Automatic article feeding system
US5380138A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 25, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jan 10, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 25, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65G65/00
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An article feeding apparatus which feeds articles from a feed source to a section to be subjected to feeding includes a stocker for stocking a plurality of pallets retaining a plurality of articles in units of types of articles, with the stocker being capable of moving one pallet to a predetermined position, and a take-out unit for taking the pallet moved to the predetermined position outside the stocker in order to transfer articles to the section to be subjected to feeding. In addition, a buffer receives replacement of the pallets retaining the articles from external equipment and temporarily stores the plurality of pallets, and a replacing unit replaces the pallets in the stocker with the pallets in the buffer in accordance with a decrease in number of articles in the pallet in the stocker to a predetermined value as the articles are fed to the feeding section.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.