US3744788A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Record feeding apparatus
Assignee: Masson Scott Thrissell Engineering Ltd
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Filing: 1971-05-05
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Granted: 1973-07-10
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Expires: 1991-05-05
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for feeding records successively from a stack comprises a finger for displacing the uppermost record out of alignment with the stack and into vertical alignment with a suction device positioned above the record. The suction device is lowered and a projection slidably carried in the suction device locates in the central hole of the record and rests on the next lower record in the stack. The suction device is also brought into engagement with the uppermost record, suction is applied and the suction device is raised, the projection remaining and being held in contact with the next lower record to assist in separation of the uppermost record from the next lower record, the projection then being raised with the suction device.
Inventors
- 👤 D Parker
- 👤 D Jackson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 19:02
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G59/00; B65G59/02; B65G59/04; B65G59/045; B65H; B65H1/00; B65H1/08; B65H1/18; B65H3/00; B65H3/08; B65H3/0808; B65H3/0816
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
Apparatus for feeding records successively from a stack, comprising means for displacing the uppermost record out of alignment with the remainder of the stack, a plurality of suction pads engageable with said uppermost record after said displacement at positions around but not overlapping the central hole of said record, locating means associated with said pads for entering said central hole to ensure desired lateral location of said record relative to said pads, and means for simultaneously lifting said pads and applying suction to the pads while said locating means engages the next adjacent record in the stack to assist separation of said uppermost record from said next adjacent record.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
Apparatus for feeding records successively from a stack, comprising means for displacing the uppermost record out of alignment with the remainder of the stack, a plurality of suction pads engageable with said uppermost record after said displacement at positions around but not overlapping the central hole of said record, locating means associated with said pads for entering said central hole to ensure desired lateral location of said record relative to said pads, and means for simultaneously lifting said pads and applying suction to the pads while said locating means engages the next adjacent record in the stack to assist separation of said uppermost record from said next adjacent record.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including lifting means adapted to receive a stack of records and raise said stack into operative relationship with said displacing means and suction pads.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including means for sensing the level of the uppermost record of the stack as the latter is raised by the lifting means, said lifting means having control means associated with said sensing means so that the control means causes operation of the lifting means to cease when said uppermost record has been raised to a predetermined level.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said sensing means and control means are arranged to cause the lifting means to resume operation whenever removal of records from the top of the stack results in the uppermost remaining record in the stack being at a second and lower predetermined leVel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which said sensing means includes a pivotally mounted finger arranged so that one of its ends rests upon the uppermost record whenever the latter is no lower than the second predetermined level, said finger being arranged to influence the control means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the displacingmeans comprises a finger pivotally mounted upon a reciprocable member, one end of said finger resting upon the top of said stack and having a stepped underside so that it simultaneously engages the upper and edge surfaces of the uppermost record.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the finger of the sensing means is arranged to serve also as the finger of the displacing means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
116 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 for feeding records from a stack carried on a pallet, including support means having a surface over which said pallet is movable and through which said lifting means passes to raise said stack, stop means associated with said support means, means for resiliently urging said stop means to an operative position above said surface, said stop means being arranged to abut against said pallet when said stack is positioned above said lifting means, means to move said stop means to a retracted position below said surface, and control means for effecting operation of said moving means to permit movement of said pallet over said surface away from said lifting means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus for feeding records from two stacks alternately, comprising two apparatuses each as claimed in claim 1, and including means for detecting when all records have been fed from the stack of one of said apparatuses and means for terminating operation of the one apparatus and initiating operation of the other apparatus under control of said detecting means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
80 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pad lifting means is arranged to raise the uppermost record to a position between movable parts of a pair of grooved horizontal guides, said movable portions being connected to actuating means operable in synchonism with said pad lifting means so that said movable portions are held apart while the record is lifted between them and then moved together to engage said record and become aligned with the remainder of said guides.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, including a pair of chain conveyor extending between and parallel to said horizontal guides, said chain conveyors each carrying a plurality of regularly-spaced pusher fingers adapted to propel records engaged between said guides, the pad lifting means being arranged to lower the suction pads after each record has been engaged by the guides and propelled out of the path of said suction pads.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
87 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the locating means comprises a plunger having a nose engageable within the central hole of the uppermost record after displacement thereof, the suction pads and pad lifting means being arranged to lower the plunger and pads into engagement with the uppermost record after operation of the displacing means so that said nose enters said central hole and rests on the record next to said uppermost record while the pads complete their downward movement into engagement with the uppermost record.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, including means for blowing air through said nose while the pad lifting means is raising the suction pads to lift the uppermost record.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1578822A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-07-09 | 1977-01-08 | 1977-07-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-07-09 | 1981-01-08 | 1981-07-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-07-09 | 1985-01-08 | 1985-07-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |