Method and apparatus for handling articles

Claim 2

Apparatus for handling elongated articles of the type having a center of gravity displaced from the geometric center in a direction away from the lighter and toward the heavier end thereof, means forming first and second support surfaces adapted to move articles supported thereon along a predetermined path, the surfaces being spaced apart along the path to define at least one gap of a length less than the length of the articles, said means also forming at least one fulcrum near one margin of the gap over which articles are adapted to tilt, articles moved into the region of the gap being caused to tilt about the fulcrum to drop through the gap, and means for collecting the articles dropping through the gap including a cross conveyor having an upper reach positioned to receive in a discharge zone articles of common orientation which have dropped through the gap, means to direct said articles dropping through the gap to said cross conveyor means in an alignment which is transverse of said upper reach, means forming a plurality of flighted guides extending above said conveyor upper reach to define a series of articlecollecting pockets therewith, and means to move the flighted guides in conjoint movement with said conveyor upper reach to move articles collected within said pockets away from the discharge zone.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 in which the flighted guide means comprises means forming a lower reach defining a leading section disposed substantially parallel with said cross conveyor upper reach to define said pockets therewith and a trailing section diverging upwardly from said conveyor upper reach in the direction of conveyor movement.

Claim 4

In apparatus for orienting asparagus spears each having a center of gravity displaced from the geometric center in a direction away from the lighter tip-end and toward the heavier butt-end thereof, means forming First and second moving supporting surfaces adapted to support and move asparagus spears in the direction of their length along a pre-determined path, the surfaces being disposed along the path of movement to define at least one downwardly open gap of a length less than the length of the spears and interposed across the path, the moving surfaces serving to form near and far margins of the gap, the configuration of such margin forming surfaces as viewed from the side of the gap being arcuate, with the moving surface forming the near margin being on a radius substantially less than the radius of the moving surface forming the far margin, the spears moving butt-end first into the region of the gap over the near margin of the gap being caused to tilt forwardly and thereafter drop butt-end first through the gap, certain spear moving tip-end first into the region of the gap being caused to engage the moving surface forming the far margin of the gap while the butt-end thereof continues to be supported by the surface forming the near margin of the gap whereby such spears are carried across the gap, and means for collecting the spears dropping through the gap without altering their orientation.

Claim 5

In apparatus for orienting asparagus spears each having a center of gravity displaced from the geometric center in a direction away from the lighter tip-end and toward the heavier butt-end thereof, means forming First and second moving supporting surfaces adapted to support and move asparagus spears in the direction of their length along a pre-determined path, the surfaces being disposed along the path of movement to define at least one downwardly open gap of a length less than the length of the spears and interposed across the path, the moving surfaces serving to form near and far margins of the gap, the configuration of such margin forming surfaces as viewed from the side of the gap being arcuate, with the moving surface forming the near margin being on a radius substantially less than the radius of the moving surface forming the far margin, the spears moving butt-end first into the region of the gap over the near margin of the gap being caused to tilt forwardly and thereafter drop butt-end first through the gap, certain spear moving tip-end first into the region of the gap being caused to engage the moving surface forming the far margin of the gap while the butt-end thereof continues to be supported by the surface forming the near margin of the gap whereby such spears are carried across the gap, and means for collecting the spears dropping through the gap without altering their orientation.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the means for supporting and moving spears toward the gap comprises two adjacent rollers of different diameters mounted on horizontal parallel axes extending at right angles to said path, the roller of smaller diameter forming the near margin of the gap, the means for supporting and moving spears beyond the far margin of the gap being formed by two rollers of different diameters likewise mounted on horizontal parallel axes extending at right angles to said path, the roller of larger diameter forming the far margin of the gap.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the means for supporting and moving spears comprises two endless belts engaging pulleys rotatable on horizontal parallel axes, the pulleys having different diameters, the protion of one belt engaging the pulley of smaller diameter forming the near margin of the gap and the belt portion engaging the pulley of larger diameter forming the far margin of the gap.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the portion of the moving surfaces forming said far margin of the gap lies at least partially in a plane spaced vertically below a plane passing at least partially through the portion of the moving surfaces forming said near margin of the gap.

Claim 9

In a method for orienting asparagus spears of random orientation and lengthwise curvature, each spear having a center of gravity displaced from the geometric center in a direction away from the lighter tip and towards the heavier butt-end thereof, the method making use of means forming spaced apart moving surfaces for supporting and moving the spears in the direction of their length and forming a downwardly open gap therebetween interposed across the path of movement, the steps of causing the surfaces to move continuously in one direction along the path to support and move spears having a given length range and that are oriented butt-end first into the region of the gap and over the near margin of the same whereby a progressively increasing butt-end portion of each such spear is unsupported, the remaining tip-end portion of each such spear being unrestrained against movement away from the adjacent supporting surface, causing each such spear to project over said gap sufficiently far to rotate forwardly in a vertical plane coincident with the longitudinal axis of the spear and about the near margin of the gap when the unsupported butt-end portion thereof over balances the supported tip-end portion, causing each such spear after such rotation to drop through the gap free of the supporting surfaces and butt-end first, causing the surfaces to support and move other and longer ones of the spears tip-end first into the region of the gap over the near margin of the same whereby an increasing tip-end portion of each such other spears is unsupported, maintaining the width of said gap such that the tip-end portion of each such other longer spear engages and is supported by a moving surface on the far side of the gap while the butt-end portion of the spear continues to be supported at the near margin of the gap, causing the last mentioned spear to be carried over the gap and over the far margin of the same, and causing spears falling through the gap to fall butt end first onto a moving surface, all in the same orientation.

Claim 10

In a method for orienting asparagus spears of random orientation and lengthwise curvature, each spear having a center of gravity displaced from the geometric center in a direction away from the lighter tip and towards the heavier butt-end thereof, the method making use of means forming spaced apart moving surfaces for supporting and moving the spears in the direction of their length and forming a downwardly open gap therebetween interposed across the path of movement, the steps of causing the surfaces to move continuously in one direction along the path to support and move spears having a given length range and that are oriented butt-end first into the region of the gap and over the near margin of the same whereby a progressively increasing butt-end portion of each such spear is unsupported, the remaining tip-end portion of each such spear being unrestrained against movement away from the adjacent supporting surface, causing each such spear to project over said gap sufficiently far to rotate forwardly in a vertical plane coincident with the longitudinal axis of the spear and about the near margin of the gap when the unsupported butt-end portion thereof over balances the supported tip-end portion, causing each such spear after such rotation to drop through the gap free of the supporting surfaces and butt-end first, causing the surfaces to support and move other and longer ones of the spears tip-end first into the region of the gap over the near margin of the same whereby an increasing tip-end portion of each such other spears is unsupported, maintaining the width of said gap such that the tip-end portion of each such other longer spear engages and is supported by a moving surface on the far side of the gap while the butt-end portion of the spear continues to be supported at the near margin of the gap, causing the last mentioned spear to be carried over the gap and over the far margin of the same, and causing spears falling through the gap to fall butt end first onto a moving surface, all in the same orientation.

Claim 11

A method as in claim 7 in which additional ones of the spears moving tip-end first and which are within a range of length shorter than said given length range are caused to move into the region of the gap over the near margin of the same whereby a progressively increasing tip-end portion of each said spear is unsupported, the tip-end portion of each such spear caused to engage a moving surface at the far margin of the gap, and the butt-end portion of each such spear caused to drop downwardly through the gap with backward rotation of the spear in said vertical plane and with th tip-end portion dropping free from the supporting surface at the far margin of the gap.