US3938675A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pairing and stacking system for molded articles
Assignee: Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd
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Filing: 1975-02-24
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Granted: 1976-02-17
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Expires: 1995-02-24
Abstract
Abstract A conveyor mechanism including two belts carries two types of interfitting molded articles such as cups and lids from a molding machine to an assembly station, maintaining a constant orientation between them. The assembly station comprises a pair of synchronized and overlapping star wheels, counterrotated by a Geneva drive, which remove the molded articles from the conveyor belts, bring them into vertical alignment, and come to a momentary stop in this position in which a plunger synchronized with the Geneva motion of the star wheels joins the two parts together and pushes them into an overlying stacker tube, whereupon the star wheels resume their motion. Several stacker tubes, linked by an endless transport chain, are capable of receiving a limited number of pairs of molded articles, their drive mechanism being so coupled with the star-wheel drive as to advance the chain to bring a loaded stacker tube to an unloading station whenever a preceding tube in the array has been filled.
Inventors
- 👤 Herbert Rees
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 18:02
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G57/00; B65G57/30; B65G57/301; B65G57/302; B29; B29C; B29C65/00; B29C65/56; B29C65/78; B29C65/7802; B29C65/7858; B29C65/7861; B29C65/787; B29C65/7879; B29C65/7882; B29C66/00; B29C66/50; B29C66/51; B29C66/54; B29C66/542; B29C66/80; B29C66/83; B29C66/832; B29C66/8322; B29C65/7897; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/10; Y10S414/118
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A system for pairing and stacking molded articles of a first and a second type simultaneously coming from a molding machine, comprising: a pair of rotatable supporting members each having at least one cutout for receiving a molded article of said first and said second type, respectively, said cutouts describing overlapping closed paths and being mutually aligned in a predetermined position of said members; feed means for respectively supplying said articles of first and second type to said members and depositing an article in each cutout ahead of the region of overlap; drive means for said members intermittently actuating same with substantial standstill in said predetermined position; pusher means synchronized with said drive means for jointly dislodging a pair of articles from said cutouts in juxtaposed relationship during standstill of said members; and receiving means for said pair of articles on the side of said members opposite said pusher means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
150 words
A system for pairing and stacking molded articles of a first and a second type simultaneously coming from a molding machine, comprising: a pair of rotatable supporting members each having at least one cutout for receiving a molded article of said first and said second type, respectively, said cutouts describing overlapping closed paths and being mutually aligned in a predetermined position of said members; feed means for respectively supplying said articles of first and second type to said members and depositing an article in each cutout ahead of the region of overlap; drive means for said members intermittently actuating same with substantial standstill in said predetermined position; pusher means synchronized with said drive means for jointly dislodging a pair of articles from said cutouts in juxtaposed relationship during standstill of said members; and receiving means for said pair of articles on the side of said members opposite said pusher means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said members are wheels rotatable about substantially vertical axes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said wheels have curved teeth forming said cutouts.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said pusher means comprising a vertically reciprocable plunger disposed below overlapping segments of said wheels, said receiving means including a downwardly open stacker tube above said overlapping segments aligned with said plunger.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system as defined in claim 4, further comprising retaining means synchronized with said drive means juxtaposable with the top of said plunger in an elevated position thereof for temporarily supporting a pair of said articles at the bottom of said stacker tube.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said retaining means comprises a pair of arms hugging said plunger in said elevated position thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said stacker tube is part of an array of substantially identical parallel tubes provided with intermittently operable transport means for sequentially moving same past an unloading station.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system as defined in claim 7 wherein said transport means forms a closed loop for the movement of said tubes past said unloading station.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A system as defined in claim 7, further comprising actuating means coupled with said drive means for operating said transport means upon execution of a predetermined number of strokes by said plunger.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A system as defined in claim 9 wherein said transport means includes control means for said drive means reducing the speed of rotation of said wheels during operation of said transport means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2464627A
Cited
US2509467A
Cited
US2748417A
Cited
US2925797A
Cited
US3396857A
Cited
US3714755A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-02-16 | 1979-08-18 | 1980-02-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-02-16 | 1983-08-18 | 1984-02-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-02-16 | 1987-08-18 | 1988-02-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |