US 2003/0198546 A1 · Package take-out apparatus, package container thereof and unwrapping apparatus

Abstract

A slide pack container housing a plurality of piled slide packs has a cut-off portion. The cut-off portion has a width slightly larger than the width of a slide contained in each slide pack. As a sucker of a package take-out apparatus draws one of the slide packs from the slide pack container through the cut-off portion, a sealed portion of the slide pack interfering with the edge of the cut-off portion is folded inward so that the slide pack is successfully taken out. The sucker transfers the slide pack to a separated unwrapping apparatus. The sucker releases the slide pack when the front edge of the slide pack is caught between paired rollers of the unwrapping apparatus. After a cutter makes a slit on the slide pack, the paired rollers transfer only a wrapping sheet to separate the wrapping sheet from the slide wrapped therewith.

Claims39

Dependent claims

A package take-out apparatus for taking out individual packages, each containing a solid object tightly wrapped with a wrapping sheet, piled and housed in a package container, each of said package including an unsealed space where the solid object is contained and a sealed portion surrounding the unsealed space, comprising

housing means for housing the package container, said package container having a cut-off portion on the top face or the bottom face thereof, wherein the width of the cut-off portion is slightly larger than the width of the solid object contained in each of the packages,
sucker means for sucking the package to take the package out of the package container through the cut-off portion,
sucker moving means for moving the sucker means, and
controlling means for controlling operations of the sucker means and the sucker controlling means by causing the sucker moving means to move the sucker means to a position near the cut-off portion of the package container, causing the sucker means to suck the package, and moving the sucker means to take the package out of the package container through the cut-off portion.

1 more element

An unwrapping apparatus for unwrapping a package containing a solid object tightly wrapped with a wrapping sheet, said package including an unsealed space where the solid object is contained and a sealed portion surrounding the unsealed space, comprising

paired rollers rotatable so that the package caught between the paired rollers is transferred along a predetermined transferring path,
displacing means for displacing the paired rollers so that the wrapping sheet of the package caught between the paired rollers is transferred along another path different from said predetermined transferring path,
a cutter located in front of the paired rollers along the predetermined transferring path for making a slit on the unsealed space at a position near the front edge of the package, and
controlling means for controlling operations of the paired rollers, the displacing means and the cutter by rotating the paired rollers in respective predetermined directions, suspending rotation of the paired rollers when the front edge of the package is caught between the paired rollers, causing the cutter to make the slit on the package, causing the displacing means to displace the paired rollers, and rotating the paired rollers in said predetermined directions so that only the wrapping sheet separated from the solid object is transferred along said another path different from said predetermined transferring path.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Package take-out apparatus, package container thereof and unwrapping apparatus

Life of this patent

Package take-out apparatus, package container thereof and unwrapping apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims39