US3887066A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic board turner
Assignee: Coe Manufacturing Co
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Filing: 1973-07-20
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Granted: 1975-06-03
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Expires: 1993-07-20
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for automatically inverting boards for inspection as they advance transversely at spaced intervals along a conveyor. The conveyor is of the type having spaced sets of projecting lugs thereon, and a speed-up belt traveling in the same direction but at greater speed overlies the conveyor and urges the leading edge of each board into abutment with the back of a respective lug set. The board turner comprises a pair of horizontally-spaced rotatable shafts mounted transversely above the conveyor, each shaft having groups of transversely-spaced arms fixed perpendicularly thereto for intersecting the plane of the conveyor at the bottom of their arcuate paths, the respective groups of arms being separated radially from one another on the respective shafts. The shafts are both coupled for synchronous motion with the conveyor lug chain so as to cause a depending group of arms from a respective shaft to intersect the plane of the conveyor at a point in travel immediately ahead of a set of advancing lugs, the direction of shaft rotation being such that the depending arms move in the same direction as the lugs at such point of intersection. The lugs on the conveyor have a greater linear speed than the tips of the depending arms, permitting the set of lugs to catch up to the arms and transfer the leading edge engagement of a respective board to the arms which then lift the leading edge with an upward arcuate movement tending to tip the board over. The speed-up belt, which travels at a linear speed substantially greater than either the lugs or the arms, maintains the engagement between the board and the arms until the board has been completely inverted, at which point the belt causes the board to accelerate forwardly relative to the conveyor into leading edge engagement once more with the respective lug set. The two rotatable shafts are spaced horizontally apart, along the line of travel, and turn at the same speed with a gear reduction such that their respective depending groups of arms intersect the conveyor plane coincident with alternate sets of advancing lugs, thereby enabling the respective groups of arms to invert opposite sets of alternate boards.
Inventors
- 👤 Hendrik Houtsager
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 13:43
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/22; B65G47/24; B65G47/248; B65G47/252
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
191 words
A method of advancing boards transversely at spaced intervals and automatically inverting said boards to permit inspection of both sides thereof, said method comprising: a. advancing said boards on a conveyor having respective projecting lugs regularly spaced along its line of travel for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards; b. rotating an arm about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when depending from said axis adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly away from a respective lug as said arm rotates forwardly and upwardly; and c. frictionally urging said board forward on said conveyor by means of a speed-up belt underlying said conveyor and traveling in the same direction but at a greater linear speed than said lugs, thereby maintaining the engagement between said board and said arm until said board has been completely inverted and thereafter accelerating said inverted board forwardly into engagement with said respective lug.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
191 words
A method of advancing boards transversely at spaced intervals and automatically inverting said boards to permit inspection of both sides thereof, said method comprising: a. advancing said boards on a conveyor having respective projecting lugs regularly spaced along its line of travel for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards; b. rotating an arm about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when depending from said axis adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly away from a respective lug as said arm rotates forwardly and upwardly; and c. frictionally urging said board forward on said conveyor by means of a speed-up belt underlying said conveyor and traveling in the same direction but at a greater linear speed than said lugs, thereby maintaining the engagement between said board and said arm until said board has been completely inverted and thereafter accelerating said inverted board forwardly into engagement with said respective lug.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
191 words
A method of advancing boards transversely at spaced intervals and automatically inverting said boards to permit inspection of both sides thereof, said method comprising: a. advancing said boards on a conveyor having respective projecting lugs regularly spaced along its line of travel for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards; b. rotating an arm about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when depending from said axis adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly away from a respective lug as said arm rotates forwardly and upwardly; and c. frictionally urging said board forward on said conveyor by means of a speed-up belt underlying said conveyor and traveling in the same direction but at a greater linear speed than said lugs, thereby maintaining the engagement between said board and said arm until said board has been completely inverted and thereafter accelerating said inverted board forwardly into engagement with said respective lug.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
191 words
A method of advancing boards transversely at spaced intervals and automatically inverting said boards to permit inspection of both sides thereof, said method comprising: a. advancing said boards on a conveyor having respective projecting lugs regularly spaced along its line of travel for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards; b. rotating an arm about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when depending from said axis adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly away from a respective lug as said arm rotates forwardly and upwardly; and c. frictionally urging said board forward on said conveyor by means of a speed-up belt underlying said conveyor and traveling in the same direction but at a greater linear speed than said lugs, thereby maintaining the engagement between said board and said arm until said board has been completely inverted and thereafter accelerating said inverted board forwardly into engagement with said respective lug.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step (b) includes unidirectionally rotating said arm about said axis of rotation such that said arm moves substantially in the same direction as said conveyor at the bottom of said arm''s arcuate path, further including the step of synchronizing the rotation of said arm with the movement of said conveyor thereby causing said arm to arrive at said board engaging position coincident with said respective lug.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
110 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said arm includes a rearwardly facing member adaptable to engage said board beneath its leading edge and thereby lift said edge as said arm is rotated upward away from said conveyor, further including the step of synchronizing the rotation of said arm with the movement of said conveyor thereby causing said arm to arrive at said board engaging position immediately ahead of the leading edge of said respective board and causing the linear speed of said rearwardly facing member to be less than the linear speed of said conveyor so as to enable said conveyor to move said board into engagement with said member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
341 words
Board turning apparatus for automatically inverting boards as they advance transversely at spaced intervals along a conveyor, said board turning apparatus including an arm mounted for rotational movement about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when positioned adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said leading edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly as said arm rotates upwardly, wherein the improvement comprises: drive means for unidirectionally rotating said arm about said axis of rotation in a direction such that said arm moves substantially in the same direction as said conveyor at the bottom of said arm''s arcuate path; synchronizing means coupling said drive means to said conveyor for causing said arm to arrive at said board engaging position adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path imMediately ahead of the leading edge of said respective board; a rearwardly facing member on said arm adaptable to engage said board beneath its leading edge and thereby lift said edge as said arm is rotated upwardly away from said conveyor by said drive means; said synchronizing means further including means for causing the linear speed of said rearwardly facing member to be less than the linear speed of said conveyor so as to enable said conveyor to move said board into engagement with said rearwardly facing member; spaced sets of projecting lugs on said conveyor for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards at spaced intervals along said conveyor; and a speed up belt overlying said conveyor and traveling in the same direction but at a greater linear speed than either said lugs or said rearwardly facing member for frictionally urging the leading edges of said respective boards against the rear faces of said lugs, said speed up belt serving also to maintain the engagement between said respective board and said rearwardly facing member until said board has been completely inverted.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
341 words
Board turning apparatus for automatically inverting boards as they advance transversely at spaced intervals along a conveyor, said board turning apparatus including an arm mounted for rotational movement about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when positioned adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said leading edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly as said arm rotates upwardly, wherein the improvement comprises: drive means for unidirectionally rotating said arm about said axis of rotation in a direction such that said arm moves substantially in the same direction as said conveyor at the bottom of said arm''s arcuate path; synchronizing means coupling said drive means to said conveyor for causing said arm to arrive at said board engaging position adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path imMediately ahead of the leading edge of said respective board; a rearwardly facing member on said arm adaptable to engage said board beneath its leading edge and thereby lift said edge as said arm is rotated upwardly away from said conveyor by said drive means; said synchronizing means further including means for causing the linear speed of said rearwardly facing member to be less than the linear speed of said conveyor so as to enable said conveyor to move said board into engagement with said rearwardly facing member; spaced sets of projecting lugs on said conveyor for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards at spaced intervals along said conveyor; and a speed up belt overlying said conveyor and traveling in the same direction but at a greater linear speed than either said lugs or said rearwardly facing member for frictionally urging the leading edges of said respective boards against the rear faces of said lugs, said speed up belt serving also to maintain the engagement between said respective board and said rearwardly facing member until said board has been completely inverted.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The board turning apparatus of claim 4 including multiple ones of said arms spaced radially about said axis of rotation for engaging different ones of said respective boards advancing along said conveyor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
The board turning apparatus of claim 4 including a pair of said arms, each rotatably mounted about different axes of rotation spaced horizontally apart at different locations along the line of travel of said conveyor, said synchronizing means including means for causing said arms to engage different intermingled sets of said advancing boards at said different locations, each said set comprising regularly spaced boards.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
86 words
The board turning apparatus of claim 4 comprising multiple board turning assemblies, each including at least one of said arms, positioned at different locations spaced along the line of travel of said conveyor and each adaptable for inverting respective ones of said advancing boards at said different locations, said synchronizing means being coupled to said respective board turning assemblies and including means for causing each of said board turning assemblies to invert different intermingled sets of said advancing boards, each said set comprising regularly spaced boards.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
The board turning apparatus of claim 7 wherein a pair of said board turning assemblies are provided spaced apart a distance equal to an odd multiple of the interval spacing between corresponding portions of adjacent boards advancing along said conveyor, said synchronizing means including means for causing said pair of board turning assemblies simultaneously to invert opposite sets of alternate boards as they pass by said board turning assemblies.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The board turning apparatus of claim 8 wherein said pair of board turning assemblies are spaced a distance apart equal to one said interval spacing, whereby said pair of board turning assemblies simultaneously invert separate pairs of adjacent boards advancing along said conveyor.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
198 words
Apparatus for advancing boards transversely at spaced intervals and automatically inverting said boards to permit inspection of both sides thereof, said apparatus comprising: a. a conveyor for advancing said boards, said conveyor having respective projecting lugs regularly spaced along its line of travel for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards; b. an arm mounted for rotational movement about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when depending from said axis adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly away from a respective lug as said arm rotates forwardly and upwardly; and c. a speed-up belt overlying said conveyor traveling in the same direction but at a greater linEar speed than said lugs for frictionally urging said board forward, said speed-up belt being adaptable to maintain the engagement between said board and said arm until said board has been completely inverted, and being further adaptable thereafter to accelerate said inverted board forwardly into engagement with said respective lug.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
198 words
Apparatus for advancing boards transversely at spaced intervals and automatically inverting said boards to permit inspection of both sides thereof, said apparatus comprising: a. a conveyor for advancing said boards, said conveyor having respective projecting lugs regularly spaced along its line of travel for engaging and positioning the leading edges of said respective boards; b. an arm mounted for rotational movement about an axis positioned above and transverse to the direction of travel of said conveyor, said arm being adaptable when depending from said axis adjacent the bottom of its arcuate path to engage the leading edge of a respective one of said advancing boards and lift said edge with a tipping motion tending to invert said board backwardly away from a respective lug as said arm rotates forwardly and upwardly; and c. a speed-up belt overlying said conveyor traveling in the same direction but at a greater linEar speed than said lugs for frictionally urging said board forward, said speed-up belt being adaptable to maintain the engagement between said board and said arm until said board has been completely inverted, and being further adaptable thereafter to accelerate said inverted board forwardly into engagement with said respective lug.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
66 words
The apparatus of claim 10 including drive means for unidirectionally rotating said arm about said axis of rotation such that said arm moves substantially in the same direction as said conveyor at the bottom of said arm''s arcuate path, and synchronizing means coupling said drive means to said lugged conveyor for causing said arm to arrive at said board engaging position coincident with said respective lug.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus of claim 11 including multiple ones of said arms spaced radially about said axis of rotation, said synchronizing means including means for causing each said arm to arrive at its board engaging position coincident with a different respective lug.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus of claim 11 including a pair of said arms, each rotatably mounted about different axes of rotation spaced horizontally apart at different locations along the line travel of said conveyor, said synchronizing means including means for causing said arms to arrive at their respective board engaging positions coincident with different intermingled sets of said respective lugs.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
68 words
The apparatus of claim 11 comprising multiple board turning assemblies, each including at least one of said arms, positioned at different locations spaced along the line of travel of said conveyor, said synchronizing means being coupled to said respective board turning assemblies and including means for causing said board turning assemblies to arrive at their respective board engaging positions coincident with different intermingled sets of said respective lugs.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a pair of said board turning assemblies are provided spaced apart a distance equal to an odd multiple of the interval spacing between adjacent lugs on said conveyor, said synchronizing means including means for causing said pair of board turning assemblies to arrive at their respective board engaging positions simultaneously coincident with alternate ones of said lugs.
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) | 1978-06-02 | 1978-12-02 | 1979-06-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-02 | 1982-12-02 | 1983-06-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-02 | 1986-12-02 | 1987-06-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |