Machine Builders and Design Inc.

Other

Celanese Gmbh

D and B Machine Company

Herman D Mims

Baylor D Gibson

John A Willes, Sr

A rotary displacer is provided on a conveyor which carries food items in predefined lanes. The rotary displacer has a rotating member with spokes extending therefrom. The spokes serve to deflect the food items to one side or the other along a direction transverse to a direction of conveyance to offset the center of the items from the center of the lane. Subsequently, the offset items are directed into a sliding alignment device, or the like, to separate each lane of items into two separate lanes. The spokes can be positioned along the transverse direction to allow various deflection configurations. For example alternating spokes can be offset in opposite directions to deflect every other item in an alternate direction.

Food item conveyor lane multiplier

An apparatus for receiving, in an infeed section, a stream of distributed items deposited in rows of like position. A slide mechanism is is selectively movable between a slide position and a flip position. In the slide position, the item drops off the edge of the belt and slides across the primary slide surface and onto a second slide mechanism having a secondary slide surface that is positioned to be in substantially the same plane as the primary slide surface. The slide mechanism is moved into the flip position for every other row of items. The items to be flipped come off the conveyor belt and come into contact with an abutting surface. This surface changes the direction of the item as it moves towards the transport mechanism in conjunction with a reverse slide surface of the second slide mechanism. The item slides down the reverse slide surface on its top surface, thus flipping over approximately 180.degree. from its orientation on the infeed conveyor belt. A first row of items fed from the infeed conveyor is flipped and is subsequently held on the transport mechanism by a gate while a second row of items is allowed to slide directly onto the transport mechanism at a position in front of the first row. A plurality of rows can be conveyed by the transport mechanism to the filling and capping stations of an automatic sandwich making system, with alternate rows oriented with their bottom surfaces facing upwards from the surface of the transport mechanism at a high speed while allowing the items adequate settling time during transfer.

Apparatus and method for flipping and positioning articles

The present invention provides an apparatus for receiving, in an infeed section, a stream of distributed articles, such as food items deposited in rows of like position. A slide mechanism is used to retard the motion of the items as they drop off the infeed section. In particular, the slide mechanism is alternately moveable between a slide position and a flip position. In the slide position, the item drops off the edge of the belt and slides across the primary slide surface and onto a second slide mechanism having a secondary slide surface that is positioned to be in substantially the same plane as the primary slide surface. The slide mechanism is moved into the flip position for every other row of items. The items to be flipped come off the conveyor belt and come into contact with an abutting surface. This surface changes the direction of the item as it moves towards the transport mechanism in conjunction with a reverse slide surface of the second slide mechanism. The item slides down the reverse slide surface on its top surface, thus flipping over at least 180.degree. from its orientation on the infeed conveyor belt. As a result a plurality of rows can be conveyed by the transport mechanism to the filling and capping stations of an automatic sandwich making system, wherein alternate rows of food items are oriented with their bottom surfaces facing upwards from the surface of the transport mechanism.

Flip-slide apparatus

The present invention provides an apparatus for receiving, in an infeed section, a stream of distributed articles, such as food items, deposited in rows of like position. A slide mechanism is used to retard the motion of the items as they drop off the infeed section. In particular, the slide mechanism is alternately moveable between a slide position and a flip position. In the slide position, the item drops off the edge of the belt and slides across the primary slide surface and onto a second slide mechanism having a secondary slide surface that is positioned to be in substantially the same plane as the primary slide surface. The slide mechanism is moved into the flip position for every other row of items. The items to be flipped come off the conveyor belt and come into contact with an abutting surface. This surface changes the direction of the item as it moves towards the transport mechanism in conjunction with a reverse slide surface of the second slide mechanism. The item slides down the reverse slide surface on its top surface, thus flipping over at least 180.degree. from its orientation on the infeed conveyor belt. As a result a plurality of rows can be conveyed by the transport mechanism to the filling and capping stations of an automatic sandwich making system, wherein alternate rows of food items are oriented with their bottom surfaces facing upwards from the surface of the transport mechanism.

The invention relates to an automatic packing system including a station at which a serial stream of articles are placed into stacks (one on top of another) or groups and discharged into a transversely moving tray-type package, or the like. The system includes a conveyor belt for transporting the articles, one by one, while they lie in a horizontal plane. The articles are transferred by another conveyor to a station at the end of the conveyor where the articles are stopped by protruding pins, picked up by a vacuum holding device, transferred by lever mechanisms and carried to a loading station where the articles are dropped one upon another in a stacked manner until an appropriate group has accumulated. When the appropriate group has been accumulated, the bottom of the loading station opens to release the stacked group of articles to fall into its tray-type package, which is moved transversely under the loading station in synchrony with the accumulated articles so as to be directly under the group of dropped articles.

Automatic article placer and packer

The invention relates to an automatic tray packer system including a station at which a serial stream of incoming articles are stacked, separated into groups and discharged to a transversely moving tray-type package. The tray packer includes a conveyor belt for transporting the articles, one by one, while they lie substantially in a first plane, and a nose roller for decelerating the articles transported by the conveyor belt. The articles pass over the nose roller and partially rotate and drop along a slide. A flipper mechanism further rotates the articles and propels them one by one against a stack of previously propelled articles. A separator member first defines a downstream end of the stack, and then moves via cams, along an endless closed path, to define the upstream end of the stack and a downstream end of a next stack. A backup member replaces the separator member at the upstream end of the stack. The separator and backup members then move, with the stack therebetween, to dispose the stack on a trapdoor mechanism, through which the stack is dropped onto a tray.

Automatic tray packer

A rotary guide device is used in conjunction with a conveyor belt adapted to have a plurality of randomly positioned articles thereon which must be aligned with each other in a plurality of rows lengthwise of and spaced across the conveyor belt by a plurality of guide plates positioned in essentially parallel lanes across and suspended above the moving conveyor belt. The rotary guide device is comprised of a plurality of rotating spindles disposed directly in front of each guide plate adjacent the upstream end thereof relative to the direction of movement of the belt. Each spindle is motor driven so that when contacted by an article on the moving conveyor belt the rotating spindle will direct the article into an adjacent channel between the guide plates to prevent jamming of the articles at the entrance to the channel. Each rotating spindle may be provided with a suitable friction surface to assist in positively directing an article in engagement therewith. The spindles and associated guide plates may be positioned along a line normal to the direction of belt travel or, preferably, are positioned along at least one skew line slanting across the belt.

Rotary guide device

An apparatus for conveying and sorting food items into parallel lines of uniformly spaced food items. Food items are received onto a conveyor belt from a baking or other processing station with the items arranged generally randomly. Guides direct the food items into parallel lines to a set of rotary members mounted upon a rotary shaft above the conveyor belt. Two rotary members are provided for each line of food items. Each of the rotary members is constructed of a central hub having a plurality of retractable spokes extending therefrom. Two spokes are in contact with the surface of the conveyor belt at any one time. The distance between the ends of the spokes in contact with the conveyor belt is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the food items being conveyed. The food items engage the spokes of the rotary members in much the same manner as the teeth of a sprocket gear engage a chain to thus maintain a uniform spacing between food items in each line.

Sorting apparatus for food items

As a plurality of rows of baked cookie halves, each having a flat side and a rounded side, leave the oven-cooler on a transfer conveyor belt they are allowed to fall off the end of the belt onto a lower conveyor belt. Every other row is allowed to free-fall with the result that they flip 180.degree. in mid air while the remaining rows are guided by a slide which is moved into position so that alternate rows of cookie halves on the lower conveyor belt are disposed with the flat side up and the flat side down, respectively. A filling is automatically deposited on the cookie halves having the flat side up and a vacuum pick-up device raises each row of cookie halves having the flat side down and deposits them on the filled cookie halves as they pass underneath.

Cookie capper apparatus

A vertical carton erecting machine of the stationary die-reciprocal plunger type in which the knife edges for opening the carton slots and receiving the tabs are fixedly mounted on the plunger. Cam-operated flippers press the top edges of the carton outwardly to cause the tabs and slots to interlock. Carton strippers stationarily mounted at the bottom of the die may then engage the carton and strip it from the plunger as the latter is withdrawn.

Carton erector

Cookie capper method

A textile traverse rod guide device particularly suited for the guiding of winding of yarns onto packages is described wherein the traverse guide substantially reduces the noise level of winding machine when in operation. The traverse guide is capable of reducing the noise level on the order of 5 to 8 decibels compared to previously used devices while at the same time providing better package build. The noted traverse guide is fabricated as a single piece from engineering plastics and operates utilizing torque-tension principles rather than mechanical guidance and swivel means.

Noise reducing textile traverse rod

Vertical carton erecting machine of the stationary diereciprocable plunger type, including an improved carton supply hopper. Feed arms are carried adjacent to the die to move to a blank hopper and directly pull a flat carton blank, presented by the hopper in proper registration for placement on the die, onto the top of the die in carton erecting position.

Growing community of inventors

Charlotte, NC, United States of America

Herman D Mims