US3828921A

US3828921A - Shallow cup feeder and orienter

Info

Publication number: US3828921A
Application number: US00282115A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Tackett
Original assignee: Tangen Drives Inc
Current assignee: Tangen Drives Inc
Priority date: 1972-08-21
Filing date: 1972-08-21
Publication date: 1974-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 1991-08-13
Also published as: GB1420399A

Abstract

A feeder for shallow cups, typically milk bottle caps and the like, is disclosed which includes a rotary centrifugal feeder, a pickup plow and tube tangentially mounted to the rotary feeder to deliver the cups generally in rolling configuration but randomly oriented as to the direction of the side walls into a power sorter which sorts the same and separates them so that the oriented cups leave the power sorter in two tracks oriented in the same direction. The power sorter has a pair of driven counter rotating wheels having resilient outer walls, preferentially made of closed cell neoprene. The diverging tracks are made up of a pair of pick up walls which tangentially engage the counter rotating rollers, and an opposed pair of sorter walls which define the two tracks delivering the oriented parts from the counter rotating rollers which respectively divert the path of the caps fed therebetween in the direction of the orientation of the opposed side walls of the cup.

Description

United States Patent [191 Tackett, Jr.

[ Aug. 13, 1974 SHALLOW CUP FEEDER AND ORIENTER [75] Inventor: Marcus Tackett, Jr., Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.

[73] Assignee: Tangen Drives, Inc., Clearwater,

Fla.

[22] Filed: Aug. 21, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 282,115

Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dominik, Knechtel, Godula & Demeur [57] ABSTRACT A feeder for shallow cups, typically milk bottle caps and the like, is disclosed which includes a rotary centrifugal feeder, a pickup plow and tube tangentially mounted to the rotary feeder to deliver the cups generally in rolling configuration but randomly oriented as to the direction of the side walls into a power sorter which sorts the same and separates them so that the oriented cups leave the power sorter in two tracks oriented in the same direction. The power sorter has a pair of driven counter rotating wheels having resilient outer walls, preferentially made of closed cell neoprene. The diverging tracks are made up of a pair of pick up walls which tangentially engage the counter rotating rollers, and an opposed pair of sorter walls which define the two tracks delivering the oriented parts from the counter rotating rollers which respectively divert the path of the caps fed therebetween in the direction of the orientation of the opposed side walls of the cup.

8 Claims, 18 Drawing Figures PATENTED 3.828.921

SHEET 1 [IF 3 FIGI PATENIED mm 31914 'sum 2 or 3 PATENIEBAUB 1 3x914 sum sar s SHALLOW CUP FEEDER AND ORIENTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The invention relates generally to the high speed 'feeding and orienting of small parts, and more particularly shallow cups, whether circular in cross section, rectangular in cross section, or having a regular shape side wall pattern. Generally speaking, the diameter of the cup is several times the depth of the depending side wall.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art is generally exemplified in pending patent applications of the applicants assignee, such as George E. Schultz Pat. application Ser. No. 87,906 filed Nov. 9, 1970 now US Pat. No. 3,710,924, entitled Cup Orienting and Feeding Device and Method, and Ser. No. 254,888 filed May 19, 1972, entitled Feeder and Drive Track now abandoned. While the feeder illustrated is a rotary cone type such as disclosed in the two patent applications, the same may also be employed usefully with vibratory feeders such as exemplified in US. Pat. Nos. 2,464,216 and 2,609,914.

The prior art has developed various cup shape feeding devices, but their capacity and speed is limited. The present invention has as its principal object providing a shallow cup feeder and orienter with a high capacity, in excess of 1,000 pieces per minute. A related object of the present invention looks to a high capacity shallow cup feeder and orienter which may be monitored visually in all respects in the course of its operation, and the feeder portion easily fed from a hopper for the high capacity feeding of randomly oriented cup shape members into the feeder itself.

A more detailed object of the present invention looks to a shallow cup feeder and orienter which includes means for adjusting the same to accommodate varying sizes of shallow cups. Still another detailed aspect of the present invention looks to the provision of an auxiliary separator which assists in the reduction of amounts recirculated in the feeder, and alternatively assists the pick up means on the feeder in receiving single cups rather than cups stacked atop each other.

SUMMARY The invention relates to the use of a power sorter for receiving already partially oriented shallow cups in which the power sorter has a pair of opposed counter rotating power driven rollers with resilient side walls. The power sorter is fed by a magazine in which the cups are oriented along one axis, and then the pressure engagement of the opposed rollers is such that the depending side wall portions of the cups will cling to the roller which it faces and its path be diverted as the same is assisted toward the discharge portion of the power sorter by opposed pick up walls oriented generally tangentially to the power driven rollers into adjacent discharge tubes which are defined by sorter walls positioned in opposite disposition to the pick up walls. The means for picking up the parts from the feeder may include a pneumatic separator positioned to blow off cups which stack up atop each other prior to delivery to the magazine for feeding the power sorter. In addition, the spacing between the pick up walls and sorter walls may be adjustably varied to accommodate differing sizes of shallow cup-faced members. In certain applications, it is also desirable to provide grooves in the central portion of the counter rotating rollers and complimentary edges on the pickup walls to assist in positively engaging the oriented shallow cups. Finally, where the cups are to be delivered in parallel completely oriented fashion inversion cages are provided at the discharge end of the power sorter.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description of an illustrative embodiment proceeds taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shallow cup feeder and orienter particularly adapted for feeding bottle caps to a printer for imprinting the tops for the same.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view partially broken illustrating the feeder and the power sorter.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the power sorter.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are partially diagrammatic enlarged broken sections showing how the power wheels divert the cups depending upon their orientation.

FIG. 4 is a section of the power sorter taken along section line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 through 11 inclusive are sequential sectional enlarged partially diagrammatic views of the pick up means taken along section lines 5-5; 6-6; 7-7; 8-8; 9-9; 10-10; and 11-11; of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the inversion cage employed at the discharge portion of the power sorter.

FIG. 13 is an end view of the cage brackets which orient the cage bars of the inversion cage track illustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a plan view in enlarged scale of the pneumatic separator which is shown in smaller scale on FIG. 2.

FIG. 15 is an end view of the pneumatic separator in same scale as FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the pneumatic separator in the same scale as FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrating the blow port of the pneumatic separator.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The shallow cup feeder and orienter l0 illustrative of the present invention is shown in perspective view in FIG. 1 illustrating a typical commercial application where the shallow cups are in fact caps C intended for ultimate usage on top of plastic milk bottles. In the commercial embodiment shown, the feeder and orienter l0 delivers the caps C to a printer 11 for printing the tops of the caps or bottle tops C. The caps can be delivered through the two inversion cage tracks 50 to the printer 11 at a rate exceeding 1,000 per minute and, indeed, on certain runs speeds as high as 1,400 to 1,500 caps per minute completely oriented have been delivered, split between the two inversion cages 50.

' The feeder 10 employs a rotary feeder 15 of the char- In this instance the caps C are delivered into a hopper 16, much like a chicken feeder, which dumps the caps beneath and onto the rotary cone portion 24 of the feeder 15. The spiders 18 which support the hopper 16 also serve the additional function of wiping and maintaining a relatively constant level of the caps C inside the feeder l5 and above the rotary cone portion 24. The feeder is supported on top of a base 19, and is generally provided with means for tilting the feeder 15 to adjust the flow of the discharge to the sorter feeder tube 22 to an optimum.

In accordance with the invention, the caps are delivered to a sorter feeder tube 22 or other conveying means vertically oriented, but randomly sorted as to whether the open end of the cap is facing left or right in the track or tube which forms the sorter feeder tube 22. The parts then enter the power sorter which is supported by means of a sorter bracket 21 and connected to the feeder 15 and its associated frame 19 in fixed relationship.

As better shown in FIG. 2, the power sorter 20 includes a pair of sorter wheels 40 which are counter r0- tating wheels having a closed cell resilient peripheral surface, preferably formed of neoprene. Turning now to FIGS. 3, 3A, 3B, it will be seen that as the caps C pass over the power sorter wheels 40 the open end portion of the caps C clings lightly to the rotary face of the power sorter wheels 40, and thus are deflected somewhat divergingly from the path which they had previously followed down the sorter feed tube 22 into a direction to which the open end of the cap points. As the caps C proceed toward the junction member 45, they are deflected by means of the sorter walls 48 and then proceed down the delivery chutes defined by the opposed pick up walls 46 and sorter walls 48. As will be observed, the spaced relationship between the two pick up walls 46 and sorter walls 48 can be adjusted by means of the sorter wall mount 49, and the screws being loosened to move the same in a slide track. This will accommodate caps of varying sizes, and even for a particular cap, permit fine adjustment and tuning of the entire unit prior to lengthy commercial runs. The parts are then delivered to the inversion cage tracks 50, also as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Turning now to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the sorter wheels 40 are driven by means of a belt drive 41 and wreathed through a plurality of pulleys 42, the same being powered by an electric motor 44. Desirably the electric motor 44 has an adjustable speed control so that the feed and delivery rate of the caps C to the pair of inversion cage tracks 50 may be controllably adjusted by the speed of the electric motor 44.

The inversion cage 50 is illustrated generally in FIG. 12, where it will be seen that a plurality of cage bars 52 are employed, oriented by cage brackets 51, the same being rotated throughout the length of the inversion cage tracks 50 by some 90 degrees, particularly as illustrated in FIG. 13.

Another important structural factor relates to the construction of the sorter wheels 40, and more particularly the groove 43 which may be provided therein, particularly as illustrated in FIG. 4. It is important that the pick up points 47, which are the furthest upstream portion of the pick up walls 46 (see FIG. 3) be proportioned to complimentarily relate to the groove 43 in the outer face of the sorter wheel 40, but notvbe in direct contact therewith as such contact would produce friction wear, and a roughening of the surface of the sorter wheel 40.

The delivery of the caps in partially oriented fashion to the sorter feed tube 22 is shown in broad outline in FIG. 2. There it will be seen that preliminarily the circulating parts, which are shown there as circulating counter-clockwise, are delivered and first contacted by a fixed separator 35. The purpose of the fixed separator 35 is to preliminarily engage in plow-like fashion those caps C which are rapidly circulating atop the rotary cone 24 and which are more than one cap in height. The purpose in function is one of rough orientation, but to work in cooperation with the pneumatic separator 30 to the end that the caps C which are delivered to the sorter tube pick up 25 are flat, against the periphery of the rotary cone 24. In this connection it should be noted that there is a friction band 36 around the periphery of the rotary cone 24, and that a pick up groove 38 is provided in such band. As will be described hereinafter in connection with FIGS. 5 through 11 inclusive, the friction band 36 assists in accelerating the caps C so that they travel at the approximate speed for entry into the sorter tube pick up 25 as the circumferential speed of the rotary cone 24. The inner portion of the rotary cone 24, particularly in food or dairy-type operations such as associated with the operation of the commercial embodiment of the feeder 10 as illustrated is made of a sheet of stainless steel. Understandably the frictional engagement between the stainless steel and the caps C is minimal, but alternatively this reduces the noise level of the machine, and more particularly inhibits scuffing, scarring, and marring of the caps prior to the time they are delivered for printing in the printer 11.

After the parts are first roughly reduced to single height by means of the fixed separator 35, they then pass the pneumatic separator 30 which contains a plurality of blow ports 32 fed by a manifold 31 at the interior portion of the pneumatic separator 30, all as illustrated in greater details in FIGS. 14-16. It will be noted that the pneumatic separator 30 is crescent shaped in configuration, terminating abruptly at its lower end portion 33 which is immediately adjacent the entry portion of the sorter tube pick up 25. The blow ports 32 are provided at the lower portion of the pneumatic separator 30, the same providing a dynamic assist to removing caps which are stacked more than one high passing around the periphery of the rotary cone member 24 atop the friction band 36.

The function of the sorter tube pick up 25, and more particularly its structural elements, are best illustrated in the sequential views of the orientation of a cap C shown in FIGS. 5-11 inclusive. There it will be seen that initially, as shown in FIG. 5, the cap C may be right side up or upside down atop the friction band 36 of the rotary cone 24. The cap C is immediately entrapped in the closed formation defined by the sorter tube pick up 25, and which is supported by means of the bracket 26 to the side wall 12 of the rotary feeder 15. As the cap C proceeds downstream, as shown in FIG. 6, it will be seen that the bracket then engages and continues to support the inner tube wall 27, which is closed at its end by the tubing member or tube top 29. Then as shown in FIG. 7, somewhat further downstream, the formation of an outer tube wall 28 begins. At the last point of the outer tube wall 28, it is provided with a pick up point 39 which is positioned to rest beneath the upper surface of the friction band 36, and within the pick up groove 38 of the friction band 36. In this fashion the cap C is lifted gently as it proceeds rapidly into the sorter tube pick up 25, and this relationship significantly reduces any tendency to become jammed at the inlet portion of the sorter tube pick up 25.

Thereafter as illustrated in FIG. 8, the size of the bracket 26 is somewhat reduced, and the configuration of the sorter tube 25 becomes more and more of a vertical tubular configuration still closed at its top by the top member 29, and entrappingly engaging the cap C by means of the opposed inner tube wall and outer tube wall 28. Ultimately, as shown in FIG. 11, the cap C is vertically oriented and then proceeds into the sorter feed tube 22 for delivery to the power sorter 20.

As indicated above, while the commercial embodiment shown employs a rotary cone type feeder 15, it has been pointed out that vibratory bowl feeders may also deliver parts to the power sorter 20. Also while closed cell neoprene wheel for the power sorter, such as the sorter wheels 40 illustrated, are desirably made of neoprene, other materials may be employed, and even open cell materials may be used in certain situations where softer parts such as the caps C are used.

It will also be appreciated that while illustrated the feeder and orienter is employed utilizing circular milk bottle caps, rectangular shapes may also be similarly fed and oriented. Those parts which can be oriented are primarily the ones being relatively shallow, and having relatively uniform side walls, albeit the side walls may not be circular in configuration, but rather a regular rectilinear, circular, or combination configuration of these two.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in full here, there is no intention to thereby limit the invention to the details of such embodiments. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternatives, embodiments, usages and equivalents of a shallow cup feeder and orienter as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, specification and the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In a shallow cup feeder and orienter comprising, in combination,

a feeder for drivingly circulating shallow cups having side wall portion and a central rotary cone,

pickup means operatively connected to the feeder for engaging single parts and orienting the parts along one axis of the part, including sequentially a curvilinear plow one part width above the cone, a pneumatic wiper downstream of the plow having centrally directed jet means one part width above the cone,

a power sorter for receiving said single axis oriented parts having opposed counter rotating power driven rollers having resilient outer walls to receive and tangentially release said parts in a direction diverted from their received pathway diverted in the direction of the side wall portions of said cups,

opposed pickup walls tangential with the rollers downstream of their common diameter,

sorter walls opposed to the pickup walls meeting at a point midway between the pickup walls and defining with the pickup walls a diverging, pair of discharge tubes the improvement comprising,

a groove centrally disposed in each of said rollers,

and, I projections on the pickup walls at their point of tangency with the rollers and substantially complementary with the grooves, whereby the diversion of the cups from the rollers is positively directed at the tangen point.

2. in the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 1,

means for adjusting the spaced relationship of the pickup walls, whereby the tubular discharge portion of the power sorter can be adjusted for varying sidewall dimensions of the cups.

3. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 1,

a centrally positioned hopper positioned above the rotary cone portion, and,

a plurality of spiders supporting the centrally located hopper positioned above the rotary cone member, whereby a relatively constant level of the caps inside the feeder and above the rotary cone portion are provided.

4. In a shallow cup feeder and orienter comprising,

in combination,

a feeder for drivingly circulating shallow cups having side wall portion and a central rotary cone, pickup means operatively connected to the feeder for engaging single parts and orienting the parts along one axis of the part, air jet means along said side wall one part thickness above the adjacent cone with the air jet disposed substantially radially inward, a power sorter for receiving said single axis oriented parts having opposed counter rotating power driven rollers having resilient outer walls to receive and tangentially release said parts in a direction diverted from their received pathway diverted in the direction of the side wall portions of said cups,

sorter walls opposed to the pickup walls meeting at a point midway between the pickup walls and defining with the pickup walls a diverging pair of discharge tubes the impovement comprising,

a sorter wall mount,

said sorter walls extending upwardling from said sorter wall mount,

and means for adjustably positioning said sorter wall mount on the power wall sorter whereby saidmount is moved forwardly and rearwardly with regard to the pickup wall thereby adjusting the track provided there between.

5. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 4,

a groove centrally disposed in each of said rollers,

and, projections on the pickup walls at their point of tan gency with the rollers and substantially complimentary with the grooves, whereby the diversion of the cups from the rollers is positively directed at the tangent point.

6. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 4,

7. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 4,

a centrally positioned hopper positioned above the rotary cone portion, and,

a plurality of spiders supporting the centrally located hopper positioned above the rotary cone member,

sorter walls opposed to the pickup walls meeting at a point midway between the pickup walls and defining with the pickup walls a diverging pair of discharge tubes the improvement comprising,

a centrally oriented hopper,

a plurality of spiders extending outwardly from the hopper and above the rotary cone portion of the feeder,

whereby the level of the cups being fed within the feeder is maintained in accordance with the spaced relationship between the spider and the rotary cone.

Claims

1. In a shallow cup feeder and orienter comprising, in combination, a feeder for drivingly circulating shallow cups having side wall portion and a central rotary cone, pickup means operatively connected to the feeder for engaging single parts and orienting the parts along one axis of the part, including sequentially a curvilinear plow one part width above the cone, a pneumatic wiper downstream of the plow having centrally directed jet means one part width above the cone, a power sorter for receiving said single axis oriented parts having opposed counter rotating power driven rollers having resilient outer walls to receive and tangentially release said parts in a direction diverted from their received pathway diverted in the direction of the side wall portions of said cups, opposed pickup walls tangential with the rollers downstream of their common diameter, sorter walls opposed to the pickup walls meeting at a point midway between the pickup walls and defining with the pickup walls a diverging pair of discharge tubes the improvement comprising, a groove centrally disposed in each of said rollers, and, projections on the pickup walls at their point of tangency with the rollers and substantially complementary with the grooves, whereby the diversion of the cups from the rollers is positively directed at the tangen point.

2. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 1, means for adjusting the spaced relationship of the pickup walls, whereby the tubular discharge portion of the power sorter can be adjusted for varying sidewall dimensions of the cups.

3. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 1, a centrally positioned hopper positioned above the rotary cone portion, and, a plurality of spiders supporting the centrally located hopper positioned above the rotary cone member, whereby a relatively constant level of the caps inside the feeder and above the rotary cone portion are provided.

4. In a shallow cup feeder and orienter comprising, in combination, a feeder for drivingly circulating shallow cups having side wall portion and a central rotary cone, pickup means operatively connected to the feeder for engaging single parts and orienting the parts along one axis of the part, air jet means along said side wall one part thickness above the adjacent cone with the air jet disposed substantially radially inward, a power sorter for receiving said single axis oriented parts having opposed counter rotating power driven rollers having resilient outer walls tO receive and tangentially release said parts in a direction diverted from their received pathway diverted in the direction of the side wall portions of said cups, opposed pickup walls tangential with the rollers downstream of their common diameter, sorter walls opposed to the pickup walls meeting at a point midway between the pickup walls and defining with the pickup walls a diverging pair of discharge tubes the impovement comprising, a sorter wall mount, said sorter walls extending upwardling from said sorter wall mount, and means for adjustably positioning said sorter wall mount on the power wall sorter whereby said mount is moved forwardly and rearwardly with regard to the pickup wall thereby adjusting the track provided there between.

5. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 4, a groove centrally disposed in each of said rollers, and, projections on the pickup walls at their point of tangency with the rollers and substantially complimentary with the grooves, whereby the diversion of the cups from the rollers is positively directed at the tangent point.

6. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 4, means for adjusting the spaced relationship of the pickup walls, whereby the tubular discharge portion of the power sorter can be adjusted for varying sidewall dimensions of the cups.

7. In the shallow cup feeder and orienter of claim 4, a centrally positioned hopper positioned above the rotary cone portion, and, a plurality of spiders supporting the centrally located hopper positioned above the rotary cone member, whereby a relatively constant level of the caps inside the feeder and above the rotary cone portion are provided.

8. In a shallow cup feeder and orienter comprising, in combination, a feeder for drivingly circulating shallow cups having side wall portion, pickup means operatively connected to the feeder for engaging single parts and orienting the parts and orienting the parts along one axis of the part, a power sorter for receiving said single axis oriented parts having opposed counter rotating power driven rollers having resilient outer walls to receive and tangentially release said parts in a direction diverted from their received pathway diverted in the direction of the side wall portions of said cups, opposed pickup walls tangential with the rollers downstream of their common diameter, sorter walls opposed to the pickup walls meeting at a point midway between the pickup walls and defining with the pickup walls a diverging pair of discharge tubes the improvement comprising, a centrally oriented hopper, a plurality of spiders extending outwardly from the hopper and above the rotary cone portion of the feeder, whereby the level of the cups being fed within the feeder is maintained in accordance with the spaced relationship between the spider and the rotary cone.