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:
Sep. 17, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 23, 1995
David W Hufford, Walla Walla, WA (US);
Key Technology, Inc., Walla Walla, WA (US);
Abstract
A vibratory distributor 10 is described in preferred form having an elongated vibratory bed 16 for conveying bulk articles in a flowing stream past a plurality of metering gate stations 12 to selectively distribute the articles at the stations. A metering gate assembly 40 at each station includes a stationary upper metering plate 44 and a lower movable metering plate 46. Each of the plates 44, 46 have matching elongated metering apertures formed therein at evenly spaced center-to-center intervals across the width of the flowing stream. Each of the elongated apertures 62, 64 is oriented at a diagonal angle to the direction of flow with a segment of each aperture laterally overlapping an adjacent aperture. The apertures 62, 64 have parallelogram shapes. A screw gate drive 78 is connected to the lower metering plate 46 to move the plate 46 to adjust the relative alignment of the apertures to regulate the metering of the articles at each of the stations 12.