Divider screws
AssigneeThe Mead Corporation
InventorsJack S. Cooley, Roger A. Ziecker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus for dividing a single row of articles into two rows comprises a pair of complementary closely spaced parallel screws arranged to receive a single row of articles from an infeed conveyor so that alternate articles are engaged by the thread of each screw and moved laterally into the groove of the other screw to form two rows of articles, the thread of one screw being cut away at the outfeed end thereof, an outfeed conveyor arranged to receive articles from the outfeed end of the screws and to move the articles at a velocity approximately one-half the velocity of movement of the articles longitudinally between the screws so that the two rows of articles are automatically aligned transversely, and a dead plate interposed between the infeed and outfeed conveyors.
Claims14
Apparatus for dividing a single row of articles into two rows, said apparatus comprising a pair of complementary closely spaced parallel screws arranged with the spiral thread of one screw in coincidental relation with the spiral groove of the other screw, and means for rotating said screws so that alternate articles of a row of articles fed to the infeed ends of said screws and along a longitudinal path parallel to the axes thereof are engaged by the thread of each screw and moved laterally into the groove of the other screw to form two rows of articles and the thread of at least one of said screws being modified at the outfeed end thereof so as to render said one screw less effective to impart longitudinal movement to an article at the outfeed end thereof than the other screw and thereby transversely to align adjacent articles in the two rows with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.