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:
May. 26, 1998
Filed:
Jan. 31, 1995
Thomas Raymond Holston, Appleton, WI (US);
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI (US);
Abstract
This invention pertains to apparatus and methods for receiving a stream of units of product, such as from a manufacturing operation, separating the stream into discrete groups of product, in a product carrier bucket, and typically presenting each group for further processing at a subsequent processing station as a group. A novel product bucket is disclosed, including articulated buckets which are typically engaged by a driver, about a first path, while receiving units of product, and are subsequently disengaged from the driver for traversing along a second path to a subsequent processing station. The buckets preferably have cam followers which cooperate for urging the rear wall of a leading bucket and the front wall of a trailing bucket into proximity with each other while traversing an arcuate portion of the first path. Product-receiving compartments may be enlarged for receiving product, and contracted for holding product contained therein. Thickness of respective compartment walls is selected for uniform timing and registration of the compartments at the product filling station.