US3741436A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Handling of magnetically asymmetrical articles
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1971-05-14
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Granted: 1973-06-26
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Expires: 1991-05-14
Abstract
Abstract Articles having axial leads, such as diodes, are handled by initially storing the articles within a magnetic bin and feeding the articles from the bin with a magnetic wheel. The articles are magnetic but they are not ''''magnetically symmetrical.'''' The magnetic asymmetry causes a tangling of the articles when they are suspended within the storage bin. A number of techniques are provided to eliminate the tangling: the field strength of the bin is reduced, the field is biased to one side of the bin and the bin walls are placed close together to constrain the articles. Additional improvements in handling are achieved by operating a magnetic feed wheel with discrete high angular-acceleration steps so that the articles which are not singularly attracted to pickup locations on the wheel are shaken free of the wheel by the stepping action. Thus, uniform feeding of the articles is achieved.
Inventors
- 👤 E Hartline
- 👤 D Large
- 👤 G Montone
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 02:14
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K13/00; H05K13/02; H05K13/029; B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/02; B65G47/04; B65G47/12; B65G47/14; B65G47/1407; B65G47/1478; B65G47/1485; B65G54/00; B65G54/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
73 words
Apparatus for magnetically handling a plurality of magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles when placed between said sidewalls; and means for establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of substantially constant predetermined intensity, said field intensity being of a strength in relation to said articles so as to maintain said articles just suspended between said sidewalls thereby overcoming the tendency to adhere to each other.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
73 words
Apparatus for magnetically handling a plurality of magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles when placed between said sidewalls; and means for establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of substantially constant predetermined intensity, said field intensity being of a strength in relation to said articles so as to maintain said articles just suspended between said sidewalls thereby overcoming the tendency to adhere to each other.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
86 words
The apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises: a pickup wheel having a plurality of attractive positions spaced about the periphery thereof, the wheel being positioned at one end of the sidewalls with a portion of the periphery engageable with the suspended articles; and means for rotating the wheel in discrete steps of high angular acceleration to shake free any articles in excess of one that are engaged with one of the attractive positions of the wheel, whereby a controlled feeding of single articles is achieved.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sidewalls are inclined toward the pickup wheel and further comprising vibrating means to facilitate movement of the articles toward the wheel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for establishing said magnetic field is constituted of two magnetic elements, one at each sidewall, one of which is stronger than the other.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sidewalls are spaced apart by a distance not substantially greater than the length of said articles, so as to substantially preclude shifts of said articles laterally between said sidewalls.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
62 words
A method of handling magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: placing said articles between confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles; and establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of substantially constant intensity and of a strength relative to said articles so as to maintain said articles just suspended between said sidewalls thereby overcoming the tendency to adhere to each other.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
62 words
A method of handling magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: placing said articles between confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles; and establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of substantially constant intensity and of a strength relative to said articles so as to maintain said articles just suspended between said sidewalls thereby overcoming the tendency to adhere to each other.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
90 words
The method of claim 6 which further comprises the further step of: rotating a pickup wheel which has a plurality of attractive positions spaced about the periphery thereof, and which is positioned at said one pair of ends of said sidewalls with a portion of the periphery engageable with the suspended articles, in discrete steps of high angular acceleration to shake free articles which are in contact with the wheel but are not singularly engaged with one of the attractive positions, whereby a controlled feeding of single articles is achieved.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 7 which comprises the step of vibrating the sidewalls to facilitate the movement of the articles to the wheel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of removing said articles from between the ends of said sidewalls by magnetically attracting at least one of said articles at a time.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the magnetic removing is effected with intermittent acceleration transverse to the direction of the magnetic attraction and intense enough so that the inertia of the attracted articles other than the first overcomes the attraction.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 9, wherein the articles other than the first fall back between the sidewalls in response to the overcoming of the attraction by their inertia.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
185 words
Apparatus for magnetically handling a plurality of magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles when placed between said sidewalls; means for establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of predetermined intensity, said field intensity being proportioned in relation to said articles so as to maintain said articles suspended between said sidewalls without the tendency to adhere to each other; a pickup wheel having a plurality of attractive positions spaced about the periphery thereof, the wheel being positioned at one end of the sidewalls with a portion of the periphery engageable with the suspended articles; and means for rotating the wheel in discrete steps of high angular acceleration to shake free any articles in excess of one that are engaged with one of the attractive positions of the wheel, whereby a controlled feeding of single articles is achieved, said means for rotating the wheel comprising a stepping motor and a control unit for rotating the motor in bursts of pulses, each burst having from 2 to 20 pulses and each pulse having a duration of 2 to 8 milliseconds.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
185 words
Apparatus for magnetically handling a plurality of magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles when placed between said sidewalls; means for establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of predetermined intensity, said field intensity being proportioned in relation to said articles so as to maintain said articles suspended between said sidewalls without the tendency to adhere to each other; a pickup wheel having a plurality of attractive positions spaced about the periphery thereof, the wheel being positioned at one end of the sidewalls with a portion of the periphery engageable with the suspended articles; and means for rotating the wheel in discrete steps of high angular acceleration to shake free any articles in excess of one that are engaged with one of the attractive positions of the wheel, whereby a controlled feeding of single articles is achieved, said means for rotating the wheel comprising a stepping motor and a control unit for rotating the motor in bursts of pulses, each burst having from 2 to 20 pulses and each pulse having a duration of 2 to 8 milliseconds.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein each pulse rotates the wheel at least one degree.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the wheel has a diameter of from 4 to 10 inches.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each article has a weight of from 0.2 to 0.4 grams.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of handling magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: placing said articles between confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles; establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of intensity proportioned relative to said articles so as to maintain said articles suspended between said sidewalls without the tendency to adhere to each other; rotating a pickup wheel which has a plurality of attractive positions spaced about the periphery thereof, and which is positioned at said one pair of ends of said sidewalls with a portion of the periphery engageable with the suspended articles, in discrete steps of high angular acceleration to shake free articles which are in contact with the wheel but are not singularly engaged with one of the attractive positions, whereby a controlled feeding of single articles is achieved, the wheel being rotated in bursts of pulses, each burst having from 2 to 30 pulses and each pulse having a duration of 2 to 8 milliseconds.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of handling magnetically asymmetrical articles comprising: placing said articles between confronting sidewalls for laterally confining said articles; establishing between and transverse to said sidewalls a magnetic field of intensity proportioned relative to said articles so as to maintain said articles suspended between said sidewalls without the tendency to adhere to each other; rotating a pickup wheel which has a plurality of attractive positions spaced about the periphery thereof, and which is positioned at said one pair of ends of said sidewalls with a portion of the periphery engageable with the suspended articles, in discrete steps of high angular acceleration to shake free articles which are in contact with the wheel but are not singularly engaged with one of the attractive positions, whereby a controlled feeding of single articles is achieved, the wheel being rotated in bursts of pulses, each burst having from 2 to 30 pulses and each pulse having a duration of 2 to 8 milliseconds.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 16 wherein each pulse rotates the wheel at least 1 degree.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-06-25 | 1976-12-25 | 1977-06-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-06-25 | 1980-12-25 | 1981-06-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-06-25 | 1984-12-25 | 1985-06-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |