Abstract: An air cart has a drop chute for conveying an agricultural product such as seed, from a metering device to a venturi portion of a product conveyance tube. The drop chute has a contoured downstream sidewall resulting in changes in drop chute width which introduce vortices providing an enhanced product flow. The downstream sidewall has an inward sloping region reducing the drop chute width beginning closely adjacent the metering device and continuing down about one-third the way from the metering device to the conveyance tube, and an abrupt corner causing an increase in drop chute width near the product conveyance tube followed by a curved region creating a gradual further increase in width terminating adjacent to the product delivery tube. A large low speed vortex is created near the inward sloping region and a small strong vortex is created adjacent the curved region.

Abstract: A seeding machine (1) and method of use, for introducing seed material into a soil (11), with a first ploughing device for drawing at least one furrow into the soil and a filling device for closing the first furrow. A dust separator (5) separates air during the seeding process into an air component (13) and a dust component (7). A line from the dust separator delivers the dust component separated from the air component into the soil.

Abstract: A sifting device for components such as nuts includes a box, a supporting frame, a guiding board, and a covering board. The box receives the components. The guiding board is secured on the supporting frame and defines a receiving recess and a sliding groove, the receiving recess communicates with the box and the sliding groove. The covering board covers the guiding board and defines a plurality of holes as air jets, the plurality of holes aim at the receiving recess and the sliding groove to blow the components through the sifting device in an orderly manner.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with a basket processing apparatus that includes a basket storage portion in a form of a horizontal load rail (2). A plurality of slide storage baskets (4) can be located in series on the rail (2). Each basket is “side loading” and the side loading aperture of each basket can be selectively covered by a slide retaining bar (6). When the baskets (4) are placed on the load rail (2) (e.g. by hooking or clipping the baskets onto the rail), the basket can be moved along the horizontal rail by a basket moving means. The arrangement of the rail and the basket moving means is such that the baskets can be pushed together and move as a “train”. Baskets moved to the pick-up end (12) of the rail can then be removed from the rail and processed. A vertical lift mechanism can be used to remove the basket and transport it to a processing device, for example a coverslipper.

Abstract: The tablet cassette includes a division block installed to be rotated by a drive motor to discharge tablets introduced from above through transfer passages indented in an outer circumferential surface thereof. Each of the transfer passage includes a separation recess for downward transfer of the tablets, a lower end of which is blocked by a prop, and a supply recess along which the tablets having passed through the separation recess are moved on the outer circumferential surface of the division block to thereby be discharged downward via rotation of the division block. The tablet cassette further includes a bottom ring provided around a lower end of the division block to transfer the tablets located in the separation recess into the supply recess via rotation of the division block.

Abstract: A singulating disc, carried by a housing, has a plurality of openings around its periphery. The disc rotates vertically through a pickup chamber of a hopper carried by the housing. A vacuum is pulled through the openings by a pump which is connected to the disc. Items are placed in the hopper and, via gravity, fall to the bottom of the hopper where they contact the periphery of the rotating disc. The vacuum at the openings attaches an item and holds it while the disc rotates. At the top of the discs rotation, a diverter directs the item into a path depending on the results of a fragment detection and/or counting mechanism. Items that are allowed to pass by the diverter are scraped off the disc into another path by a scraper. Negative pressure is used to singulate and count a multitude of sizes and shapes of items with no calibration. Retractable paddles, a vacuum management system, and RFID tags may be incorporated.

Abstract: Apparatus including a vending machine compartment including a dispensing door openable to permit removal of merchandise from the compartment, the compartment being pivotedly connected to a box assembly, and wherein the dispensing door includes a link element that is constrained to move along a track formed in the box assembly such that the dispensing door is not openable at a first portion of the track and is openable at a second portion of the track.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for feeding screws. In the apparatus, screws are scooped up from the storage container by a scooping unit and put onto a carrying unit. The screws are arranged in line and carried by the carrying unit and discharged through a discharge unit. The scooping unit includes a rotating arm which rotates on the outer wall of the storage container, and a magnet which is fastened to the front end of the rotating arm. The carrying unit includes a screw receiving part. The rotating arm rotates on the outer wall of the storage container to scoop up the screws using magnetic force of the magnet and load the screws onto the screw receiving part. The scooping unit further includes a magnet spacing part which is provided on the outer wall of the storage container.

Abstract: An exemplary fastener feeder includes a pair of guiders, a slot cover and a blocker. The guiders define a sliding slot therebetween. Each guider includes a sloped part and a level part, bodies of the fasteners are capable of being received in the sliding slot, and a head of each fastener is capable of sliding down from the sloped parts and stopping on the level parts. The slot cover defines an opening for providing a path through which a fastener pickup device can pass through and engage with a fastener located on the level parts. The blocker is located below the level parts. When the fastener pickup device moves the fastener head engaged therewith away from the opening and a length of the fastener is greater than a distance between the blocker and the level parts, the fastener is blocked by blocker and disengaged from the fastener pickup device.

Abstract: A singulating disc, carried by a housing, has a plurality of openings around its periphery. The disc rotates vertically through a pickup chamber of a hopper carried by the housing. A vacuum is pulled through the openings by a pump which is connected to the disc. Items are placed in the hopper and, via gravity, fall to the bottom of the hopper where they contact the periphery of the rotating disc. The vacuum at the openings attaches an item and holds it while the disc rotates. At the top of the disc's rotation, a diverter directs the item into a path depending on the results of a fragment detection and/or counting mechanism. Items that are allowed to pass by the diverter are scraped off the disc into another path by a scraper. Negative pressure is used to singulate and count a multitude of sizes and shapes of items with no calibration. Retractable paddles, a vacuum management system, and RFID tags may be incorporated.

Abstract: A thin-part feeding device is provided which is compact and efficient. The device has a funnel portion with a feeding opening at the bottom thereof, a take-out tube for taking out thin parts from the funnel portion, and a receiving portion with separate opening for receiving thin parts from the discharge opening. The receiving portion is movable, and the receiving opening is sized to receive only one thin part. The device is operative to repeat a state where the receiving opening faces the discharge opening, and a state where the receiving opening is away from the discharge opening to enable thin parts to be taken out from the receiving opening. The device also features a novel, posture-correcting portion to correct vertical posture of thin parts, a delivery portion for receiving posture-corrected thin parts, and a transporting portion as described.

Abstract: A tablet feeder including a tablet accommodating section (4) capable of accommodating a multiplicity of tablets A; a tablet array member (8) which is disposed in the tablet accommodating section (4) and which, while being driven and rotated, retains the tablets A one after another in pockets (11) formed in an outer periphery thereof and discharges the tablets at a discharge position; and a partitioning member (13) whose partitioning portion (14) having a shape of a brush partitions the pocket (11) so that the upper tablets A do not fall into the lower pocket (11). Thereby, the tablets A that are retained in the pocket (11) of the tablet array member (8) are discharged in a predetermined number. The partitioning member (13) includes a plurality of brush elements (15a, 15b) constituting a partitioning portion (14). At least part of the brush elements (15a) each has a tip that is bent in a U-shape. Thus, deformation of the brush elements (15a), constituting the partitioning member (13), can be surely prevented.

Abstract: A medicine storing and dispensing apparatus includes: a cap container (501) storing a plurality of caps (2) for closing openings of vial bottles (3) and having a plurality of slits (508) formed on the bottom surface thereof; a plurality of cap stirring members (502) protruding from a rotating shaft (509) and extending inside a cap container (501) through the slits (508); and a cap pathway (503) which continues to the cap container (501), has a clearance allowing only one cap (2) to pass through, and which is inclined downward so as to align the passing caps (2).

Abstract: Pairs of first and second rolls are supported for rotation in a roll frame located below a pan for receiving pharmaceutical products loaded as bulk material, each first roll having a plurality of axially successive non-cylindrical sections separated from respective non-cylindrical sections of a respective second roll by a gap, the first and second rolls of each pair being rotated in opposite directions so that surfaces of the rolls facing the gap move upwards. An isolating block having a matrix array of isolating channels is positioned below the rolls for receiving pharmaceutical products from respective gaps and for distributing these products to respective individual wells of a blister pack in a single machine cycle.

Abstract: A brush for a pill handling apparatus and an associated pill handling apparatus and method are provided. The brush defines a non-circular profile and agitates the pills when rotated. For example, the brush can be rotatably mounted proximate a rotary slat of the pill handling apparatus so that the brush is configured to seat the pills into the receptacles of the apparatus, such as into receptacles defined by one or more rotary slats. Multiple brushes can be provided in a single pill handling apparatus, e.g., to define therebetween a reservoir for holding the pills.

Abstract: A feed lever is lowered, correspondingly to the load input of a chip mounter. A rotary drum is intermittently moved through a conversion mechanism, intermittently in one direction. Chip components placed in a component accommodation chamber are aligned and discharged. When a rotation resistance larger than a predetermined value acts, a belt is slid, and breaking of a chip component is prevented.

Abstract: A control system for regulating a dispenser that includes a feeder bowl and a plurality of dispensing paths is disclosed. The control system includes a control unit for controlling a rotation drive for rotating the dispensing paths, a feeder bowl vibration device for vibrating the feeder bowl, and at least one dispensing path vibration device for vibrating the dispensing paths, such that the feeder bowl receives a plurality of items and supply the items uniformly to each of the dispensing paths, and the dispensing paths dispense the items singularly.

Abstract: An object assembly device automatically assembles a collection of rolling objects of identical size and shape. The assembly device includes an assembly housing having an inlet for receiving rolling objects and an outlet through which the rolling objects are discharged. A rotary feed cone is rotatably mounted within the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The feed cone defines a single-line travel channel having an entrance end and an exit end. The width of the travel channel is sufficient to accommodate no more than a single line of rolling objects moving downstream in succession from the entrance end of the channel to the exit end. A stationary cone base is located within the collection housing, and has a conical interior wall adapted for receiving the rotary feed cone. The cone base has an object discharge opening operatively aligned with the exit end of the travel channel to allow passage of objects outwardly through the cone base in an assembled single-line condition.

Abstract: Devices for containing at least one test strip and dispensing a single test strip at a time and methods of using the same are provided. The subject devices are characterized by having a housing that includes a slit configured to be permissive of a single test strip at a time and at least one planar surface to align a test strip with the slit when the device is appropriately agitated. In the subject methods, a subject device with at least one test strip therein is provided and agitated in a manner that causes the at least one test strip to be positioned in an appropriate orientation relative to the slit, wherein a single test strip is caused to exit the housing through the slit as a result of the agitation. Also provided are kits that include at least one subject device.

Abstract: An apparatus for making pallets includes an automatic stringer feeding system; an automatic stringer advancing system; a pallet assembly station; a nail delivery system; and a pallet stacking system. Wood stringers are automatically fed to a series of hoppers which facilitate advancing the stringers into the pallet assembly station. Spaced apart deck boards are nailed, via a gantry movable along a longitudinally extending frame on generally parallel spaced apart linear guide bearings, to both sides of the supporting base of transversely positioned stringers in the pallet assembly station. Multiple nailing stations in adjacent spaced relationship include a pneumatically driven double ram for nailing together stringers and overlying deck boards positioned within the pallet assembly station.

Abstract: A object assembly device automatically assembles a collection of rolling objects of identical size and shape. The assembly device includes a collection hopper having an inlet for receiving rolling objects, and an outlet below the inlet for discharging rolling objects. An object assembler is rotatably mounted within the hopper between the inlet and the outlet. The assembler defines a single-line travel channel having an entrance end and an exit end, and a width sufficient to accommodate no more than a single line of rolling objects moving downstream in succession from the entrance end of the travel channel to the exit end. Objects entering the travel channel from the inlet of the hopper are discharged through the outlet of the hopper in an assembled single-line condition. A drive shaft is provided for rotating the object assembler relative to the collection hopper to avoid obstructing accumulation of rolling objects at the entrance end of the travel channel.

Abstract: A component feeder is provided in which damage to chip components is minimized, being capable of efficiently discharging chip components aligned in a line. A bulk case is attached on the top portion of an outer storage housing capable of being supplied by a large number of chip components. Chip components are supplied from the outer storage housing to an inner housing of a component-storage housing via a supplying path. A predetermined number of the chip components in the inner housing is fed at a time to the outer housing via a communicating path in accordance with rotation of a rotary drum so as to be dropped into an aligning groove and aligned by a lug member of the rotary drum. The number of components in the outer housing is reduced, resulting in high efficiency of aligning and reduced damage to components. The chip components slide down on the aligning groove to be discharged to a discharge path, via the gate, aligned in a line.

Abstract: A bulk loader conveys rigid, stick-like articles in bulk. The bulk loader has a bin for holding a plurality of the articles and a trough connected to a bin having an entrance portion for receiving the articles from the bin and a discharge portion for discharging the articles. An auger, with an inlet end and an outlet end, is rotatably positioned in the trough so that the inlet end is positioned near the entrance portion and the outlet end is positioned near the discharge portion. Upon rotation of the auger, the auger conveys the articles from the entrance portion to the discharge portion. The trough is constructed and arranged to prevent conveyed articles from becoming jammed between said auger and said trough.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the automated loading of integrated circuit carrier tubes into a tube dispensing device in a predetermined, preferred orientation without the attention of a human operator are described. The method utilizes a roller equipped with tube cavities in its peripheral surface and rotates the roller in a clockwise direction for receiving tube carriers from a top hopper-shaped opening and discharging the tube carriers from a bottom opening by gravity.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for loading and positioning of elongate terminated electronic components include a load plate having vertical slots extending therethrough, the slots being spaced apart at regular intervals and each slot having parallel opposing sidewalls. Components are positioned and retained in the load plate slots with the long axes of the components in an orientation transverse to the upper surface of the load plate. At a predetermined time, each component is allowed to drop out of the slot and through a curved chute, the chute bending from an upper opening to a medial point and flaring outwardly from the medial point to a lower opening, and having a width at the medial point larger than the short axis of the component and a width at the lower opening slightly larger than the long axis of the component so that the component is rotated through about 90.degree. on passage through the chute.

Abstract: A parts feeder for conveying a succession of parts in a common posture, includes: a rotary drum rotatable about its substantially horizontal axis of rotation and having on its inner circumferential wall surface a plurality of radial plates circumferentially spaced at predetermined distances; a chute in the form of an elongated plate substantially horizontally extending from an inside to an outside of the rotary drum through an outlet and having a guide portion along its upper edge; a vibrator supporting the chute for vibrating the chute longitudinally; a remover disposed adjacent to the guide portion for removing any of the parts if it is abnormal in posture while being conveyed on the guide portion of the chute; and the guide portion having a parts-supporting cross-sectional shape gradually varying from an inner end of the chute outwardly toward the outlet of the rotary drum.

Abstract: A component supply apparatus includes a component feeding device for feeding components to a component feeding path, with the components arranged in a row while the components are being agitated by air, and a path forming member having a curved path extending from the component feeding path to a component supply position, for guiding the components fed from the component feeding path to the component supply position by changing a direction of each of the components by a predetermined angle. A plurality of air supply holes are provided at plural portions of the curved path for feeding the components fed to the curved path to the component supply position.

Abstract: A device for delivery of fasteners having heads with tenons disposed beneath the heads to an insertion tool. The device includes a sloped track with two spaced-apart rails each having a fastener receiving surface to receive the undersides of the heads of the fasteners falling thereon. The fasteners drop onto the track from a rotating barrel and some are correctly aligned with the tenons between the rails and the undersides of the heads resting on the rails and many are misaligned. The fasteners slide to an orienting station which includes a plurality of fluid injector ports disposed around the track. Two of the ports face each other and a third port is disposed over the track. Blasts of air are directed through the ports sequentially so that misaligned fasteners on the track are forced into alignment or are removed from the track thereby leaving only properly aligned fasteners to proceed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pin feeder for supplying contact pins in a high density interstitial pattern in a printed circuit carrier. The feeder apparatus eliminates the use of tubes, and features instead vertical vibration in combination with a honeycomb feeder plate configuration, thereby providing a process and apparatus for pin feeding with greatly improved reliability, reduced jamming and greater flexibility in its applications.

Abstract: A device for transferring buttons in succession to a button sewing machine in such a manner that they are forcibly fed from a button storage unit by a rotary disk with button insert holes through which the individual button drops into a button holder when each of the insert holes align with a button discharge hole.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling a plurality of lids or other thin objects having two discrete sides, such as a top and bottom, for delivering then in a common orientation includes a conveyor for carrying the lids along the apparatus from an inlet end to a discharge end and an air jet nozzle which directs compressed air to engage at least some of the lids to shift them to an opposing angle of inclination. The conveyor includes orienting belts which are directed over rollers and pulleys whereby the lids, after at least some have been shifted, are returned to a substantially horizontal position when delivered at the discharge end. Two sets of orienting bells are supported by the rollers and pulleys to effect a V-shaped support adjacent the air jet nozzle so that the lids are supported in either alternate opposing angle of repose. The air jet nozzle may alternatively operate continuously or be actuatable by an electric eye whereby discrete jets of air may be directed toward the lip of a lid to thereby orient it.

Abstract: A chip separation and alignment apparatus capable of accurately and readily accomplishing separation and alignment of chips with a simple construction. The apparatus includes a chip separation and alignment section and a chip separation section. The chip separation and alignment section includes a chip cassette formed into a flat rectangular box-like shape, in which are formed a chip storage chamber, a chip alignment hole provided with an upper end opening through which the chip alignment hole is communicated with a lower portion of the chip storage chamber and a lower end opening, and at least one air ejection port arranged near the upper end opening to intermittently eject air therethrough. The chip separation section is arranged at the lower end opening of the chip alignment hole to separate chips one by one and to successively supply the separated chips to a subsequent step.

Abstract: A clip-like, C-shaped sheet-metal nut and an assembly device therefor, the nut having a thread leg with an embossed thread portion and a clip leg having a through hole, with the forward end of the thread leg having an upwardly and forwardly inclined insertion plate. A pair of guide webs are integrally formed on the two lateral edges of the thread leg that extend upwardly at right angles to the leg with the upper edges of the webs protruding above the insertion plate and running parallel to the clip leg and with their side surfaces being in a line with the lateral edges of the clip leg to provide a substantially outer rectangular perimeter to the nut.

Abstract: A feeding device for withdrawing from a feeding hopper (1) rod-like articles, particularly filter plugs in the manufacture of filter-tipped cigarettes, and for singling these articles. The device comprises a rotary fluted drum (2) forming at least part of the bottom of hopper (1), and a repelling roller (13) that is arranged between the wall (9) of the hopper (1) and the drum (2), in the vicinity of the end from which the drum comes out of the hopper, and that is rotated in a controlled manner in the same direction as the drum. The repelling roller (13) is so mounted that its axis is movable substantially parallel to the peripheral surface of drum (2) and, more particularly, it is carried by a lever (10) that is swingable about a shaft (4) which is concentric or close to the shaft (6) for the rotation of the drum.

Abstract: A supply apparatus for supplying a screw, a rivet, or the like includes a chute in which one edge portion of an upper opening of a guide slit formed therein is located inside a stock section or thereabove, so that screws in an abnormal position can be removed by a brush member not on the upper surface of an oscillating dipper but on the upper surface of the chute. A timing between oscillation of the dipper and movement of the brush member need not be controlled. Screws of abnormal position can be removed with a simple mechanism so as to supply only those of normal position to a predetermined position, and to reliably return removed screws of abnormal position into the stock section.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically inserting flat holder sticks into individual food products such as ice cream bars, wieners, etc, that are securely held in an insertion orientation relative to a plurality of feed paths in which sticks are ejected. Comprising the apparatus is an upstanding open hopper into which a batch of unaligned sticks is indiscriminately placed. The hopper overlies a plurality of parallel arranged agitating mechanisms each power operative to orient and dispense individual flat sticks gravity supplied from the hopper into a stacked relation within a plurality of individual spaced apart feed slots. A carriage supporting an ejection bar slidably contained in each of the feed slots is actuated continually for ejecting the bottommost stick outward from the bottom of each feed slot until inserted into the recipient product externally secured in the coincident feed plane adjacent to the apparatus.

Abstract: The apparatus is associated with a spinning or twisting machine and removes individual textile bobbin tubes from a reservoir, such as a container which contains such bobbin tubes. The container has in its lower portion a funnel-shaped structure through which the bobbin tubes move downwardly towards an opening. As is known, there is the danger that the bobbin tubes undesirably form "bridges" and thereby the further delivery of such bobbin tubes is interrupted. Such bridge formation is avoided by providing a break-up rod or bar which is arranged substantially horizontally and parallel to the broad sides of the container, in the interior and in the region above an opening of the container. The break-up rod or bar is supported in the longitudinal sides of the container with play on all sides and in a freely rotatable manner. The thickness of the break-up rod or bar and the thickness of the bobbin tubes are of the same order of magnitude.

Abstract: A device for the positioning and individual feeding of nails comprises a nail filling container which is pivotal upwards and downwards about a horizontal pivot shaft and in the bottom of which there are formed one or more slots which are substantially perpendicular to said pivot shaft and in which the shanks of the nails can be accommodated while the nails are maintained suspended by their upper parts, for instance their heads.

Abstract: Products such as small chocolate bars, intended to be uniformly aligned on other products passing on a conveyor, such as pieces of dough in the manufacture of chocolate-filled cookies, are placed in a hopper having resiliently mounted walls. Beneath the hopper is a feeder comprising a cylindrical-sector-shaped feeder part. The feeder part includes a slot through which the chocolate bars can be disposed on the pieces of dough. By means of a motor-driven main crank assembly and a supplementary crank assembly, a perturbed sinusoidal motion is imparted to the feeder part, thus ensuring that the chocolate bars are consistently introduced into the feed slot, particularly in the vicinity of the walls of the hopper. A blocking and release mechanism, connected to the feeder and controlled by a sensor unit, ensures that only one chocolate bar drops on each piece of dough.

Abstract: The feeding device comprises a horizontal circular singling disc, which rotates continuously or intermittently and has a peripheral crown of recesses acting as article receiving pockets. The surface of the singling disc is subdivided into a first, larger article-receiving portion acting as feed reservoir for the articles which are fed at random thereinto, delimited by a fixed circumferential side wall extending over a circumferential arc around the periphery of the singling disc, and by a fixed partition wall extending across the surface of the singling disc, and into a second smaller article-delivery portion lying outside of the feed reservoir. At the interior of the feed reservoir there is mounted a distributor dish having the shape of an asymmetrical flat or truncated cone. The distributor dish is cased to perform rotary oscillations parallel to the surface of the singling disc, about an axis which coincides with the axis of rotation of the singling disc.

Abstract: A parts feeder for conveying a succession of parts in a common posture, includes: a rotary drum rotatable about its substantially horizontal axis of rotation and having on its inner circumferential wall surface a plurality of radial plates circumferentially spaced at predetermined distances; a chute in the form of an elongated plate substantially horizontally extending from an inside to an outside of the rotary drum through an outlet and having a guide portion along its upper edge; a vibrator supporting the chute for vibrating the chute longitudinally; a remover disposed adjacent to the guide portion for removing any of the parts if it is abnormal in posture while being conveyed on the guide portion of the chute; and the guide portion having a parts-supporting cross-sectional shape gradually varying from an inner end of the chute outwardly toward the outlet of the rotary drum.