Polytype America Corporation

Van Dam Machine Corporation

Paul Cino

Pieter S Van Der Griendt

James Dominico

Carlos E Fardin

A two stage feeding apparatus and method for feeding articles to a printing machine are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a transfer tray between a conventional stack loading mechanism and a conventional printing machine feeding mechanism. The transfer tray is both movable between a horizontal loading position and an inclined transitional position, and rotatable between the inclined transitional position and an inclined unloading position. The method comprises two stages of which a first stage involves moving the transfer tray between the horizontal loading position and the inclined transitional position, and a second stage involves rotating the transfer tray between the inclined transitional position and the inclined unloading position.

Two stage feeding apparatus and method for feeding articles to a

Apparatus for supplying rows of stacked frusto-conical cups to a feeding assembly of a cup printing apparatus includes a rotatable, hollow, crossed turret comprised of an outer turret section formed by four radially and equiangularly oriented connected tubes, and a central tubular section positioned centrally within the outer turret section, the crossed turret supplying a first row of stacked cups to the feeding assembly and automatically supplying a subsequent row of stacked cups in stacked relation on the first row after a level of the first row has decreased to a lower predetermined level and before a last cup of the first row has been supplied on a respective mandrel assembly of the cup printing apparatus; a rotary actuator which rotates the central tubular section; a motor driven assembly which rotates the outer turret section; a first sensor which senses when the level of the first row has decreased to the lower predetermined level to actuate the motor driven assembly to cause the outer turret section and central tubular section to rotate together by 90.degree. to supply the subsequent row of stacked containers in stacked relation on the first row of stacked containers; a second sensor which senses when the level of the subsequent row has decreased to a higher predetermined level and supplying a signal to the rotary actuator to cause the central tubular section to rotate 90.degree. with respect to the outer turret section so as to be oriented horizontally; and a pusher assembly which intermittently supplies rows of stacked containers to the crossed turret when the central tubular section has been rotated back to the horizontal position after the level of the subsequent row has decreased to the higher predetermined level.

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Clifton, NJ, United States of America

Paul Cino