Method of and apparatus for processing an object

US10669111B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Entrust Datacard Corporation · US

Inventors

• Ulrich Bielesch · Frücht, DE
• Dominique Perdoux · Saint-Jean-de-Braye, FR
• Frederic Beulet · La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin, FR
• Thorsten Habel · Hanau, DE
• Benoit Berthe · La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin, FR

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 5, 2017
• Grant date: Jun 2, 2020
• Expiry date: Aug 11, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/52
• WIPO field: Handling
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An object processing machine for processing a plurality of objects, the machine comprising: a plurality of processing modules, each processing module having a modular structure co-operable with the modular structure of another processing module to form a modular assembly constituting the object processing machine; each processing module being operable to perform a corresponding processing operation on an object and being provided with at least one transfer unit located at a respective port of the processing module; each transfer unit being arranged to transfer an object to or from the corresponding processing module and/or to or from a transfer unit of another processing module of the modular assembly; the transfer units being arranged to co-operate with one another and/or with another processing unit such that objects can be guided from an input of the machine to an output of the machine via a plurality of different transport pathways through the machine, wherein the transport pathway taken by a said object being processed corresponds to the pre-determined processing operations to be performed on the said object. A method of processing a plurality of objects using such a machine i…