Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
238 words
An article handling system for loading articles, supplied from a first location, into trays for subsequent transport and unloading thereof, such that said system may be used for balancing a supply of articles between said first location and a second location wherein the articles are being further processed, said system comprising; a tray loading station; a plurality of infeed lanes disposed adjacent said tray loading station for receiving articles transported from the first location; a plurality of trays, each having multiple channels, and each channel being adapted to have a quantity of articles disposed therein in nested face-wise engagement; said tray loading station comprising, means for accommodating a plurality of empty ones of said trays, and for disposing one of said empty trays in position for receiving a supply of said articles, loading means comprising a plurality of generally parallel disposed pick-and-place devices each adapted to engage and thereafter discharge a stack of nested articles, operational means for said pick-and-place devices for moving said devices between a position overlying said one of said empty trays and a position overlying said infeed lanes, and control means for controlling said pick-and-place devices individually to remove stacks of nested articles from said infeed lanes until all of said pick-and-place devices have acquired a stack of nested articles, and for controlling said pick-and-place devices for operating in unison to discharge all of the articles simultaneously into said one of said empty trays.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
238 words
An article handling system for loading articles, supplied from a first location, into trays for subsequent transport and unloading thereof, such that said system may be used for balancing a supply of articles between said first location and a second location wherein the articles are being further processed, said system comprising; a tray loading station; a plurality of infeed lanes disposed adjacent said tray loading station for receiving articles transported from the first location; a plurality of trays, each having multiple channels, and each channel being adapted to have a quantity of articles disposed therein in nested face-wise engagement; said tray loading station comprising, means for accommodating a plurality of empty ones of said trays, and for disposing one of said empty trays in position for receiving a supply of said articles, loading means comprising a plurality of generally parallel disposed pick-and-place devices each adapted to engage and thereafter discharge a stack of nested articles, operational means for said pick-and-place devices for moving said devices between a position overlying said one of said empty trays and a position overlying said infeed lanes, and control means for controlling said pick-and-place devices individually to remove stacks of nested articles from said infeed lanes until all of said pick-and-place devices have acquired a stack of nested articles, and for controlling said pick-and-place devices for operating in unison to discharge all of the articles simultaneously into said one of said empty trays.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said infeed lanes include means for delivering a stack of nested articles of an approximate predetermined length to a location for engagement by said loading means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said loading means comprises a number of pick-and-place devices corresponding to the number of channels in one of said trays.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said pick-and-place devices are movable relative to said infeed lanes and wherein said operational means are operable and said control means control both said operational means and said pick-and-place devices so that any one of said pick-and-place devices can remove articles from any one of said infeed lanes.