Magazine feeder for circular elements

Claim 2

Apparatus comprising: a conveying means for accepting a row of axially aligned articles each having a generally circular outer periphery and delivering said articles to a first end of said conveying means; dispensing means located adjacent said first end of said conveying means for receiving each of said articles in said row and delivering each said article from said conveying means; a magazine feeder means for delivering at least one axially aligned row of said articles into said conveying means, said magazine feeder means having at least one compartment for carrying a row of said articles to said conveying means and successively releasing each row so carried into said conveying means; means for generating a first control signal in response to a substantial depletion of the row of articles within said conveyor means; magazine drive means for initiating movement of said magazine feeder means in response to the presence of said first control signal; means for terminating operation of said magazine drive means and halting movement of said magazine feeder means in response to a compartment of the magazine feeder means being brought into position to deliver a row of said articles into said conveying means; and means for automatically reversing said magazine drive means and returning said magazine feeder means to a preselected reloading position in response to the articles in all compartments thereof having been delivered into said conveying trough means.

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for reversing said magazine drive means and returning said magazine feeder means to a preselected location comprises: means for generating a second control signal when all compartments of said magazine feeder means have been brought into position to deliver a row of said articles into said conveying trough means; and means responsive to said second control signal for actuating said magazine drive means in a reverse direction to deliver said magazine feeder means to a preselected location at which the plurality of compartments thereof can be refilled with said articles.

Claim 4

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for generating said first control signal comprises: photoelectric light source means for projecting a light beam across said conveying means; and photoelectric detector means for detecting said light beam and establishing a first control signal responsive to said light beam not being interrupted by one or more of said articles within said conveying means.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said conveying means comprises a continuously actuated rotating conveyor shaft extending to the first end of said conveying trough means and positioned within said conveying means so as to contact the edge of each article in a row of such articles located within said conveying means.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said conveyor shaft has external threads thereon.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said magazine feeder means comprises a pair of magazine end members having a plurality of closure support plates extending between said magazine end members to define a plurality of said compartments, each said magazine end member having attached thereto means for guiding said magazine end member along a magazine support track located below said compartments.

Claim 8

Apparatus comprising: a conveying trough means for accepting a row of axially aligned articles each having a generally circular outer periphery and delivering said articles to a first end of said conveying trough means; means for continually actuating said conveying trough means during operation of the apparatus; dispensing means located adjacent said first end of said conveying trough for receiving each of said articles in said row and delivering each said article from said conveying trough; and a magazine feeder means for delivering at least one axially aligned row of said articles into said conveying trough means, said magazine feeder means having a plurality of compartments for carrying a row of said articles to said conveying trough means and successively releasing each said row so carried into said conveying trough means; means for intermittently automatically indexing said magazine feeder means in response to a substantial depletion of the row of articles within said conveying trough means, said means for automatically indexing said magazine feeder means comprising photoelectric light source means for projecting a light beam across said conveying trough means; photoelectric detector means for detecting said light beam and establishing a first control signal responsive to said light beam not being interrupted by one or more of said articles within said conveying means; magazine drive means for initiating movement of said magazine feeder means in response to the presence of said first control signal; means for terminating operation of said magazine drive means and halting movement of said magazine feeder means in response to a compartment of the magazine feeder means being brought into position to deliver a row of said articles into said conveying trough means; and means for automatically reversing said magazine drive means and returning said magazine feeder means to a preselected reloading position in response to the articles in all compartments thereof having been delivered into said conveying trough means.

Claim 9

Apparatus comprising: a conveying trough means for accepting a row of axially aligned articles each having a generally circular outer periphery and delivering said articles to a first end of said conveying trough means; means for continually actuating said conveying trough means during operation of the apparatus; dispensing means located adjacent said first end of said conveying trough for receiving each of said articles in said row and delivering each said article from said conveying trough; and a magazine feeder means for delivering at least one axially aligned row of said articles into said conveying trough means, said magazine feeder means having a plurality of compartments for carrying a row of said articles to said conveying trough means and successively releasing each said row so carried into said conveying trough means; means for intermittently automatically indexing said magazine feeder means in response to a substantial depletion of the row of articles within said conveying trough means, said means for automatically indexing said magazine feeder means comprising photoelectric light source means for projecting a light beam across said conveying trough means; photoelectric detector means for detecting said light beam and establishing a first control signal responsive to said light beam not being interrupted by one or more of said articles within said conveying means; magazine drive means for initiating movement of said magazine feeder means in response to the presence of said first control signal; means for terminating operation of said magazine drive means and halting movement of said magazine feeder means in response to a compartment of the magazine feeder means being brought into position to deliver a row of said articles into said conveying trough means; and means for automatically reversing said magazine drive means and returning said magazine feeder means to a preselected reloading position in response to the articles in all compartments thereof having been delivered into said conveying trough means.

Claim 10

Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein said means for returning said magazine feeder means to a preselected location comprises: means for generating a second control signal when all compartments of said magazine feeder means have been brought into position to deliver a row of said articles into said conveying trough means; and means responsive to said second control signal for actuating said magazine drive means in a reverse direction to deliver said magazine feeder means to a preselected location at which the plurality of compartments thereof can be refilled with said articles.

Claim 11

Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein said conveying trough means comprises a continuously actuated rotating conveyor shaft extending to the first end of said conveying trough means and positioned within said conveying trough means so as to contact the edge of each article in a row of such articles located within said conveying trough means.

Claim 12

Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said conveyor shaft has external threads thereon.

Claim 15

A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein establishing said first control signal comprises: photoelectrically sensing a depletion of the row of articles within said conveying trough means sufficient to permit accommodation of said one of said additional rows within said conveying trough means; and generating a first control signal in response to said photoelectric sensing.

Claim 16

A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein dispensing said articles comprises: contacting each said article of the row within said conveying means with a continuously rotating shaft to impart a rotational movement to each said article; advancing each said article along said continuously rotating shaft to a first end of said conveying means; and removing one article at a time from said conveying means at said first end thereof.

Claim 17

A method in accordance with claim 13 wherein advancing each said article along said continuously rotating shaft comprises rotating said shaft in a direction which causes a threaded outside surface thereof to apply a force on each said article in contact therewith, said force having at least one component in the direction of said first end of said conveyor trough means.

Claim 20

A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein dispensing said articles comprises: contacting each said article of the row within said conveying trough means with a continuously rotating shaft to impart a rotational movement to each said article; advancing each said article along said continuously rotating shaft to a first end of said conveying trough means; and removing one article at a time from said conveying trough means at said first end thereof.

Claim 21

A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein advancing each said article along said continuously rotating shaft comprises rotating said shaft in a direction which causes a threaded outside surface thereof to apply a force on each said article in contact therewith, said force having at least one component in the direction of said first end of said conveyor trough means.