US3920541A — Pick-off mechanism for capsule inspection machine

Claim 1

Independent Claim 201 words

A PICK-OFF MECHANISM FOR A CAPSULE CLASSIFYING MACHINE OR THE LIKE HAVING A CARRIER ON WHICH CAPSULE TO BE CLASSIFIED ARE CARRIED IN SPACE RELATION ALONG A PATH, COMPRISING A PICK-OFF WHEEL HAVING A CAPSULE RECEIVING SEATS, ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY AND ROTATABLE TO CARRY CAPSULE ON SAID SEATS IN A CLASSIFICATION PATH. MEANS TO DRIVE THE WHEEL IN TIMED RELATION WITH SAID CARRIER SO AS TP PRESENT ITS SEATS SUCCESSIVELY IN CAPSULE-RECEIVING POSITION AT A TRANSFER STATION ALONG SAID CARRIER PATH MEANS TO CASE CAPSULES TO TRANSFER FROM THE CARRIER TO THE WHEEL SEATS AT SAID STATION AND SUCTION MEANS TO RETAIN THE CAPSULE ON THE SEATS AS THEY ARE ADVANCED BY THE WHEEL ALONG SAID CLASSSIFICATION PATH. A PICK-OFF ARM HAVING A NORMAL INACTIVE POSITION OUT OF THE CLASSIFICATION PATH OF CAPSULE ON SAID WHEEL AND ACTIVE POSITION IN WHICH IT LIES IN SUCH PATH AT FIRST LOCATION SO AS TO SWEEP A CAPSULE OF ONE CLASS FROM THE WHEEL AT SUCH LOCATION MEANS AT A SECOND LOCATION ALONG THE PATH OF CAPSULE ON THE WHEEL TO REMOVE CAPSULE OF ANOTHER CLASS FROM THE WHEEL AT SUCH SECOND LOCATION, AND MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID PICK-OFF ARM TO ITS ACTIVE POSITION

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 201 words

A PICK-OFF MECHANISM FOR A CAPSULE CLASSIFYING MACHINE OR THE LIKE HAVING A CARRIER ON WHICH CAPSULE TO BE CLASSIFIED ARE CARRIED IN SPACE RELATION ALONG A PATH, COMPRISING A PICK-OFF WHEEL HAVING A CAPSULE RECEIVING SEATS, ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY AND ROTATABLE TO CARRY CAPSULE ON SAID SEATS IN A CLASSIFICATION PATH. MEANS TO DRIVE THE WHEEL IN TIMED RELATION WITH SAID CARRIER SO AS TP PRESENT ITS SEATS SUCCESSIVELY IN CAPSULE-RECEIVING POSITION AT A TRANSFER STATION ALONG SAID CARRIER PATH MEANS TO CASE CAPSULES TO TRANSFER FROM THE CARRIER TO THE WHEEL SEATS AT SAID STATION AND SUCTION MEANS TO RETAIN THE CAPSULE ON THE SEATS AS THEY ARE ADVANCED BY THE WHEEL ALONG SAID CLASSSIFICATION PATH. A PICK-OFF ARM HAVING A NORMAL INACTIVE POSITION OUT OF THE CLASSIFICATION PATH OF CAPSULE ON SAID WHEEL AND ACTIVE POSITION IN WHICH IT LIES IN SUCH PATH AT FIRST LOCATION SO AS TO SWEEP A CAPSULE OF ONE CLASS FROM THE WHEEL AT SUCH LOCATION MEANS AT A SECOND LOCATION ALONG THE PATH OF CAPSULE ON THE WHEEL TO REMOVE CAPSULE OF ANOTHER CLASS FROM THE WHEEL AT SUCH SECOND LOCATION, AND MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID PICK-OFF ARM TO ITS ACTIVE POSITION

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 38 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said carrier carries capsules sidewise along its path and said pick-off wheel carries capsules sidewise in a classification path substantially tangent to said carrier path at said transfer station.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 88 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said wheel seats are spaced circumferentially about the wheel and extend axially thereof to carry capsules sidewise thereabout, said seats are of less length than the capsules and extend between radial faces on the wheel, and said pick-off arm has fingers at its ends which in the active position of the arm overlap said radial faces and straddle the seats so as to engage the ends of a capsule on a seat to sweep the same from the seat.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 82 words

A picK-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said wheel seats are spaced circumferentially about the wheel, and comprise axially spaced portions adapted to engage axially spaced portions of a capsule and carry the capsule sidewise about the wheel, and such portions are separated by a circumferential groove in the wheel, and said pick-off arm has a central finger which in the active position of the arm extends into said groove to underlie a mid-portion of a capsule on the seat.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 154 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said pick-off wheel seats comprise axially-spaced seat portions adapted to engage axially-spaced portions of a capsule and to carry the same sidewise in a circular path as the wheel rotates, said seat portions being disposed on opposite sides of a groove about the wheel and extending from such groove to radial end faces spaced from each other a distance less than the length of the capsules, and said pick-off arm comprises a central finger which in the active position of the arm lies in said groove, and two side fingers which in such position of the arm overlap said radial faces and straddle the seats, so that such three fingers are in a position to engage the ends and the middle of a capsule on a wheel seat and to engage at two spaced points a capsule cap or body held on one seat portion.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 106 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said pick-off wheel comprises circumferentially-spaced seats, each seat comprising two axially spaced portions formed with concave faces to engage the cylindrical side surfaces of the body and cap of a capsule, separate suction passages to said two spaced portions, so as to cause the same to act together to retain a whole capsule and to act individually to retain separate caps and bodies thereon, said pick-off arm having spaced fingers which in the active position of the arm straddle each of said spaced portions to sweep therefrom either a whole capsule or a separated body or cap.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 73 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said carrier is a rotatable head having axially-disposed capsule-receiving grooves about its periphery, means to index said head forward to carry said grooves successively to a transfer point, and drive means interconnecting the pick-off wheel and said head to index the wheel forward in timed relation with the head to carry its seats to such transfer point concurrently with said grooves on the head.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 33 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 7 in which the pick-off wheel has half as many seats as the head bar grooves, and the wheel indexes at twice the speed of the head.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 81 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said carrier is a rotatable inspection head having a circumferential series of capsule receiving grooves, inspection means at one station about said head to inspect capsules in said grooves and to classify them into at least two classes, and means responsive to said inspection means for selectively actuating said pick-off arm in timed sequence with the movements of the head and wheel to remove capsules of one class at the arm location.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 76 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 1 in which said pick-off arm comprises an elongated arm, a supporting pivot arm pivotally mounted on a fixed pivot spaced from the path of said pick-off arm and pivotally connected to the pick-off arm to support it for longitudinal movement, and a drive device having an arm connected to a spaced point of the pick-off arm and operative when actuated to move the pick-off arm to its active position.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 29 words

A pick-off mechanism as in claim 10 in which the drive device is a rotary solenoid having an operating arm in spaced generally parallel relation with said pivot arm.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 243 words

A pick-off mechanism for a capsule inspection machine having a rotary inspection head with a series of circumferentially spaced capsule-receiving grooves about its periphery and having an indexing drive to move said grooves successively to an inspection position and thereafter to a transfer position, comprising a pick-off wheel having a series of circUmferentially spaced capsule-receiving seats about its periphery, mounted in spaced parallel relation with said head so as to carry said seats into transfer relation with said head at said transfer position, means to drive said wheel in timed relation with said head to present said seats at said transfer position simultaneously with the grooves of the head, suction passages to said seats and means to apply suction therethrough to attract and hold capsules on the seats, said head having means to release capsules at said transfer position to permit their transfer to said wheel, a pick-off arm having a normal inactive position away from the path of movement of the capsules carried by the wheel and an active position in such path to sweep a capsule from the wheel at a first discharge point as the wheel advances to carry the capsule along such path, drive means connected to actuate said arm to its active position as a capsule of a predetermined class approaches such first discharge point, and means for removing capsules of another class from the wheel at a subsequent position along the path of capsules on said wheel.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 243 words

A pick-off mechanism for a capsule inspection machine having a rotary inspection head with a series of circumferentially spaced capsule-receiving grooves about its periphery and having an indexing drive to move said grooves successively to an inspection position and thereafter to a transfer position, comprising a pick-off wheel having a series of circUmferentially spaced capsule-receiving seats about its periphery, mounted in spaced parallel relation with said head so as to carry said seats into transfer relation with said head at said transfer position, means to drive said wheel in timed relation with said head to present said seats at said transfer position simultaneously with the grooves of the head, suction passages to said seats and means to apply suction therethrough to attract and hold capsules on the seats, said head having means to release capsules at said transfer position to permit their transfer to said wheel, a pick-off arm having a normal inactive position away from the path of movement of the capsules carried by the wheel and an active position in such path to sweep a capsule from the wheel at a first discharge point as the wheel advances to carry the capsule along such path, drive means connected to actuate said arm to its active position as a capsule of a predetermined class approaches such first discharge point, and means for removing capsules of another class from the wheel at a subsequent position along the path of capsules on said wheel.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-11-17	1979-05-19	1979-11-18	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-11-17	1983-05-19	1983-11-18	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-11-17	1987-05-19	1987-11-18	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Pick-off mechanism for capsule inspection machine

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