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:
Jun. 09, 1987
Filed:
Sep. 13, 1985
James Dominico, West Paterson, NJ (US);
Joseph L Mrak, North Haledon, NJ (US);
Van Dam Machine Corporation, Paterson, NJ (US);
Abstract
A tube transfer assembly for a tube printer includes a rotatable mandrel wheel which successively moves the tubes to be printed to different stations of the tube printer; a plurality of mandrels mounted along the circumferential periphery of the mandrel wheel for holding the tubes thereon; a rotatable star wheel assembly including a plurality of pockets for successively supplying the tubes to a position at the free end of the mandrel at the 11:00 position of the mandrel wheel; a guide disc rotatable with the star wheel and having a plurality of circular apertures positioned about the periphery thereof in alignment with the pockets; a first pusher rod which successively pushes one end of each tube within one of the apertures at a first rotatable position of the star wheel to correctly configure such end of the tube in a circular configuration; a second pusher rod simultaneously moveable with the first pusher rod which successively pushes each tube onto the mandrel at the subsequent 11:00 position of the mandrel wheel; a plurality of sleeves slidably mounted on the mandrels; a backstop normally engaged with the sleeves at all but the 3:00 position of the mandrel wheel to prevent sliding movement of the sleeves on the respective mandrels and disengaged from the sleeve then positioned at the 3:00 position on the mandrel to permit sliding movement thereof; and a tube discharge assembly including a pusher take-off engaged with the sleeve at the 3:00 position of the mandrel wheel to slidably move the sleeve on the respective mandrel thereat so as to remove the tube on the mandrel.