US3337020A - Feeder mechanism and method - Google Patents

Feeder mechanism and method Download PDF

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Publication number
US3337020A
US3337020A US530152A US53015266A US3337020A US 3337020 A US3337020 A US 3337020A US 530152 A US530152 A US 530152A US 53015266 A US53015266 A US 53015266A US 3337020 A US3337020 A US 3337020A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
articles
feeder
lugs
conveyor
movement
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US530152A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
John H Perry
Benatar Victor
Hermond G Gentry
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mead Corp
Original Assignee
Mead Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mead Corp filed Critical Mead Corp
Priority to US530152A priority Critical patent/US3337020A/en
Priority to AT175267A priority patent/AT291120B/de
Priority to FI670527A priority patent/FI47857C/fi
Priority to NL676702733A priority patent/NL153142B/xx
Priority to SE02477/67A priority patent/SE347714B/xx
Priority to BR187268/67A priority patent/BR6787268D0/pt
Priority to NO167008A priority patent/NO121940B/no
Priority to DK102267AA priority patent/DK141959B/da
Priority to DE19671586184 priority patent/DE1586184A1/de
Priority to ES337266A priority patent/ES337266A1/es
Priority to FR96336A priority patent/FR1512278A/fr
Priority to GB9025/67A priority patent/GB1177243A/en
Priority to BE694582D priority patent/BE694582A/xx
Priority to CH280667A priority patent/CH454024A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3337020A publication Critical patent/US3337020A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
    • B65B35/30—Arranging and feeding articles in groups
    • B65B35/44—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by endless belts or chains

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a feeder mechanism and method and more particularly to a feeder mechanism of the type wherein an endless conveyor is provided with a plurality of spaced lugs and wherein the mechanism is particularly well adapted for use in high speed packaging machines.
  • a conveyor for supplying articles to be packaged is driven at a speed somewhat greater than the rate at which the articles to be packaged are conveyed through the packaging machine and a metering mechanism such as a star wheel is used to regulate the rate of flow of articles through the machine.
  • the articles may be divided into groups by horizontally disposed reciprocable plungers which move inwardly to separate a number of articles from an adjacent group of articles.
  • Such a system of horizontally disposed plungers is disclosed in US. Patent 2,751,730, issued June 26, 1956, on an application filed by Hermond G. Gentry.
  • a principal object of this invention is the provision of an improved feeder mechanism which is simple and reliable and which also is arranged so as not to interfere with the folding of wrapper sidewalls when the mechanism is used in conjunction with a high speed packaging machine.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide an improved feeder mechanism utilizing a minimum of parts and which is so constructed adjustment when the feeder is converted for use with different sizes of primary packages and for use with different-numbers of primary packages incorporated in a single wrapper.
  • Still another object of the invention is the provision of an improved simplified feeder mechanism which is coordinated with metering means and which is particularly well adapted for use with primary packages whose cross sectional shape and area are such that vacant space is provided immediately adjacent to the primary packages, such space being utilized according to this invention as a space for the disposition of a part of the feeder mechanism.
  • a further object of this invention is to provide an improved feeder mechanism which is specially adapted to safeguard the primary packages against undue relative movement between adjacent packages and thereby to minimize the chance for weakening or breakage thereof.
  • a still further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of feeding articles wherein vacant space adjacent an article is utilized initially as a place of entry of a device such as a lug and wherein relative movement between the article and lug is thereafter effected to align the lug with the center of the article and its path of travel as to require a minimum of according to this invention;
  • the invention in one form as applied to a feeder mechanism is particularly adapted for conveying articles having vertically disposed axes and whose cross sectional area is provided adjacent thereto and comprises a metering means for regulating the rate of flow of the articles, a continuous conveyor having a feeder reach disposed immediately below the path of movement of the articles, a plurality of feeder lugs mounted on the conveyor in spaced relation therealong, the lugs being disposed to enter the vacant spaces provided due to the shape of the articles to be packaged, and guide means disposed alongside the path of movement of the articles, the guide means being arranged to cause transverse movement of the articles, such movement being effective to cause the articles to align their axes with the feeder lugs so that the feeder lugs are then disposed along the loci of the axis of the articles rather than to one side thereof.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view of a feeder mechanism constructed
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of the left hand end portion of the mechanism as depicted in FIG. 1; and in which FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a pair of adjacent feeder lugs mounted on a continuous conveyor which as shown is in the form of an endless chain.
  • the numerals 1 and 2 are used to designate plates which are interconnected by cross pieces 3 and 4, cross piece 3 being afiixed to side plates 1 and 2 by suitable bolts designated by the numerals 5.
  • cross plate 4 is affixed to side plates 1 and 2 by bolts designated by the numeral 6.
  • a suitable base plate is utilized to interconnect the lower portion of side plates 1 and 2'but such plate is eliminated from the drawings for the sake of clarity.
  • the cans are supported on a runway 7 having slots 8 therein for receiving the lugs 36A and 36B along the feeder reach of the conveyor.
  • such a conveyor is designated by the numeral 9 and is rotat-ably mounted at one end on a suitable rotatable element designated at 10 which in turn is supported on horizontal shaft 11.
  • suitable metering means may take the form of a pair of star wheels 12 and 13 which are mounted on vertically disposed shafts 14 and 15 respectively.
  • Star wheels 12 and 13 are proded with scalloped peripheral edges as is well known 1d are driven from a suitable gear box designated by re numeral 16.
  • Continuous feeder onveyor 17 comprises a feeder reach 18 and a return each 19 and is mounted at its left hand end as seen in TO. 1 on a suitable sprocket 20 on shaft 21 which is upported at its ends by side plates 1 and 2. At its right land end as viewed in FIG.
  • the conveyor 17 is mounted m sprocket 22 which is mounted on shaft 23 which in urn is supported at its ends on suitable mechanism which .s not shown
  • the sprocket 20 is interconnected with the gear box 16 by means of a coupling shaft 24.
  • a suitable idler sprocket 25 is mounted for rotation on shaft 26 which in turn is supported at its ends by suitable support means not shown in the drawings.
  • Tension of conveyor 17 is adjustable by means of idler sprocket 27 rotatably mounted on stub shaft 28 supported by arm 29.
  • arm 29 is pivotally mounted on pin 30 and the position of arm 29 is determined by locking nut 31 which cooperates with a threaded bolt 32 disposed in slot 33 formed in a part of arm 29.
  • Bolt 32 is afiixed in any suitable manner to sup.- port plate 34 secured to suitable support means 35.
  • the desired tension of continuous conveyor 17 is determined by adjustment of the angular position of arm 29 about pivot 30. When the desired adjustment is achieved nut 31 is tightened.
  • support means 35 is provided and arranged as shown.
  • Such means comprises a pair of support tracks 35A and 35B which are disposed immediately below and adjacent to the continuous conveyor 17.
  • the space immediately adjacent to the primary articles C is utilized as a space in which suitable feeder lugs designated in the drawings by the numerals 36 may enter as depicted for example in FIG. 2.
  • lug 36B is to one side of the path of movement of can C1.
  • lug 36A is disposed on a corresponding side of the can occupying the position depicted at C2.
  • the vacant space that is adjacent to the articles such as C1 and C2 due to the circular or other similar shape thereof is conveniently utilized as space for entry of feeder lugs such as 36A and 36B.
  • an improved method and means are provided for causing the axes of the primary articles C to align themselves with their associated feeder lugs such as 36A and 36B.
  • such means may take the form of guides 37, 38 and 39.
  • guides 37-39 are curved at the portions thereof designated by the numerals 40, 41 and 42.
  • transverse movement is imparted thereto by the portions 40, 41 and 42 of the guides 37-39 so that as the articles move from the position designated at C1 and C2 to that designated at C3 and C4, for example, the axes of the articles are moved into alignment with their associated feeder lugs 36A and 36B.
  • a simple and efficient feeder mechanism wherein advantage is taken of the vacant space adjacent to primary articles due to the configuration thereof and at the same time means are provided for preventing rotation of the articles about their vertical axes and thereby for eliminating damage which undoubtedly would resulton account of such rotation.
  • a lug Once a lug becomes aligned with the axes of the adjacent articles, it also effects a spacing operation therebetween due to the space required by the lug. Obviously, this action may be employed to establish or maintain spacing between adjacent article groups or, if desired, the spacing action could be provided between adjacent articles of a single group of articles.
  • the lugs are provided with bolts 43 and 43A respectively which in turn cooperate with brackets 44 and 45 to support the feeder lugs 36A and 36B.
  • Bracket 44 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided with an upstanding part 46 which is secured by welding or otherwise to link 47 formed as an integral part of the conveyor 17.
  • bracket 45 is provided with an upstanding portion 47 which is secured by welding or otherwise to a link such as 48 formed as an integral part of the chain which constitutes the continuous conveyor 17.
  • horizontal adjustment of the feeder lugs 36A and 363 may be effected by bolts 43 and 43A respectively. Once the desired position left to right is achieved, the bolts are tightened to secure the feeder lugs in the proper positions.
  • the continuous conveyor 17 may comprise two parallel series of chain rollers such as are individually designated in FIG. 3 by the numerals 49 and 50.
  • the chain made up of rollers 49 is supported along the feeder reach portion thereof by support track 35A while the portion of the continuous conveyor which is made up of links 50 is supported by support track 35B.
  • One advantage derived from this invention centers around the fact that a minimum of adjustment is necessary. For example, if a single row of articles C is being run through the machine and if it is desired to adjust the machine from one size of article C to another size of article or if the number of articles in a single row is to be changed, it is not necessary to make any changes in the feeder conveyor 17. Under these conditions, it is only necessary to change the star wheel such as 12 or 13 in order to convert the machine.
  • a feeder mechanism for conveying a plurality of tubular articles having vertically disposed axes along a predetermined path one behind the other in one general direction and at a predetermined rate, the cross sectional configuration of the articles being such that vacant space is provided adjacent the articles, said mechanism comprising metering means for controlling the rate of movement of the articles, a continuous conveyor having a feeder reach disposed immediately below and generally parallel to the path of movement of the articles, a plurality of feeder lugs mounted on said conveyor in spaced relation therealong, each of said lugs being disposed to enter a vacant space adjacent to and generally behind and to one side of the axis of one of the articles and being effective to engage and move such article along the predetermined path, and guide means disposed alongside the path of movement of the articles, said guide means being configured to engage and move the articles in a direction transverse to the predetermined path of movement thereof whereby the lugs are then disposed in approximate alignment with the axes of the articles rather than in the vacant spaces adjacent thereto.
  • a feeder mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the articles are supported on a runway having at least one slot therein in which said lugs ride along the feeder reach of said conveyor.
  • a feeder mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the conveyed articles are circular in cross section and wherein said metering means comprises a star wheel having a scalloped periphery and wherein said star wheel is disposed adjacent the entry end of the feeder reach of said conveyor.
  • a feeder mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said star wheel is rotat-ably mounted on a substantially vertical axis and wherein said conveyor is mounted on rotatable elements having substantially horizontal axes and wherein said star wheel and said conveyor are movable in coordination with each other.
  • a feeder mechanism according to claim 1 wherein support means is provided for the feeder reach of said conveyor throughout a substantial portion of the length thereof whereby movement of said feeder lugs is controlled in a predetermined fashion.
  • a feeder mechanism wherein two rows of articles are fed simultaneously alongside each other and wherein said metering means, said feeder lugs and said guide means are arranged in pairs to cooperate respectively with said two rows of articles.
  • a feeder mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said metering means are disposed outwardly of the paths of movement of the two rows of articles and wherein said feeder lugs are arranged to enter vacant spaces on corresponding sides of adjacent pairs of articles.
  • a feeder mechanism according to claim 6 wherein said guide means are arranged to shift both rows of articles in a direction which is transverse to the path of movement of the articles and generally toward the loci of the paths of movement of said feeder lugs thereby to align the axes of the articles therewith.
  • a method of feeding along a predetermined path disposed in a generally horizontal planea series of articles whose axes are vertical and whose cross sectional configuration is such that vacant space exists adjacent the articles comprising the steps of causing a feeder lug to enter the vacant space adjacent to and generally behind and to one side of the axis of one of the articles from a position outside of said horizontal plane, and thereafter effecting relative sidewise movement of the lug and article so as to establish approximate alignment of the lug and the axis of the article along the path of movement thereof.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
  • Branching, Merging, And Special Transfer Between Conveyors (AREA)
  • Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)
  • Intermediate Stations On Conveyors (AREA)
  • Structure Of Belt Conveyors (AREA)
US530152A 1966-02-25 1966-02-25 Feeder mechanism and method Expired - Lifetime US3337020A (en)

Priority Applications (14)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US530152A US3337020A (en) 1966-02-25 1966-02-25 Feeder mechanism and method
AT175267A AT291120B (de) 1966-02-25 1967-02-22 Zubringer
FI670527A FI47857C (fi) 1966-02-25 1967-02-22 Esineiden syöttölaite
NL676702733A NL153142B (nl) 1966-02-25 1967-02-22 Voedingsmechanisme voor het transporteren van voorwerpen.
BR187268/67A BR6787268D0 (pt) 1966-02-25 1967-02-23 Mecanismo alimentador e processo
SE02477/67A SE347714B (fi) 1966-02-25 1967-02-23
NO167008A NO121940B (fi) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24
DK102267AA DK141959B (da) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24 Apparat til fremføring af genstande.
DE19671586184 DE1586184A1 (de) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24 Einlegemechanismus und Verfahren
ES337266A ES337266A1 (es) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24 Un metodo y su correspondiente mecanismo alimentador para transportar una pluralidad de articulos tubulares.
FR96336A FR1512278A (fr) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24 Mécanisme et procédé d'alimentation en objets
GB9025/67A GB1177243A (en) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24 Conveyor Mechanism
BE694582D BE694582A (fi) 1966-02-25 1967-02-24
CH280667A CH454024A (fr) 1966-02-25 1967-02-27 Dispositif d'alimentation

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US530152A US3337020A (en) 1966-02-25 1966-02-25 Feeder mechanism and method

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3337020A true US3337020A (en) 1967-08-22

Family

ID=24112629

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US530152A Expired - Lifetime US3337020A (en) 1966-02-25 1966-02-25 Feeder mechanism and method

Country Status (14)

Country Link
US (1) US3337020A (fi)
AT (1) AT291120B (fi)
BE (1) BE694582A (fi)
BR (1) BR6787268D0 (fi)
CH (1) CH454024A (fi)
DE (1) DE1586184A1 (fi)
DK (1) DK141959B (fi)
ES (1) ES337266A1 (fi)
FI (1) FI47857C (fi)
FR (1) FR1512278A (fi)
GB (1) GB1177243A (fi)
NL (1) NL153142B (fi)
NO (1) NO121940B (fi)
SE (1) SE347714B (fi)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3835979A (en) * 1973-04-30 1974-09-17 Mead Corp Article handling machine
DE3623342A1 (de) * 1986-07-11 1988-01-21 Staehle Gmbh Blechpackungen Vorrichtung zum palettieren von behaeltnissen aus magnetisch erfassbarem material

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2007981A (en) * 1933-06-23 1935-07-16 American Can Co Can feeding device
US2576862A (en) * 1946-06-11 1951-11-27 Electronic Chemical Engineerin Method and apparatus for preserving foodstuffs

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2007981A (en) * 1933-06-23 1935-07-16 American Can Co Can feeding device
US2576862A (en) * 1946-06-11 1951-11-27 Electronic Chemical Engineerin Method and apparatus for preserving foodstuffs

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3835979A (en) * 1973-04-30 1974-09-17 Mead Corp Article handling machine
DE3623342A1 (de) * 1986-07-11 1988-01-21 Staehle Gmbh Blechpackungen Vorrichtung zum palettieren von behaeltnissen aus magnetisch erfassbarem material

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES337266A1 (es) 1968-04-01
BR6787268D0 (pt) 1973-01-30
FI47857B (fi) 1974-01-02
CH454024A (fr) 1968-03-31
DK141959C (fi) 1980-12-08
NL153142B (nl) 1977-05-16
FR1512278A (fr) 1968-02-02
DK141959B (da) 1980-07-28
FI47857C (fi) 1974-04-10
BE694582A (fi) 1967-07-31
NL6702733A (fi) 1967-08-28
NO121940B (fi) 1971-04-26
SE347714B (fi) 1972-08-14
GB1177243A (en) 1970-01-07
DE1586184A1 (de) 1970-07-23
AT291120B (de) 1971-07-12

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