Feed mechanism and method therefor
US5237276A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 30, 1991 |
| Grant date | Aug 17, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 30, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2035/0481
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus and method for sequential provision of a series of similarly configured objects to and from a proximal location such as a device for testing those objects. The objects are provided in a gravity-fed ramp to an open cylindrical container provided with a centrally pivoting rotatable drum. The drum is provided with an indentation configured to receive only one of the objects at a time. The drum is rotatably disposed in the open cylinder about a central pivot to rotatably move the indentation between a first position of the open cylinder at the foot of the walled ramp and a second position of the open cylinder. At the second position, the open cylinder is provided with a drop tube. At the second position, the received object drops into the drop tube and thence into a supply tube that communicates at one of its ends to gravity feed the object to the proximal location where the object is to be utilized. After the received object has been dropped at the second position into the drop tube, but before another such object can be received, the drum is rotated from the second position back to the first position wherein the indentation is at the foot of the ramp. The used object is eje…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.