Product collator

• US 6,257,393 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Planet Products Corporation
• Original Assignee: Planet Products Corporation
• Inventors: Phelps, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DILLON JR, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US09/430,789
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 198/397.04, 198/443, 198/456
• US Class Current: 198/397.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1471 Movement in one direction, substantially outwards

Abstract

The present invention provides a product collator for unscrambling scrambled products received at an input point, such as a hopper, and for delivering the unscrambled products to an output point, such as a transfer conveyor. The collator includes an endless conveyor belt made up of a plurality of laterally extending flights. The conveyor belt includes a first, generally upwardly and forwardly extending path and a second, generally rearwardly extending path positioned below the upwardly and forwardly extending path. The first, generally upwardly and forwardly extending path of the conveyor belt includes a first trough section for allowing at least some of the products received from the input point to settle within the flights; a first upwardly inclined section, downstream from the first trough section, for causing products not securely settled within the flights to fall back to the first trough section; a second trough section, downstream from the first upwardly inclined section; and a second upwardly inclined section, downstream from the second trough section, for causing products not securely settled within the flights to fall back to the second trough section. The second trough section allows at least some of these products to settle back again within the flights. By providing the dual trough sections in this first, generally upwardly and forwardly extending path of the conveyor belt, the collator insures that a greater number of the products will settle within the flights, thereby decreasing the amount of gaps present in the transfer conveyor fed by the collator.

Claims

1. A product collator comprising:

an endless conveyor belt including a plurality of laterally extending flights, the conveyor belt including a first, generally upwardly and forwardly extending path and a second, generally rearwardly extending path positioned downstream from the first upwardly and forwardly extending path;

the first path including,

a first trough section for allowing at least some of the products to settle within the flights,

a first upwardly inclined section, downstream from the first trough section, for causing products not securely settled within the flights to fall back to the first trough section,

a second trough section, downstream from the first upwardly inclined section, and

a second upwardly inclined section, downstream from the first trough section, for causing products not securely settled within the flights to fall back to the second trough section, wherein the second trough section allows at least some of these products to settle back again within the flights.

2. The product collator of claim 1, wherein the first upwardly inclined section extends upwardly at a first angle and the second upwardly inclined section extends upwardly at a second angle that is steeper than the first angle.

3. The product collator of claim 2, wherein the second angle is substantially vertical.

4. The product collator of claim 2, wherein the second angle is beyond vertical.

5. The product collator of claim 2, wherein the first angle is approximately 60°

to approximately 80°

from the horizontal and the second angle is approximately 80°

to approximately 110°

from the horizontal.

6. The product collator of claim 1, further comprising:

a transport belt running in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the conveyor belt and positioned immediately adjacent to the flights, downstream from the second upwardly inclined section, for transporting the products secured within the flights to one lateral side of the conveyor belt; and

a discharge port, positioned immediately adjacent to the flights, on the one lateral side of the conveyor belt, and downstream from the transport belt, for allowing products secured within the flights and transported to the one lateral side of the conveyor belt to be discharged therethrough.

7. The product collator of claim 6, further comprising a second transport belt running in the same direction as the first transport belt and positioned immediately adjacent to the flights, downstream from the discharge port, for transporting the products remaining secured within the flights, after passing the discharge port, to the one lateral side of the conveyor belt.

8. The product collator of claim 6, further comprising a cage positioned immediately adjacent to the flights along the second path of the conveyor belt for keeping products secured within the flights from falling from the second path of the conveyor belt.

9. The product collator of claim 8, wherein the cage includes:

a transverse gap in line with the transport belt; and

a plurality of plates extending from the cage into the transverse gap from an upstream opening of the transverse gap, wherein the plates are distributed along the upstream opening of the transverse gap and increase in length from the one lateral side of the conveyor belt.

10. The product collator of claim 1, wherein:

the flights each include a back wall extending outwardly from the conveyor belt and laterally there-across, for securing products within the flight; and

the back wall having at least an angled end portion angled towards the direction of travel of the conveyor belt.

11. The product collator of claim 10, wherein the entire back wall is angled towards the direction of travel of the conveyor belt.

12. The product collator of claim 11, wherein the back wall is angled toward the direction of travel at approximately 40°

to approximately 50°

.

13. The product collator of claim 10, wherein the angled end portion is angled towards the direction of travel at approximately 40°

to approximately 50°

.

14. The product collator of claim 13, wherein the first upwardly inclined section extends upwardly at a first angle and the second upwardly inclined section extends upwardly at a second angle that is steeper than the first angle.

15. The product collator of claim 14, wherein the first angle is approximately 60°

to approximately 80°

from the horizontal and the second angle is approximately 80°

to approximately 110°

from the horizontal.

16. The product collator of claim 14, wherein the back wall is approximately one inch and the angled end portion of the back wall is approximately 0.5 inches.