Friction feeder
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.
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Abstract
An exemplary friction feeder includes 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, and a gate assembly. The gate assembly includes a curved elongate separating member extending in the feed direction and configured to separate the item from other items in the stack as the item passes in the feed direction. The separating member has an item engaging surface biased to a reference point.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A friction feeder comprising:
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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 Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A friction feeder comprising:
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a hopper configured to accommodate a stack of items; a drive assembly configured to engage and move an item from the stack in a forward direction; a gate assembly comprising; a curved plate, wherein the curved plate comprises a first edge that is configured to pivot about an axis extending perpendicular to the forward direction, such that the curved plate rotates a second edge along the feed direction; and a cantilevered separating member extending from the curved plate in a forward direction and configured to separate the item from other items in the stack by engaging the item such that, as the item passes in the forward direction, the curved plate being pivotable about an axis to move the separating member relative to the drive assembly; and a guide assembly disposed to bias the items toward the separating member. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A friction feeder comprising:
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a gate assembly comprising an elongated, curved, cantilevered separating member connected to a curved plate pivotably supported on the friction feeder such that the curved plate pivots on an axis that is perpendicular to a feed direction; and a hopper configured to accommodate a stack of items, the hopper having a guide member positioned such that it biases the stack of items toward the gate assembly and wherein the guide member is configured to urge items in the stack toward the gate assembly such that they are biased toward the separating member, the guide member being movable in at least three degrees of freedom. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification