US 7,850,403 B2Granted

Finishing machines used to orient objects

AssigneeSidel Participations

InventorsStéphane Lorange, Samuel Mathis, Emmanuel Roth, Gilles Waeldin

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Abstract

An improvement to finishing machines that are used to orient objects. The finishing machine includes a hopper for receiving loose objects, such as lids, and an endless belt for extracting the lids from the hopper. The belt moves vertically upwards with the lids and sorts the lids automatically, such that only correctly-oriented lids are retained. The machine is also equipped with a combined system for ejecting and conveying oriented lids, including: a plate which covers the upper part of the belt and which extends laterally beyond the belt, downstream thereof, in order to support the lids as they are ejected from the grooves in the belt; devices for ejecting the lids from the grooves and for subsequently conveying same beyond the grooves downstream, the ejection devices including jets of propellant fluid which pass through the plate by an arrangement of eyes; and a casing which is disposed on the plate and into which the propellant fluid is introduced and maintained under pressure by a turbine, the casing extending over the entire surface of the plate. In addition, the downstream part of the casing includes a routing conveyor with an adjustable height, which transports the oriented lids toward the use stations.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A finishing machine comprising a hopper for receiving loose caps, and an endless belt having laths for extracting said caps from said hopper, wherein the caps are lodged in grooves bounded by said laths and said belt after extraction from said hopper, wherein said belt moves vertically with said caps to automatically sort said caps to retain only the caps having a proper orientation,

wherein the machine further comprises a combined system for ejecting and conveying said oriented caps, said combined system comprising:
a plate which covers several adjacent grooves of said belt in which said oriented caps are located, said plate forming a screen on said belt and extending laterally, downstream beyond said belt, to direct said oriented caps as they are ejected from said grooves;
means for ejecting said oriented caps from their grooves and for subsequently conveying them downstream beyond said grooves, said ejection means comprising jets of propellant fluid which pass through said plate through eye shaped arrangements, said jets being oriented downstream, on said caps;
a casing constructed on said plate and into which said propellant fluid is introduced and maintained under pressure by suitable means to serve as a driving agent to eject and entrain said oriented caps, said casing extending over the entire surface of said plate and comprising, in its downstream part, means for accommodating and attaching a routing conveyor which prolongs said casing and routes said caps, with some continuity
wherein the means which prolong the grooves and which directs the oriented caps, comprise an intermediate conveyor, said intermediate conveyor comprising a continuous channel divided into several parts:
-a first part acting as an inlet, arranged in a V shape, located facing the downstream end of said grooves of said belt at the ejection zone, and subsequently, a second part forming a leader for the routing conveyor, said routing conveyor prolonging said intermediate conveyor and, with a propellant fluid, transporting said oriented caps.

3 more elements

wherein the machine further comprises a combined system for ejecting and conveying said oriented caps, said combined system comprising:
a plate which covers several adjacent grooves of said belt in which said oriented caps are located, said plate forming a screen on said belt and extending laterally, downstream beyond said belt, to direct said oriented caps as they are ejected from said grooves;
a fluid system that ejects said oriented caps from their grooves and subsequently conveys them downstream beyond said grooves, said fluid system comprising jets of propellant fluid which pass through said plate through eye shaped arrangements, said jets being oriented downstream, on said caps;
a casing constructed on said plate and into which said propellant fluid is introduced and maintained under pressure by nozzles to serve as a driving agent to eject and entrain said oriented caps, said casing extending over the entire surface of said plate and comprising, in its downstream part, a system for accommodating and attaching a routing conveyor which prolongs said casing and routes said caps, with some continuity
wherein the system which prolong the grooves and which directs the oriented caps, comprise an intermediate conveyor, said intermediate conveyor comprising a continuous channel divided into several parts:
—a first part acting as an inlet, arranged in a V shape, located facing the downstream end of said grooves of said belt at the ejection zone, and subsequently, a second part forming a leader for the routing conveyor, said routing conveyor prolonging said intermediate conveyor and, with a propellant fluid, transporting said oriented caps.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/666,233Filed 21 Oct 2005
Priority: FR 04 1133325 Oct 2004
Published: US 2008/0314716 A125 Dec 2008
Granted: 14 Dec 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

B65G 51/03
Directly conveying the articles, e.g. slips, sheets, stockings, containers or workpieces, by flowing gases: over a flat surface or in troughs
B67B 3/0645
From a hopper: with means for orientating the caps to a position ready to be applied to the container
B65G
Transport or storage devices
B67B
Applying closure members to bottles jars, or similar containers