US3633470A — Package feeder apparatus

Claim 1

Independent Claim 125 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being movable between a pickup position and a discharge position; pickup means operable to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier is in said pickup position and to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier; drive means operable to move the pickup means towards a blank receiving station during said withdrawal, in a direction transverse to the direction of said withdrawal; and control means operable to move the carrier toward its discharge position when said pickup means is correctly positioned relative to the carrier for engagement with said blank, in the same geNeral direction as said pickup means is moved by the drive means.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 125 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being movable between a pickup position and a discharge position; pickup means operable to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier is in said pickup position and to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier; drive means operable to move the pickup means towards a blank receiving station during said withdrawal, in a direction transverse to the direction of said withdrawal; and control means operable to move the carrier toward its discharge position when said pickup means is correctly positioned relative to the carrier for engagement with said blank, in the same geNeral direction as said pickup means is moved by the drive means.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 155 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being movably mounted on a support; pickup means for removing blanks singly from said carrier and being movable to carry each blank to a receiving station spaced from the carrier for discharge at that station; drive means operable to move the pickup means to the receiving station; actuating mechanism operable to cause the pickup means to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier and the pickup means are in blank engaging relationship, and to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier during movement of the pickup means towards the receiving station, said withdrawal being in a direction transverse to that of said movement of the pickup means; and control means operable to move the carrier with said pickup means to maintain said blank engaging relationship for part of said movement of the pickup means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 155 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being movably mounted on a support; pickup means for removing blanks singly from said carrier and being movable to carry each blank to a receiving station spaced from the carrier for discharge at that station; drive means operable to move the pickup means to the receiving station; actuating mechanism operable to cause the pickup means to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier and the pickup means are in blank engaging relationship, and to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier during movement of the pickup means towards the receiving station, said withdrawal being in a direction transverse to that of said movement of the pickup means; and control means operable to move the carrier with said pickup means to maintain said blank engaging relationship for part of said movement of the pickup means.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 104 words

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said carrier includes a frame having an apertured base member through which a blank may be engaged by the pickup means and withdrawn from the carrier frame, each said blank being an open ended tubular package of substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, the carrier frame being arranged to locate each said blank therein in flattened form with its longitudinal axis extending transverse to both the direction of movement of the carrier and the direction of said withdrawal, and the aperture of said base member is dimensioned to cause some expansion of a said blank as it is withdrawn therethrough.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 76 words

Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control means is arranged so that movement of the carrier with the pickup means is terminated whilst a blank engaged by the pickup means remains partially located within the carrier, whereby the said blank is caused to expand during the last part of the withdrawal operation because of engagement of a sidewall thereof with the carrier base member and the movement of the pickup means relative to the carrier.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 147 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being secured to one end portion of a support post having its opposite end portion mounted for oscillatory movement, whereby said carrier is movable between a pickup position and a discharge position; pickup means operable to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier is in said pickup position and to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier; drive means operable to move the pickup means towards a blank receiving station during said withdrawal, in a direction transverse to the direction of said withdrawal; and control means operable to move the carrier toward its discharge position when said pickup means is correctly positioned relative to the carrier for engagement with said blank, in the same general direction as said pickup means is moved by the drive means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 147 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being secured to one end portion of a support post having its opposite end portion mounted for oscillatory movement, whereby said carrier is movable between a pickup position and a discharge position; pickup means operable to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier is in said pickup position and to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier; drive means operable to move the pickup means towards a blank receiving station during said withdrawal, in a direction transverse to the direction of said withdrawal; and control means operable to move the carrier toward its discharge position when said pickup means is correctly positioned relative to the carrier for engagement with said blank, in the same general direction as said pickup means is moved by the drive means.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 19 words

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the axis of said oscillation extends transverse to the direction of said withdrawal.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 56 words

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said oscillatory movement of the supporting post and carrier is effected through an arm extending laterally from the supporting post and having one end secured thereto, and the opposite end portion of the arm coacts with a rotatable cam member shaped to cause the desired oscillatory movement of the carrier.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 79 words

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said pickup means includes a wheel member and a plurality of sucker assemblies secured to the wheel member so as to be substantially equally spaced about the periphery thereof, said wheel members being secured to a shaft for rotation therewith, which shaft is operatively connected to said drive means, and each said sucker assembly being operative to engage a respective blank and remove it from the carrier during rotation of said wheel member.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 19 words

ApparatUs according to claim 8, wherein said shaft is substantially coaxial with the axis of oscillation of said carrier.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 52 words

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said sucker assembly includes a head piece carrying at least one resilient pad which is engageable with and releasably attachable to a said blank, and a mounting stem projecting laterally from said head piece and slidably mounted on said wheel for radial movement relative thereto.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 123 words

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein pressure reducing means is operatively connected to each said sucker assembly so as to cause attachment of an engaged blank to the respective assembly; said operative connection including a plurality of suction lines each of which is connected to said shaft and a respective said sucker assembly, and a valve assembly associated with said shaft and held against rotation therewith; said valve assembly having a plurality of ports each of which is adapted to form a communication between a respective said suction line and said pressure reducing means for a predetermined period of time during rotation of said shaft; whereby each said sucker is connected in turn with the pressure reducing means during rotation of said shaft.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 79 words

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a stationary cam plate is mounted adjacent the wheel member and has a peripheral cam surface engageable by a respective cam follower secured to each sucker assembly, said cam surface being arranged to move each sucker assembly sequentially in one direction into engagement with a said blank held by the carrier and to subsequently allow movement of the respective sucker assembly in the opposite direction to withdraw the engaged blank from said carrier.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 21 words

Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein biasing means is connected to each sucker assembly to urge it in said opposite direction.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 73 words

Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said cam surface is shaped to cause substantially complete withdrawal of a said blank from the carrier while the carrier and pickup means are moving together, and to urge that package into engagement with guide means so as to retain the package in a beyond fully expanded condition for a period of time after the carrier ceases to move in the same direction as the pickup means.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 141 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being movable between a pickup position and a discharge position; pickup means movable between a blank engaging position at which it is operable to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier is in its pickup position, and a release position at which it deposits said blank at a receiving station, said pickup means being operable to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier during movement towards said release position; and means operable to simultaneously move said carrier and pickup means from their pickup and blank engaging positions respectively, in a direction toward said receiving station; whereby said pickup means and a blank engaged thereby travel with the carrier for at least part of the carrier''s movement toward the discharge position.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 141 words

Package feeder apparatus including; a carrier for releasably retaining a plurality of package blanks in stacked relationship and being movable between a pickup position and a discharge position; pickup means movable between a blank engaging position at which it is operable to engage a blank held by the carrier when the carrier is in its pickup position, and a release position at which it deposits said blank at a receiving station, said pickup means being operable to withdraw said engaged blank from the carrier during movement towards said release position; and means operable to simultaneously move said carrier and pickup means from their pickup and blank engaging positions respectively, in a direction toward said receiving station; whereby said pickup means and a blank engaged thereby travel with the carrier for at least part of the carrier''s movement toward the discharge position.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 53 words

Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said receiving station includes a continuously movable conveyor having open-topped elongated trays secured along the length thereof, each said tray having its longitudinal axis extending transverse to the direction of movement of the pickup means and being adapted to receive a respective blank from said pickup means.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 79 words

Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said pickup means includes a wheel member and a plurality of sucker assemblies secured to the wheel member so as to be substantially equally spaced about the periphery thereof, said wheel members being secured to a shaft for rotation therewith, which shaft is operatively connected to said drive means, and each said sucker assembly being operative to engage a respective blank and remove it from the carrier during rotation of said wheel member.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 79 words

Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a stationary cam plate is mounted adjacent the wheel member and has a peripheral cam surface engageable by a respective cam follower secured to each sucker assembly, said cam surface being arranged to move each sucker assembly sequentially in one direction into engagement with a said blank held by the carrier and to subsequently allow movement of the respective sucker assembly in the opposite direction to withdraw the engaged blank from said carrier.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 57 words

Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said cam surface is shaped to cause each said sucker assembly to move a said blank held thereby into a respective said tray of the conveyor as the pickup means moves thereby, and to subsequently cause withdrawal of the respective sucker assembly away from that tray and the blank deposited therein.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 78 words

Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said pickup means moves generally in the direction of said conveyor in the region at which deposit of blanks into respective conveyor trays is effected, and the speed of said pickup means through said region is greater than that of the conveyor through that region so that deposition of a blank is at least assisted by engagement of that blank with the leading sidewall of a said tray located in said region.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 55 words

Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a device is located adjacent the carrier and is operative to engage an expanded blank removed from the carrier and being transported away therefrom by the pickup means, whereby said blank is urged into a predetermined condition of partial expansion to facilitate subsequent deposition thereof by the pickup means.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 22 words

Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said device is a piston-cylinder assembly arranged to operate in timed sequence with the pickup means.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1975-01-10	1975-07-12	1976-01-11	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1979-01-10	1979-07-12	1980-01-11	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1983-01-10	1983-07-12	1984-01-11	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Package feeder apparatus

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