Module handling apparatus

Claim 2

Article handling apparatus for sequentially providing articles to a processing station, comprising a plurality of multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, means for storing a plurality of said holding means loaded with said articles and feeding said loaded holding means one by one to an unloading station, said holding means being positioned in back to front contiguous relationship when being stored, unloading means at said location responsive to the presence of a loaded holding means at said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed at said location the channel by channel unloading of said articles and the transporting of said articles to said processing station, means for moving each holding means out of said location after it is unloaded, and means for accepting said moved unloaded holding means for storage.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is bilevel having a lower level for storing said loaded holding means and an upper level for storing said unloaded holding means, and said unloading location being on said lower level, so that said moving means level shifts each holding means out of said unloading location after it is unloaded.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said unloading means comprises a bar assembly movable transversely at one end a holding means at said unloading location, said assembly blocking the passage of said articles from all but one of the channels of a holding means at a time and having a gap through it communicating with said one channel permitting said articles when released from said holding means to be transported to said processing station.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein flexible guide means fixed at one end in said assembly and communicating with said processing station at the other end transport said articles to said processing station.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the channels of said holding means incLudes spring means for retaining said articles within said holding means, and said unloading means includes means for engaging said spring means when said holding means is in said location to release said articles for unloading.

Claim 7

Article handling apparatus for sequentially loading articles categorized at a processing station according to the process and provided along discrete paths corresponding to the categories to article loading apparatus at the end of each such path, each of said loading apparatus comprising a plurality of multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, means for storing a plurality of said holding means empty of said articles and feeding said holding means one by one to a loading location at the end of a path, said holding means being positioned in back to front contiguous relationship when being stored, loading means at said location responsive to the presence of an empty holding means fed to said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed at said location the channel by channel loading of a predetermined number of said articles into the holding means, means for moving each holding means out of said location after it is loaded, and means for accepting said moved loaded holding means for storage.

Claim 8

Article handling apparatus for sequentially loading articles categorized at a processing station according to the process and provided along discrete paths corresponding to the categories to article loading apparatus at the end of each such path, each of said loading apparatus comprising a plurality of multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, means for storing a plurality of said holding means empty of said articles and feeding said holding means one by one to a loading location at the end of a path, said holding means being positioned in back to front contiguous relationship when being stored, loading means at said location responsive to the presence of an empty holding means fed to said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed at said location the channel by channel loading of a predetermined number of said articles into the holding means, means for moving each holding means out of said location after it is loaded, and means for accepting said moved loaded holding means for storage.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the loading apparatus at the end of each path is bilevel having a lower level for storing said unloaded holding means and an upper level for storing said loaded holding means, and said loading location being on said lower level, so that said moving means level shifts each holding means out of said loading location after it is loaded.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said loading means comprises a bar assembly movable transversely at one end a holding means at said loading location, said assembly blocking the passage of said articles from a path to all but one of the channels of a holding means at a time and having a gap through it communicating with said one channel permitting said articles to be loaded into it.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein flexible guide means fixed at one end in said assembly communicate with said path to sequentially accept articles from said path for loading through said gap into the channels of a holding means.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the channels of said holding means includes spring means for preventing said articles from entering said holding means, and said assembly includes means for aligning a channel with said gap and for releasing said spring means in an aligned channel to permit said articles to be loaded in that channel.

Claim 13

Article handling apparatus for sequentially providing articles to a station for processing and categorization according to the process and for accepting the articles according to their categories comprising a first plurality of multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, an article unloading station, means for storing said plurality of holding means loaded with said articles and feeding said loaded holding means one by one to an unloading location, unloading means at said location responsive to the presence of a loaded holding means fed to said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed the channel by channel unloading of said articles from the holding means and the transporting of said articles to said processing station, means for moving each holding means out of said unloading location after it is unloaded, means for accepting said moved unloaded holding means for storage, a plurality of article loading stations corresponding in number to the number of said categories, each of said stations communicating with said processing station through a discrete path, each of said loading stations having loading apparatus for the articles provided to it comprising a second plurality oF multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, means for storing a plurality of said holding means empty of said articles and feeding said holding means one by one to a loading location at the end of a path, said holding means being positioned in back to front contiguous relationship when being stored, loading means at said location responsive to the presence of an empty holding means fed to said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed at said location the channel by channel loading of a predetermined number of said articles into the holding means, means for moving each holding means out of said location after it is loaded, and means for accepting said moved loaded holding means for storage in back to front contiguous relationship with the others of said loaded holding means at that station.

Claim 14

Article handling apparatus for sequentially providing articles to a station for processing and categorization according to the process and for accepting the articles according to their categories comprising a first plurality of multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, an article unloading station, means for storing said plurality of holding means loaded with said articles and feeding said loaded holding means one by one to an unloading location, unloading means at said location responsive to the presence of a loaded holding means fed to said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed the channel by channel unloading of said articles from the holding means and the transporting of said articles to said processing station, means for moving each holding means out of said unloading location after it is unloaded, means for accepting said moved unloaded holding means for storage, a plurality of article loading stations corresponding in number to the number of said categories, each of said stations communicating with said processing station through a discrete path, each of said loading stations having loading apparatus for the articles provided to it comprising a second plurality oF multi-channel article holding means, each of said channels having the capacity for retaining a plurality of said articles, means for storing a plurality of said holding means empty of said articles and feeding said holding means one by one to a loading location at the end of a path, said holding means being positioned in back to front contiguous relationship when being stored, loading means at said location responsive to the presence of an empty holding means fed to said location for effecting while said holding means is fixed at said location the channel by channel loading of a predetermined number of said articles into the holding means, means for moving each holding means out of said location after it is loaded, and means for accepting said moved loaded holding means for storage in back to front contiguous relationship with the others of said loaded holding means at that station.

Claim 15

Method of handling articles before being acted on in a process including feeding of said articles to an acting station, storing said articles in plural channel trays, stacking said trays in contiguous back to front relationship, feeding said stacked trays one by one to an unload station, and sequentially dispersing the articles from each of the channels of a tray at the unload station to a common path leading to said acting station while said tray is in a fixed position.

Claim 16

Method of handling articles before being acted on in a process including feeding of said articles to an acting station, storing said articles in plural channel trays, stacking said trays in contiguous back to front relationship, feeding said stacked trays one by one to an unload station, and sequentially dispersing the articles from each of the channels of a tray at the unload station to a common path leading to said acting station while said tray is in a fixed position.

Claim 17

In the method of claim 12, and further comprising the step of aligning each tray for article dispersion at the unload station prior to the dispersion.

Claim 18

In the method of claim 12, wherein the dispersing of the articles includes the simultaneous releasing of the articles in all of the channels of a tray for sequential channel feed to said common path.

Claim 19

In the method of claim 12, wherein the feeding of said articles through said common path to said acting station is by gravity feed.

Claim 20

Method of handling articles after being acted on in a process including feeding of said articles from an acting station after said articles have been categorized into predetermined categories, stacking a plurality of plural channel trays in contiguous back to front relationship at a load station for each of said categories, feeding said stacked trays one by one to each load station for loading of said articles, transporting said articles from said acting station to said load stations along paths corresponding to said categories, and loading the articles transported to each of the load stations sequentially into the channels of a tray at that load station, said loading occurring at each load station into all the channels of a tray while said tray is in a fixed position, whereby said articles are stored in trays according to said predetermined categories.

Claim 21

Method of handling articles after being acted on in a process including feeding of said articles from an acting station after said articles have been categorized into predetermined categories, stacking a plurality of plural channel trays in contiguous back to front relationship at a load station for each of said categories, feeding said stacked trays one by one to each load station for loading of said articles, transporting said articles from said acting station to said load stations along paths corresponding to said categories, and loading the articles transported to each of the load stations sequentially into the channels of a tray at that load station, said loading occurring at each load station into all the channels of a tray while said tray is in a fixed position, whereby said articles are stored in trays according to said predetermined categories.

Claim 22

In the method of claim 16, wherein said transporting is performed along air bearing slides.

Claim 23

In the method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the aligning of each channel of a tray at a load station prior to the loading of articles into that channel.