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US 5,330,169 AGranted
Apparatus and method for handling sheet material articles
AssigneeAM International, Inc.
InventorRichard B. Hawkes
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAM International, Inc.
InventorRichard B. Hawkes
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for use in handling sheet material articles includes a feed drum which is rotatable to sequentially pull sheet material articles from a hopper. A separator assembly includes a rotatable separator disk in which a plurality of gaps are formed. A plurality of suction applicator heads are rotatable with the separator disk relative to the hopper. Each of the suction applicator heads is aligned with a gap in the separator disk. During rotation of the separator disk and suction applicator heads together relative to the hopper, the suction applicator heads are operable to sequentially apply suction to lower side surfaces of lowermost sheet material article in the hopper. The feed drum pulls one sheet material article from the hopper while a next succeeding sheet material article in the hopper is engaged by a suction applicator head.
An apparatus for use in handling sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising hopper means for supporting a stack of sheet material articles, separator means for sequentially separating edge portions of sheet material articles from adjacent sheet material articles in the stack of sheet material articles in said hopper means, and feed means for sequentially feeding sheet material articles from said hopper means, said separator means including a rotatable separator disk having surface means for defining a plurality of gaps which extend through said separator disk, and a plurality of suction applicator heads which are rotatable with said separator disk relative to said hopper means, each of said suction applicator heads being aligned with a gap in said separator disk, each of said suction applicator heads including means for applying suction to a portion of a lowermost sheet material article in the stack of sheet material articles at the gap in said separator disk with which the suction applicator head is aligned.
An apparatus for use in handling sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising hopper means for supporting a stack of sheet material articles, feed means for sequentially pulling sheet material articles from said hopper means, and separator means for sequentially separating an edge portion of a sheet material article in said hopper means from a next succeeding sheet material article in said hopper means while a preceding sheet material article is being pulled from said hopper by said feed means, said separator means including a rotatable separator disk and a suction applicator which rotates with said separator disk and applies suction to a portion of a sheet material article in said hopper means while the preceding sheet material article is being pulled from said hopper means by said feed means.
A method for use in handling sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of pulling a first sheet material article from a hopper, said step of pulling a first sheet material article from a hopper including sliding an upper side surface of the first sheet material article along a lower side surface of a second sheet material article disposed in the hopper, rotating a separator disk and a suction applicator head together about a central axis of the separator disk, and applying suction to a portion of the lower side surface of the second sheet material article with the suction applicator head while rotating the separator disk and suction applicator head together about the central axis of the separator disk and while sliding the upper side surface of the first sheet material article along the lower side surface of the second sheet material article.
A method for use in handling sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of rotating a plurality of suction applicator heads and a separator disk together about a central axis of the separator disk, applying suction to a lower side surface of a first sheet material article in a stack of sheet material articles with a first one of the suction applicator heads while performing said step of rotating the plurality of suction applicator heads and separator disk together, thereafter, engaging an upper side surface of the first sheet material article with a lower side surface of the separator disk while continuing to perform said step of rotating the plurality of suction applicator heads and separator disk together, thereafter, gripping an edge portion of the first sheet material article and pulling the first sheet material article from the stack of sheet material articles, applying suction to a lower side surface of a second sheet material article in the stack of sheet material articles with a second one of the suction applicator heads while performing said step of rotating the plurality of suction applicator heads and separator disk together, engaging the upper side surface of the second sheet material article with a lower side surface of the separator disk while continuing to perform said step of rotating the plurality of suction applicator heads and separator disk together, and thereafter, gripping an edge portion of the second sheet material article and pulling the second sheet material article from the stack of sheet material articles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.