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:
Nov. 09, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 30, 1997
Urs Reuteler, Kennesaw, GA (US);
Riverwood International Corporation, Atlanta, GA (US);
Abstract
A method is provided for selecting a predetermined number of articles from a plurality of articles and grouping the selected articles into an ordered group for delivery to an article packaging machine. The articles are moved at an infeed speed in series progressively along a path of travel and toward a pair of rotatable selector wheel assemblies located on opposite sides of the path. The articles are directed to the rotating selector wheel at a position where the velocity component of fingers attached to the wheel in the direction of the path of travel is equal to the infeed speed of the bottles. The fingers on the selector wheel engage selected ones of the bottles at this location and accelerate them smoothly and progressively to a machine speed that is greater than the infeed speed. The bottles are thus grouped together in separated groups and delivered to the packaging machine at the machine speed.