US1476223A - Method of and apparatus for feeding articles - Google Patents

Description

1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll/l 1.11,,l

`/ j* INVENTOR AMTORNEY Dec. 4, 192?.

' 4 L. L. SALFISBERG METHOD oF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDI'NG ARTICLES Filed FebB Dec. 4,1923. l 1,476.5223- L. L. SALFISBERG METHOD oF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES Filed Feb. 24, 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY S Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE;

LEROY L. SALFIISBERG, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO IVERS-LEE COMPANY,

` OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES.

Application led February 24, 1922. Serial No. 539,645.

' To allwhom t may amwem:

Be it known that I, LEROY L. SAmIsBERG,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Methods of and Apparatus for Feeding Articles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an imrovement in methods of and apparatus for feeding articles, one object being to feed said articles successively and present them in a uniform predetermined position. Appara tus for this purpose is more particularly adapted for use in connection with packaging machines of the type in which article carrying packages in strip form are made with the articles evenly spaced apart and with corresponding dimensions of the articles uniformly positioned with respect to the strip. carrier. It is also contemplated that my improved method and the article feeding mechanism embodying my inventionmay be utilized in the making of other forms of packages ,or for the purpose of countingv or segregatingarticles according to a predetermined order or arrangement.

Considerable diiculty has heretofore been encountered in presenting at a given point and at a suitably high rate` of speed, a succession of varticles in a uniform predetermined'position, particularly where such articles are withdrawn from' a hopper where they have been placed casually and without regard to their individual or relative positions. So far as I am aware, no si le t pe of mechanism thus far available wi l egectively withdraw all shapes of articles casually supportcd'in a container as described and presentesuch articles at a predetermined point in a uniform predetermined position on a commercial scale. ,Thus, apparatus which is adapted to effectively handle spherical' shaped bodies will not'necessaril be as effect-ive in connection with' the fee ing of.

cubes. Moreover, great difficulties are encounted in handling articles of relatively irregular shape or those which Vhave one dimension substantially greater than any other dimension. One embodiment of my invention and of apparatus suitable for the practice offmy im- 'hopper is provided with a accompanying the present specification, and

' proved method is illustrated in the drawings broken away to disclose the larticle holding andseparatmg member,

'Figure 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same,

Figure 3, a slde view ofthe article guiding and direction changing mechanism, and Figure 4,' a front view of the same. Referring more` particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the articles to be packaged may conveniently be held in a hopper l having an inclined bottom 2, said hopper being arranged to discharge through an opening in one of its side walls into a drum 3 rotatably mounted on the framework 4 of the apparatus. Adjacent to the inlet end of the drum 3 is an adjustable partition 5 having an a erture 6. The partition 5 may be supporte in position .by means of a hollow shaft 7 supported at one end in a wall of the hopper and adapted to receive a rod 8. This rod 8 carries at its inner end a gate 9 operatively arranged with respect to the opening 6 in the partition 5. By rotating the rod 8, it is possible to vary the extent of said opening 6 thusA controlling the volume or number o articles passing from the hopper to the interior of the rotating' drum 3 and by rotating the hollow shaft 7, the position of the aperture 6 lmay be changed. For yconvenience in gaining access to the interior of the feeding apparatus, the bottom wall of the `removable cover 10.

The rotating drum 3 is preferably Y arranged With its longitudinal axis inclined with respect to the vertical axis of the hopper 1 so that there will,\be sufficient pitch to permit movement of the articles through said drum by gravity. Rotation of the drum is effected by su'table means Ahere shown as Secured to the inner surface of t e drum is a spider member having a central hub 13 and radiatingspider arms 14 arranged at any angle to the axis of the hub. Acover supporting rod 15 is mounted in the hubI 13 and carries adjacent to its exterior end a cover plate 16 slidably arranged on the rod 15 and cooperating with suitable fastening means such as a nut 17 adapted to retain the cover plate in any desired position longitudinally of the rod 15.

The drum 3 is provided adjacent to its discharge end with a flanged portion 18 extending an appreciable distance beyond the peripheralopening of the drum and forming with the cover 16 a peripherally arranged article receiving channel communieating with an article guiding throat 19. In Operation, articles are delivered from the fixed hopper 1 into the rotating drum 3 through which they move by reason of the motion of rotation together with the force of gravity toward the discharge end and into the above mentioned peripherally arranged channel where, if desired, they assume a nearly vertical position, it being understood that the present-apparatus is designed for selecting and feeding articles of various sizes and shapes, the distance between the flange 18 and the cover plate 16 vbeing regulatable to permit the passage of articles in position to move freely into the throat 19 and in any desired predetermined relative positions. A`n article supporting member 20 (Figures 3 and 4) is arrange adjacent to the discharge opening of said throat and in operative relation to an article selecting member or picker 21 having article engaging arms 22, said picker being actuated by any suitable gear adapted to connect the same with the driving mechanism of the packaging apparatus.

Vith feeding apparatus of the character above described, it is desirable t` provide means for keeping the tablets or articles in motion so that the feeding operation may be uninterrupted by congestion or constriction at any point, and more particularly at the inlet opening of the -throat 19 where said throat communicates with the article guiding channel formed between the cover plate 16 and the peripheral flange 18. For this purpose, an endless belt 23 engages the' channel formed b peripheral surfaces of the flange 18 and t e cover 16 and effectively closes the peripheral opening between said members 16 and 18, except that portion of the opening which lies opposite the opening of the throat 19. At each side of this position is a roller'24 mounted ona slidable bracket 25 having a slot 26, the edge of said slot cooperating with the head of a bolt 27, thus permitting the adjustment of 'and the securing of the roller in any desired position. The remainder of the continuous belt is supported by means of rollers 28 and 29, the rollers 29 being capable of movement toward and away from thev rollers 28 for the purpose of tightening or loosening the belt 23. To this end, rollers 29 are mounted on a movable member 30 having a centrally arranged threaded recess adapted to receive a threaded bolt 31 passing through a portion of the frame-work 32 of the machine. To tighten the belt 23, the bolt 31 is turned in the proper direction to move the roller supporting member 30.

To permit free movement of rotation of the drum 3, the same is supported upon a number of roller bearings including forward bearings 33 engaging the peripheral flange 34 and rear bearings engaging the peripheral surface of the drum adjacent to its intake end. Thus, when the drum is rotated lby means of suitable driving mechanism, it position is effectively retained in operative by means of the rollers described.

It has been found that Some articles require a controlling mechanism in addition to that hereinabove described in order to move them effectively and continuously into the throat. For example, with some articles, it has been found advisable to interpose an article tipping member 36 between the flanged portion 18 of the drum and the cover 16, said tipping member being provided at one end with a long tapering portion resting upon the belt 23 and at the other end with a curved or hook shaped portion 37 also resting upon the belt and fitting around one of the rollers 24. Thus, if the drum is rotated in a clockwise direction, the tipping member 36 will be prevented from riding up on the belt by means of said hook portion 37. The tipping member 36 is also provided with a shoulder 38 resting upon the upper end of the chute so that when the drum is rotated in a counter clockwise direction the tipping member 36 will not be displaced from its normal operative position. This construction is particularly effective in feeding oblong articles into the throat or chute 19. Thus, when the drum is rotated in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the discharge end, articles will approach the chute over the upper surface of the tipping member and if they arevlying lengthwise thereon, those in the rear will press forward and tip the foremost one over the edge so that it will fall toward the chute with a narrower side directed toward the entrance thereto.

Under some circumstances it becomes de-4 in the packages. To change the direction of the articles the throat is curved so that, as in the illustrated embodiment, the planes of the article, when it reaches the discharge end of lll() C retained.

the chute are normal to the planes of the article when positioned at the receiving end thereof. Gbviously, the extent of the curve can be varied to meet different requirements. As `shown in Figure 3, the articles traverse a curved undercut slot open on one side of the chute member, a portion of said slot being downwardly disposed, so that small pieces of material, dust and the like will drop out while the whole or unbroken articles wlll be llt will be noted from Fi ures 3 and 4 that the apparatus provides or further controlling the osition of the article after .it reaches the discharge end of the chute. This feature is im ortant in packaging operations-and, in ihe illustrated embodiment, it is utilized to move an oblong article from upright position and resting on one end to a prone position and resting on a side so that the prone articles may be displacedA in a substantially horizontal direction and deposited prone upon a moving article receiving strip'or otherwise dis osed of.

As indicated more clear y in Figure 4, the platform or article support 20' overlies a moving strip or container 39 and is adapted to hold an article, 'as 40, in prone position beneath the discharge end of the throat 19 and in position to receive another similar article with one,end riding on said article 4() and the other end still positioned within the throat or in any other equivalent position. It will be noted that one wall of the 1 chute terminates a sufficient distance above the platform 20 to present a shoulder or stop 41 in the path of the 'lowermost upstanding article when'the same is moved with the prone article by operation of the picker -member. The opposite wall of the chute is beveled as at 42 to allow clearance for the upper end of the upright article as it falls toward the prone position. A stop 43 is positioned to engage thealower end of the article as its upper end falls and toprevent further endwise movement without interfering with continued endwise movement of the prone article thereunder. ln operation of the apparatus described and illustrated, an article is placed prone on the platform 20 and the chute is filled, the lowermost article resting on the prone article, 'as shown. By rotating the picker mechanism in a counter clockwise diection a picker arm engages the prone article and moves the same across the platform; This movement of the prone article carries the lowermost upright article along with it until1 a portion of said upper article encounters the stop 41. However, the lower end continues to move with the prone article until it encounters the sto 43. Meanwhile, the center of gravity of t e article has changed and the latter falls into the position just -vacated by the prone article. This operation Vment andi the supportin is repeated upon successively presented ar ticles and' mayv be performed rapidly and continuously. Obviously other apparatus than that illustrated can be utilized to perform the operations above described and in the same or equivalent sequence.

My invention also includes the method of feedin articles wherein an article is arrange with one dimension extending in a predetermined direction and supporting another article With the same dimension extending in a different direction, and displacing the first mentioned article from supporting relation to the second mentioned article while changing the direction of said dimension of said second mentioned article so that it will occupy the position vacated by the first mentioned article. Thus, where the articles to be packaged are of oblong rectangular shape, the first mentioned article is arranged in flat, prone, or other desired position and in supporting relation to another similar article. By moving the supporting article, the end of the supported article is moved in the same direction. To produce the desired result the supported units will he limited as to the extent of moveunit will continue to move out from un er the supported unit. v

fThe method hereinabove described has been practiced successfully in the feeding of articles such as pharmaceutical tablets,

candies and the like, at a relatively high rate of speed. ,The apparatus shown in fthe 'l drawings and described herein provides an effective and: preferred type of machine for practicing my improved'method.

l claim as my invention:

1. The method of feeding articles having at least two different dimensions which includes supporting upon a single article a plurality of articles with the same dimension extending in a different direction, displacing said single article, and simultaneously changing the position of the bottommost supported article to that vacated by the displaced single article.

2. The method of feeding articles h-aving at least two diiierent dimensions which includes arranging an article with one dimension extending in a predetermined direction, supporting thereon another article with the same dimension extending in a dierent direction, displacing said first mentioned article, and simultaneously moving the supported article into the position vacated by said first mentioned article.

means for successively supporting articles for displacement and with the same dimension uniformly extending in a predetermined direction, means for displacing said articles, means for supplying articles to the supporting means including an article guide having 3. Article feeding mechanism comprising an article guide for successively presenting articles in contact with said supported articles but with the same dimension uniformly extending in a predetermined direction different from that of the direction of the same dimension of the supported article, and means co-operating with the article displacing means to changefthe direction of said I same dimension of the successively presented articles to that of the same dimension of the supported articles.

5. Feedin mechanism for similar articles having lat east two different dimensions comprising means for supporting an article with a greater dimension extending in a predetermined direction, a chute for presenting a portion of another article in riding contact with said first mentioned article and with a smaller dimension extending in said predetermined direction, means for moving said first mentioned article in the direction ofits longer dimension while carrying said riding portion of the other article, and means interposed in the path of said riding portion of the other article to arrest its riding movement on and with the first mentioned article during continued displacing movement of said first mentioned article.

6. Feeding mechanism for similar articles having at least two different dimensions comprising means for supporting an article with a greater dimension extending in -a predetermined direclion, a chute for presenting a portion of another article in riding contact with said first mentioned article and with a smaller dimension extendin in said predetermined direction, means for moving said first mentioned article in the direc-tion of its longerdimension while carrying said riding portion of the other article, and meanspositioned to enga e said article across its greater dimension to limit the extent of movement of one portion while the riding portion moves on and with the first mentioned article.

7. Feeding mechanism for similar articles having at least two different dimensions comprismg means for supporting an article with a greater dimension extending in a predetermined direction, a chute for presenting a portion of 'another article in riding contact with said first, mentioned article and with a smaller dimension extending in said predetermined direction, means for moving said first mentioned article in the direction of its longer dimension While carrying said riding portion of the other article, means positioned to engage said article across its greater dimension tov limit the extent of movement of 'l0 one portion While the riding portion moves on and wit-h'the first mentioned article, and means interposed in the .path of said riding portion to arrest its riding movement on and with said first mentioned'article during continued displacing movement of said first mentioned article;

8. The method of feeding articles successively which includes arranging an article in a predetermined prone position, supporting thereon an article in upright posltion, moving said articles While restraining thc elevated end of the uprightarticle, and continuing to move said prone article from beneath said upright article While restraining further movement of the supporting end thereof.

9. Article feeding mechanism comprising a platform for supporting an article in position to be displaced, article guiding` means positioned to present an end of another article in riding engagement with said first mentioned article, means for moving bothY said articles simultaneously, and means in the path of saidsecond mentioned article to arrest movement thereof whereby said article moves to the position previously occupied by the first mentioned article 'on said platform. Y

10. Article feeding mechanism comprising a chute having a discharge opening, an article engaging shoulder and an article stop at one side thereof, and an obliquely disposed article guiding surface opposite said stop and at the other'side of said opening.

11. Article feeding mechanism comprising a chute having vinteriorly disposed parallel article engaging and guiding surfaces terminating at a discharge opening, one of said surfaces extending beyond the lother surface and in a direction away from the plane thereof, a stop arranged opposite said extended portion and means for moving arti-` cles from between said parallel surfaces against said stop and to, a position below the discharge opening of the chute.

12. Article feeding apparatus for packaging machines and the like comprising a rotatable article conveying drum, a peripheral article receiving and positioning annular recess at the discharge end ofthe drum, a recess closing member movable with the drum and arranged to present an article-discharge opening fixed as to position with respect to the drum, and a relatively stationary article supporting member riding loosely on the recess closing member.

13; Article feeding apparatus for packaging machines and the like comprisin a rotatable article conveying drum, a peripheral article receiving and positioning annular recess at the discharge end of the drum, a recess closing member movable with the drum and arranged to present an article discharge opening fixed as to position with respect to the drum, and a relatively stationary article supporting member riding loosely on the recess closing member and within the annular recess.

14. Article feeding apparatus for packaging machines and the like comprising a rotatable article conveying drum, a peripheral article receiving and positioning annular re.

ceSS at the discharge end of the drum, a recess'closing member movable with the drum and arranged to present an article discharge opening fixed as to position with respect to the drum, and a relatively stationary article .supporting member riding loosely on the recess closinglnegnber, and means for preventing movement of said support with the recess closing member.

15. Article feeding apparatus for packaging machines. and the likecomprising a rotatable article conveying drum, a peripheral article receiving and positioning annular recess at the discharge end of the drum, a recess closing member movable with the drum and arranged to present an article discharge opening fixed as to position with respect to the drum, and a relatively stationary article supporting member riding loosely on the recess closing member, and having one end positioned adjacent to said articleidischarge opening and in article delivering relation thereto.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my*v name to this speciication this 16th day of l February 1922.

LEROY L. SALFISBERG.

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