Container transport decelerator
AssigneeTension International, Inc.
InventorRobert Terzini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cylindrical prescription containers are propelled through a pneumatic transport system at high speeds by low pressure, high-velocity air. Upon arrival at destination stations within the transport system, curvilinear decelerators slow them by directing them through a plurality of curved paths where they dissipate momentum. Once slowed, the containers are deposited upon a moving conveyor to be staged into the next processing station at an even pace. The decelerators comprise curved vanes surrounding the container path, the vanes being held in a fixed, curvilinear relation to each other and the container by a series of yokes surrounding and engaging the vanes. The conveyor is driven by a servo motor controllable by the transport system to pace containers as needed by the next processing station.
Claims16
A container decelerator apparatus for slowing containers impelled through a container transport system between at least two container processing stations, the container transport system having pneumatic conduits through which the containers are impelled by low pressure, high speed air, the containers each having a body having a diameter sized to be slidably received within said pneumatic conduits and surrounding and enclosing an interior accessible through a sealable container opening, the decelerator comprising:
- an input chute coupled to an exit end of said pneumatic conduit;
- an output chute coupled to a downstream one of said at least two container processing stations;
- a plurality of elongate vanes, each vane having an inner edge and an outer edge and coupled in a curvilinear path between said input chute and said output chute;
- and
- a plurality of annular yokes disposed along and transverse to said plurality of elongate vanes, said annular yokes engaging said outer edges to hold said elongate vanes in fixed, parallel relation to each other along said curvilinear path.
A container decelerator apparatus for slowing containers impelled through a container transport system between at least two container processing stations, the container transport system having pneumatic conduits through which the containers are impelled by low pressure, high speed air, the containers each having a body having a diameter sized to be slidably received within said pneumatic conduits and surrounding and enclosing an interior accessible through a sealable container opening, the decelerator comprising:
- an input chute coupled to an exit end of said pneumatic conduit;
- an output chute coupled to a downstream one of said at least two container processing stations;
- a plurality of elongate vanes, each vane having an inner edge and an outer edge and coupled in a curvilinear path between said input chute and said output chute;
- a plurality of annular yokes disposed along and transverse to said plurality of elongate vanes, said annular yokes engaging said outer edges to hold said elongate vanes in fixed, parallel relation to each other along said curvilinear path;
- and
- a container conveyor coupled between said output chute and said at least two container processing stations, the container conveyor having
- a container support belt adapted to rotate around at least two pulleys to move a plurality of containers exiting from said output chute;
- and
- a motor coupled to one of said at least two pulleys and adapted to rotate the container support belt at a speed selected to urge said containers into said downstream one of said at least two container processing stations at a pace adapted to coordinate with a container processing speed of said downstream one of said at least two container processing stations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.