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US 12,247,357 B2Granted
Tie plate dispenser and method therefore
AssigneeB & B Metals, Inc.
InventorCoty T. Coots
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Present embodiments relate to a tie plate dispenser which selectively changes the orientation of the tie plates being ejected, if needed. An actuator is used to flip the tie plate as it falls from an ejection location of the dispenser.
Claims15
A tie plate dispenser, comprising:
- a conveyor having a frame defined by one or more structural elements, and a plurality of rollers;
- said plurality of rollers capable of moving a plurality of tie plates from a first position to a second position along said conveyor;
- at least one magnet disposed at or near an end of said plurality of rollers and capable of magnetically sequentially engaging each tie plate of said plurality of tie plates as said each tie plate reaches a position of said conveyor adjacent to said at least one magnet;
- said plurality of tie plates are individually selectively released to fall from said at least one magnet to a location below said tie plate dispenser;
- an arm which is actuatable between a first position and a second position, wherein one of said first position or said second position is in a path that said each tie plate falls when selectively released from said at least one magnet;
- wherein said one of said first position or said second position causes said arm to engage each said tie plate along said path that each said tie plate falls.
3 more elements
A tie plate dispenser, comprising:
- a conveyor having a guide which sequentially moves tie plates from a first end toward a second end of said conveyor;
- a magnet disposed near said second end of said conveyor and configured to engage and retain each said tie plate near said second end of said conveyor;
- said magnet disposed at an elevation above said conveyor and configured to engage the tie plates that pass below said magnet;
- said magnet configured to release said tie plate at a preselected location along a falling path;
- an arm which is selectively actuatable along said falling path of each said tie plate, said arm movable between a first position and a second position, wherein in one of said first position or said second position said arm engages each said tie plate moving along said falling path;
- the arm causing each said tie plate to change orientation upon engagement.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.