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:
Feb. 16, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 26, 1997
Byron L Lowe, Macon, GA (US);
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Louisville, KY (US);
Abstract
A system for automatically opening cartons and removing packages therefrom includes a centrifugal orientation bowl for orientating closed or unopened cartons in a position to be fed to a slitting apparatus. The slitting apparatus includes a pair of cutters therein to cut opposed portions of the cartons thereby opening the cartons. A carton breaker is utilized downstream from the slitting apparatus to break the cartons open thereby loosening the packages therefrom. The opened cartons are fed to a rotating drum separator wherein the packages within the cartons are separated from the cartons and the emptied cartons are removed from the rotating drum separator in one location and the packages separated from the cartons are removed at another location.