US3848725A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Driven-article dropping machine and method
Assignee: Toby Enterprises
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Filing: 1973-02-14
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Granted: 1974-11-19
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Expires: 1993-02-14
Abstract
Abstract A machine and method for handling articles. The system of this invention includes the receiving of a predetermined number of articles, such as slices of meat or other product, on a conveying device composed of two banks of opposed drive rollers assembled parallel to one another and in the same horizontal plane. Each roller is supported and driven from one end and each bank of rollers has a common support which houses the mechanism to drive the rollers. The roller supports are pivoted at one end so that both banks of rollers can be swung downwardly simultaneously. As they are opposed to one another and as one bank rotates clockwise and the other counter clockwise, the slices accumulated on the rollers will drop when the rollers are pivoted downward. The dropped slices may be deposited on a weighing device, conveyor, packager or any other unit positioned beneath the roller banks.
Inventors
- 👤 M Toby
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 14:22
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G13/00; B65G13/11; B65G47/00; B65G47/52
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of handling articles which consists of sequentially depositing articles onto a longitudinally extending driven conveyor means at a receiving station disposed along the length thereof, directly supportingly engaging said articles on said conveyor means for substantially the greater portion of their width, positively moving said conveyor means and the articles deposited thereon from said receiving station along a longitudinal path having a width equal to the width of the article being conveyed and longitudinally spaced from said receiving station, and then moving said conveyor means in a direction other than along the longitudinal length thereof to provide a discharge opening for said articles in the longitudinal path of said conveyor means to thereby cause said articles to gravitally drop from said conveyor means immediately below said longitudinal path.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of handling articles which consists of sequentially depositing articles onto a longitudinally extending driven conveyor means at a receiving station disposed along the length thereof, directly supportingly engaging said articles on said conveyor means for substantially the greater portion of their width, positively moving said conveyor means and the articles deposited thereon from said receiving station along a longitudinal path having a width equal to the width of the article being conveyed and longitudinally spaced from said receiving station, and then moving said conveyor means in a direction other than along the longitudinal length thereof to provide a discharge opening for said articles in the longitudinal path of said conveyor means to thereby cause said articles to gravitally drop from said conveyor means immediately below said longitudinal path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
88 words
The method as set forth in claim 1, in which after said deposit of each said article on said conveyor means at said receiving station, said article and all preceeding articles in a cycle are incrementally moved with the movement of said conveyor means until a predetermined number of articles in said cycle are supported by said conveyor means, thereby creating a shingled stacking of said articles one upon another in an agglomeration, and in which thereafter said agglomeration is caused to gravitally drop from said conveyor means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
71 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 in which said conveyor means includes a plurality of rollers each having an axis of rotation normal to the conveyor length and all normally lying in a common generally horizontal plane, said rollers all being incrementally positively rotated in the same direction, said conveyor movement in said other direction moving said rollers to a position wherein their rotational axes are generally vertically disposed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
94 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 in which said articles are deposited on a pair of said conveyor means disposed in coplanar relation in a generally horizontal plane and spaced in a transverse direction to the length thereof and with each of said pair adapted to support traNsversely spaced portions of said articles, and said other movement being a downward rocking movement of each conveyor means about a longitudinal horizontal axis disposed at the outermost side portions of said conveyor means whereby said articles gravitally drop between said pair of conveyor means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 in which a means for driving said conveyor means continually moves same in said first-mentioned direction from said receiving station while and at the same time another conveyor-moving means both initially moves said conveyor means in said second-mentioned direction other than along its own longitudinal length, and then secondly returns same to its original position.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
231 words
An apparatus for handling articles, including a generally horizontal conveyor means extending longitudinally from an article receiving station, means for positively driving said conveyor means in a direction along its longitudinal length, a member supporting said conveyor means for movement thereof in a direction other than along its own longitudinal length, means for moving said conveyor means in said other direction and then returning said conveyor means to its original position, said conveyor means including a pair of roller banks disposed in coplanar relation in a generally horizontal plane and spaced in a transverse direction to the longitudinal length thereof, each of said pairs comprising a plurality of rollers whose axes of rotation are all coplanar, with each roller axis being generally normal to the longitudinal length of said conveyor means and to the direction of longitudinal transfer of said articles and remaining generally normal thereto during said moving of said conveyor means in said other direction other than along the longitudinal length of said conveyor means, said means for positively driving said conveyor means rotating said rollers all incrementally positively in the same direction, and means for moving each of said roller banks to a generally vertical plane and then returning same to said initial generally horizontal plane by pivoting same in rocker-like fashion arcuately downward about parallel pivot axes and then pivoting same arcuately upward about said pivot axes.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
231 words
An apparatus for handling articles, including a generally horizontal conveyor means extending longitudinally from an article receiving station, means for positively driving said conveyor means in a direction along its longitudinal length, a member supporting said conveyor means for movement thereof in a direction other than along its own longitudinal length, means for moving said conveyor means in said other direction and then returning said conveyor means to its original position, said conveyor means including a pair of roller banks disposed in coplanar relation in a generally horizontal plane and spaced in a transverse direction to the longitudinal length thereof, each of said pairs comprising a plurality of rollers whose axes of rotation are all coplanar, with each roller axis being generally normal to the longitudinal length of said conveyor means and to the direction of longitudinal transfer of said articles and remaining generally normal thereto during said moving of said conveyor means in said other direction other than along the longitudinal length of said conveyor means, said means for positively driving said conveyor means rotating said rollers all incrementally positively in the same direction, and means for moving each of said roller banks to a generally vertical plane and then returning same to said initial generally horizontal plane by pivoting same in rocker-like fashion arcuately downward about parallel pivot axes and then pivoting same arcuately upward about said pivot axes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said member includes two axially parallel rail frames, generally horizontally coplanar and uniformly spaced in a transverse direction to the longitudinal length thereof, said frames each rotatably supporting the rollers of a corresponding bank.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 7 in which said means for moving and returning said roller banks includes an articulated linkage fixed to points on said frames for moving and returning both said frames and said roller banks.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
64 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which said rollers in each bank are fixed to corresponding individual sprockets each also rotatably fixed to said respective frames, and in which an endless chain is entrained about all sprockets on each frame, the plane of said sprockets and said chain being generally normally vertical and parallel to the longitudinal axes of said frames.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
63 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which said means for positively driving said conveyor means in said direction along its longitudinal length includes a walking bevel-gear set associated with each roller bank, one gear of each set operatively connected with its bank''s corresponding sprockets and chain, and the other gear of said set operatively connected with said conveyor driving means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
63 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which said means for moving said conveyor means in said other direction includes a rotatable housing associated with each frame, each said housing substantially enveloping a corresponding bevel-gear set and being at one distal end fixed to its corresponding frame, and at its other distal end fixed to a point on said articulated linkage.
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) | 1977-11-18 | 1978-05-20 | 1978-11-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-18 | 1982-05-20 | 1982-11-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-18 | 1986-05-20 | 1986-11-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |