US3860125A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Trim separation
Assignee: Ford Motor Co
•
Filing: 1973-06-08
•
Granted: 1975-01-14
•
Expires: 1993-06-08
Abstract
Abstract An automated glass cutting and finishing line is disclosed having stations for glass scoring, stripping and prepositioning for pickup so the glass may be carried to a grinding or edge treating station. The prepositioning station is provided with a mechanism for raising a glass template above the trim pieces, the mechanism operates through a flexible canvas conveyor belt used to support the glass between and in the stations as well as permit permeation of vacuum pressure. Another mechanism is adapted to sense the existence of glass defects and hangers as the template arrives in the raised plane; the latter mechanism relocates the template in the raised plane to a new predetermined position for accurate pickup by a mechanical robot engaging the template only through the use of suction cups. The robot places the template on another suction-type holding mechanism which rotates the template for full edge grinding.
Inventors
- 👤 Roger E Johnson
- 👤 Joe Y Sawai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 10:21
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G49/00; B65G49/05; B65G49/06; B65G49/063; B65G49/064; B65G49/067; C; C03; C03B; C03B33/00; C03B33/02; C03B33/04; B65G2249/00; B65G2249/04; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P40/00; Y02P40/50; Y02P40/57
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
In an apparatus having a continuous porous flexible membrane with one side for supporting and conveying glass brackets to a handling and separating station, each of said brackets having been previously cut and severed to define a template and trim, the improvement comprising: (a) means selectively acting against a side of said belt opposite from which said template and trim are supported, said means being effective to deform said belt upwardly in locations immediately beneath the template for thereby promoting a raised position of the template out of the plane of the trim; (b) means in said raised plane for sensing the presence of inadvertantly attached trim to said template at least at three locations about said template periphery, saId sensing means being programmed to automatically shift said template to a predetermined position in said plane for accurate pick-up, and (c) mechanical means for picking up said raised template and for movably holding said template in a predetermined position for subsequent edge treatment.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
163 words
In an apparatus having a continuous porous flexible membrane with one side for supporting and conveying glass brackets to a handling and separating station, each of said brackets having been previously cut and severed to define a template and trim, the improvement comprising: (a) means selectively acting against a side of said belt opposite from which said template and trim are supported, said means being effective to deform said belt upwardly in locations immediately beneath the template for thereby promoting a raised position of the template out of the plane of the trim; (b) means in said raised plane for sensing the presence of inadvertantly attached trim to said template at least at three locations about said template periphery, saId sensing means being programmed to automatically shift said template to a predetermined position in said plane for accurate pick-up, and (c) mechanical means for picking up said raised template and for movably holding said template in a predetermined position for subsequent edge treatment.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The improvement as in claim 1, in which said mechanical pick-up means has suction members effective to engage the template at one surface thereof and thereby provide sole means for engagement of said template.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
90 words
The improvement as in claim 1, in which said means for selectively acting against the belt for raising the template, comprises a bed plate at said station and having a plurality of movable fingers effective to operate between a retracted position within the surface of said plate and an extended position above the bed plate, said bed plate also having a plurality of vacuum openings for communicating with said membrane and thereby said glass template to clamp said template against said membrane during movement into and out of said station.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The improvement as in claim 3, in which said membrane is defined as a canvas fabric, and in which said fingers are each raised simultaneously by common table, said table being actuated by a force applied centrally beneath said table and having means for stabilizing the motion of said table.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
The improvement as in claim 1, in which the sensing and shifting means comprises at least one locator assembly having a finger thereon fixed in said raised plane for obstructing any glass hangers upon said template as it is raised into said plane, said locator assembly being effective to stroke to a predetermined location for subsequent engagement by said template.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
70 words
The improvement as in claim 5, in which said sensing and shifting means further comprises at least one positioning assembly having a wheel thereon effective to lie in said raised plane opposite an edge of said template from said locator assembly, said positioning assembly being effective to stroke a distance in excess of said movement of the locator assembly for effectively securing or straightening said template against said locator assembly.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3785507A
Cited
US3601264A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-01-13 | 1978-07-15 | 1979-01-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-01-13 | 1982-07-15 | 1983-01-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-01-13 | 1986-07-15 | 1987-01-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |