Rotating Screw Patents (Class 198/459.3)
  • Patent number: 11059679
    Abstract: A device for supplying containers to a container handling device, for example to a container filling device for filling containers with a liquid filling product, includes a guide which is arranged at a predetermined guide height level for guiding a container on the container base thereof. The guide has a transfer portion for transferring the container to a receiving device of the container handling device, and the transfer portion is height-adjustable. A filling system including such a device is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Bruno Landler, Manfred Schmid
  • Patent number: 10759608
    Abstract: A separating apparatus (10) for separating crossed hooks (21a-d) of overhead conveyor units (2a-d) includes a conveying cylinder (1) having a recess (11) which forms a helical thread (12) with helix base (121) and helix flanks (122, 123) for the conveyance of the hooks (21a-d). The conveying cylinder (1) includes at least, one wing-shaped separating element (13), which extends over a partial circumference of the conveying cylinder (1) and protrudes in the radial direction from the peripheral surface of the conveying cylinder (1), wherein the separating element (13), by rotation of the conveying cylinder (1), is insertable between two hooks (21a-d) resting on the conveying cylinder (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: FERAG AG
    Inventor: Roland Tanner
  • Patent number: 9016461
    Abstract: A workpiece-separating device includes a rotating assembly, a moving assembly, and a driver. The rotating assembly includes a limiting board and a rotating shaft, wherein the limiting board defines a through groove, and the rotating shaft defines a plurality of grooves. A distance between two adjacent grooves changes along a circumferential direction of the rotating shaft. The moving assembly includes a number of first moving blocks for mounting workpieces. Each first moving block is slidably mounted in the through groove and a corresponding groove. The driver drives the rotating shaft to rotate, allowing the first moving blocks to move along the grooves and the through groove to separate the workpieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignees: Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Co., Ltd., FIH (Hong Kong) Limited
    Inventors: Mao-Yi Yin, Jian-Ping Jin, Bing Yu
  • Publication number: 20140251759
    Abstract: A workpiece-separating device includes a rotating assembly, a moving assembly, and a driver. The rotating assembly includes a limiting board and a rotating shaft, wherein the limiting board defines a through groove, and the rotating shaft defines a plurality of grooves. A distance between two adjacent grooves changes along a circumferential direction of the rotating shaft. The moving assembly includes a number of first moving blocks for mounting workpieces. Each first moving block is slidably mounted in the through groove and a corresponding groove. The driver drives the rotating shaft to rotate, allowing the first moving blocks to move along the grooves and the through groove to separate the workpieces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicants: FIH (HONG KONG) LIMITED, SHENZHEN FUTAIHONG PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: MAO-YI YIN, JIAN-PING JIN, BING YU
  • Patent number: 8783441
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a transport system configured to transport a receptacle which accommodates an upright sample holder containing a sample, the transport system including a screw includes a rotatable shaft disposed along a predetermined transport path and a helical ridge protruding outward from an outer peripheral surface of the shaft, and a drive unit configured to rotate the screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Aoi Seiki Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Teruaki Itoh
  • Patent number: 8627944
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for conveying a plurality of deformable containers. The system can include a conveyor apparatus, an in-feed apparatus, and a rotary apparatus. The in-feed apparatus can be configured to receive the containers from the conveyor apparatus, and may include a first feed screw and a second feed screw. The rotary apparatus can be configured to receive the plurality of filled and sealed containers after the in-feed apparatus. The in-feed apparatus also may be configured to space adjacent filled and sealed containers, with the first and second feed screws acting on the containers to create the spacing. The space created between adjacent containers may be for receipt by said rotary apparatus. The first feed screw may be configured to be positioned substantially directly above the containers, and the second feed screw may be positioned so as to act on the sidewall of the plurality of sealed and filled containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Graham Packaging Company L.P.
    Inventors: Paul V. Kelley, David A. Kohler
  • Patent number: 8464857
    Abstract: A device 10 for generating an output flow of articles, starting from a flow of incoming articles having a given advancing velocity, includes a screw conveyor to receive longitudinally the flow of incoming articles. The conveyor in question comprises at least one screw the helix of which is susceptible to interact with the advancing of articles to determine their conveying by the screw itself. The rotational velocity of the screw is adjustable for varying the conveying velocity of the articles with respect to the initial advancing velocity. In particular, it is possible to act so that the conveying velocity of the articles by the screw is a sub-multiple of the initial advancing velocity so that the output flow of articles includes groups of stacked articles. Each group includes a number of articles equal to the ratio between the initial advancing velocity and the conveying velocity of the screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Fameccanica.Data S.p.A.
    Inventor: Pietro Pelagatti
  • Patent number: 8376123
    Abstract: A device for opening and further transporting of printed products with respectively at least two sheets held together over a fixed edge, including a conveying device with transport grippers driven in conveying direction (F) arranged with a distance between one another, which are designed to hold the printed products suspended on their fixed edge, as well as with an opening device arranged below the transport grippers, which is destined to open the printed products. The opening device includes an opening wedge capable of being inserted into a free edge zone between the sheets of the printed product, and the opening device furthermore includes a device for supplying blast air, by way of which the sheets of the printed product are capable of being fanned open in the edge zone, into which the opening wedge is inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Ferag AG
    Inventors: Erwin Stauber, Marc-Andreas Benz
  • Patent number: 8317011
    Abstract: An apparatus (1) for feeding containers (4) to a downstream processing unit (2), which receives the containers (4) with a distance (D) between them. At the input end (16) of the infeed worm (6) the containers (4) arrive bunch to bunch and at an exit end (26) of the infeed worm (6) they exhibit the required distance (D) between them. At least two conveyor belts (11, 12), drivable with a constant velocity, are arranged such with respect to the infeed worm (6) that the containers (4) are in contact with a groove (7) of the infeed worm (6). The first conveyor belt (11) at the input end (16) of the infeed worm (6) has a smaller velocity in the direction of transport (T) than the conveyor belt (12) at the exit end (26) of the infeed worm (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Martin Seger, Johann Huettner
  • Patent number: 8307973
    Abstract: A device 10 for generating an output flow of articles A, starting from a flow of incoming articles (such as single use absorbent pad products A) having a given advancing velocity vin, includes a screw conveyor 14 to receive longitudinally the flow of incoming articles A. The conveyor in question comprises at least one screw 142 the helix of which is susceptible to interact with the advancing of articles A to determine their conveying by the screw 142 itself. The rotational velocity of the screw 142 is adjustable for varying the conveying velocity of the articles A with respect to the initial advancing velocity. In particular, it is possible to act so that the conveying velocity (vapp) of the articles A by the screw 142 is a sub-multiple of the initial advancing velocity (vin) so that the output flow of articles A includes groups of stacked articles. Each group includes a number of articles A equal to the ratio between the initial advancing velocity (vin) and the conveying velocity (vapp) of the screw 142.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Fameccanica.Data S.p.A.
    Inventor: Pietro Pelagatti
  • Patent number: 7842228
    Abstract: Disclosed is a continuous refractory ore bioprocessing apparatus for the digestion of metal ore with bacteria. It includes a long trough tank fitted with a screw conveyer that extends along the length of the tank. A shell, having a number of feed ports, covers the screw conveyer. Granules of ore to be bioprocessed pass through the feed ports toward the screw conveyer portion of the reactor wherein the ore is ground by the screw conveyer and is bioprocessed as the screw conveyer rotates to push the ore along the reactor. Gas distribution manifolds are attached to the tank and are configured so that gas may be injected into the tank and onto the surface of the shell so as to encourage agitation of the materials in the tank and in the screw conveyer portion of the bioreactor while discouraging fouling of the shell and clogging of the feed ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Western American Mining Company
    Inventor: Bart Levine
  • Patent number: 7364031
    Abstract: An apparatus for handling horizontally oriented flat circular articles, such as plastic lids, employs a pair of parallel rotating spin bars, one of which is divided or split into a shorter lid entry section and a longer lid discharge section. The shorter lid entry section rotates at the same speed as the other one of the parallel spin bars to stabilize the lids as they sequentially drop off a waterfall conveyor and become vertically on-edge oriented, while the longer discharge section of the split spin bar rotates at a different speed to promote lateral movement of the vertically oriented lids along the spin bars into a stack at the discharge end of the rotating spin bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: CBW Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrell B. Johnson, Dale G. Friesen
  • Patent number: 7328784
    Abstract: A labeling machine that is provided with a rotating carousel supporting at a peripheral region a plurality of pans and with an input star conveyor for conveying bottles to be labeled to the rotating carousel. Each pan is adapted to receive and support a bottle when it is located in a specific position following to the rotation of the carousel. A toothed belt actuated by a driving pulley is wound around the carousel for driving the pans in rotation while they travel, along a path extending along the peripheral region of the carousel, between a rotation start position and a rotation end position. The rotation start position is located upstream, in the direction of rotation of the carousel, with respect to the specific bottle receiving position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Global Packaging Solutions S.R.L.
    Inventors: Nicola Schinelli, Andrea Sarzi Madidini
  • Patent number: 7284577
    Abstract: Damage or deformation of a container in a processing device downstream a convey path is prevented. A filling device includes a filling unit (1), star wheel (2), and timing screw (3). Containers (10) are supplied to the timing screw (3) by a conveyor (6) along a convey path. A container control apparatus includes a control member (11) which controls supply and stop of the containers (10) before the timing screw (3), a driving unit (13) which drives the control member (11), and a sensor (35) which detects a state of the timing screw (3) such as a rotation angle. When the containers (10) are to be stopped, the driving unit (13) controls the control member (11) under the control of a control unit (30) to stop the containers (10) in accordance with a detection result of the sensor (35).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Asahi Breweries Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Yoneda
  • Patent number: 6971501
    Abstract: A screw conveyor for the transport of, for example, pieces of clothing hanging on clothes hangers, comprises a screw shaft train (22) which may be rotated about the shaft axis (24) thereof, with a transport groove system (26), machined into the outer surface thereof along the shaft axis (24) in the form of a screw. The clothes hangers may be hung in the transport groove system (26), using the hanger hooks (20) thereof and axially transported by rotation of the screw shaft train (22). According to the invention, the transport groove system (26) comprises at least one primary transport groove (46, 48), from which a secondary transport groove (52, 54), preceding the primary transport groove (46, 48) in relation to the transport direction (16) of the goods for transport, branches at a branching position (62).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: WF Logistik GmbH
    Inventor: Rolf Beyer
  • Publication number: 20040007438
    Abstract: A dispensing system dispensing items includes a dispensing station and a first conveyor for transporting containers to the dispensing station. The dispensing station includes a dispenser for dispensing items to the containers, a mechanism for spacing the containers to a predetermined pitch, a transfer wheel for removing the containers from the first conveyor, a star wheel for receiving the containers from the transfer wheel and for transporting the containers in synchronization with the dispenser, and a turret for removing the containers from the star wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Inventor: John Baranowski
  • Publication number: 20030116404
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a support structure (2) of an apparatus for the movement of containers, comprising a plurality of distribution stars (3) for containers disposed substantially along an arc of a circle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Inventors: Fabrizio Preti, Massimiliano Barbieri
  • Publication number: 20010001997
    Abstract: Flat articles to be formed into groups for packaging are advanced in succession at a set tempo toward a transfer station where each article is made to assume a predetermined position in space, standing on edge. Thereafter, the articles are advanced in a direction perpendicular to the position in space and toward a release station by means of a first conveyor equipped with pockets caused to advance at a first linear velocity in such a way that each pocket receives an article and, at predetermined intervals, accelerated to a second velocity for a predetermined duration between the arrival of one article at the transfer station and the arrival of the next article; in this way, one or more pockets remain empty, and groups of articles forming on the conveyor are separated one from the next by the empty pockets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 1999
    Publication date: May 31, 2001
    Inventors: ROBERTO GHIOTTI, ANTONIO GAMBERINI