Product unit-delivery apparatus
AssigneeIdeanamics, LLC
InventorsAlfred J. Kobacker, II, George Hartig, Jeffrey L. Spring, Gary P. Zimmerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The product unit-delivery apparatus of the present invention is basically comprised of a product unit-feeder subassembly, a co-operating product unit-picker subassembly, a continuously operating electric drive motor, a drive train which intermittently and simultaneously provides the power output of the apparatus electric drive motor to the unit-feeder and unit-picker subassemblies, and adjustment components for readily adapting the apparatus to the picking of product units having different heights, different widths, or different thicknesses at very high product unit picking rates.
Claims15
Product unit-delivery apparatus that incrementally selects and delivers different quantities of a product unit from a stack of product units in response to computer-controlled apparatus input signals received from an automated order filling system, and comprising, in combination:
- an adjustable-width apparatus product delivery gap having a pair of opposed sides;
- an apparatus product delivery chute co-operating with said adjustable-width apparatus product delivery gap;
- a product unit-feeder subassembly contiguous to and defining the position of one side of said adjustable-width apparatus product delivery gap, having a conveyor belt which supports a group of staked product units, and having a unit-feeder drive which incrementally advances said multiple conveyor belts toward said apparatus product delivery gap;
- a product unit-picker subassembly contiguous to and defining the position of the other side of said adjustable-width apparatus product delivery gap, having multiple product-picker flights which move on a path that intersects said adjustable-width apparatus product delivery gap, and having a unit-picker drive which incrementally advances said multiple product-picker flights in response to a received apparatus electrical/electronic input signal and into contact with product units supported and advanced by said product unit-feeder subassembly;
- and
- an apparatus drive having an intermittently activated/deactivated clutch means that movably power said product unit-feeder subassembly unit-feeder drive and said product unit-picker subassembly unit-picker drive, said product unit-picker subassembly multiple product-picker flights, when incrementally and sequentially advanced by said product unit-picker subassembly unit-picker drive and said apparatus drive means, causing rapid sequential downward movement of a computer-controlled number of product units through said apparatus product adjustable-width delivery gap and into said apparatus delivery chute.
An apparatus that is for intermittently picking and delivering product units from a stack of product units and that has a feeder conveyor which supports and feeds the stack of product units toward a product unit stop and a picker conveyor which has movable flights that intermittently contact and remove individual product units from the product unit stack, in combination, a product unit delivery gap positioned intermediate said feeder conveyor and said product unit stop and through which product units and said picker conveyor flights pass when delivering product units.
In a method of operating a product unit-delivery apparatus having incrementally moved multiple product-picker flights that sequentially pick and transport for delivery a product unit from a stack of product units, the step of causing each said product-picker flight to initially contact its respective product unit with near-zero velocity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.