Vacuum single filer
First Claim
1. A vacuum single filer for the transport of articles in a wide mass at an upstream location into single file at a downstream location, said single filer comprising:
- means for arranging said mass into diagonal rows of articles across said single filer with an article at the outside end of each row longitudinally aligned with a single file downstream location;
means for longitudinally separating and moving the diagonal rows of articles from said upstream location toward said downstream location;
vacuum means for holding the outside article in fixed lateral position as it is moved from said upstream location to said downstream location; and
means for moving the other articles in each row into alignment behind the outside article as the outside is held in said fixed lateral position and as the other articles are moved from said upstream location to said downstream location.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum single filer is provided for brining multiple rows of containers into single file at high speeds and over a relatively short distance. This is accomplished by discharging the containers in diagonal rows of three from a slotted dead plate onto a perforated conveyor belt extending over vacuum plenum chambers having slots therein for drawing a vacuum. The slot or slots aligned with the outermost container in each diagonal row draws sufficient vacuum to hold the outer container in fixed position and a deflector is used to direct the other containers into alignment behind the outer container and to slide them laterally across the belt as the belt moves them downstream until they are finally brought into single file alignment. An infeed vacuum conveyor cooperates with the slotted dead plate to arrange the containers in diagonal rows having a precise alignment prior to being picked up by the conveyor belt.
22 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A vacuum single filer for the transport of articles in a wide mass at an upstream location into single file at a downstream location, said single filer comprising:
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means for arranging said mass into diagonal rows of articles across said single filer with an article at the outside end of each row longitudinally aligned with a single file downstream location; means for longitudinally separating and moving the diagonal rows of articles from said upstream location toward said downstream location; vacuum means for holding the outside article in fixed lateral position as it is moved from said upstream location to said downstream location; and means for moving the other articles in each row into alignment behind the outside article as the outside is held in said fixed lateral position and as the other articles are moved from said upstream location to said downstream location.
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2. A vacuum single filer for converging articles received in a wide mass at an upstream location to single file at a donwstream location, said single filer comprising:
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a foraminous belt having a reach with an article conveying side and a vacuum side and a centerline, said reach extending from an upstream location to a downstream location and having an inside edge and an outside edge; means for moving said belt from said upstream location to said downstream location; means for supplying articles to said belt at said upstream location in discrete, diagonal, lateral rows of at least three articles each wherein the outside article is downstream of the other articles in the row; vacuum plenum means on the vacuum side of said reach of said belt having a wall adjacent said reach with parallel longitudinal slots therein to draw a vacuum through said belt; a deflector extending from said article conveying side of said belt at an angle thereto from a point adjacent said inside edge of said belt at said upstream location to a point spaced from said outside edge of said belt a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the articles to form a single file discharge for the articles at said downstream location along an axis parallel to said centerline; and means providing a greater vacuum through said belt along said axis passing through said single file discharge to hold the outside article in each row aligned with said single file discharge and providing a lesser vacuum through said belt to other articles so that they can be slid across said belt by said deflector to bring them into single file alignment along said parallel axis behind the outside article at said single file discharge. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vacuum single filer for conveying vertically arranged cylindrical articles received in a wide mass at an upstream location to single file at a downstream location, said single filer comprising:
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a foraminous belt having a reach, with a centerline, said reach extending from an upstream location to a downstream location and having an inside edge and an outside edge; means for moving said belt from said upstream location to said downstream location; means supplying articles to said belt at said upstream location in a wide mass; a guide extending above said belt at an angle thereto from a point adjacent said inside edge of said belt at said upstream location to a point spaced from said outside edge of said belt a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the articles to form a single file discharge for the article at said downstream location along an axis parallel to said centerline; a vacuum plenum means below said reach of said belt having an upper wall supporting said reach between said upstream location and said downstream location; means for drawing different amounts of vacuum in different portions of said plenum means, and; a plurality of parallel longitudinal slots in said plenum wall for drawing a different amount of vacuum on laterally spaced articles on said belt to move them with said belt from said upstream location to said downstream location but permitting the articles furtherest from said outside edge to be slid across said belt by said guide. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A vacuum single filer for the transport of articles in a wide mass at an upstream location into single file at a downstream location, said single filer comprising:
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infeed means for arranging a mass of incoming articles into a contiguous equilateral triangular configuration at said upstream location; infeed perforated conveyor for supplying the articles from said upstream location toward said downstream location; means drawing a vacuum through said infeed conveyor to hold said articles in said contiguous configuration; a foraminous vacuum transfer belt adjacent to and downstream of said infeed conveyor; means for drawing a vacuum through said transfer belt; and a dead plate bridging said infeed conveyor and said transfer belt, said dead plate having a leading diagonal edge which extends over said transfer belt and has openings through which said vacuum in said transfer belt is drawn to hold the articles as they reach said leading edge in alignment along said edge for movement in diagonal rows onto said transfer belt. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of conveying a wide mass of articles at an upstream location into single file at a downstream location, said method including the steps of:
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arranging the mass of articles into discrete diagonal rows of three articles each; separating the diagonal rows of articles; moving said separate diagonal rows of articles downstream and from the mass; laterally moving two of the articles into alignment with the third article in each row as the row is moved from the upstream location to the downstream location; and holding the third article in fixed lateral position by means of vacuum as the other articles are moved into single file behind the third article.
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Specification