By Selective Application Of Suction Patents (Class 198/370.12)
  • Patent number: 10717559
    Abstract: A label applicator with a label peeling function includes a frame supported by a support machine, a suction unit that is supported by the frame and has a suction pad, a claw member having a sharp tip that is disposed under the suction pad, a moving mechanism that is supported by the frame, and supports the claw member so as to be movable in an up-down direction relative to the suction pad, and a lock device that locks movement of the claw member in the up-down direction relative to the suction pad, in a state where the suction pad is placed on top of and in contact with an end of a label lying on the tip of the claw member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio Motowaki
  • Patent number: 9957117
    Abstract: A method for transferring articles comprises the steps of: preparing a plurality of articles to be transferred along a first conveyor belt movable along a feed direction, picking up the articles with a plurality of gripper heads movable along respective pickup axes, and releasing the articles into a releasing station. The step of picking up the articles comprises the sub-steps of: detecting given parameters of each of the articles by at least one detection and management unit positioned upstream of the plurality of gripper heads, identifying, for each of the rows, at least one homogeneous sub-group of articles based on the given parameters detected, and for each homogeneous sub-group, simultaneously picking up all the articles of the first homogeneous sub-group with a respective group of gripper heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: CT PACK S.R.L.
    Inventors: Bruno Alberti, Daniele Davi, Daniele Mezzaro
  • Publication number: 20150068866
    Abstract: A sorting conveyor employs suction to stabilize products on a conveyor belt. The sorting conveyor comprises a conveyor belt including a plurality of embedded rollers for moving conveyed objects relative to the conveyor belt. A vacuum chamber below the conveyor belt houses activators for the rollers and selectively creates a vacuum zone above the conveyor belt for pulling objects on the conveyor belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: Laitram, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Matthew L. Fourney
  • Patent number: 7832547
    Abstract: It relates to an equipment to transport and move material which transfer products in bulk into one by one; it receivers a certain amount of pieces (1) and delivers one by one to the next industrial process. This equipment transfers products from a belt conveyor (2) to a weighing system (8) of products on a constant flow; it comprises a rotating cylinder (5) with holes (9) on the cylindrical surface which suck the pieces (1) one by one discharging them in a sequence over a weighing and grading system (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignees: Scanvaegt International A/S
    Inventor: Orlei da Silva Choai
  • Publication number: 20100084246
    Abstract: An item transport system includes a first transport and a divert module for diverting predetermined items. The first transport includes a first deck for supporting items and a first transport element for transporting the items along the first deck on a transport path. The divert module includes a second deck for supporting the predetermined items, a second transport element for transporting the predetermined items along the second deck on a divert path, and a fluid supply element selectively actuable to direct a fluid onto at least a leading edge of the predetermined items to divert the predetermined items onto the second deck.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: W. Scott Kalm, Eric T. Schamell
  • Patent number: 7614491
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for the controlled transfer of unit loads from a first conveyor onto a second conveyor which is partially projected over by the first conveyor, the transport directions of which conveyors run at an angle with respect to each other. In order to permit controlled transfer of the unit loads in a defined position from the first conveyor onto the second conveyor, it is proposed that a negative pressure which acts on the upper side of the conveyor belt of the second conveyor can be generated below the first conveyor in the transfer region onto the second conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Peter Alesi, Torsten Tanz
  • Publication number: 20090127070
    Abstract: An electronic component conveying apparatus is provided in which an electronic component is accommodated in a through-hole of a conveyer table and is conveyed. The electronic component can be reliably picked up from the through-hole using a compressed gas in a short time. In addition, undesired exhaust of the electronic component due to a residual compressed air can be prevented, and the conveying efficiency can be increased. In an workpiece conveying apparatus, a first surface of a conveyer table includes a pressure relief groove that extends from a location at which the pressure relief groove overlaps with an exhaust hole in a direction crossing a conveying direction and communicates with a suction recess portion when the conveyer table is rotationally driven. Alternatively, the first surface includes a pressure relief hole for relieving pressure to the atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Inventors: Satoru Takeuchi, Yoshikazu Sasaoka
  • Publication number: 20090101477
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for the controlled transfer of unit loads from a first conveyor onto a second conveyor which is partially projected over by the first conveyor, the transport directions of which conveyors run at an angle with respect to each other. In order to permit controlled transfer of the unit loads in a defined position from the first conveyor onto the second conveyor, it is proposed that a negative pressure which acts on the upper side of the conveyor belt of the second conveyor can be generated below the first conveyor in the transfer region onto the second conveyor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Peter Alesi, Torsten Tanz
  • Patent number: 7220932
    Abstract: A work unit for conveying bottles between two stations and for rejecting bottles considered faulty, includes a selecting disc, having a vertical axis and featuring radial seats made on its edge, for holding, in cooperation with vacuum ducts, bottles. A first track, concentric with the disc, cooperates with the seats and the vacuum ducts to guide bottles, considered good, from an inlet station to an outlet station. A second track begins in an intermediate point of the first track and extends to intersect the first track, and leads to a discharge station. The second track guides, with the cooperation of removing elements, the bottles considered faulty, from the first track to the discharge station, due to deactivation of the vacuum ducts with respect to the seats situated upstream of the discharge station and containing the faulty bottles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Marchesini Group S.p.A.
    Inventor: Giuseppe Monti
  • Patent number: 6863172
    Abstract: A unit for supplying packets of cigarettes has a first and a second belt conveyor, which respectively define a first and a second path having a common portion; and a routing device extending about the first and second belt conveyor at the common portion, and cooperating with the belts of the first and second belt conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: GD Societa per Azioni
    Inventors: Mario Spatafora, Loris Grepioni
  • Patent number: 6808059
    Abstract: A removing apparatus for rod-like articles comprises a removing drum (24) as part of a transport path for the articles such as cigarettes, double filter cigarettes and filter cigarettes in a filter cigarette manufacturing machine, and many transport grooves (48) formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drum (24) for receiving the articles. Adjacent grooves (48) have suction holes (52) at different axial positions thereof. While passing through a suction holding region (A) of the removing drum (24), the adjacent transport grooves (48) receive holding pressure for the articles, from the corresponding holding passages (68) of the region (A) through the suction holes (52). The passages (68) extend longer than the pitch of the transport grooves (48). When compressed air is supplied to a passage (68), the passage (68) allows the compressed air to blow out from connected suction holes (52) to thereby remove the article from the corresponding transport groove (48).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Junichi Nagai, Takayuki Irikura
  • Publication number: 20040129531
    Abstract: A removing apparatus for rod-like articles comprises a removing drum (24) as part of a transport path for the articles such as cigarettes, double filter cigarettes and filter cigarettes in a filter cigarette manufacturing machine, and many transport grooves (48) formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drum (24) for receiving the articles. Adjacent grooves (48) have suction holes (52) at different axial positions thereof. While passing through a suction holding region (A) of the removing drum (24), the adjacent transport grooves (48) receive holding pressure for the articles, from the corresponding holding passages (68) of the region (A) through the suction holes (52). The passages (68) extend longer than the pitch of the transport grooves (48). When compressed air is supplied to a passage (68), the passage (68) allows the compressed air to blow out from connected suction holes (52) to thereby remove the article from the corresponding transport groove (48).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Inventors: Junichi Nagai, Takayuki Irikura
  • Patent number: 6494063
    Abstract: The apparatus serves for pushing at least one of two hollow glass articles from a dead plate of a glass forming machine onto a conveyor belt. A pusher serves for this purpose, and includes a base portion and, for each glass article which is to be pushed, at least one thrust finger extending transversely to the base portion. Each thrust finger defines with the base portion a pocket for receiving the glass article. A nozzle is arranged in the region of a corner of the associated pocket. From each nozzle compressed air can be blown such that a pressure below atmospheric pressure which draws the glass article into the pocket is created between the pusher and the glass article. The compressed air is blown from the corner out between the base portion and the glass article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Hermann Heye
    Inventor: Raimund Malek
  • Patent number: 6467609
    Abstract: The output end of a very high speed continuous motion cylindrical can decorator is provided with unloading apparatus in the form of a continuously moving closed loop suction belt supplied by first and second continuously rotating, parallel axis, suction applying conveyor wheels. Cans held on the second wheel are on two concentric circular tracks and are transferred by suction to the belt. The first wheel carries cans along a single row circular path. In a region where the first and second wheels overlap partially, alternate cans on the path are delivered to one track of the second wheel and the remaining alternate cans on the path are delivered to the other track of the second wheel. Alternate cans supported on the first wheel may be moved radially so that the cans on the first wheel are in two rows which intersect the two tracks on the second wheel at respective common tangents of each row and the respective track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Sequa Can Machinery, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Williams, Russell Di Donato
  • Patent number: 6347709
    Abstract: A method of transferring packing units from a receiving station to a stack building station includes the steps of delivering the packing units to the receiving station in a plurality of rows and in a plurality of tracks in a conveying direction, accepting the packing units in a plurality of rows and in a plurality of tracks at a transfer apparatus, removing all packing units of desired properties from a first row not only including packing units of desired properties, storing the at least one packing unit of desired properties, and positioning the at least one stored packing unit of desired properties in a row following the first row, so that only rows of packing units of desired properties are collected at the stack building station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: Kloeckner Medipak GmbH
    Inventors: Johann Biehl, Dieter Gaus, Horst Kaplan, Eugen Niessner, Jörg Knüppel
  • Patent number: 6311824
    Abstract: The invention relates to a rotatable gripper device (1) for picking up and rotating products which are supplied on a conveyor belt. The device according to the invention comprises a gripper head (2, 3) which can rotate about a vertical central shaft (4) and has a gripping member (18) which can rotate about its axis. For upward and downward movement, the device comprises a first cam roller (6, 7) and cam discs (8), and for rotation about the axis comprises a second cam roller (9, 10) and cam disc (11). The device according to the invention is of a simple and relatively lightweight design, so that it is suitable for operating at high speeds. The gripper device according to the invention can be used to accurately set the rotational path of the gripping member (18) at the gripping position and the release position, by means of the shape of the cam disc, in order to produce a gradual transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Klockner Hansel Tevopharm B.V.
    Inventor: Leonardus Josephus Maria Van Pul
  • Patent number: 6206169
    Abstract: A supply line for supplying parallelepiped products to a user machine, whereby the products are fed to the user machine by a conveyor which feeds the products along a horizontal path and through a transfer station where a transfer unit removes the products off the conveyor and feeds the products to an input-output of a vertical store in which the products are stored contacting one another; the transfer unit being reversible for also removing the products from the input-output of the store and feeding the products onto the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: G. D Societa′per Azioni
    Inventor: Mario Spatafora