Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 39
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for the insertion of structural components into available depressions of a tape at a component discharge, said method comprising: (a) feeding the components, in a predetermined orientation, on multiple paths to a component intake; (b) receiving the first component of each path by a pickup slot on a transport element rotating about a shaft; (c) testing the components of each group; (d) removing defective components from the pickup slots of the transport element at a discard station following in the direction of rotation of the transfer element; (e) transporting the remaining non-defective components by the transfer element to a subsequent station; and (f) inserting the non-defective components into the said available depressions of the tape.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for the insertion of structural components into available depressions of a tape at a component discharge, said method comprising: (a) feeding the components, in a predetermined orientation, on multiple paths to a component intake; (b) receiving the first component of each path by a pickup slot on a transport element rotating about a shaft; (c) testing the components of each group; (d) removing defective components from the pickup slots of the transport element at a discard station following in the direction of rotation of the transfer element; (e) transporting the remaining non-defective components by the transfer element to a subsequent station; and (f) inserting the non-defective components into the said available depressions of the tape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the components are fed from the said subsequent station to the component intake.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the non-defective components remaining in the transfer element are transported to the component intake where voids caused by removed defective components are filled with new components.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the transport element comprises a drum which rotates about a shaft, said shaft being transverse to the axial direction in which the components at the component intake are inserted into the pickup slots of the drum.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the drum is rotated about an essentially horizontal shaft and insertion of the components at the component intake is effected in a horizontal direction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the drum is rotated about an essentially horizontal shaft and extraction of the components at the component discharge is effected in a horizontal direction.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 4 wherein insertion of the components is effected radially to the drum axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 4 wherein extraction of the components is effected radially to the drum axis.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the feed of the components is effected by a vibrating conveyor which has a plurality of grooves forming feed paths.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the components are extracted from the pickup slots of the transport element by ejection by a plurality of rams.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the components are inserted into the depressions by slipping them in from the long side of the tape.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the structural components are selected from the group consisting of electrical components, microchips and MELF's.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
151 words
A device for the insertion of structural components into available depressions of a tape at a component discharge, said device having: (a) means for multiple-path feed of the components in a predetermined orientation to a component intake of the device; (b) a transport element capable of rotating about a shaft; (c) said transport element being a drum having a shaft which forms the axis of the machine; (d) said transport element having a plurality of groups of pickup slots for the components; (e) the groups of pickup slots at the outer surface of the drum being formed along a surface line which runs parallel to the drum shaft; (f) said transport element being capable of transporting a group of components from the component intake to the component discharge; and (g) means for insertion of the components of each group of pickup slots at the component discharge into depressions in a tape.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
151 words
A device for the insertion of structural components into available depressions of a tape at a component discharge, said device having: (a) means for multiple-path feed of the components in a predetermined orientation to a component intake of the device; (b) a transport element capable of rotating about a shaft; (c) said transport element being a drum having a shaft which forms the axis of the machine; (d) said transport element having a plurality of groups of pickup slots for the components; (e) the groups of pickup slots at the outer surface of the drum being formed along a surface line which runs parallel to the drum shaft; (f) said transport element being capable of transporting a group of components from the component intake to the component discharge; and (g) means for insertion of the components of each group of pickup slots at the component discharge into depressions in a tape.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 13 wherein the drum is of circular cylinder shape at the peripheral surface having the pickup slots.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 13 wherein the pickup slots are apertures in the drum.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
43 words
The device of claim 13 wherein the drum at its part having the pickup slots is sleeve-like with a circular cylinder-shaped inner surface, and wherein the inner surface rotary is supported on a circular cylinder-shaped outer surface of a fixed core or support.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The device of claim 16 wherein the pickup slots are apertures which extend through the sleeve-like drum.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 13 wherein the drum shaft is in an essentially horizontal direction.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
63 words
The device of claim 13 further comprising a ram arrangement comprising a plurality of rams at the component discharge, said rams being movable radially to the drum shaft between a starting position, in which the rams lie within the region enclosed by the drum, and a working position, in which the rams extend through the pickup slots into the region of the tape.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
The device of claim 19 wherein a plurality of the rams of the ram arrangement are movable jointly by a single ram drive.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
34 words
The device of claim 13 further comprising a discard station in the path of rotation of the drum, said discard station having means to selectively remove individual components from each group of pickup slots.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 21 wherein the discard station is positioned after the component discharge.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
39 words
The device of claim 21 wherein at least the part of the drum having the pickup slots is surrounded, between the component discharge and the component intake, by a guide surface which retains the components in the pickup slots.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 23 wherein the means for the selective removal of components at the discard station is formed by apertures in the guide surface.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 24 further comprising selectively controllable slides which cover the apertures.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
12 words
The device of claim 25 wherein the slides are tensioned by springs.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
13 words
The device of claim 21 further comprising a test station for the components.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 21 wherein the test station is in the path of rotation of the drum between the component intake and the component discharge.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
71 words
The device of claim 28 further comprising means such that whenever a group of pickup slots reaches the component discharge, whose slots are filled exclusively with non-defective components, the components of all pickup slots are inserted into depressions in the tape, and whenever a group of pickup slots reaches the component discharge, in which the group includes at least one defective component, the actuating means for the rams is not actived.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
34 words
The device of claim 29 wherein the group including the at least one defective component is transported to the discard station and further comprising means for ejecting the defective component from its pickup slot.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 13 wherein the means for multiple-path feeding of the components comprises channels on a vibrating table.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
39 words
The device of claim 31 wherein the channels at one end extend to the area for insertion of the components and further comprising at least one brush movable transverse to the direction of the channels at said one end.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
29 words
The device of claim 32 wherein the at least one brush is mounted on and rotatable about a shaft which is perpendicular to the plane of the multiple-path feed.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
22 words
The device of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of channels at the component discharge for insertion of components from the drum.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 33 further comprising means to insert the components from the channels into the depressions of the tape.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
57 words
The device of claim 35 wherein the means for the insertion of components into the depressions comprises at least one displaceable diaphragm selectively operable between a first position which shuts off the channel at its underside and a second position which exposes an aperture on the underside of the channel over an available depression of the tape.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 13 wherein the structural components are selected from the group consisting of electrical components, microchips and MELF's.