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. 06, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 30, 1999
Pieter S. van der Griendt, Far Hills, NJ (US);
Dennis Dutkevitch, Clifton, NJ (US);
Polytype America Corporation, Mahwah, NJ (US);
Abstract
A tube loading system includes two flat conveyor belts which are perpendicular to each other for holding a tube having an open end thereagainst with two lines of contact; a motor drive for moving the conveyor belts; a gap between the two lines of contact at meeting edges of the conveyor belts; a vacuum source positioned behind the conveyor belts for supplying a vacuum to the gap so as to pull the tube against both conveyor belts in engagement with the two lines of contact; a pin chain having a plurality of pins spaced therealong for receiving the open ends of the tubes thereon, the pins being positioned adjacent the conveyor belts; and a delivery device for supplying the tubes in sequence to the conveyor belts such that each tube is held in engagement against both conveyor belts with the two lines of contact by the vacuum at the gap, and as the belt moves, each tube is deposited on a respective pin of the pin chain.