Article handling

Claim 2

Apparatus for similarly rotatively orienting each of a plurality of similar flat or relatively shallow dishlike articles having generally circular rims with at least one relatively flat side, such apparatus comprising: A. an article supporting member embodying an open-top shallow cavity having a horizontal planar configuration of a major segment of a circle whose diameter substantially corresponds to the largest diameter of the rims of said articles, the perimeter of such cavity being defined by an arcuate inner surface of a wall having a gap therein; B. means for individually depositing each of said plurality of articles in said cavity for a period of dwell therein, such deposition of each such article in said cavity being performed with at least a portion of the rim of the respective article positioned adjacent said inner surface of said wall and with such article in a random rotative orientation with respect to said cavity; C. a rotating wheel having an outer perimeter a portion of which, during at least a part of each said dwell period, extends into said gap in said wall to frictionally contact the circular portion of the rim of each respective article deposited in said cavity with such circular portion of such rim positioned adjacent said gap, whereby each such article is similarly rotatively oriented in said cavity by said wheel; and D. means actuated, following each said dwell period, for removing each respective article from said cavity.

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and in which said article depositing means and said article removing means each comprise a vacuum chuck.

Claim 4

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 and in which said vacuum chucks are carried on the otherwise free ends of respectively associated rocker arms which are reciprocatively movable through approximately 180* vertically arcuate paths of travel for respectively depositing and removing said articles in and from said supporting member.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and in which said articles are optical lens blanks.

Claim 6

In combination with apparatus delivering to an article transfer station each of a succession of flat or relatively shallow dishlike articles having at least partially circular rims with at least one relatively flat side, an additional apparatus for further handling said articles to identically rotatively orient such articles and further deliver such oriented articles to an article receiving station or the like, such additional apparatus comprising: A. a rotatable table carrying adjacent its outer periphery a plurality of equally spaced apart and similar article supporting members each embodying a relatively shallow cavity having a horizontal cross-sectional configuration of the major segment of a circle the diameter of which corresponds to the largest diameter of each of said articles, the perimeter of each said cavity being defined by an arcuate inner surface of a wall having a gap therein; B. a rotatable article orienting wheel associated with each said article supporting member, each such wheel being carried by said table and being resiliently biased in a direction so that a portion of the outer periphery of each respective wheel normally extends into said gap in said wall of the respectively associated member to at least at times frictionally contact the rim of one of said articles disposed in the cavity of such associated member; C. means for intermittently rotating said table to periodically and successively position each of said article supporting members at said article transfer station, at least one article orienting station, and then at said article receiving station; D. means for rotating each said article orienting wheel at least at each saId article orienting station; E. a first vacuum chuck associated with said article transfer station, such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* vertically arcuate path of travel to contact and transfer successive ones of said articles delivered to said article transfer station to successive ones of said article supporting members positioned at such transfer station, each said article being so transferred with the rim thereof horizontally disposed within said cavity of the respective article supporting member; F. a second vacuum chuck associated with said article receiving station, such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* vertically arcuate path of travel to contact and transfer to said article receiving station each of said articles delivered to such station by each said article supporting member; and G. means for reciprocating actuating said chucks through their said arcs of travel in a time relationship with said positioning by said table of said article supporting means at said article transfer and article receiving stations, such time relationship being such that said articles are transferred by said chucks as stated.

Claim 7

In combination with apparatus delivering to an article transfer station each of a succession of flat or relatively shallow dishlike articles having at least partially circular rims with at least one relatively flat side, an additional apparatus for further handling said articles to identically rotatively orient such articles and further deliver such oriented articles to an article receiving station or the like, such additional apparatus comprising: A. a rotatable table carrying adjacent its outer periphery a plurality of equally spaced apart and similar article supporting members each embodying a relatively shallow cavity having a horizontal cross-sectional configuration of the major segment of a circle the diameter of which corresponds to the largest diameter of each of said articles, the perimeter of each said cavity being defined by an arcuate inner surface of a wall having a gap therein; B. a rotatable article orienting wheel associated with each said article supporting member, each such wheel being carried by said table and being resiliently biased in a direction so that a portion of the outer periphery of each respective wheel normally extends into said gap in said wall of the respectively associated member to at least at times frictionally contact the rim of one of said articles disposed in the cavity of such associated member; C. means for intermittently rotating said table to periodically and successively position each of said article supporting members at said article transfer station, at least one article orienting station, and then at said article receiving station; D. means for rotating each said article orienting wheel at least at each saId article orienting station; E. a first vacuum chuck associated with said article transfer station, such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* vertically arcuate path of travel to contact and transfer successive ones of said articles delivered to said article transfer station to successive ones of said article supporting members positioned at such transfer station, each said article being so transferred with the rim thereof horizontally disposed within said cavity of the respective article supporting member; F. a second vacuum chuck associated with said article receiving station, such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* vertically arcuate path of travel to contact and transfer to said article receiving station each of said articles delivered to such station by each said article supporting member; and G. means for reciprocating actuating said chucks through their said arcs of travel in a time relationship with said positioning by said table of said article supporting means at said article transfer and article receiving stations, such time relationship being such that said articles are transferred by said chucks as stated.

Claim 8

Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 and in which said vacuum chucks are carried on the otherwise free ends of rocker arms for movement through said vertically arcuate paths of travel.

Claim 9

Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 and in which said articles are optical lens blanks.

Claim 10

Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 and further including at said article transfer station a pneumatic eye means for detecting correct positioning of each said article at said transfer station for correct contacting and transfer of the respective article by said first vacuum chuck to the respective said article supporting member positioned at said transfer station, such pneumatic eye means partially controlling the supply of vacuum to said first vacuum chuck and preventing such supply if such means detects incorrect positioning of one of said articles at said transfer station.

Claim 11

Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 and in which said articles are optical lens blanks.

Claim 12

Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 and further including at said article transfer station a pneumatic eye means for detecting correct positioning of each said article at said transfer station for correct contacting and transfer of the respective article by said first vacuum chuck to the respective said article supporting member positioned at said transfer station, such pneumatic eye means partially controlling the supply of vacuum to said first vacuum chuck and preventing such supply if such means detects incorrect positioning of one of said articles at said transfer station.

Claim 13

Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 and further including at said article transfer station a pneumatic eye means for detecting correct positioning of each said article at said transfer station for correct contacting and transfer of the respective article by said first vacuum chuck to the respective said article supporting member positioned at said transfer station, such pneumatic eye means partially controlling the supply of vacuum to said first vacuum chuck and preventing such supply if such means detects incorrect positioning of one of said are articles at said transfer station.

Claim 14

In combination with apparatus delivering to an article transfer station each of a succession of flat or relatively shallow dishlike articles having completely circular rims or generally circular rims having at least one flat side, an additional apparatus for further handling said articles to identically rotatively orient such articles and stack equal preselected quantities of the articles in each of a plurality of open ended magazines carried on an endless conveyor belt for delivery of stacks of such articles to an inspection station or the like, such additional apparatus comprising: A. a rotatable table carrying adjacent itS outer periphery a plurality of equally spaced apart and similar article receiving members each embodying a relatively shallow cavity having a horizontal cross-sectional configuration of the major segment of a circle the diameter of which corresponds to the largest diameter of each of said articles, the perimeter of each said cavity being defined by an arcuate inner surface of a wall having a gap therein; B. a rotatable article orienting wheel associated with each said article receiving member, each such wheel being carried by said table and being resiliently biased in a direction so that a portion of the outer periphery of each respective wheel normally extends into said gap in said wall of the respectively associated member to at least at times frictionally contact the rim of one of said articles disposed in the cavity of such associated member; C. means for intermittently rotating said table to periodically and successively position each of said article receiving members at said article transfer station, at least one article orienting station, and then at an article stacking station; D. means for rotating each said article orienting wheel at least at each said article orienting station; E. a first vacuum chuck associated with said article transfer station such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* vertical path of travel to contact and transfer successive ones of said articles delivered to said article transfer station to successive ones of said article receiving members positioned at such transfer station, each said article being so transferred with the rim thereof horizontally disposed within said cavity of the respective article receiving member; F. an open ended loading trough located at said article stacking station; G. a second vacuum chuck associated with said article stacking station, such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* arcuate path of travel to contact and transfer to said loading trough each of said articles delivered to said article stacking station by each said article receiving member, each said article being so transferred with the rim thereof substantially vertically oriented; H. means for projecting each of said articles transferred to said loading trough through a horizontal path of travel extending normal to the plane of the vertically oriented rim of each such article and into the one of said magazines then aligned with the loading trough at said stacking station, such projection of said articles stacking such articles in said magazine with each succeeding article in a facing relationship with the immediately preceding article so stacked; I. means for reciprocatively actuating said chucks through their said arcs of travel in a time relationship with said positioning by said table of said article receiving members at said article transfer and article stacking station, such time relationship being such that said articles are transferred by said chucks as stated; J. means for reciprocatively actuating said projection means in a time relationship with the transfer of each said article to said loading trough, such time relationship being such that each said article is projected as stated and the projection means returns to an article projection position prior to the transfer of the next such article to the loading trough; and K. means for periodically stepping said conveyor belt to align with said loading trough the next succeeding one of said magazines carried on such belt, such means being energized to so step the conveyor belt following the stacking of a preselected number of said articles in the magazine immediately preceding such next succeeding one of such magazines.

Claim 15

In combination with apparatus delivering to an article transfer station each of a succession of flat or relatively shallow dishlike articles having completely circular rims or generally circular rims having at least one flat side, an additional apparatus for further handling said articles to identically rotatively orient such articles and stack equal preselected quantities of the articles in each of a plurality of open ended magazines carried on an endless conveyor belt for delivery of stacks of such articles to an inspection station or the like, such additional apparatus comprising: A. a rotatable table carrying adjacent itS outer periphery a plurality of equally spaced apart and similar article receiving members each embodying a relatively shallow cavity having a horizontal cross-sectional configuration of the major segment of a circle the diameter of which corresponds to the largest diameter of each of said articles, the perimeter of each said cavity being defined by an arcuate inner surface of a wall having a gap therein; B. a rotatable article orienting wheel associated with each said article receiving member, each such wheel being carried by said table and being resiliently biased in a direction so that a portion of the outer periphery of each respective wheel normally extends into said gap in said wall of the respectively associated member to at least at times frictionally contact the rim of one of said articles disposed in the cavity of such associated member; C. means for intermittently rotating said table to periodically and successively position each of said article receiving members at said article transfer station, at least one article orienting station, and then at an article stacking station; D. means for rotating each said article orienting wheel at least at each said article orienting station; E. a first vacuum chuck associated with said article transfer station such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* vertical path of travel to contact and transfer successive ones of said articles delivered to said article transfer station to successive ones of said article receiving members positioned at such transfer station, each said article being so transferred with the rim thereof horizontally disposed within said cavity of the respective article receiving member; F. an open ended loading trough located at said article stacking station; G. a second vacuum chuck associated with said article stacking station, such chuck being reciprocatively actuable through an approximately 180* arcuate path of travel to contact and transfer to said loading trough each of said articles delivered to said article stacking station by each said article receiving member, each said article being so transferred with the rim thereof substantially vertically oriented; H. means for projecting each of said articles transferred to said loading trough through a horizontal path of travel extending normal to the plane of the vertically oriented rim of each such article and into the one of said magazines then aligned with the loading trough at said stacking station, such projection of said articles stacking such articles in said magazine with each succeeding article in a facing relationship with the immediately preceding article so stacked; I. means for reciprocatively actuating said chucks through their said arcs of travel in a time relationship with said positioning by said table of said article receiving members at said article transfer and article stacking station, such time relationship being such that said articles are transferred by said chucks as stated; J. means for reciprocatively actuating said projection means in a time relationship with the transfer of each said article to said loading trough, such time relationship being such that each said article is projected as stated and the projection means returns to an article projection position prior to the transfer of the next such article to the loading trough; and K. means for periodically stepping said conveyor belt to align with said loading trough the next succeeding one of said magazines carried on such belt, such means being energized to so step the conveyor belt following the stacking of a preselected number of said articles in the magazine immediately preceding such next succeeding one of such magazines.

Claim 16

Apparatus in accordance with claim 12 and in which said articles are optical lens blanks.

Claim 17

Apparatus in accordance with claim 13 and further including at said article transfer station a pneumatic eye means for detecting cOrrect positioning of each said article at said transfer station for correct contacting and transfer of the respective article by said first vacuum chuck to the respective said article supporting member positioned at said transfer station, such pneumatic eye means partially controlling the supply of vacuum to said first vacuum chuck and preventing such supply if such means detects incorrect positioning of one of said articles at said transfer station.

Claim 18

Apparatus in accordance with claim 12 and further including at said article transfer station a pneumatic eye means for detecting correct positioning of each said article at said transfer station for correct contacting and transfer of the respective article by said first vacuum chuck to the respective said article supporting member positioned at said transfer station, such pneumatic eye means partially controlling the supply of vacuum to said first vacuum chuck and preventing such supply if such means detects incorrect positioning of one of said articles at said transfer station.