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. 15, 1997
Filed:
Feb. 10, 1995
Roy R Miller, Eugene, OR (US);
Brian K Clark, Eugene, OR (US);
Bulk Handling Systems, Inc., Eugene, OR (US);
Abstract
A first conveyor belt has a transverse tilt from horizontal and a wall along one side. Crushed plastic containers dropped onto the belt fall against the wall and are thus aligned under gravity action. The first belt transfers aligned containers to a second belt operating at a faster rate of speed and having a width capable of supporting only a single article in the transverse direction. The second belt transfers the containers to a third belt operating at a faster rate of speed than the second belt thereby further spacing the containers one from another. A scanner checks the spacing of each adjacent pair of containers and causes an air cannon to blow containers from the third belt when spacing does not conform to a predetermined spacing criteria. Containers falling from the end of the first belt and those blown from the third belt are received by a hopper having a conveyer therein which returns such containers to the first belt.