Automated utensil packaging system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for packaging utensils of a plurality of types that are randomly positioned and oriented on a utensil deposit site comprising:
- transport means for transporting the utensils from the utensil deposit site to an identification site and to a pick-up site;
means for identifying the utensils by type at the identification site;
means for picking up one by one a collection of utensils from the pick-up site, said collection including a predetermined number of utensils greater than one and a predetermined number of utensil types greater than one; and
a collection site within reach of the pick-up means for collecting the collection of utensils.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated apparatus and method for identifying, picking up, placing and packaging a plurality of different packaging a plurality of different types of items such as utensils. Utensils are deposited onto a conveyor belt system that separates clusters of utensils and transports them to an identification site where a vision system identifies them by type, location and orientation and to a pick-up site where they are selectively picked up and placed in a collection pan to form a desired utensil set. When the collection pan has a desired utensil set, it is emptied into a placement bucket on a movable bucket conveyor which transports the set to an automatic bagging machine. The set may be supplemented with napkins dispensed from an automated napkin dispenser or other with other items from other machines operatively connected to the system.
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Citations
53 Claims
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1. An apparatus for packaging utensils of a plurality of types that are randomly positioned and oriented on a utensil deposit site comprising:
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transport means for transporting the utensils from the utensil deposit site to an identification site and to a pick-up site; means for identifying the utensils by type at the identification site; means for picking up one by one a collection of utensils from the pick-up site, said collection including a predetermined number of utensils greater than one and a predetermined number of utensil types greater than one; and a collection site within reach of the pick-up means for collecting the collection of utensils. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for collecting and packaging a plurality of utensils of a plurality of types, comprising:
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placing said utensils on a conveyor belt system; conveying the utensils to a site on the belt system for identification by type, location and orientation; conveying the utensils to a site for being picked up; picking up and collecting into a collection site a set of said utensils using a pick-up mechanism, the set including a predetermined number of utensils greater than one of each of a predetermined number of utensil types greater than one; depositing said collected set of utensils into a placement site; and removing the collected set of utensils from the placement site and bagging them into a package. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification