Method and apparatus for feeding articles to a packaging machine

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR MOVING ARTICLES AT CERTAING DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER ONTO A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING TRANSPORTING CONVEYER OF AN OPERATING MACHINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FEED CONVEYER ARRANGED TO MOVE ARTICLES PLACED AT RANDOM SPACING THEREON ONTO SAID TRANSPORTING CONVEYER; A CONTROL HAVING A RUN EXTENDING SUBING THE SAME IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION, SAID GUIDE MEANS STANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A PORTION OF SAID FEED CONVEYER AND CARRYING A PLURALITY OF DRIVING MEMBERS SPACED SAID CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER, SAID DRIVING MEMBERS ARRANGED ON SAID RUN SO AS TO TEND TO MOVE FROM AN INOPERATIVE POSITION TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION ADAPTED TO ACT UPON AN ARTICLE OF SAID FEED CONVEYER; DRIVE MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING SAID CONTROL CONVEYER WITH A SPEED DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF SAID FEED CONVEYER; GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING ALONG A PORTION OF SAID RUN OF SAID CONTROL CONVEYER AND ENGAGING SAID DRIVE MEMBERS FOR MAINTAINING THE SAME IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION, SAID GUIDE MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE SECTION MOVABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION LOCATED IN THE PATH OF SAID DRIVE MEMBERS TO A SECOND POSITION LOCATED OUT OF SAID PATH SO AS TO PERMIT SAID DRIVE MEMBERS TO MOVE TO SAID OPERATIVE POSITION; MOVING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE SECTION FOR MOVING THE SAME BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND POSITION; ACTUATING MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID MOVING MEANS; AND STATIONARY SENSING MEANS ARRANGED ALONG SAID FEED CONVEYER FOR SENSING THE POSITION OF ARTICLES THEREON AS THE LATTER PASS BY SAID SENSING MEANS AND CONNECTED TO SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE LATTER IN DEPENDENCE ON THE POSITION OF AN ARTICLE SENSED.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR MOVING ARTICLES AT CERTAING DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER ONTO A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING TRANSPORTING CONVEYER OF AN OPERATING MACHINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FEED CONVEYER ARRANGED TO MOVE ARTICLES PLACED AT RANDOM SPACING THEREON ONTO SAID TRANSPORTING CONVEYER; A CONTROL HAVING A RUN EXTENDING SUBING THE SAME IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION, SAID GUIDE MEANS STANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A PORTION OF SAID FEED CONVEYER AND CARRYING A PLURALITY OF DRIVING MEMBERS SPACED SAID CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER, SAID DRIVING MEMBERS ARRANGED ON SAID RUN SO AS TO TEND TO MOVE FROM AN INOPERATIVE POSITION TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION ADAPTED TO ACT UPON AN ARTICLE OF SAID FEED CONVEYER; DRIVE MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING SAID CONTROL CONVEYER WITH A SPEED DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF SAID FEED CONVEYER; GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING ALONG A PORTION OF SAID RUN OF SAID CONTROL CONVEYER AND ENGAGING SAID DRIVE MEMBERS FOR MAINTAINING THE SAME IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION, SAID GUIDE MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE SECTION MOVABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION LOCATED IN THE PATH OF SAID DRIVE MEMBERS TO A SECOND POSITION LOCATED OUT OF SAID PATH SO AS TO PERMIT SAID DRIVE MEMBERS TO MOVE TO SAID OPERATIVE POSITION; MOVING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE SECTION FOR MOVING THE SAME BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND POSITION; ACTUATING MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID MOVING MEANS; AND STATIONARY SENSING MEANS ARRANGED ALONG SAID FEED CONVEYER FOR SENSING THE POSITION OF ARTICLES THEREON AS THE LATTER PASS BY SAID SENSING MEANS AND CONNECTED TO SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE LATTER IN DEPENDENCE ON THE POSITION OF AN ARTICLE SENSED.