System for transferring articles
AssigneeNestec S.A.
InventorHans K. Larsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Emptying bowls are transported by an intermittently traveling endless conveyor having an upper run for transporting the bowls in an upright position and a lower run for transporting the bowls in an inverted position. A belt which travels intermittently in synchrony with the conveyor is positioned to contact and cover the open tops of the bowls for retaining contents of the bowls therein as the bowls are transported from an upright position on the upper run to an inverted position on the lower run. The belt is retracted at a position beneath the lower run when the conveyor is stationary to release the contents from the bowls.
Claims12
An article transfer apparatus comprising:
- an endless conveyor having an upper run for transporting emptying bowls having an open top in an upright position and a lower run for transporting the bowls in an inverted position;
- means for intermittently advancing the endless conveyor;
- a belt positioned to cover open tops of the bowls transported from an upright position on the upper conveyor run to and in an inverted position on the lower conveyor run for retaining contents of the bowls therein;
- means for intermittently advancing the belt in synchrony with the endless conveyor;
- means for retracting the belt from the bowls at a position on the lower conveyor run to uncover an inverted bowl to release the contents from the bowl;
- and
- means positioned for receiving the contents released from the uncovered bowls.
A process for transferring non-liquid articles comprising:
- intermittently transporting emptying bowls, which have an open top and which have contents contained therein, on an endless conveyor so that the bowls are transported on an upper run of the conveyor in an upright position and on a lower run of the conveyor in an inverted position;
- intermittently advancing a belt in synchrony with the conveyor and bowls to contact and to cover the open tops of the bowls transported from an upright position on the upper conveyor run to and in an inverted position on the lower conveyor run for retaining the contents in the bowls therein;
- feeding a receiving means to a position beneath the lower conveyor run and belt;
- and
- retracting the belt at a position above the receiving means at a time when the endless conveyor is stationary to uncover inverted bowls to release the contents from the bowls into the receiving means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.