Patent US3866906A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3866906A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conveying sheet material
Assignee: Pilkington Group Ltd
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Filing: 1972-10-17
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Granted: 1975-02-18
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Expires: 1992-10-17
Abstract
Abstract Glass sheet material is conveyed along a path passing over an air box for providing a gas cushion. Tilting means is arranged to raise one edge of the air box so that the sheet is laterally displaced while moving over the air box. Datum means is provided at one side of the air box to arrest lateral movement of the sheet when it has reached a required position. Two similar tiltable air boxes may be provided side by side in the conveyor path so that two sheets may be moved apart in opposite directions.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald Frank Berry
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 17:47
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G49/00; B65G49/05; B65G49/06; B65G49/063; B65G49/064; B65G49/065; B65G47/00; B65G47/22; B65G47/26; B65G47/28; B65G49/067; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T225/00; Y10T225/10; Y10T225/12; Y10T225/30; Y10T225/307; Y10T225/321; Y10T225/325
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
232 words
Apparatus for effecting a sideways shift of a forwardly travelling sheet member comprising conveyor means for conveying a sheet member lying in a generally horizontal plane in a forward direction, said conveyor means comprising upstream and downstream sections in the same horizontal plane, support means comprising a table provided in the conveying path, between the upstream and downstream conveyor sections, said table having two opposite edges extending along the conveyor path with pivotal mounting means adjacent one of said edges, said table further having ducts therein for the emission of gas through a surface thereof to provide a gas cushion on which the sheet member can be supported when passing over the table, lifting means, selectively operable to raise the other edge of the table and thereby tilt said table about said pivotal mounting means in a direction transverse to said forward direction between a horizontal position substantially coplanar with the conveyor means and a posiTion inclined to the horizontal, for moving said sheet member in a direction transverse to said forward direction while the member is supported on the gas cushion, and datum means located adjacent said one edge of the table to arrest lateral movement and thereby locate at a desired lateral position said sheet member in said transverse direction, said apparatus further including means operable to advance the sheet, in a sideways shifted position, onto said downstream conveyor section.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
232 words
Apparatus for effecting a sideways shift of a forwardly travelling sheet member comprising conveyor means for conveying a sheet member lying in a generally horizontal plane in a forward direction, said conveyor means comprising upstream and downstream sections in the same horizontal plane, support means comprising a table provided in the conveying path, between the upstream and downstream conveyor sections, said table having two opposite edges extending along the conveyor path with pivotal mounting means adjacent one of said edges, said table further having ducts therein for the emission of gas through a surface thereof to provide a gas cushion on which the sheet member can be supported when passing over the table, lifting means, selectively operable to raise the other edge of the table and thereby tilt said table about said pivotal mounting means in a direction transverse to said forward direction between a horizontal position substantially coplanar with the conveyor means and a posiTion inclined to the horizontal, for moving said sheet member in a direction transverse to said forward direction while the member is supported on the gas cushion, and datum means located adjacent said one edge of the table to arrest lateral movement and thereby locate at a desired lateral position said sheet member in said transverse direction, said apparatus further including means operable to advance the sheet, in a sideways shifted position, onto said downstream conveyor section.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ducts are inclined relative to said surface so that gas emitted therethrough tends to urge a sheet supported on the gas cushion towards the datum means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the tilting means is arranged to raise the edge of the table remote from the datum means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the tilting means includes a selectively operable jack device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which the jack device comprises a pneumatic piston and cylinder controlled by an electrically operable control valve.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said datum means extend parallel to said forward direction along one edge of the support means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said datum means comprise an endless driven element, such as a belt, part of which extends parallel to said forward direction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 comprising detector means located in advance of the support means and operative to detect the position of a sheet member as it travels forwardly towards said support means, and wherein the tilting means effective to cause transverse movement of the sheet member is arranged to receive an actuating signal from said detector means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said conveyor means extends upstream and downstream from said support means in said forward direction, whereby a sheet member can travel from the upstream conveyor means on to said support means to be subjected to a lateral shift, and then from the support means onto the downstream conveyor means for continued travel in said forward direction.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
106 words
Apparatus according to claim 9 for producing a desired separation between sheet members wherein said conveyor means is adapted to convey a group of at least two sheet members side-by-side, and a part of the conveyor means extends alongside said support means so that it can convey a sheet member past the support means while another sheet member travels over the support means and is subjected to a lateral shift away from said part of the conveyor to be returned to said conveyor means downstream of the support means at a desired separation in said transverse direction from the sheet member conveyed past the support means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
72 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, including a second table having ducts therein for the emission of gas to provide a gas cushion, the two tables lying side-by-side in a common horizontal plane, means being provided to raise the inner edges of the two tables so that both tables are tilted in opposite directions thereby to cause sheets on the respective tables to move outwardly in opposite directions to the respective datum means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
87 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 comprising scoring means adapted to score a relatively large sheet so as to designate two smaller sheets into which said large sheet can be split, the conveyor means being arranged to feed said scored large sheet over said two tables with the scoreline lying therebetween, so that the tables can be tilted to snap said large sheet into said smaller sheets and to cause the smaller sheets on the respective tables to move outwardly in opposite directions to the respective datum means.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of effecting a sideways shift of a forwardly travelling sheet member, comprising conveying the sheet member lying in a generally horizontal plane in a forward direction over a support table provided in the conveying path, passing gas through ducts in the Table to provide a gas cushion beneath the sheet member being conveyed, selectively raising one edge of the table to tilt said table from a horizontal position to an inclined position to move the sheet member in a direction transverse to said forward direction while it is supported on the gas cushion, arresting lateral movement of the sheet member at the opposite edge of the table thereby to locate it at a desired lateral position in said transverse direction, returning the table to the horizontal position, and advancing the sheet member in a sideways shifted position onto a downstream conveyor in said generally horizontal plane.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of effecting a sideways shift of a forwardly travelling sheet member, comprising conveying the sheet member lying in a generally horizontal plane in a forward direction over a support table provided in the conveying path, passing gas through ducts in the Table to provide a gas cushion beneath the sheet member being conveyed, selectively raising one edge of the table to tilt said table from a horizontal position to an inclined position to move the sheet member in a direction transverse to said forward direction while it is supported on the gas cushion, arresting lateral movement of the sheet member at the opposite edge of the table thereby to locate it at a desired lateral position in said transverse direction, returning the table to the horizontal position, and advancing the sheet member in a sideways shifted position onto a downstream conveyor in said generally horizontal plane.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
67 words
A method according to claim 13 for producing a desired separation between sheet members comprising supplying gas through two separate tables lying side-by-side in a common horizontal plane to provide respective gas cushions, and tilting the tables in opposite directions to raise their inner edges, thereby to move two sheet members and supported on the respective gas cushion outwardly in opposite directions transverse to said forward direction.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
81 words
A method according to claim 14 for splitting a relatively large sheet into the two smaller sheets, and producing a desired separation between the two smaller sheets, comprising feeding a scored relatively large sheet over the two tables with the scoreline lying therebetween, and tilting the tables in opposite directions to snap the large sheet along the score line and thereby produce two smaller sheets which move outwardly on the respective gas cushions in opposite directions transverse to said forward direction.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-02-17 | 1978-08-19 | 1979-02-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-02-17 | 1982-08-19 | 1983-02-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-02-17 | 1986-08-19 | 1987-02-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |