magazine, at least one control member for extracting said object, disposed in a fixed manner with respect to said cylindrical structure, and constituted by a toothed plane sector (20 ) located between said first and said second horizontal plane, this sector being provided with a first movable controllable tooth (24), located in the event of non-extraction control in the same plane as the other teeth and in the event of control of extraction above said first horizontal plane so as to mesh said truncated tooth, - a stepping motor (3) associated with an angle encoder to drive in rotation about the axis (2) of said structure, ie said structure, namely said extraction control member, the extraction of an object resulting from the relative rotary movement of said toothed plane sector and said extraction means after gear of said truncated tooth, device characterized by the fact t - that on the upper face (122) of said cartridge (131) is fixed a fixed plate (510) object support, the interval between this plate and said upper face being sufficient to allow free circulation of said ejector cleats ( 225), - that an object pusher (511) located above said fixed plate (510) and provided with a lug (514) intended to cooperate under said fixed plate with one of said ejector cleats (225) is susceptible to slide on said fixed plate. 2 / distribution storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that said object pusher (511) is provided with a flap (513) perpendicular to the plane of said fixed plate (510).