Bell Telephone Laboratories

Western Electric Company, Inc.

At&t Technologies, Inc.

Charles L Davis

Charles R Fegley

Werner F Esseluhn

Walter R Holbrook

Loring D Emery, Jr

Waldo D Apgar

Jack H Moll, Jr

Individual ones of articles such as (LED) devices 10 are fed and positioned at one or more stations along a path traversed by the devices. A track 30 guidably advances the devices 10 in single file to and beyond stations 63 and 64 successively located along the path represented by a channel 35 in the track 30. An assembly 50 shuttles, transversely of the channel 35, a plurality of fingers 66-70 simultaneously from a working state to and from a transitory state with respect to devices 10 in channel 35. The fingers may be in the form of thin, upright blades 66-70 which are engaged to assembly 50 and extend substantially normally of and into channel 35 in response to the shuttling. An indexing blade 68 extends from the front of and into channel 35 when shuttling assembly 50 is in the working state to block a waiting file of devices 10. At stations 63 and 64, positioning blades 66 and 67, respectively, extend from the front of and into channel 35 when shuttling assembly 50 is in the working state to position respective devices 10 for treatment. At stations 63 and 64, detaining blades 69 and 70, respectively, extend from the back of and into channel 35 when shuttling assembly 50 is in the transitory state to block a respective device 10 from advancing beyond a respective station during the shuttling. The detaining blade 69 is spaced from the indexing blade 68 a distance suitable to cooperatively capture therebetween a device 10 from the waiting file during a shuttling cycle. Such device 10 is then released to blade 66 when shuttling assembly 50 is returned to the working state.

Feeding articles to successive stations for treatment

An enclosed electrical device (42) includes an electrical circuit (50) having elements (48-68) which lie substantially in and along a plane (115). A member (70) is applied to a one side and a member (85) is applied to another side of the circuit (50) for at least partially enclosing the same. Conductors (48) and (49) of circuit (50) are fixedly penetrated, preferably by pins (74) which are fixedly engaged to enclosure members (70) and (85). Such engagement is advantageously provided by making the pins (74) an integral part of member (70), for example by including pins (74) in a premolded member (70). Such engagement is also advantageously provided by making pin-engaging sockets (94) an integral part of member (85), also for example by including the sockets (94) in a premolded member (85). By a preferred friction fit of pins (74) and sockets (94), the enclosure members (70) and (85 ) and circuit elements (48-68) are sufficiently fixed relative to one another to resist forces applied thereto in service.

Enclosed electrical devices

Growing community of inventors

Mohnton, PA, United States of America

Charles L Davis