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US 4,108,319 AGranted
Glass accumulator
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorsKenneth J. Kacirek, Jack E. Rust
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A glass accumulator includes a first pair and a second pair of helically threaded rotating shafts angled away from each other. The first and second pair of shafts are rotated in opposite directions to vertically displace glass sheets from a horizontal conveyor and accumulate the glass sheets at the top of the shafts. Angling the pair of shafts away from each other minimizes contact between surfaces of the helical threads and the glass sheets.
Claims13
Sheet accumulator, comprising:
- means for advancing a sheet to be stacked along a predetermined path;
- means for engaging marginal edge portions of the sheet at a distance spaced from adjacent peripheral edge portions of the sheet and for maintaining the sheet portions between the engaged marginal edge portions and adjacent peripheral edge portions free of surface contact;
- and
- means for moving said engaging means to displace the sheet by said engaging means relative to the predetermined path while continually maintaining portions between the engaged marginal edge portions and adjacent peripheral edge portions of the sheet free of surface contact during sheet displacement.
1 more element
Sheet accumulator, comprising:
- a first, second, third and fourth threaded shaft each having an axial center;
- a base;
- means for rotatably mounting said shafts on said base such that the axial center of said first and second shafts are generally parallel to one another and subtend an oblique angle with a line normal to said base and the axial center of said third and fourth shafts are generally parallel to one another and subtend an oblique angle with a line normal to the base to sequentially engage marginal edge portions of the sheet while spaced from adjacent peripheral edge portions of the sheet;
- and
- means acting on said shafts for rotating said shafts to sequentially engage marginal edge portions of the sheet.
2 more elements
A method of accumulating sheets, comprising:
- advancing sheet along an article movement path into a predetermined position;
- engaging the sheet in the predetermined position at positions on the marginal edge portions of the sheet spaced from adjacent peripheral edge portions while the surface portions of the sheet between the engaged portions and adjacent peripheral edge portions are free of surface contact to displace the sheet away from the predetermined position;
- continuously engaging the sheet at positions on the marginal edge portions while maintaining the surface portions of the sheet between the engaged portions and adjacent peripheral edge portions free of surface contact as the sheet is moved into a stacking position;
- and
- repeating the above steps for each sheet in the predetermined positions.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.