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US 3,955,680 AGranted
Apparatus and method for segregating different size articles
AssigneeFairchild Industries, Inc.
InventorBernard C. Botula
Life of this patent
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AssigneeFairchild Industries, Inc.
InventorBernard C. Botula
Estimating the term…
An apparatus and method for segregating different size articles in which the articles to be segregated are transported along a moving canted conveyor and permitted to slide onto the upper end of an inclined chute which has a divider located substantially parallel to the long axis of the chute. The shape and location of the divider causes the smaller size articles to be directed to one side of the divider and larger size articles to be directed to the other side of the divider. The segregated different size articles then pass to different portions of a second chute which is at a lesser incline than the first chute and this serves to reduce the speed of the articles. The segregated articles are contained in separate portions of the second chute by compact gates which can be individually activated to permit the segregated articles to slide off the lower end of the second chute.
An apparatus for segregating different size articles with an inclined chute and means located adjacent to the upper end of the chute for causing the articles to be segregated to be moved onto the upper end portion of the chute, wherein the improvement comprises segregating means located on said chute for impacting with at least some of the articles which are to be segregated and for segregating the articles as a function of article size and velocity, said segregating means including an elongated protuberance having at least one inclined side surface for coming into contact with at least some of the articles being segregated, a second inclined chute having its upper end portion located adjacent to the lower end portion of said first chute, said second chute being inclined at a lesser angle than said first chute, means located in said second chute for keeping the articles which have been separated confined to separate portions of said second chute, and separate gate means located at the lower end portion of said second chute for retaining the separated articles in separate portions of the lower end of said second chute.
An apparatus for segregating different size articles with an inclined chute having an upper end portion with two edges, wherein the improvement comprises segregating means located on said chute for impacting with at least some of the articles which are to be segregated and for segregating the articles as a function of article size and velocity, said segregating means including an elongated protuberance having at least one inclined side surface for coming into contact with at least some of the articles being segregated, said protuberance being located between the edge of the chute which is located closest to the articles which are to be segregated and the centerline of the chute, and movable conveying means located adjacent to the upper end portion of said inclined chute, said movable conveying means being tilted toward the upper end portion of said inclined chute for permitting the different size articles to move off of said movable conveying means and onto the upper end portion of said inclined chute.
A method for segregating different size articles comprising the steps of providing a canted moving conveyor and an inclined chute having a divider located thereon and an upper end portion located adjacent to said canted moving conveyor, causing the articles to be segregated to move on said canted moving conveyor, causing the articles to be segregated which are located on said moving conveyor to move off of said moving conveyor and onto the upper end portion of said chute and then causing the articles to separate into two paths as a function of article size and velocity through the use of said chute and said divider and adjusting the size of the article about which segregation takes place by changing the velocity of said articles as they move onto the upper end portion of said chute from said canted conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.