DEVICE FOR ARRANGING ARTICLES SUPPLIED IN BULK AND INDIVIDUALLY AND SEQUENTIALLY DELIVERING THEM IN ALIGNMENT TO WRAPPING UP MACHINES

• US 3,640,373 A
• Filed: 03/03/1970
• Issued: 02/08/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ariosto Seragnoli
• Original Assignee: Ariosto Seragnoli
• Inventors: Seragnoli, Ariosto
• Primary Examiner(s): Blunk, Evon C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goodman, Alfred N.
• Application Number:
  US05/016,138
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 198/33AA,30 221/171,173,56
• US Class Current: 198/392
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1428 rotating movement
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/682 from a single conveyor lane consisting of one conveyor or several adjacent conveyors

Abstract

Articles such as chocolates are randomly supplied in bulk to near the center of a rotating disc. Fixed guiding means are located above the disc so that articles thereon are guided outwardly in a generally spiral path so that at the periphery of the disc oriented articles are sequentially and separately delivered to a wrapping-up machine. The guide members have at least one abutment surface angularly inclined to the vertical from the plane of the disc to assist orientation of the articles. Means for turning over articles onto a desired face may be included on the guide members.

Claims

1. A device for arranging articles supplied in bulk, and for individually and sequentially delivering them one after another to a wrapping-up or similar machine in accordance with a predetermined positioning array, comprising a horizontally disposed flat circular disc member rotatably drivable about a vertical central axis thereof, means for supplying said articles in bulk to said disc adjacent the zone of said central axis, and a plurality of stationary abutment elements for engaging and orienting articles disposed on said rotatable disc, said elements being fixedly mounted above said rotatable circular disc member and parallel to the plane of said disc, and being respectively sequentially arranged in the direction of rotation of said disc from the inside to the outside thereof, and said stationary abutment elements having at least one side surface facing the direction of rotation for the disc, and facing angularly downward in an inclined relationship defined by an angle from about 16* to 45* with the vertical, whereby said abutment elements function to align parallel piped articles deposited centrally of said disc, upon rotation thereof, to orient said articles identically at the outside of said disc for subsequent wrapping.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said stationary abutment elements are spirally arranged relative to said roTatable disc.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said spirally arranged part of said elements is of a comparatively thin walled configuration and substantially circular in a plan view.

4. A device according to claim 2, wherein said spirally arranged part of said elements is of a comparatively thin walled configuration and substantially elliptical in a plan view.

5. A device according to claim 3, wherein said spirally arranged part of said elements is formed of a wall section of a hollow downwardly divergent conical body cut by two planes parallel to each other and normal to the axis of said conical body.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein said spirally arranged part of said elements is formed of a wall section of a hollow cylindrical body cut by two planes parallel to each other and inclined relative to the axis of said cylindrical body.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the outermost downstream abutment element is provided at a location extending to a distance spaced from the outer edge of said rotatable disc corresponding approximately to a minor dimension of a single article, so that an article which reaches said location in an incorrectly aligned position is caused to drop from said disc while all articles which reach said location correctly aligned are for sequential delivery to a wrapping-up machine.