Shuttle drive assembly

A shuttle drive assembly (10) having a base (12) and comprising:

• a support frame (16) carried by said base (12) and having an article-receiving opening (32) in the midportion therein, said support frame (16) having a cutout segment providing an access passage (38) into said article-receiving opening (32) therein,
• a shuttle (22) having an article-receiving opening (108) in the midportion thereof, said shuttle (22) having a cutout segment providing an access passage (106) into said article-receiving opening (108) therein, said opening (108) and passage (106) in said shuttle (22) being alignable with the opening (32) and passage (38) in said frame (16) for receiving a toroidal-shaped article (24) in said aligned openings (108,32) through the aligned access passages (38, 106) in said frame (16) and said shuttle (22),
• means (85,87) for supporting and rotatably driving said shuttle (22), said means (85,87) including a drive roll assembly carried by said frame (16) and having drive rollers (82), mating means (115) for engaging with said drive rollers (82), said mating being mounted on said shuttle (22) and disengaging from each of said drive rollers (82) during a portion of each full rotation of said shuttle (22),
• a motor (140), and
• motion transmission means (192, 191, 190, 186, 188) for connecting said drive roll assembly means (85, 87) to said motor (140) for rotatably driving said shuttle (22) relative to said frame (16) in a plane substantially transverse to said toroidal-shaped article (24),
• said drive roll assembly means (85,87) comprising a plurality of long drive roll assemblies (87) and a plurality of short drive roll assemblies (85), each short drive roll assembly (85) having one pulley (84) on one side of the frame (16) and a roller (92) on the other side of said frame (16).

In a shuttle drive assembly (10) having a base (12), a support frame (16) carried by the base (12) and having a first article-receiving opening (32) in the midportion thereof, said support frame (16) has an entrance passage (38) opening into said first article-receiving opening (32) therein, and motor means (140) for rotatably driving said shuttle, said motor means (14) for rotatably driving said shuttle, said motor means being mounted on said base (12) in combination:

• a shuttle (22) having a circular body portion (105) with a second article-receiving opening (108) in the midportion thereof, said shuttle (22) having an entrance passage (106) opening into said second article-receiving opening (108) therein, said second article-receiving opening (108) in the shuttle (22) being alignable with said first article-receiving opening (32) in the frame (16) for receiving a toroidal-shaped article (24) through the aligned entrance passages (38,106) in the frame (16) and in the shuttle (22) and for positioning said toroidal-shaped article (24) in the first and second article-receiving openings (32, 108) in said frame (16) and shuttle (22), and for positioning said toroidal-shaped article (24) in the aligned first and second article-receiving openings (32, 108) in said frame (16) and shuttle (22),
• a C-shaped track (115) on said shuttle (22) having an entrance passage aligned with said shuttle entrances passage (106),
• drive roll means (85,87) for supporting and rotatably driving said shuttle (22), said drive roller means (85,87) being carried by the frame (16) and including rollers (92) engaging with and supporting said track (115), and
• means (192, 191, 190, 188, 186) for operatively connecting said motor means (140) with said drive roll means (85,87) for rotatably driving said shuttle (22) relative to said frame (16) in a plane transverse to a mid-circumferential plane of said toroidal-shaped article (24),
• said drive roll assembly means (85, 87) comprising a plurality of long drive roll assemblies (87) and a plurality of short drive roll assemblies (85).