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, 1992
Filed:
Jan. 08, 1990
James Schanstra, Rockford, IL (US);
Fastener Technology, Inc., Rockford, IL (US);
Abstract
An automatic manufacturing machine puts a washer on a bolt which thereby forms a sub-assembly that can be used to further manufacture other things, for example. A vibrating bowl orients the washers so that one side of the washer is up and the other side is down relative to said bolt. These oriented washers are then delivered to a washer transporting dial having a plurality of equispaced pockets around the periphery thereof. Each pocket receives and carries one of the oriented washers to eventually receive the bolt. A sensor detects whether the washer is correctly positioned in the pocket and stops the vibrating bowl until an improperly washer is correctly positioned in a pocket. Jets of air are directed onto the surface of the dial to dislodge incorrectly positioned washers. This invention is important when the opposite sides of the washer are different, as when it is conical, covered on one side by rubber, plastic, or the like. Since the prior art delivered washers in a random manner, on the average, the wrong side of such a washer would be up half of the time.