Transfer wheel
US7422212B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 16, 2006 |
| Grant date | Sep 9, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 11, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65H2405/531
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A transfer wheel removes flat products from one location, such as an overhead conveyor, spaces the products apart, reorients them and then transfers the products to a second conveyor or other location. The transfer wheel is eccentrically mounted within a circular frame. Grippers mounted on radially-moving spokes of the transfer wheel rotate as the wheel turns, to reorient the products, for example from vertical to horizontal, so they can be laid flat on the second conveyor. The eccentric mounting of the wheel causes the spokes to increase the spacing between adjacent products as the wheel turns, to prepare the products for later processing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.