Device and system for handling of dental workpieces
Assignee3M Innovatives Properties Company
InventorsSebastian Guggenmos, Michael Knee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for handling workpieces. The device has a magazine (12) for holding at least one workpiece, and a delivery location (10). The device is retainable in the magazine by a retainer (s) (43) in the delivery location and displaceable to a position in which the workpiece because of its shape releases the retainer (s) so that the workpiece is free for being removed from the magazine. The device may provide for easy handling of workpieces and may be manufactured cost effectively.
Claims36
A device for handling workpieces, the device comprising:
- a magazine for holding at least one workpiece,
- the magazine having a guiding section for guiding a workpiece in a feed direction toward a delivery location of the magazine in which the workpiece is displaceable in a transfer direction between a first position and a second position,
- the magazine comprising at least one retainer at the delivery location,
- wherein in the first position the retainer(s) engage(s) the workpiece and restrains the workpiece in the feed direction, and
- in the second position the workpiece is enabled to bypass the retainer(s) in the feed direction.
The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein in the guiding section the workpiece is movable in the feed direction, but displacement of the workpiece in the transfer direction is restricted.
The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the guiding section is adapted to restrict displacement of the workpiece in other directions transverse to the feed direction.
The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the guiding section is adapted to hold a workpiece in place in the guiding section relative to another workpiece in the delivery location that is displaceable in the transfer direction.
The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the retainer(s) is/are adapted to engage with (a) protrusion(s) of the workpiece in the first position.
The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the retainer(s) in the transfer direction is/are shorter than the length of the workpiece in the same direction.
The device of any of the preceding claims, comprising at least two retainers positioned on opposite sides of the delivery location.
The device of any of the preceding claims, comprising a workpiece.
The device of any of the preceding claims, comprising a stack of workpieces.
The device of any of the preceding claims, wherein in the delivery location the workpiece is further displaceable in the transfer direction between the first position and an alternative second position, wherein in the alternative second position the workpiece is enabled to bypass the retainer(s) which allows the workpiece to be removed from the magazine in the feed direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.