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. 13, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 04, 2001
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
An apparatus whereby cylindrical cans formed of a ferromagnetic material and transported at high speed along a carrying conveyor in such a contiguous way as having no gaps between adjoining cylindrical cans are separated so as to provide a spacing therebetween to eliminate interference between the adjoining cylindrical cans, thereby supplying a plurality of cylindrical cans with reliability to a main index wheel of an automatic machine for producing cylindrical cans. The apparatus includes a carrying conveyor, star index wheel, supply index wheel and main index wheel. The supply index wheel has permanent magnets, each holding an individual cylindrical can by suction. The transport speed of a plurality of cylindrical cans transported along a conveyor at high speed is reduced for a moment by the star index wheel. Then, each respective cylindrical can is held by suction caused by magnetic force from permanent magnets disposed around the outer edge of the disc-shaped supply index wheel and spaced uniformly to provide a spacing between adjoining cylindrical cans. While maintaining the foregoing spacing, the cylindrical cans are supplied to the main index wheel of the automatic machine for producing cylindrical cans.