High-speed article-turning mechanism

Claim 2

A high speed article turning mechanism of the type comprising a continuously driven inclined conveyor for moving a row of cylindrical articles at high speed along a linear path, an outer turning drum mounted for rotation about a first axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging the articles, an inner turning drum mounted for rotation about a second axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging another portion of each article, said drums being over said inclined conveyor, means for driving said outer and inner turning drums with the outer drum being driven at a faster peripheral speed than said inclined conveyor and said inner drum, and a driven discharge conveying means for receiving one end of each article after the article has been turned through an angle of about 90* and for removing the articles from the turning mechanism; the improvement comprising a dead plate over said inclined conveyor and under said drums, said deadplate receiving articles from said inclined conveyor and forming a turning station for the articles, said deadplate delivering the turned articles to said inclined conveyor, said deadplate having a lower coefficient of friction than said inclined conveyor.

Claim 3

A high speed article turning mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the peripheral surfaces of the outer and inner turning drums are concave.

Claim 4

A high speed article turning mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the deadplate includes a discharge edge which is angled in a direction parallel to the axis of each article as each article moves off said deadplate onto said inclined conveyor.

Claim 5

An article turning mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said resilient peripheral surface of said inner drum is concave and is positioned to push the articles downwardly against said deadplate.

Claim 6

An article turning mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said deadplate has a low coefficient of friction.

Claim 7

A high speed article-turning mechanism of the type comprising a continuously driven inclined conveyor for moving a row of cylindrical articles at high speed along a linear path, an outer turning drum mounted for rotation about a first axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging the articles at a turning station, an inner turning drum mounted for rotation about a second axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging another portion of each article at the turning station, means for driving said outer and inner turning drums with the outer drum being driven at a faster peripheral speed than said conveyor and said inner drum, and driven discharge conveying means for receiving one end of each article after the article has been turned through an angle about 90* and for removing the article from the turning mechanism; the improvement wherein saiD first and second drum axes lie in a common plane which is angled such that said first axis is disposed forwardly of a second plane that is perpendicular to said linear path and contains said second axis causing a gap to occur between the article being turned and the next following article into which some of the resilient material on the outer drum projects.

Claim 8

A high speed article-turning mechanism of the type comprising a continuously driven inclined conveyor for moving a row of cylindrical articles at high speed along a linear path, an outer turning drum mounted for rotation about a first axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging the articles at a turning station, an inner turning drum mounted for rotation about a second axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging another portion of each article at the turning station, means for driving said outer and inner turning drums with the outer drum being driven at a faster peripheral speed than said conveyor and said inner drum, and driven discharge conveying means for receiving one end of each article after the article has been turned through an angle about 90* and for removing the article from the turning mechanism; the improvement wherein saiD first and second drum axes lie in a common plane which is angled such that said first axis is disposed forwardly of a second plane that is perpendicular to said linear path and contains said second axis causing a gap to occur between the article being turned and the next following article into which some of the resilient material on the outer drum projects.

Claim 9

A high speed article-turning mechanism according to claim 6 wherein the resilient peripheral surface of said outer drum is concave.

Claim 10

A high speed article-turning mechanism according to claim 7 wherein said peripheral surface includes resilient fingers, and wherein some of said resilient fingers project into said gap to firmly engage and propel the article during the turning operation.

Claim 11

A high speed article-turning mechanism according to claim 8 wherein the peripheral surface of both the outer and inner drums include resilient fingers.

Claim 12

A high speed article-turning mechanism according to claim 7 wherein the article contacting resilient peripheral surface of said inner drum is concave.

Claim 13

A high speed article-turning mechanism of the type comprising a continuously driven inclined conveyor for moving a row of ferromagnetic cylindrical articles at high speed along a linear path, an outer turning drum mounted for rotation about a first axis and having a concave resilient peripheral surface for engaging the articles, an inner turning drum mounted for rotation about a second axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging another portion of the articles, and means for driving said outer and inner turning drums with the outer drum being driven at a faster peripheral speed than said conveyor and said inner drum; the improvement comprising a deadplate disposed over said inclined conveyor at a turning station for receiving articles therefrom, and a magnetic stabilizing conveyor positioned to receive one end of each article after the article has been turned through an angle of about 90*, said stabilizing conveyor having a container contacting run disposed adjacent the lower edge of said inclined conveyor and being driven in the same direction and at substantially the same speed as said inclined conveyor.

Claim 14

A high speed article-turning mechanism of the type comprising a continuously driven inclined conveyor for moving a row of ferromagnetic cylindrical articles at high speed along a linear path, an outer turning drum mounted for rotation about a first axis and having a concave resilient peripheral surface for engaging the articles, an inner turning drum mounted for rotation about a second axis and having a resilient peripheral surface for engaging another portion of the articles, and means for driving said outer and inner turning drums with the outer drum being driven at a faster peripheral speed than said conveyor and said inner drum; the improvement comprising a deadplate disposed over said inclined conveyor at a turning station for receiving articles therefrom, and a magnetic stabilizing conveyor positioned to receive one end of each article after the article has been turned through an angle of about 90*, said stabilizing conveyor having a container contacting run disposed adjacent the lower edge of said inclined conveyor and being driven in the same direction and at substantially the same speed as said inclined conveyor.

Claim 15

An article turning mechanism according to claim 11 wherein said first and said second axis lie in a common plane, which plane is angled so that said first axis is disposed forwardly of a second plane that is perpendicular to said linear path and contains said second axis.

Claim 16

An article-turning mechanism according to claim 12 wherein the articles are containers and wherein the forward position of said first axis relative to said second axis causes a gap to open between those portions of the container being turned and the next following container which contact said concave peripheral resilient surface of said outer turning drum.

Claim 17

An article turning mechanism according to claim 13 wherein the resilient surface of said outer turning drum includes resilient fingers, and wherein some of said resilient fingers project into said gap to firmly engage and propel the container during the turning operation.

Claim 18

An article-turning mechanism according to claim 14 wherein said deadplate includes a discharge edge which is angled in a direction parallel to the axis of the containers as the containers move off said deadplate onto said inclined conveyor.

Claim 19

An article turning mechanism according to claim 14 wherein said resilient peripheral surface of said inner drum is concave and includes radially extending resilient fingers which grip the containers.

Claim 20

An article-turning mechanism according to claim 11 wherein said deadplate includes a discharge edge which is angled in a direction parallel to the axis of each article as each article moves off said deadplate onto said inclined conveyor.

Claim 21

An article turning mechanism according to claim 11 which reliably operates at a speed of between about 500 to 1,000 containers per minute.