Abstract: A method for sowing an individual seed in a seed location and to a seeder therefor. The method includes arranging a seed on a surface adjacent to an opening that leads to a guide channel that extends to the seed location; flushing the seed from the surface into the opening by directing a fluid over the surface in the direction of the opening; and guiding the seed to a seed location by the guide channel. The seeder has at least one opening that leads to a guide channel that extends to a seed location; a surface that is configured to be arranged adjacent to the at least one opening; and a selectively operable fluid supply for each opening, each fluid supply having at least one nozzle that is arranged for directing fluid over the surface in the direction of the opening.

Abstract: A clip separating system (1) is for separating a clip (3) from an accumulation of clips (3) contained within a feeding assembly (5). The clip separating system (1) includes a separating assembly (7) having an inlet (9) and an outlet (11), the inlet (9) of the separating assembly (7) being operatively connected to an outlet (15) of the feeding assembly (5) for receiving the clip (3) to be separated therefrom. A path (10) is defined between the inlet (9) and the outlet (11) of the separating assembly (7). The clip (3) to be separated is positively driven along the path (10) via a corresponding driving component (19) of the clip separating system (1). The outlet (11) of the separating assembly (7) is vertically offset (21) with respect to the outlet (15) of the feeding assembly.

Abstract: A method is provided for feeding small items, for example pills, that does not require tooling changes or position adjustment regardless of the size or shape of the pills. A first hopper supplies small items to a second hopper that separates the small items. The method incorporates sensors to detect the presence, size and travel time of the pills in the separating bowl hopper. The method uses the sensed values for setting vibration amplitude and the duration of an air flow to discharge pills from the apparatus.

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: The invention relates to methods and systems for transferring a stream of a components (28, 84, 100, 100?), either as individual components (28, 84, 100?) or as a continuous strip (100) or band from which individual components are cut, from a component feeder (62a) to a component receiver (92, 108), e.g., in a processing machine, with controlled, e.g., continuous, motion escapement of the individual components (28, 84, 100, 100?) from the feeder (62a).

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: The device for handling items (20) with a head (21) and a shank (22), such as screws, pins and the like, has a hand piece (1), which has a chamber (2) for receiving the items (20). From an inner side (11) of the chamber (2) there extends a guiding recess (14,17) to a dispensing side (3) of the hand piece (1), which recess has a cross-section adapted to the outer contour of the items (20) and, at the end on the dispensing side, an end portion (18) angled away with respect to a delivery portion (19) adjoining the chamber (2). The items (20) can be transferred from the chamber (2) to the dispensing side (3), for example by tilting with respect to the horizontal, the angling away of the end portion (18) with respect to the delivery portion (19) having the effect of creating a dispensing block, ahead of which the items (20) build up in the dispensing direction.

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: An apparatus for feeding chip components includes a component container for containing many chip components in bulk, a first component reservoir for storing the chip components in bulk. The component container is attached to the first component reservoir. The apparatus further includes a second component reservoir provided under the first component reservoir for two-dimensionally storing the chip components in a space so that the chip components are not overlapped in their thickness direction, and a component alignment path provided under the second component reservoir for one-dimensionally aligning the chip components. The apparatus further includes an alignment palate having first and second alignment portions. The first alignment portion is provided between the first component reservoir and the second component reservoir for two-dimensionally aligning the chip components and letting the chip components move down by their own weight.

Abstract: A medication filling apparatus is equipped with a tablet case for holding medications and a dispensing drum which lets the medications fall through an outlet from the tablet case as it rotates, thereby dispensing the medications; it is further equipped with a plurality of grooves into which the medications from the tablet case are fed and which let the medications fall therefrom when they are aligned with the outlet; and a separating member which is provided in such a manner that it juts out into or over the groove aligned with the outlet. The separating member is composed of a material which has predetermined lateral and longitudinal dimensions and also certain flexibility; the separating member is capable of securely retaining a medication thereon. Furthermore, since the separating member has certain flexibility, it does not scratch medications even if the medications bump against it, and it also prevents a dispensing failure caused by the medications being caught.

Abstract: A central office correlates charitable contributions made at vending stations in food service establishments which issue information carriers in return for charitable contributions which are receipts for the contribution and entitle the donor to a beverage dispensed from a machine responding to the information carrier.

Abstract: System for metered feeding of cylindrical bodies from a stock to a processing machine. This involves, starting from the stock, first aligning the cylindrical bodies and then feeding them in a metered manner to a transfer device in order to move the cylindrical bodies to the processing machine. According to the invention, the device for aligning the cylindrical bodies coming from the stock consists of a rotatable drum-shaped member consisting of a number of bars disposed in the form of a ring. Between the bars the opening through which the cylindrical bodies can emerge is delimited.

Abstract: A device for loading dough into cylindrical containers is disclosed. A first conveyor is provided which delivers a plurality of cylindrical containers to a receiving surface which is declining with respect to the horizontal. The containers are oriented such that a central cylindrical axis of each container is substantially parallel to the container receiving surface as the containers approach the container receiving surface. A second conveyor then delivers a cylindrical object to the receiving surface in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to path of the containers in the first conveyor as the objects approach the container receiving surf ace. The second conveyor aligns the cylindrical objects and causes the objects to be inserted into the cylindrical container. Means for positioning the container on the container receiving surface and for releasing the cylindrical containers after filling is also provided. A method of inserting cylindrical objects into cylindrical containers is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention provides a device for removing individual covers from a continuous flow of covers, each consisting of a middle portion and a peripheral edge extending around it asymmetrically in relation to the main plane, the main planes of which covers extend perpendicularly to the conveying direction, while the nominal orientations of the covers in the conveying direction are all the same and the said individual covers are oppositely oriented in relation to the nominal orientation, the device includes a conveyor for transporting the covers in a continuous flow, a detector placed adjacent to the conveyor for distinguishing an oppositely oriented cover and an ejector for removing from the flow a detected oppositely oriented cover.

Abstract: A rotary feeder for articles is provided and consists of a rotating bowl that has a domed floor and an upper ledge, an inclined stationary ramp that will carry the articles from the domed floor to the upper ledge, a stationary guide ring that has an exit port and a device for rejecting improper positioned articles before the articles are discharged from the exit ramp of the guide ring, the device including an air jet positioned radially inward from the pathway provided by the ledge and oriented to direct an air jet angled downward and radially outward toward both said ledge and the stationery guide ring or wall structure whereby crown side up caps are blown off said ledge back into said bowl and cavity side up caps are retained on the ledge and passed on to the exit port.

Abstract: A rivet injector/rejector device (10) is provided for use with a riveting machine (12) having a plurality of rivet gripping fingers (120, 122). The device (10) includes a supporting member (16) fixedly mounted to the riveting machine (12). A tubular member (92) is provided for delivering a rivet (148) to the fingers (120, 122). The tubular member (92) is mounted to the supporting member (16) so that an end portion (118) of the tubular member may be moved downwardly relative to the fingers (120, 122). The end portion (118) is shaped so that as it moves downwardly it spreads the fingers thereby permitting a rivet to drop free therefrom.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an apparatus for the alignment of bottles, which apparatus has no moving parts, and includes an assembly of trough and slide surface. The trough is substantially parallel to the major axis of the bottles. The bottles descend the assembly under the influence of gravity. Bottles which are aligned proceed as directed by the trough whereas non-aligned bottles are diverted away from the trough.

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: A capsule rectification and transport device is disclosed. Means are provided for removing occasional improperly positioned capsules from the transported array. The capsules are carried in spaced apart pockets. When a capsule is undesirably mis-oriented with the cap portion thereof facing the wrong side of the predetermined path, a rotatable pick-off wheel grasps the cap portion, removes the capsule and drops it into a hopper.

Abstract: Diode chips (44) are cut from a p-n sheet-diffused semiconductor wafer (41). Instead of having conventional rectangular shapes, the chips have a rhomboidal shape. This makes the shape of the chips asymmetric in that one surface (46) of each chip becomes a distinguishable mirror image of its other surface (47). The direction of the p-n junction in the wafer is oriented with respect to the shape of the chips to be cut to place the same conductivity type region adjacent to the same rhomboidal shape of the surface. The shape of the chips (44) thereby aids apparatus (59) to sort the chips into two groups, each group consisting of chips of the same polarity or orientation of their p-n junctions with respect to a common support plane. The apparatus (59) includes a feed track (60) leading to a fork (61) in the track.

Abstract: A method of diverting from a supply of grains a plurality of parallel intermittent single flows of grains, especially for sowing one seed in each one of a number of plant growing pots. The method comprises the steps of causing the grains of the supply to move in a definite direction on a plane support by utilizing vibration feed, and dividing the resulting wide grain flow into a plurality of parallel single-row flows by guiding said wide grain flow into a corresponding number of grain paths connected to said plane. For this purpose each of said grain paths is designed so as to be able to convey only a single row of grains. Further, each grain path cooperates with one grain-carrying cavity for transferring the grains one by one to said cavity which rotates about an axle and discharges the grains at predetermined time intervals in accurately determined positions after rotation through a certain angle.

Abstract: Caps loaded into the hopper of a machine are gravitationally fed at a controlled feed rate and are distributed into a plurality of guide channels. Movement of each cap through a guide channel is momentarily interruped to obtain a desired spaced relationship for reorientation if required. The infeed rate of caps is controlled in conjunction with the reorientation process.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to a feeding and rectifying method and apparatus for orienting articles of manufacture in a predetermined manner onto a moving conveyor means. The feeding and rectifying apparatus comprises essentially a system of maintaining a supply of articles in a hopper through which the articles are randomly discharged. The dispensing of the articles from the hopper is attained by effecting relative rotation between the discharge means and the hopper, and orientation or rectification of the articles thus removed is effected by cooperating camming means and gauging means mounted for relative rotation with respect to one another operating on the article.