Fast acting loading system for automatic packaging machine
US4856566A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 4, 1988 |
| Grant date | Aug 15, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 4, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65B57/06
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention greatly increases the speed at which a fill step may be completed in an automatic packaging machine. Instead of the usual process where a gate opens and closes for dumping product into each empty box, a plurality of bottomless measuring cups and transfer cups are moved in an aligned sequence with the corresponding boxes. These cups move over planar surfaces which function as the bottoms of the cups and keep the product in place within the cups. At selected locations, the cups pass over interruptions in the surfaces so that the product may fall out of the cup and into an underlying structure. The sequence is (a) measure product in a measuring cup, (b) drop the product from the measuring cup into a transfer cup, (c) deflect the path of the transfer cup is a box into which it would transfer its product is missing, (d) dump product form any non-deflected transfer cup into a corresponding box, (e) recover product from any deflected transfer cup, and (f) return the deflected transfer cup to a normal path after recovery of its products. The parts are arranged to greatly reduce set up time by making it easy to replace or exchange cups, to fill different sizes of boxes, for ex…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.