Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an orientation flat of a wafer and centering the wafer includes a hand base, a pair of guide rollers mounted on the hand base, and a stopper mechanism mounted on the hand base. The hand base is operable to be located in opposed relation to one of opposite faces of the wafer, and has an axis therealong. The guide rollers serve to support the wafer located in opposed relation to the hand base, and are symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis of the hand base. The stopper mechanism cooperates with the pair of guide rollers to center the wafer, and are movable along the axis of the hand base and engageable with the orientation flat of the wafer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for combining a plurality of serially supplied sheets into a set, depending on markings carried by the sheets and read by a reader, and discharging a set to a further handling station, such as an inserting machine. The leading edge of the first sheet of a set, and successively the remaining part of the sheet, is deflected out of its plane of transport, preferably downwardly and through about 180.degree., into a new plane of transport, in which the sheet is arrested in a flat condition. Each subsequent sheet of a set is similarly deflected and displaced into a position overlying the preceding sheet, and after thus completing the set, it is discharged. At choice, a set can be discharged with the leading edges being the edges that were the trailing edges during the supply of the sheets, or with one of the feed side edges of the sheets in leading position.

Abstract: A push button guard for a push button which protrudes from the front face of a newspaper vending machine, for protecting the push button against destructively violent actuation. The guard defines a cavity into which the push button protrudes from the base. A newspaper vending machine including such a guard, and a method of protecting a push button using such a guard, are also disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Coin assorting device having a disc (12) mounted for rotation on a bottom plate (10) to pass below a coin supply tube (19). The rotation disc includes two pairs of recesses (16) for receiving a coin in each recess, the bottom plate having a discharge opening (20) for coins the diameter of which is less than a predetermined maximum diameter of the coin supplied. The discharge opening (20) extends beneath the mouth of the coin supply tube (19) and is shaped with an upper chamfered edge (24). Opposite sides of the wings (14) of the rotatable disc (12) are shaped in the form of blunt edges having a thickness which substantially corresponds to the thickness of the thinnest occurring coin.

Abstract: A vending machine has a carousel containing several rotatable trays stacked one above another. The trays carry and present for vending selected items, such as food and merchandise. The carousel is contained in a housing or canister and is part of an integrated assembly with a coin container. The carousel is filled at a central depot rather than at the site where the machine is installed for use by customers. The customer locations have the cabinet of the machine. Fixed in the cabinet is a drive mechanism for the carousel and locating and guide members which enable integrated assemblies to be removed from the cabinet and fresh assemblies, with the carousel trays loaded at the central depot, to be installed in place of the removed assemblies. The coin box when empty is equipped with a mechanism which is set to enable coins to drop into the container and is automatically reset so as to close the opening when the assembly is removed from the cabinet.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing particulate ice including a case with an ice hopper therein for storage of ice. The ice hopper is provided with a downwardly sloped floor. An auger assembly is provided for moving ice within the ice hopper upwardly along the sloped floor from the lower end to dispense the ice from an opening at the upper end thereof. The apparatus is also provided with a lever arm, electric circuitry, and a motor mounted within the case in the space inside the walls thereof and under the sloped floor of the ice hopper for selectively activating the auger assembly. The auger assembly includes a rotating shaft which is sealed against the stationary ice hopper in a packing case, the packing case having a hole therethrough for receiving the rotating shaft, a seal cap and a thrust bearing. The sealing cap is provided with a seal for sealing against both the packing case and the rotating shaft.

Abstract: A print medium sheet feeding system for an ink jet printer having a print head with a planar array of jets is provided by clamping the leading edge of a paper after it is passed through a printing zone to a rotating assembly of parallel disks. The sheet is pulled through the printing zone by rotating the disk with the clamp being carried with the rotating drum. A platen may be provided which has a flat surface in the printing zone forming a tangent to the outer surface of the rotating disks. Alternatively, the platen may be removed and the sheet held in tension between the clamp and a nip region formed by a spring plate held against a restraining plate. In an alternative embodiment, the sheet is initially clamped against the drum by the combination of a lever arm which is selectively engageable with the drum for rotation therewith and an attached actuating arm having a plate which secures a sheet to the drum surface.

Abstract: A plastic molded tamper-evident dispensing closure with a tamper-evident seal. The seal is integrally molded with the closure lid and projects downwardly from a peripheral edge of the lid into interlocking engagement with the body. A seal segment is disposed in a peripheral notch in the lid to evidence access to the contents of an associated container.

Abstract: A security device (10) to releasably secure articles in a queue, row or stack has a body (11, 12) to be clamped on one of the articles by a loop section (14) and lugs (17). A key (26) attached by a chain or cable to a second device (10) is received in a slot (30, 31) in the body and is releasably engaged by a peg (39) on a pivotally mounted operating arm (34), in a cavity (29) of the body entering a slot (27) in the key (26). The key (26) can only be released when a coin or token is received in a coin holder (47) in a pusher unit (48) which advances a tongue (40), the nose (41) of which engages a cam face (42) on the operating arm (34) to move the latter to release the key (26). The pusher unit (48) can only be moved to recover the coin or token from the coin holder (47) when the key (26) has been reinserted in the body and engaged by the operating arm (34).

Abstract: In a dispenser, spout heating structure is provided for maintaining the product in the spout in a flowable and uncongealed state. The heating structure includes a base which supports a heat conductive elongate block, the block having opposite side surfaces and a top surface that engages the underside of the spout in heat transfer relationship therewith. Heat from the elongate block is directly transferred to the spout, and a heat conductive sheath engages the upper portion of the spout and the side surfaces of the block to enhance heating of the spout to thereby maintain the product in a flowable condition.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a stack of flat objects such as letters on a support is disclosed. A conveyor moves flat objects to the support. A stacking apparatus moves the flat objects onto the support into abutment against a jogging wall of the support. The conveyor and stacking apparatus are supported on a table which is movable relative to the support and stack. The stacking apparatus extends between the conveyor and jogging wall and includes an end having an axis about which the stacking apparatus is pivoted so as to be displaceable towards and away from the end of the stack.

Abstract: A device (1) for supporting a stack of sheet material with zones of uneven thickness, e.g. envelopes (11), on a printer with a pick-up device (16, 17) for the envelopes and a table (10) is provided with a supporting plate (2) as well as bar type supporting apparatus (3,4) at the side facing away from the pick-up device (16, 17). The bar type supporting apparatus (3,4) may be swung away laterally for easy access to the envelopes. Furthermore the device (1) may be equipped with a base plate (36) having adjusting legs (37), for adjusting the device in a horizontal position on a slant table (10).

Abstract: A suction-type sheet-separating device for a feeder of a printing press has suction-type grippers for lifting off an uppermost sheet from a pile of sheets and for transferring the lifted-off sheet to a transporting device for conveying the lifted-off sheet in a sheet travel direction towards a printing unit of the printing press. The suction-type grippers are disposed above the pile of sheets in the vicinity of the trailing edge of each sheet and when suction air is applied thereto, they initially grip the uppermost sheet and then execute a prestroke to a first height. The device includes a lifting gear drive and a horizontal carrying shaft parallel to the trailing edge of the sheet and carrying the suction-type grippers, the suction-type grippers being aligned with respect to the carrying shaft.

Abstract: A dispenser apparatus for dropping paste onto a substrates, etc. including a syringe having a nozzle, a motor which moves the syringe up and down, a controller which controls the rotational stopping positions and rotational speed of the motor, and digital switches for inputting a setting program into the controller. The setting program sets the rotational stopping positions and rotational speed of the motor so that the position at which lowering of the nozzle stops and the speed at which the nozzle is raised are controlled through the setting program.

Abstract: A convertible metering apparatus for dispensing metered quantities of different flowable goods of unlike physical properties comprises a housing defining a material storge chamber therein; a motor; and a drive shaft being rotatably connected to the motor and extending into the housing. There is further provided a metering member adapted to handle a flowable material of a first physical property; a discharge unit configured to receive the metering member therein; and a first releasable connecting arrangement for readily connecting the metering member to and readily disconnecting it from the drive shaft. This arrangement ensures that the metering member is readily replaceable by another metering member adapted to handle a flowable material of a second physical property.

Abstract: There is disclosed a sheet stacker, for use in combination with a copying machine, a printer or the like, capable of ensuring satisfactory sheet stacking regardless whether the sheet is folded or not. The apparatus controls the stacking operation in different modes in accordance with whether the sheets to be stacked are folded or not.

Abstract: The problems of excess flow of a liquid to be dispensed in a metering device, especially for a sterilizing liquid for packings and packaging materials, is solved by pumping the liquid from a supply vessel below the housing of the metering device into the latter and maintaining a bath of the liquid in the latter by overflow back to the supply vessel. A control slider lifts a quantity of the liquid from the bath to an overflow channel from which it flows to a metering chamber and then passes through an upwardly inclined duct to the atomizing and blowing device applying the liquid spray to the packaging materials.

Abstract: A particulate solid is dispensed on to articles by depositing the particulate solid on a vibrating dispensing member having a slot cut therethrough, this slot making an acute angle within the direction in which the particulate solid moves along the dispensing member, and moving the articles beneath the slot as the particulate solid is falling therethrough.

Abstract: An elastomeric piston member of a product dispenser for semi-viscous liquids includes integrally molded priming valve structure as well as check valve structure. The priming valve comprises a number of generally flat, triangular segments arranged around the periphery of an outlet conduit leading from a pumping chamber, and during a pumping stroke of the piston member, outermost tips of each segment deflect laterally to allow discharge of products from the chamber. The triangular segments are molded in an open or spaced apart orientation to facilitate manufacture, and are biased by ribs of a discharge spout toward a closed, inclined orientation in contact with adjacent segments once the dispenser is assembled.

Abstract: A bottle for syrups, which affords precise dosages of a syrup in an accurate and hygienically satisfactory manner, comprises a container in bottle form which extends between a bottle bottom and a bottle neck, a cap-type stopper removably associated with the bottle neck, a syringe device having a respectively cylinder associated with the bottle neck and defining a chamber having a set volume equal to a single dose, which chamber is in fluid communication with said bottle bottom through a conduit, and a respectively plunger associated with the cap-type stopper and being movable within said cylinder on removal of the cap to such up a dose from the bottle bottom.