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:
Oct. 07, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 15, 1994
Donald S Rich, Long Valley, NJ (US);
Technology Handlers, Inc., Long Valley, NJ (US);
Abstract
An arrangement for handling stacks of articles, each article having a predetermined height dimension, employs a stack guide for maintaining the stack of articles in stacked alignment, and an elevator for rasing and lowering the stack guide. A retractable support is coupled to the stack guide for supporting the articles and selectably releasing a lowermost one of the articles, or in the alternative, picking up an article, such that the article is added onto the bottom of the stack. The retractable supports extend along the length of the articles and are rotatable between engaged and disengaged positions. A linear actuator is coupled to the retractable supports by operation of links and effects the rotation between the engaged and disengaged positions. A limiter assembly determines the lowermost limit of the elevator, and also defines a predetermined extent of upward travel, which predetermined extent corresponds to the height of an article of the stack. The lowermost limit of the elevator, as well as the upward extent of travel so as to correspond to the height of the articles, is predeterminable using a stop gauge and an increment gauge.