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. 20, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 11, 1998
Horst Loewenthal, Waldshut-Tiengen, DE;
Alfred Wipf, Jestetten, DE;
SIG Pack Systems AG, Beringen, CH;
Abstract
An apparatus for forming groups of superposed, flat items, includes a conveyor having a transporting device traveling in a conveying direction along a generally horizontal working flight; and a plurality of upstanding pusher fingers secured to the transporting device. A plurality of storage chutes are serially positioned above the working flight for holding items in a superposed stack therein. An item-retaining device is situated at a lower, item-discharging end of each chute. The item-retaining device includes a component defining an item-retaining surface for retaining the items in the chute by supporting a lowermost item of the stack. Each pusher finger is arranged for travel through the item-discharging end for pushing all items forming part of the stack in the chute and being situated in a path of travel of the pusher finger, off the item-retaining device and for advancing the items in the conveying direction along the working flight. A height-adjusting device sets the component into different selected positions for changing a vertical distance of the item-retaining surface from the working flight to vary a number of items forming part of the stack in the chute and being situated in the path of travel of the pusher fingers.