Apparatus for separating and orienting pouched articles
OwnerDavid A. Jonesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for separating flexible packages has a first stage. The first stage has an inclined conveyor having a lower end for receiving flexible packages and an upper end. The inclined conveyor has an inclination sufficient for causing an overlying flexible package to slide relatively to an underlying flexible package as the flexible packages travel from the lower end to the upper end. A drum is rotatably mounted for receiving the flexible packages from the upper end. The drum has a plurality of radially extending resilient paddles for successively engaging and carrying the flexible packages as the drum rotates. The successive engagements and rotation vibratingly separate the flexible packages and discharges a stream of substantially separated flexible packages.
Claims17
An apparatus for separating flexible packages having a first stage comprising:
- an inclined conveyor having a lower end for receiving said flexible packages and an upper end, said inclined conveyor having an inclination sufficient for causing an overlying flexible package to slide relatively to an underlying flexible package as said flexible packages travel from the lower end to the upper end, and
- a drum rotatably mounted for receiving said flexible packages from said upper end, said drum having a plurality of radially extending resilient paddles for successively engaging and carrying said flexible packages as said drum rotates, said successive engagements and rotation vibratingly separating said flexible packages and discharging a stream of substantially separated flexible packages.
An apparatus for separating flexible packages having a plurality of stages operably connected together to serially process the flexible packages along a path moving from an upstream end to a downstream end, each of said stages having
- an inclined conveyor having a lower end for receiving flexible packages from an upstream side of the path and an upper end, said inclined conveyor having an inclination sufficient for causing overlying flexible packages to slide relatively to underlying flexible packages as the flexible packages travel from the lower end to the upper end,
- a drum rotatably mounted for receiving the flexible packages from the upper end, said drum having a plurality of radially extending resilient paddles for successively engaging and carrying the flexible packages as the drum rotates, said successive engagements and rotation vibratingly separating the flexible packages and discharging substantially separated flexible packages to a downstream side of the path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.