The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 03, 1981
Filed:
Feb. 02, 1979
Wayne W Pritchett, Newtown, CT (US);
Henry Bleggi, Fairfield, CT (US);
Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
A system for continuously transporting individual articles or a succession of uniformly-spaced articles on a moving conveyor surface through one or more work stations and for providing a warning signal when the normal location of any one of said articles changes relative to said conveyor surface by more than a predetermined permissible distance at a predetermined work station where such changes in spacing are most objectionable or dangerous. The system comprises a pulse-supplying means or machine clock for supplying pulses having a variable frequency proportional to the rate of movement of the conveyor surface, a delay means for providing a conveyor displacement signal when said conveyor surface has moved a predetermined distance and sensing means activated by each of said articles as they travel said predetermined distance to provide an article travel time signal. The system comprises means for comparing the timing difference, if any, between the conveyor travel time signal and the article travel time signal and for providing a warning signal when said signal times vary by more than a variable predetermined amount. According to another embodiment, the present system provides gap detecting means for comparing the web travel signals with the article travel signals for each of the succession of articles to detect the presence of spacing between articles in a particular work station and provide an alternative warning signal which, like the first warning signal, can be used as desired, such as to deactivate the particular work station, or stop the conveyor, or sound an alarm.