ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS WITH AUTOMATIC CONTROLS FOR SUPPLY AND DISPENSER

• US 3,610,464 A
• Filed: 06/18/1969
• Issued: 10/05/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Horton Hampton Loughry
• Original Assignee: Horton Hampton Loughry
• Inventors: Loughry, Horton Hampton
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, Samuel F.
• Application Number:
  US04/834,366
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 221/1,2,9,10,13 133/8
• US Class Current: 221/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08

Abstract

Material-handling apparatus including a feeder unit for feeding articles to an accumulator structure, a counter unit for counting the articles being fed to the accumulator, and a control unit governing operation of the feeder unit and accumulator in response to operation of the counter unit. The control unit permits a batch of articles in the accumulator to be dumped into a container at a packaging station after which the container is sealed by a sealing unit operated by the control unit. In one embodiment, a plurality of these apparatuses are utilized to separately feed desired numbers of articles to a conveyor. Each apparatus includes feeder, counter and control units and the apparatuses are ganged together so that the conveyor deposits the articles in a common container for packaging.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for feeding, counting and dispensing articles for packaging:

a. an electrically operated feeder unit for feeding articles;

an accumulator unit for accumulating articles fed by the feeder unit, said accumulator unit including a dispenser actuator for dispensing accumulated articles from said accumulator;

c. a counter unit operated in response to articles fed into said accumulator, said counter unit including counter output circuit means operating at least a first element to terminate operation of said feeder unit when a predetermined number of articles is fed, and operating at least a second element to a condition for enabling operation of said actuator;

d. manually energized circuit means including an element operated to a condition for enabling operation of said dispenser actuator;

e. said dispenser actuator connected to and operated only when said second element of said counter output circuit means and said element of said manually energized circuit means are in said conditions for enabling operation of said dispenser actuator; and

, f. antirepeat circuit means for disabling said dispenser actuator subsequent to dispensing articles so long as said element of said manually energized circuit is maintained in aid condition.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said dispenser actuator is operated between a dispensing condition and an accumulating condition and further including timer circuitry for maintaining said actuator in its dispensing condition for a predetermined period, said timer circuitry effective to condition said antirepeat circuit means to disable said dispenser actuator at the end of said period

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said timer circuitry is further operative to condition said counter unit for initiating operation of said feeder unit at the end of said period.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and further including a packaging station for dispensed articles, said packaging station including sealing structure for sealing dispensed articles in containers therefor, said antirepeat circuit means effective to operate electrical contacts to enable operation of said sealing structure when articles have been dispensed to said packaging station.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wheRein said feeder unit comprises first and second articles feeders, one of said feeders operative to feed articles to the other of said feeders, and further including circuitry for controlling the feeding speed of articles in said feeders comprising a first circuit element for adjustably governing the electrical power supplied to said feeders and a second circuit element connected in series with said first circuit element and said one of feeders for adjustably reducing the power supplied to said one of said feeders with respect to said other feeder whereby articles fed to said other feeder are accelerated thereby.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 and further including circuitry connectable with said first circuit element for reducing the power supplied to said feeders and thereby reducing the feeding rate of articles, and at least a switch for connecting said circuitry to said first circuit element, said switch operated by said counter unit in response to feeding of a number of articles less than said predetermined number.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and further including malfunction isolating switch means operable to a position for connecting said counter unit across an electrical power supply for operation independently of the remaining circuitry whereby malfunctioning of said counter unit is verifiable.