Object-turning apparatus for a high-speed strapping machine
AssigneeOvalstrapping, Inc.
InventorJames A. Pasic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An object is deposited at a strapping station on a high-speed, rapidly accelerating conveyor having a high-friction conveying surface. The object is raised off the high-friction surface by spaced tables having low-friction surfaces. Spaced, vertically downwardly extending bars engage opposite halves of opposite sides of the object and simultaneously move those halves transversely so as to rotate the object ninety degrees on the low-friction tables. A first strap is placed around the object before it is rotated; a second strap is placed around the object after it is rotated ninety degrees; then the conveyor accelerates the cross-strapped object rapidly out of the strapping station.
Claims16
An object-turning apparatus for a high-speed strapping and conveying machine, comprising:
- (a) conveying means having a high-friction conveying surface for rapidly moving an object into and out of a strapping station;
- (b) at least two object-turning members at the strapping station spaced on opposite sides of the conveying surface and longitudinally spaced along the conveying surface for engaging the object on opposite sides, one member engaging the forward half and the other engaging the rearward half of the object;
- (c) means for lifting the object off the conveying surface at the strapping station, the means having a low-friction surface to make rotation of the object easier;
- (d) strapping means for placing a first strap around the object at the strapping station, and thence a second strap around the object after the object is rotated;
- and
- (e) means for moving the object-turning members simultaneously from their initial positions on opposite sides of the lifting means toward the other side of the lifting means to engage and to rotate the object, and stop means for positioning the bundle in its rotated position whereby the object is rotated by the object-turning members into at least a three-point triangular engagement position on the lifting means.
In a bundle-strapping machine of the type having an infeed conveyor and an outfeed conveyor on opposite sides of a strapping station, strapping means located in part below the conveyors at the strapping station for placing a strap tightly around the bundle, and bundle-turning apparatus at the strapping station, comprising:
- a table having a bundle-supporting surface of lower friction than the conveyors,
- means for elevating the table to lift the bundle off the conveyors,
- downwardly depending turning posts spaced transversely and longitudinally of the conveyors at the strapping station,
- means for moving the posts transversely toward the center of the strapping station simultaneously for engaging the bundle and rotating the bundle,
- wherein each post includes a large area, elongated bundle-engaging surface with the length of the surface of at least one of the posts in the direction parallel to the side of the bundle extending on opposite sides of the centerline of the bundle when the bundle is turned whereby the bundle will be engaged at least at three spaced, triangularly located points, and means for stopping the rotation of the bundle whereby the triangulation and stopping of the bundle assures the bundle gets turned accurately ninety degrees.
A turning mechanism for rotating horizontally conveyed objects ninety degrees on a conveyor mechanism, comprising:
- (a) conveying means for moving the object along a path, including longitudinally and transversely spaced, high-friction conveyor surfaces, lifting means having a low-friction surface, and means for raising and lowering the lifting means to raise the object off the conveyor surfaces during rotation of the object;
- (b) first means for engaging and moving a forward half of one side of the object transversely of the conveyor means in a first direction,
- (c) second means for engaging and moving a rearward half of a second opposite side of the object transversely of the conveying means in a second direction opposite the first direction, either the first or second means also including a stop means for engaging the object in at least three triangularly positioned points, and
- (d) means for actuating the first and second means simultaneously whereby the object is turned and positioned in a single movement.
An apparatus for turning bundles of newspapers ninety degrees on a conveyor, comprising:
- (a) a conveyor for moving the bundle along a path;
- (b) first means for engaging and moving a forward half of one side of the object transversely of the conveyor means in a first direction;
- (c) second means for engaging and moving a rearward half of a second opposite side of the object transversely of the conveying means in a second direction opposite the first direction, either first or second means including stop means for engaging the object in at least three triangularly positioned points;
- and
- (d) means for actuating the first and second means simultaneously whereby the object is turned and positioned in a single movement,
- wherein the first and second means for engaging contact the bundle with surfaces that are substantially parallel to the sides of the bundle at the moment of contact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.