Plate feeder apparatus
US5934866A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 5, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 10, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 5, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S414/12
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A plate handling apparatus (10) including a plate feeder (12) for sequentially advancing a stack of plates (11) and a pick-up assembly (14) for successively removing the forwardmost plate from the stack is disclosed. The plate feeder (12) includes a conveyor (18), a pair of clutches (22,24), and a crank assembly (26) for moving the stack a first distance toward the pick-up assembly and for subsequently moving the stack a second, slightly shorter distance away from the pick-up assembly before the pick-up assembly removes the forwardmost plate from the stack. This consecutively feeds the stack of plates towards the pick-up assembly so that the forwardmost plate in the stack can be removed from the stack by the pick-up assembly. This also provides a gap between the stack of plates and the pick-up assembly immediately before the pick-up assembly removes the forwardmost plate from the stack for preventing the removed plate from striking the remaining plates in the stack.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.