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:
Jul. 19, 1988
Filed:
Feb. 19, 1987
Peter E Johnson, Corvallis, OR (US);
David A Johnson, Corvallis, OR (US);
Other;
Abstract
The plate feed apparatus of the present invention is comprised of a cylindrical carrier having air inlet holes located in its periphery which are connected to a vacuum source. A stack of plates is fed toward the carrier on a conveyor belt and each time one of the air inlet openings becomes aligned with the plates the front plate in the stack becomes affixed to the carrier and is rotated with it away from the stack. The plates then are released from the carrier for further handling. In order to prevent the plate being carried from striking the remaining plates a gap must be provided between them. In one embodiment this is accomplished by locating rollers, whose axes are parallel with the axis of the carrier, at the periphery of the carrier in positions which are rotationally ahead of the air inlet openings. In a second embodiment a pair of levers are mounted rotatably outwardly of the carrier sides. Rollers contact the levers at the proper rotational orientation of the carrier and rotate them rearwardly so that they contact the plates and move them away from the carrier. A return spring pulls the levers back toward the carrier. In both embodiments the forwardmost plate becomes free to move back toward the carrier as the air inlet opening becomes aligned with the plates. The vacuum then pulls the forward plate away from the stack thereby creating the necessary gap between it and the rest of the plates in the stack.