Depositing Articles And Arranging Material In Preformed Receptacles Patents (Class 53/235)
  • Patent number: 6227787
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a device (1) for automatically loading workpiece palette (2) with delicate workpieces (3), the workpiece palette (2) having straight cords (6) disposed in a grid- and/or comb-like manner with free spaces (7) between the rods (6). In order to hold the workpiece palette (2) a palette gripper (12) is provided, which lowers an empty workpiece palette (2) from a lowering position (13) lying above the empty positioning surface (9) through the plane of the latter into a receiving position (14) lying below the positioning surface (9), the receiving region (15) of the workpiece palette (2) being lower than the plane of the positioning surface (9). When the workpiece palette (2) has been lowered, the workpieces (3) are laid on the positioning surface (9). The palette gripper (12) raises the workpiece palette (2) out of the receiving position (14) such that the workpieces (3) are also raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Hermann Spicher GmbH
    Inventor: Hermann Spicher
  • Patent number: 6195960
    Abstract: A device for placing pipes (5′) into a case (1) and taking pipes (5) out therefrom, wherein the pipes (5) are placed in stacks (2, 3, 4) each with one pipe across, and wherein the stacks are supported laterally by supports (6, 7, 8, 9) projecting upwardly from the bottom of the case (1). The bottom of the case 91) is provided with apertures (10, 11), and the case (1) is carried by a tilting device (13) capable of raising and lowering the case 91), respectively, and of turning it about an axis (14) parallel to the pipes (5) within the case (1), to take an unloading position and a loading position, respectively, wherein the supports (6, 7, 8, 9) are nearly horizontal, flushing with a substantially horizontal support for pipes (5), and wherein a pushing device (16) is adapted to be guided through the apertures (10, 11) in the nearly vertical bottom of the case (1), in order to push pipes (5) laterally out of the case (1), upon said support, which may be a conveyor belt or another conveyor (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Hitec ASA
    Inventor: Jon Gjedebo
  • Patent number: 6135697
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically transferring and handling cartridges containing flat articles. The method and apparatus robotically transfers filled cartridges from the output compartments of a sorting machine to a buffer shelf; and from the buffer shelf to a docking station of a cartridge unloader and automatic feeder to the input of the sorting machine, and for transferring empty cartridges from the docking station to either the buffer or the output compartments of the sorter, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens ElectroCom, L.P.
    Inventors: Gerald A. Isaacs, Luiz C. Harres, John W. Kulas, Joseph C. Rotenberry, Kenneth A. McKee, Lynn V. Hill, Mark L. Carlile, Richard C. Hickey, Charles M. Combs, Harold G. Burkett, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5983601
    Abstract: A machine and a method for the automated packaging of armed sutures or; in effect, surgical needles having sutures attached thereto and, more particularly, an automated machine for the high-speed individualized packaging of single or individual surgical needles each having an attached suture into a tray and detachable cover providing a suture package utilized for the packaging of the individual or single needles and attached sutures. Additionally, the automated packaging machine incorporates operative mechanism adapted to wind the sutures into a peripheral channel of the tray and facilitating the attachment of the cover to the tray which contains the single needle and attached wound suture, and which cover concurrently constitutes a product-identifying label as a component of the tray, and upon removal of the cover enables a user to gain access to the contents of the tray; in essence, the armed suture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: John F. Blanch, David D. Demarest, Robert A. Daniele, Anthony Esteves, William F. Smith, Michael G. Hodulik, Teresa M. Shaw, George Horst Reinemuth, Richard Paul Branco, Matthew Cafone
  • Patent number: 5960609
    Abstract: Electrostatic phototechnology is used to package microgram quantities of fine powders such as drugs in discrete capsule and tablet form. An electrostatic "image" having a given size and charge density is exposed to ionized drug powder to attract a known amount of drug to the image. The resultant drug "image", is then transferred to a an open ended capsule, a partially formed tablet or edible wafer or belt. The capsule is then sealed, i.e. by capping, or the tablet finished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Microdose Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew L. Abrams, Anand V. Gumaste
  • Patent number: 5931629
    Abstract: A fully automatic device is provided for handling components-containing tubes and for feeding the components contained in these tubes into the input rail or "accumulator" of the loading area of a component processing equipment. Another fully automatic device which is very similar in structure to the above device is also provided for recovering the components from the output rail of the unloading area of the component processing equipment, and reinserting such components into their tubes. Both of these devices have a column holder mounted on a frame for receiving and holding a column of tubes stacked one above the other. A rotatable barrel having a conical shape and a horizontal axis supports a set of tube catching assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Corfin Inc.
    Inventor: Sylvain Rodier
  • Patent number: 5699649
    Abstract: Electrostatic phototechnology is used to package microgram quantities of fine powders such as drugs. An electrostatic "image" having a given size and charge density is exposed to ionized drug powder to attract a known amount of drug to the image. The resultant drug "image", is then transferred to a package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Inventors: Andrew L. Abrams, Anand V. Gumaste
  • Patent number: 5685127
    Abstract: A preferred form of a packing apparatus of the present invention for loading a dough product into a container opening includes a frame and a loading member joined to the frame. The loading has a first opening for receiving the dough product to be packed, and a second opening through which the dough product exists off the loading member and into the container. An inner surface joins the first opening to the second opening. The inner surface has an extending tang disposed at the second opening. The extending tang is insertable within the container opening. A support member supports the container proximate the second opening for insertion of the dough product into the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: The Pillsbury Company
    Inventor: James W. Finkowski
  • Patent number: 5664398
    Abstract: A system for charging a coiler can of elongated horizontal cross section with sliver obtained from a sliver producing fiber processing machine includes a stationarily supported rotary coiler head discharging sliver in coils; a sled disposed underneath the coiler head for receiving a coiler can in an upright orientation; and a sled-reciprocating device for imparting a rapid back-and-forth motion to the sled during discharge of sliver from the coiler head to effect a deposition of sliver coils into the coiler can along a length thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Trutzschler GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Ferdinand Leifeld
  • Patent number: 5591294
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing and storing a recording sheet, a coating solution is coated on at least one surface of a base member and dried and a resulting recording sheet is cut and enclosed in a packaging material. The process from drying to enclosing is carried out in an atmosphere having a humidity not exceeding 50% RH.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mamoru Sakaki, Miyuki Fujita, Yasuyuki Ishii
  • Patent number: 5537803
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of finishing and filling packaging containers which are manufactured from foldable packaging material and which have previously been sealed and are preferably sterilized interiorly and have been transported in a flat-laid state to, for example, a food producer. The prefabricated, compressed packaging containers are connected to a piston pump which, with the aid of an overfill operation, expands and forms the packaging container, whereafter a proportion of the contents of the packaging container is resucked out of the container so that the packaging container holds a predetermined nominal volume of contents. Hereafter, the packaging container is sealed and finally formed into the desired configuration, such as a parallelepipedic configuration. An apparatus for finishing and filling packaging containers is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
    Inventor: Jan-Erik Olsen
  • Patent number: 5503517
    Abstract: A slip sheet for use with bulk containers and a method of use of such slip sheet. An empty bulk container is detachably secured to a slip sheet including one or more movable edges. The slip sheet and container can be manipulated and transported with a forklift or similar machinery. The slip sheet can be easily detached from the container after use via the movable edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: B.A.G. Corporation
    Inventor: Norwin C. Derby
  • Patent number: 5381641
    Abstract: A BGA funnel adapted for facilitating the loading of BGA packages into a BGA tube includes an rectangularly-shaped housing (16) and a roofing plate (18). The housing member has a loading end (28), an intermediate portion (19), and an unloading end (30). The intermediate portion of the housing member has a central bore (20) of a substantially U-shaped cross-section extending therethrough. The housing member includes a flat bottom portion (22) and a pair of short vertically extending side walls (24, 26) disposed integrally on each side of the bottom portion. An inwardly tapered channel (38) is formed between the side walls and extends between the loading end and the intermediate portion for receiving the BGA package to be inserted into the BGA tube. Narrow step portions (40, 42) are associated with the inwardly tapered channel for supporting only two side edges of the BGA package so that the bottom surface thereof is suspended freely above the top surface of the inwardly tapered channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1995
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronilo V. Boja, Mohsen Hosseinmardi
  • Patent number: 5242256
    Abstract: The individual grippers of a gripper head provided for simultaneously introducing a number of bottles into a box or removing them from the box, where the bottles have neck diameters close to the diameter of the body of the bottle, have polygonal external cross sections with even numbers of sides so that the cylindrical sockets can lie close together. The sockets receive elastic inserts which are actuatable by pistons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1993
    Assignee: Rico - Maschinenbau Max Appel KG
    Inventor: Max Appel
  • Patent number: 4464879
    Abstract: Retractile cords disposed in a U-shaped configuration are arranged about the periphery of a turntable with the ends of each cord adjacent to the peripheral edge being terminated with modular plugs. As a cord having its ends terminated with modular plugs is moved into a last work station, a pickup arm removes the cord. As the plug-ends are moved outwardly from the turntable, a middle section of the U-shaped cord is engaged by a snagging pin that is moved into one portion of a foldable tray to hold the middle section of the cord as the plug ends are moved farther along above the tray. The plugs are released, and the cord retracts and drops into the tray. Then the snagging pin is retracted, and the tray is caused to be folded to form an opening beween portions of the tray. The cord descends through the opening into an open end of a bag formed between two plies of a plastic material. The plies are bonded together adjacent to the open end and the bag is separated from its supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 14, 1984
    Assignee: AT&T Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert P. Loesch
  • Patent number: 4048786
    Abstract: Apparatus is provided which moves a column of nested, uniformly shaped chips into a reservoir thereby forming a loop array. The loop array of snack chips is then transferring from the reservoir into a package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1975
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1977
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Brastad, Nelson J. Beall