Part-removing mechanism for removing container parts and the like from nested stacks of parts

Claim 2

Mechanism for successively remoVing the endmost container parts from a longitudinally extending stack of container parts comprising: support means for supporting said stack of container parts; transfer conveyor means having at least one containerpart-gripping member movable in a path of travel toward and thence endwisely away from the support means and said stack of container parts thereon in a substantially linear direction generally aligned with the axis of the stack for removing the endmost container part endwisely from said stack and transferring it to a remote location; means comprising circumferentially spaced pairs of pivotally mounted jaws on said support means for restraining all parts in each stack save the endmost part so that only one part at a time is removed from the stack; one jaw of each pair comprising a camming jaw responsive to endwise movement of said endmost part with said gripping member to move the other jaw into radially inwardly disposed restraining position to restrain the next endmost part so that only the endmost container part is removed from said stack.

Claim 3

The combination defined in claim 1 in which said other jaws are mounted in diametrically opposed position and radial outward-pivoting movement of said camming jaws moves said other jaws radially inwardly into gripping position.

Claim 4

Mechanism for removing a hollow container part having a peripheral sidewall and a radially expandable inwardly turned lip at one end thereof from a support, such as a longitudinally extending stack of container parts, said mechanism comprising: support means for said container part; transfer conveyor means having at least one container-part-gripping member movable in a path of travel toward and thence away from the support means in a substantially linear direction generally aligned with the axis of the container part for removing the endmost container part endwisely from said support means and transferring it to a remote location; said container-gripping member comprising a plug of a size to move into said one end of the container part, said plug having a rib part projecting sufficiently to spread said lip and then engage behind it to pull the container part away from said support means endwisely in said linear direction.

Claim 5

Mechanism for removing a hollow container part having a peripheral sidewall and a radially expandable inwardly turned lip at one end thereof from a support, such as a longitudinally extending stack of container parts, said mechanism comprising: support means for said container part; transfer conveyor means having at least one container-part-gripping member movable in a path of travel toward and thence away from the support means in a substantially linear direction generally aligned with the axis of the container part for removing the endmost container part endwisely from said support means and transferring it to a remote location; said container-gripping member comprising a plug of a size to move into said one end of the container part, said plug having a rib part projecting sufficiently to spread said lip and then engage behind it to pull the container part away from said support means endwisely in said linear direction.

Claim 6

The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said plug includes a bifurcated portion; and stripper bar means located in the path of travel of said plug at said remote location enters said bifurcated portion to strip a container part therefrom.

Claim 7

Mechanism for removing the endmost container parts from a pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; the container parts in one stack including end closure walls in the forward ends thereof and the container parts in the other stack being open at their forward ends; said mechanism comprising: support means for supporting said pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; transfer conveyor means having transversely spaced apart container-part-gripping members movable in paths of travel toward and thence endwisely away from said support means and said stacks of container parts in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the stacks of container parts for removing the endmost container parts endwisely from the stacks and transferring them to a remote location; one of said transversely spaced apart gripping members comprising suction exerting means engageable with the end wall of the endmost container part in said one stack; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising a part-entering plug member for projecting into said forward end of the endmost container part in the other stack to grip the endmost container part in said other stack.

Claim 8

Mechanism for removing the endmost container parts from a pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; the container parts in one stack including end closure walls in the forward ends thereof and the container parts in the other stack being open at their forward ends; said mechanism comprising: support means for supporting said pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; transfer conveyor means having transversely spaced apart container-part-gripping members movable in paths of travel toward and thence endwisely away from said support means and said stacks of container parts in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the stacks of container parts for removing the endmost container parts endwisely from the stacks and transferring them to a remote location; one of said transversely spaced apart gripping members comprising suction exerting means engageable with the end wall of the endmost container part in said one stack; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising a part-entering plug member for projecting into said forward end of the endmost container part in the other stack to grip the endmost container part in said other stack.

Claim 9

The combination defined in claim 5 wherein said one container-gripping member comprises a suction cup engageable with the end wall of an endmost container part.

Claim 10

The combination defined in claim 6 in which cam-track means guides the travel of said containeR-part-gripping members; said members being mounted on a shaft having a follower arm thereon with a follower riding in said cam-track means.

Claim 11

The combination defined in claim 7 in which a plurality of said shafts are carried between continuously driven endless members for successively removing plural container parts; said cam-track means pivoting said shafts to swing said part-gripping members downwardly and endwisely toward said container parts while said shafts are moved away from said stacks by said endless members; and said plug-gripping members are angularly positioned on said shafts to slightly lead said suction-cup-gripping members.

Claim 12

Mechanism as set forth in claim 5 wherein restraining means are provided adjacent each stack for insuring that only the endmost container part in each stack of parts is removed by the respective gripping members.

Claim 13

Mechanism as set forth in claim 5 wherein said plug member and said suction-creating means are positioned in side-by-side relation; and means for simultaneously moving said plug member and said suction-creating means to container-part-engaging positions.

Claim 14

Mechanism for successively removing the endmost container parts from longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts: support means for supporting said longitudinally extending, side-by-side stacks of container parts; transfer conveyor means movable in a path of travel endwisely away from said support means and the stacks of container parts thereon, transversely spaced container part-gripping means being mounted on said conveyor means for relative movement with the conveyor means from remote positions endwisely toward and into engagement with the endmost container parts on said side-by-side stacks; and means for moving said transversely spaced gripping means into container-part-engaging positions while said conveyor means is traveling endwisely away from the support means and the stacks of container parts thereon; said transfer conveyor means moving said transversely spaced gripping means away from said support means in substantially linear paths of travel away from said support means generally endwisely aligned with the stacks of container parts thereon to remove the endmost container parts endwisely from the stacks and transfer them to a remote location.

Claim 15

Mechanism for successively removing the endmost container parts from longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts: support means for supporting said longitudinally extending, side-by-side stacks of container parts; transfer conveyor means movable in a path of travel endwisely away from said support means and the stacks of container parts thereon, transversely spaced container part-gripping means being mounted on said conveyor means for relative movement with the conveyor means from remote positions endwisely toward and into engagement with the endmost container parts on said side-by-side stacks; and means for moving said transversely spaced gripping means into container-part-engaging positions while said conveyor means is traveling endwisely away from the support means and the stacks of container parts thereon; said transfer conveyor means moving said transversely spaced gripping means away from said support means in substantially linear paths of travel away from said support means generally endwisely aligned with the stacks of container parts thereon to remove the endmost container parts endwisely from the stacks and transfer them to a remote location.

Claim 16

Mechanism for handling container parts comprising: support means for supporting longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; endless conveyor member mechanism having an end run portion adjacent the support means and a longitudinal run portion extending generally parallel with the axes of the container part stacks and movable in a direction away from the support means and the container part stacks thereon; transversely spaced container-part-gripping means swingably mounted on said mechanism; and means for swinging said transversely spaced gripping means toward and into general alignment with the axes of said stacks in container-part-gripping positions; said longitudinal run portion moving said transversely spaced gripping means away from said support means in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the stacks of container part to remove the endmost container parts endwisely from said stacks and transfer them to remote locations.

Claim 17

Mechanism for handling container parts comprising: support means for supporting longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; endless conveyor member mechanism having an end run portion adjacent the support means and a longitudinal run portion extending generally parallel with the axes of the container part stacks and movable in a direction away from the support means and the container part stacks thereon; transversely spaced container-part-gripping means swingably mounted on said mechanism; and means for swinging said transversely spaced gripping means toward and into general alignment with the axes of said stacks in container-part-gripping positions; said longitudinal run portion moving said transversely spaced gripping means away from said support means in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the stacks of container part to remove the endmost container parts endwisely from said stacks and transfer them to remote locations.

Claim 18

Mechanism for simultaneously handling a pair of container parts, one of said container parts including an end closure wall in the forward end thereof and the other container part being open at its forward end, said mechanism comprising: support means for supporting said pair of container parts in side-by-side relation; transfer conveyor means having transversely spaced-apart container-part-gripping members movable in paths of travel toward and thence endwisely away from the support means in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the container parts for simultaneously removing the side-by-side container parts endwisely from the support means and transferring them to a remote location; one of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising suction exerting means engageable with the end wall of said one part; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising suction-exerting means engageable with the end wall of said one part; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising a part-entering plug member for projecting into said forward end of said other container part to grip the other container part on said support means.

Claim 19

Mechanism for simultaneously handling a pair of container parts, one of said container parts including an end closure wall in the forward end thereof and the other container part being open at its forward end, said mechanism comprising: support means for supporting said pair of container parts in side-by-side relation; transfer conveyor means having transversely spaced-apart container-part-gripping members movable in paths of travel toward and thence endwisely away from the support means in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the container parts for simultaneously removing the side-by-side container parts endwisely from the support means and transferring them to a remote location; one of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising suction exerting means engageable with the end wall of said one part; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising suction-exerting means engageable with the end wall of said one part; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising a part-entering plug member for projecting into said forward end of said other container part to grip the other container part on said support means.

Claim 20

Mechanism as set forth in claim 13 wherein said transversely spaced container-part-gripping means are mounted on said conveyor means for relative movement therewith from remote positions endwisely toward and into engagement with said side-by-side container parts; and means for simultaneously moving said transversely spaced gripping means into container-engaging positions while said conveyor means is traveling away from the support means.

Claim 21

Mechanism as set forth in claim 13 wherein said transfer conveyor means comprises an endless conveyor member mechanism having an end run portion adjacent said support means and a longitudinal run portion extending generally parallel with the axes of the container parts and movable in a direction away from the support means and the container parts thereon; said transversely spaced container-part-gripping means swingably mounted on said endless mechanism; and means for swinging said transversely spaced gripping means toward and into general alignment with the axes of the container parts in container-part-gripping positions; said longitudinal run portion simultaneously moving said transversely spaced gripping means away from the support means in said linear paths.

Claim 22

Mechanism for removing the endmost container part from a longitudinally extending stack of container parts comprising: support means for said stack of container parts out which said container parts pass; transfer conveyor means having at least one container-part-gripping member movable in a path of travel toward and thence endwisely away from the support means and said stack of container parts thereon in a substantially linear direction generally aligned with the axis of the stack for removing the endmost container part endwisely from said stack and transferring it to a remote location; grasping means radially movable on the support means between a radially outer inoperative position and a radially inner grasping position to grasp at least one of said container parts in said stack to restrain its endwise movement; and means having a part movable radially outwardly in response to endwise movement of said endmost part with said gripping member and operable in response to said radial outward movement to move said grasping means radially inwardly to said grasping position to restrain endwise movement of all parts in each stack save the endmost part so that only the endmost part is removed from said stack.

Claim 23

Mechanism for removing the endmost container part from a longitudinally extending stack of container parts comprising: support means for said stack of container parts out which said container parts pass; transfer conveyor means having at least one container-part-gripping member movable in a path of travel toward and thence endwisely away from the support means and said stack of container parts thereon in a substantially linear direction generally aligned with the axis of the stack for removing the endmost container part endwisely from said stack and transferring it to a remote location; grasping means radially movable on the support means between a radially outer inoperative position and a radially inner grasping position to grasp at least one of said container parts in said stack to restrain its endwise movement; and means having a part movable radially outwardly in response to endwise movement of said endmost part with said gripping member and operable in response to said radial outward movement to move said grasping means radially inwardly to said grasping position to restrain endwise movement of all parts in each stack save the endmost part so that only the endmost part is removed from said stack.

Claim 24

Mechanism for removing the endmost container parts from a pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; the container parts in one stack including end closure walls in the forward ends thereof and the container parts in the other stack including perimetrical sidewalls and being open at their forward ends; said mechanism comprising: support means for supporting said pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; transfer conveyor means having transversely spaced apart container-part-gripping members movable in paths of travel toward and thence endwisely away from said support means and said stacks of container parts in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the stacks of container parts for removing the endmost container parts endwisely from the stacks and transferring them to a remote location; one of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising suction-exerting means engageable with the end wall of the endmost container part in said one stacK; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising container sidewall gripping means for gripping the perimetrical sidewall of the endmost container part in said other stack.

Claim 25

Mechanism for removing the endmost container parts from a pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; the container parts in one stack including end closure walls in the forward ends thereof and the container parts in the other stack including perimetrical sidewalls and being open at their forward ends; said mechanism comprising: support means for supporting said pair of longitudinally extending side-by-side stacks of container parts; transfer conveyor means having transversely spaced apart container-part-gripping members movable in paths of travel toward and thence endwisely away from said support means and said stacks of container parts in substantially linear paths of travel generally aligned with the axes of the stacks of container parts for removing the endmost container parts endwisely from the stacks and transferring them to a remote location; one of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising suction-exerting means engageable with the end wall of the endmost container part in said one stacK; the other of said transversely spaced-apart gripping members comprising container sidewall gripping means for gripping the perimetrical sidewall of the endmost container part in said other stack.

Claim 26

Mechanism as set forth in claim 17 wherein said sidewall gripping means includes part-entering means for projecting into said forward end of the endmost container part in the other stack to grip the endmost container part.