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:
Dec. 31, 1985
Filed:
Sep. 19, 1983
Ronald A Lenhart, Lakewood, CO (US);
Precision Metal Fabricators, Inc., Arvada, CO (US);
Abstract
Air operated material handling equipment moves containers having elongated longitudinal axes from a mass in a bulk storage zone, wherein the longitudinal axes are disposed vertically and in side-by-side relation over a transport surface having a prearranged pattern of flotation air jet openings in the surface slanted in a downstream direction. The transport surface is divided into a plurality of zones including a bulk storage zone and a single file zone with one or more intermediate transport zones therebetween. The intermediate transfer zones have converging sides to move the containers from the bulk storage area into single file. Jets of air are delivered by angularly-disposed floatation air jet openings to lift, support and to move the articles forward. Additional acceleration jets of larger size accelerate the leading containers to separate them from the mass of containers in the intermediate transport zones to move them into single file. The converging sides bring the forward portion of the mass into an equilateral configuration and cooperate with the acceleration jets to move them subsequently into isosceles triangular configurations with an ever increasing base length and finally into single file.