×

Friction feeder

  • US 9,221,629 B1
  • Filed: 03/15/2013
  • Issued: 12/29/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A friction feeder comprising:

  • a hopper configured to accommodate a stack of items;

    a drive assembly configured to engage and move an item from the stack in a feed direction;

    a gate assembly comprising a curved, cantilevered elongate separating member connected to a curved plate configured to pivot about an axis, wherein the separating member extends in the feed direction and is configured to separate the item from other items in the stack as the item passes in the feed direction, wherein the separating member has an item engaging surface biased to a reference point, and wherein the separating member comprises a pre-gate portion and elongated main gate portion, and wherein the separating member is configured to flex to accommodate the stack of items; and

    a guide assembly disposed to bias the items toward the separating member.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×