US2354482A - Article feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1944. o. SANDBERG I I ARTICLE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed March 23, 1942 v I INVENTOR. flaccvffiandezg Patented July 25, 1944 2,354,482 7 ARTICLE-FEEDING "MECHANISM Oscar Sandberg, Defiance, Ohio,

Lynch .Manufacturing Corporation, Ohio, 'a'corporation of Ohio vassignor to Defiance,

Application-March 23, 1942, Serial No. 435,781

l Claims.

My present invention has to do with an article feeding mechanism fora wrapping machine, such as the types shown in my Patent No. 2,208,776, issued July 23, 1940, and my copending application Serial No. 317,370,.fi1ed'February 5, 1940, of which application the-present one is a continuation-in-part. One object of the invention is to provide a wrapping machine in whichra candy bar conveyor conveys the bars from a bar feeding conveyor to a position in registration with a wrapper, mechanism being associated with the bar conveyor to stop the machine if an exceptionally long or thick bar, unsuitable for wrapping, is discharged from the bar feed conveyor onto the bar conveyor.

A further object of the invention .is to provide means to stop the operation of the wrapping machine in response to a bar that istoo long or too thick, by breaking a control circuit for the motor that normally operates the machine.

Still another object is .to provide a modification wherein the motor is under the control of a starting relay and the circuit of the starting relay is broken by the mechanism which I provide for gauging a candy bar, and if it is too large, breaking the relay circuit.

With these and other objects in view, myinvention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the bar'feeding' end of a wrapping machine such as shown in my parent application, the automatic stop devices being shown in connection therewith;

Figure 2 is a detail view of one of the stop devices as on the line 2-2 of Figure 1';

Figure 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing a modification of my mechanism; and

Figure 4 is an end view of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrow 4 at the bottom of Figure 3.

The wrapping machine of my parent application has to do with the wrapping of articles, for instance, candy bars of the type commonly sold in drug and grocery stores. Only the parts of the machine essential to the operation of the automatic stop devices of my present invention are illustrated on the drawing and will be described.

The wrapping machine has a'frame, one corner thereon. to engage the.

of which is indicated at F, and extending-from the'frame Fis a pair of supporting rods ID; The rods l adjacenttheir outer ends have brackets l-2'thereon,- supporting a cross-rodi l3 which,.:in turn,.supports one end of a bar conveyor includingj'stationary guide bars ;I 4 and -pockets l 5'. The pockets are channel-shaped to laterally re-' ceive articles such as candy bars B. The pockets l5 are mounted on a conveyor chain. l6 that passes around a sprocket H. The sprocket I1 is mounted on a shaft l8 journaled in bearings l9 mounted on the supporting rods H), v

There is .also a feeding conveyor 29 having therein a feed chain 2|, with projections .22 bars B and propel thern' into thepockets I5. .The conveyor chains 15 .and

2I :are driven intermittently in timed relation froma motor .M, the driving mechanism formg ing no part ofitheppresent invention,..and, ac-'- cordingly, notbeingshown; It is fully shown, however, in my parent application. v v

The motor. M is energized by a toggle switch S. A manual lever .36 is provided for latching the toggle .switch S in on position. When the,

; lever is lowered againstthe biasof a spring. 41:

(see Figure 2) a dog 38 thereof engagesa latch 40. The latch 40 is adapted to be released by either a stop plate 42 or a sto plate 39, when; the plate 42 isengaged by the end of a candy bar, or when the plate 39 is engaged by the top of one, as will hereinafter be described,

side member 4|, the opposite side member being" shown at-4'l p The lever 38 is mounted on a rock shaft 43;

suitably supported 'in bearings 44 of a bracket ingone end attached thereto and the other end anchored on the rock shaft 43. V The sliding rod" 45is pivot edat 30to a leVerZ QieXtending down-" wardly from the rock shaft; In Figures 3 and 4', I 'show 'a' modified con'struction wherein the motor M is controlled by a motor starting relay R. The relay R-is shown an;

grammatically and is of the usual constructiongf having astart button 23 and a stop button 24, The start button 23, when depressed, closes the circuit of the motor by a contact 25 bridging the contacts 26. The-contacts 2526 are-re h' at is"? carried by a rod 45 'slidable through a conveyor and 5| attached to the conveyor frame bars 4| and 4|. The plate 49 is secured to a rock shaft 52, journaled in the bearings, and normally assumes a position due to gravity wherein a stop screw 53 contacts with the upper edge of the conveyor frame bar 41*.

plate 49.

Also secured to the rock shaft 52 is an upwardly extending arm 55 connected by a spring 59 to anarm 51. The arm 51is secured to an oscillatable collar 58 having'a downwardly extending arm 59. Due to gravity acting on the arm 51, the collar 58 and its arm 59 normally assume the position illustrated in Figure 4, with the arm 59 spaced from a push-button 60. The push-button fiflextends from the switch 28 and is adapted,-

'by the arm 59, to open" upon being depressed the switch 28. l. Practical operation In the operation of the wrapping machine, assuming that there is a proper supply of articles, such as bars B, in the feed conveyor 20, the mach'ine may be started by depressing the manual control lever 36 to the position of Figure 2 which latchesthe pawl 38, under the notch 40*? of the latch 40, whereupon the toggle lever 35 of the switch S may be moved downwardly to on pos sition. The operator may now place candy bars (or other articles to be. wrapped) on'the feed conveyor chain 2| between the lugs 22 thereof. Since these logs are timed in their movement with relation to the pockets l5 each time a pocket halts in alignment with the conveyor 29, a bar 23' will be deposited in the pocket. The bars are thereuponv advanced forwardly in the machine, past the stop plate 42. If any of the bars (such as B are longer than the distance between the sides 4| and M they will engage the stop plate 42, or if any of themin the conveyor are too large in diameter, they will lift the stop plate 39, which causes a screw 39 to engage and raise,

and thereby release the latch 40 from the pawl 38. This operation permits the arm 31 to be raised by the-spring 41 and move the switch S to off position. The candy bar that struck the stopplate 39 orthe stop plate 42 is then removed from the machineby the operator as it is either too thick or too long to be wrapped properly. Thereupon, the lever 36 may again be depressed and the toggle lever 35 of the switch also depressed to running position.

. With the arrangement illustrated in Figures 3' and 4, a latching operation, such as described in connection with the parts 38 and 40 is eliminated, since to start the machine it is merelynecessary to depress the start button 23. Thereupon, the machine will properly function until a bar that is too large in diameter will lift the plate 49, thereby swinging the arm 59 under bias of the spring 56 to a position contacting with the pin 60. This will open the holding circuit at the'switch 28 so that the relay R drops out and that is too large can be removed from the con veyor l6. In connection with Figures 3 and 4, I have shown only one stop device, but, obviously, a stop device such as the plate 42 for a bar that is too long, could be similarly arranged for opening the circuit of another switch similar to 28 and in series circuit with it, or could be used to open the witch 28 itself., lllhe, essential characteristic is the breakingg of the holding circuit of the relay R in response to a bar'that has a .greater dimension than required for proper wrapping in the machine.

" "Some changes may be made in the construc- .tion and arrangement of the parts of my device themotor M is thereby stopped so that the bar.

without departing, from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure, or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

'1'. In'means for supplying articles to a wrapping machine, means to feed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyor having. spaced .articl'e' receiving pockets therein, means for depositing an' article in each of said pockets, means for-propelling said con-' veyor, a control device for said last means, manually positioned in inoperative position, a latch to retain it in such position, said conveyor having a pair of sides between which the article is transported, and means engaged by the end of an article in any of said pockets which is longer than the distance between said sides, said last means being operable when so engaged to release said latch and thereby stop said means for propelling said conveyor by return of said control device to its initial position. 1

2. In means for supplying articles to a wrapping machine, means to feed articles to be wrapped to'a wrapping position comprising a conveyor having spaced article receiving pockets therein, means for depositing an article in each of said pocketsgmeansfor propelling said conveyor, a control devic for said last means, manually positioned ininoperative position, a latch to re-- tain it in such position,- and means engaged by an article which is too large to be wrapped properly, said last means being. operable when so engaged to release said latch and thereby stop said means for propelling said conveyor by return of said control deviceto its initial positionfi 3. In a device for supplying articles to a wrap ping machine, means to feed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyor having spaced article receiving pockets, means for depositingan article in each of said pockets, an electric'motor for propelling said conveyor, a manually closa-ble switch, meansto bias said switch toward open position, a latch for latch and thereby permit said means which bias es said switch toward open position to become operative to open the switch to stop said electric motor and conveyor.

position comprising a conveyor having spaced 81121018 receiving pockets, means for article in each of said pockets, an

.switch, means to bias said switch-toward open 4. In a device of the character disclosed, means 1 to 'feed articles to be Wrapped to a wrapping depositing an" electric motor' for propelling said conveyor, a manually closable position, a latch for retaining said last means in the inoperative" position thereof, and a stop .plate engaged by the top of any article which is too thick to be wrapped properly, said stop plate being operable when so engaged to release said latch and thereby permit said means which biases said switch toward open position to become operative to open the switch to stopsaid electric motor and conveyor.

5. In a device of the class described, means to feed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyor having spaced article receiving pockets, means for placing an article in each of said pockets, an electric motor for propelling said conveyor, a, manually closable switch, means to bias said switch toward open position, a latch for retaining said last means in the inoperative position thereof, a stop plate engaged by the end of an article in any of said pockets which is too long to be wrapped properly, and a stop plate engaged by the top of any article which is too thick to be wrapped properly, either of said stop plates being operable when so engaged to release said latch and permit said means which biases said switch toward open position to become operative and thereby open the switch to stop said electric motor and conveyor. 7

6. In means for supplying articles to a wrapping machine, means to feed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyor having spaced article receiving pockets therein, means for depositing an article in each of said pockets, a motor for propelling said conveyor, a push button operated starting relay for said motor having a holding circuit, and means engaged by the top of an article in any of said pockets which is larger than a predetermined size, said last means being operable when so engaged to open said holding circuit to thereby permit return of said push button operated starting relay to its initial position to effect stopping of said motor and thereby said conveyor.

'7. In a device for feeding articles to a wrapping machine, means to feed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position, means for placing articles on said feeding means, electrically energized means for propelling said feeding means, a push button for energizing said last means, a holding circuit for said push button, and means engaged by an article which is too large to be properly wrapped in the machine, .said last means being operablewhen so engaged to open said holding circuit, thereby permitting said push button to return to open circuit position and stop said electrically energized means for pro pelling said feeding means.

OSCAR SANDBERG.

Images