Apparatus for arranging substantially laminar articles into spaced groups

Claim 2

A counting mecHanism comprising: a. frame means, b. guide means supported on said frame means for carrying articles to be counted and having an input end and a discharge end, c. means for feeding to said guide a plurality of articles to be counted, d. a plurality of pairs of spacer fingers movable along said guide, e. means for effecting relative movement between the fingers of each pair to define groups of articles traveling along said guide means, said movement effecting means comprising means for driving a first finger of each pair at a predetermined speed and further means for moving the second finger of each pair with respect to the said first finger of the same pair.

Claim 3

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein said further means effects movement of the said second fingers away from the first fingers.

Claim 4

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first mentioned finger driving means comprises a first conveyor carrying a plurality of said first fingers with said second fingers slidably mounted on said first fingers, said further finger moving means comprises at least one bar and a second conveyor carrying said at least one bar for movement along the direction of the guide at a velocity less than that of said first conveyor, and wherein said second finger of each pair is provided with abutment surfaces which engage the bar for retarding the said second finger and effect separating movement between the said first and second fingers of each pair.

Claim 5

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 3, and including a plurality of pintles carried by said first conveyor, and a pair of arms pivotally attached to each said pintle and having said second fingers mounted therebetween.

Claim 6

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 4, and including peg means on said arms projecting laterally thereof and guide means on said frame means for slidably engaging said peg means for controlling the angular orientation of the arms during movement along the upper and lower runs of said first conveyor.

Claim 7

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 4, wherein the fingers are each in the form of L-shaped plates slidably interconnected in pairs, and wherein friction pins are carried between said arms to extend across the gap between the arms, said slidably interconnected L-shaped fingers of the pair being bowed between said friction pins.

Claim 8

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 6, and including means for driving said first and second conveyors to execute an intermittent motion including regularly occuring retardations and means for pivoting said L-shaped fingers upwardly while at said input end of said guide simultaneously with a retardation of the conveyors.

Claim 9

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 7, wherein said guide means comprises a guide channel having a floor and at least one side wall, the floor is provided with a longitudinally extending slot and said fingers each comprise upper portions wider than said slot and integrally formed with lower portions narrower than said slot.

Claim 10

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 7, wherein said conveyor drive means includes a continuously rotating driving member and a periodically reversing driven member, and said finger pivoting means comprises a reciprocating member positioned for engaging said fingers for lifting them upwardly past said input end of the guide means during reverse movement of said article advancing fingers.

Claim 11

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein said driving and driven members are coaxial, said conveyor drive means including (a) a stationary cam having a substantially circular periphery, (b) a sharp lobe on said cam interrupting said periphery, (c) a pivotally movable arm carried by said driving member, (d) a pin carried by said arm, (e) slot means in said driven member and snugly receiving said pin, (f) a cam follower roller carried by said arm and arranged to roll along said periphery of saId stationary cam whereby during rolling movement of the cam follower roller the arm is caused to undergo sudden pivoting in a direction to retard said driven member and impart thereto an irregular motion during continuous motion of said driving member.

Claim 12

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the said reciprocating member comprises a pin and said reciprocating pin is driven by a reciprocating mechanism including (g) a rotatable cam having a peripherally disposed cam surface, (h) a lever pivotally mounted on said frame means and carrying said reciprocating pin, (j) a cam follower roller on said lever arranged to ride along said peripherally disposed cam surface, (k) means resiliently biasing said lever for movement in a direction holding the cam follower roller in contact with the cam surface, and (l) an indented lobe in the cam surface, whereby the cam follower roller enters the indented lobe under the action of said biasing means and thereby causes the lever to pivot in a sense corresponding to upward movement of the reciprocating pin.

Claim 13

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 11, and including a pair of abutment strips carried by the fingers and defining a parallel-sided slot having at one end a funnel-shaped opening for receiving said reciprocating pin when said pin is in its lowest position and said fingers are below said input end of the guide means.

Claim 14

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 11, and including a collar carrying said rotatable cam and secured to said driving member of the conveyor drive means.

Claim 15

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 1, and including spring detent means arranged abuttingly to urge said second finger of said at least one pair back towards the said first finger during return of the fingers towards said input end of the guide means.

Claim 16

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 1, and including conveyor means arranged parallel and adjacent to said closed path moving at a speed slower than that of the fingers and along said closed path, and at least one pin carried by said conveyor means for retarding abutting engagement with said second finger of said at least one pair.