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:
Mar. 28, 1989
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1988
James A Beck, Franksville, WI (US);
Unico, Inc., Franksville, WI (US);
Abstract
A plurality of magnetic elevator devices disposed along the sides of a vertical stack of magnetizable steel objects, such as sheets or rods, separates them and raises the uppermost one vertically. Sensing devices in a control system sense when the object reaches a transport position and actuate a transport mechanism to move to another location. Each magnetic elevator device comprises a magnetic structure (permanent magnet or electro-magnet) and a pair of elongated, vertically extending, laterally spaced apart contact rails of opposite magnetic polarity which engage the edges of the stacked objects. Each contact rail comprises a magnetic portion having a point of minimum reluctance near its top and a non-magnetic, low-friction surface portion (plastic or stainless steel) which slidably engages each object to guide it and to hold it spaced from the magnetic portion. The pair of contact rails cooperate with the stacked objects to complete a magnetic circuit whereby the objects are repelled from each other, raised and advanced upwardly toward the point of minimum reluctance.