Pledget loading apparatus
AssigneeSankin Engineering Company Limited
InventorSakuzo Yamazaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pledget loading apparatus for automatically applying a cut segment of a flocculent material such as absorbent cotton to the needle of an elongated needle instrument such as a dental probe needle instrument. The instrument is inserted into an instrument receiver unit to be loaded with such a pledget on the needle and is automatically conveyed into a position ready to be removed from the apparatus. A continuous length of flocculent material is stepwise supplied and cut into segments in an area suitable for being applied to the needle of the instrument.
Claims9
An apparatus for applying a cut segment of a flocculent material to an elongated needle instrument having a needle, comprising, in combination, an instrument receiver unit for receiving therein at least an axial portion of said needle instrument in such a manner that the needle of the instrument axially projects out of the receiver unit, said instrument receiver unit having an axial bore extending and laterally open throughout the length of the unit, thrust-out means operative to thrust the needle instrument laterally out of the axial bore in said instrument receiver unit into a predetermined first position laterally adjacent the receiver unit, transfer means operative to convey the needle instrument from said first position to a predetermined second position remote from the first position, supply means for storing a continuous length of flocculent material thereon and feeding a leading end portion of the continuous length of flocculent material to a predetermined delivery area into which the needle of said instrument is to axially extend when the instrument is received in said instrument receiver unit, and cutting means operative to cut said leading end portion into a segment in said delivery area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.