US 10,899,563 B1Granted

Self-clearing counter-stacker with stacking frame

AssigneeLawrence Equipment, Inc.

InventorEric Clay Lawrence

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Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for removing a non-conforming comestible from a counter-stacker. One of the methods includes receiving, on an upper conveyor included in a counter-stacker, a first comestible; transferring, by the counter-stacker that includes a stacking frame and a stacking platform and while the first comestible substantially maintains its shape, the first comestible through an aperture defined within the stacking frame and onto the stacking platform; creating, by the counter-stacker, a stack of comestibles that includes the first comestible and has a threshold quantity; receiving, on the upper conveyor, a second comestible; rotating, by one or more actuators included in the counter-stacker that are coupled to the stacking frame, the stacking frame to cause the second comestible to fall onto a lower conveyor; and removing, by the lower conveyor, the second comestible from the counter-stacker.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a counter-stacker that comprises:
a support frame;
a stacking frame defining one or more apertures therein and adapted to enable a comestible to move through one of the one or more apertures such that the comestible substantially maintains its shape;
one or more stacking platforms coupled to the support frame, each of the one or more stacking platforms (i) adapted to extend into a respective one of the one or more apertures, (ii) having an upper surface adapted to support a plurality of comestibles, and (iii) adapted to move relative to a conveyor to place the plurality of comestibles supported by the upper surface on the conveyor when a quantity of comestibles satisfies a threshold quantity;
a sensor adapted to detect a quantity of the comestibles on the upper surface of at least one of the one or more stacking platforms;
and
one or more actuators (a) coupled to the stacking frame and the support frame and (b) adapted to rotate the stacking frame, that defines the one or more apertures through which the stacking frame enables a comestible to move, to cause removal of a non-conforming comestible from the counter-stacker.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.