US 5,996,768 A · Quick change drum

Abstract

A quick change drum for receiving and orienting pellet-like items in a pellet marking machine is disclosed. The quick change drum comprises a central shaft with two end plates perpendicularly attached to the ends of the shaft in parallel spaced apart relationship. A multiplicity of carrier bars are demountably attached to the end plates and span the space between the end plates forming a substantially continuous cylindrical surface. Each carrier bar has at least one concavity, preferably a multiplicity of concavities, disposed in its outwardly facing surface, the concavity or concavities being matched to a particular pellet-like item size and shape. The carrier bars are demountably attached to the end plates, preferably by bolts, but may also be attached by means of quick connect/disconnect devices which allow more rapid and efficient replacement of the carrier bars.

Claims35

Dependent claims

In a device for receiving, orienting, conveying and imprinting an intelligence on a series of pellet-like items, a readily assemblable and disassemblable rotatable drum comprising:

a first end member;
a second end member arranged in a substantially parallel spaced apart relation to said first end member;
a multiplicity of carrier bars spanning the space between said first and said second end members, each bar having an outwardly oriented face having at least one concavity for holding a pellet-like item, each bar being manually demountably attached to said first and said second end members;
and
means for rotatably mounting said drum.

2 more elements

In a device for receiving, orienting, conveying and imprinting an intelligence on a series of pellet-like items, a readily assemblable and disassemblable rotatable drum comprising:

an elongated shaft;
a first end plate having a perimeter, and a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced radially oriented holes disposed around said perimeter, said first end plate being attached to said shaft, said shaft being oriented substantially perpendicular to the plane of said first end plate;
a second end plate having a perimeter and a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced radially oriented holes disposed around said perimeter, said second end plate being attached to said shaft in a substantially parallel spaced apart relation to said first end plate;
a multiplicity of elongated carrier bars demountably attached to said perimeters of said first and second end plates, each carrier bar having an outwardly oriented face having at least one concavity for holding a pellet-like item, said carrier bars extending between said first and second end plates, said carrier bars each having at least two mounting holes, said mounting holes aligning with said radially oriented holes in said first and second end plates;
means for securing said carrier bars to said first and second end plates by engaging said mounting holes in said carrier bars and said radially oriented holes in said end plates;
and
means for rotatably mounting said drum.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Quick change drum

Life of this patent

Quick change drum

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35