Apparatus and method for separating articles on a conveyor
AssigneeSimplimatic Engineering Company
InventorJames F. Murphy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for conveying a series of articles along a conveyor path freely disposed on a conveyor surface while maintaining protective article-to-article separation. The method comprises the steps of introducing each article one at a time in a series to the conveyor surface, alternating the introducing of the articles with introduction to the conveyor surface of at least one relatively noncompressible and inelastic spacer freely disposed between adjacent articles in the series for separating the adjacent articles from each other, and conveying the series of articles alternated with the spacer on either side thereof along the conveyor, the articles being free to contact the spacer but not any other article in the series.
Claims19
A method for conveying a series of articles along an endless conveyor path freely disposed on an endless conveyor surface having an upper run while maintaining protective article-to-article separation, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) moving an article from an article storage zone onto said endless conveyor surface;
- (b) moving a noncompressible and inelastic protective means from a supply storage zone onto the endless conveyor surface for providing a freely disposed member directly adjacent the article;
- (c) alternatingly repeating steps (a) and (b) to provide a continuous series of articles with noncompressible and inelastic protective means alternatingly dispersed between each article, for protecting and separating said articles;
- and
- (d) conveying said series of articles alternated with said protective means on either side thereof along said endless conveyor surface, said articles being free to contact said protective means but not any other article in said series.
Apparatus for conveying a series of articles along a conveyor path freely disposed on a conveyor surface while maintaining protective separation between adjacent ones of said articles in said series, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) an endless conveying surface having an upper run extending along said path and having guide members associated therewith, said guide members in combination with said surface defining said path dimensioned for accepting said articles in a series in single file therein;
- (b) means for receiving said articles onto said upper run of said conveying surface in contact therewith;
- (c) means for buffering adjacent articles in said single file each from the other, said buffering means being relatively inelastic and noncompressible and introducible to said receiving means in freely disposed contact with said conveying surface, said buffering means for abutting adjacent articles on either side of said buffering means in a manner nondestructive to said articles;
- and
- (d) means for introducing at least one of said buffering means to said receiving means in alternation with each said article, in said series;
- thereby providing a procession of articles alternated with at least one buffering means in single file along said conveyor path.
A spacer for maintaining separation between articles being conveyed in a series on a conveyor surface along a conveyor path, said spacer comprising at least one generally cylindrical member formed along a cylindrical axis, said member having one end surface positionable on said conveyor surface to carry said spacer along said path in a generally upright orientation, said end surface corresponding to at least a portion of a plane perpendicular to said axis, said member further comprising at least one outer surface perpendicular to said end surface for abutting both upstream and downstream adjacent articles to maintain protective separation of adjacent articles in the series, said outer surface further including a first cylindrical surface having diameter d.sub.1, and also a second cylindrical surface having diameter d.sub.2, wherein d.sub.1 >d.sub.2, said first cylindrical surface for abutting said articles and said second cylindrical surface being restrained by said first cylindrical surface from abutting said article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.