Method and apparatus for transporting pellet-shaped articles
AssigneeAckley Machine Corporation
InventorsE. Michael Ackley, Vincent M. DeLuccia, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A carrier bar to convey at least one pellet-shaped article along a predetermined conveyer path in a direction of travel, the carrier bar comprises at least one pocket adapted to receive a pellet-shaped article and each pocket having a pocket wall, and a product settling area included in each pocket and having a dimple defined in the product settling area by an edge, said dimple adapted to seat the bottom side of the pellet-shaped article, wherein said dimple is offset from a center of said product settling area and said dimple is shaped to position, hold, or bias a portion of the pellet-shaped article towards and/or against a portion of the pocket wall.
Claims68
A carrier bar to convey at least one pellet-shaped article along a predetermined conveyer path in a direction of travel, the carrier bar comprising:
- at least one pocket adapted to receive a pellet-shaped article and each pocket having a pocket wall;
- and
- a product settling area included in each pocket and having a dimple defined by an edge, said dimple adapted to seat a bottom side of the pellet-shaped article,
- wherein said dimple is offset from a center of said product settling area and said dimple is shaped to position, hold, or bias a portion of the pellet-shaped article towards and/or against a portion of the pocket wall, and
- wherein the dimple is separated around its entire perimeter from the pocket wall by a surface of the product settling area.
A carrier bar to convey at least one pellet-shaped article along a predetermined conveyer path in a direction of travel, the carrier bar comprising:
- at least one pocket having at least one pocket axis and each pocket is adapted to receive a pellet-shaped article;
- and
- a product settling area included in each one pocket and having a dimple defined by an edge, said dimple adapted to seat a bottom side of the pellet-shaped article and having at least one dimple axis, wherein said at least one pocket axis and said at least one dimple axis are offset from one another.
A method for transporting and processing a pellet-shaped article, the method comprising:
- conveying the pellet-shaped article within a pocket of a carrier bar along a direction of travel such that the pellet-shaped article seats in a dimple offset from a center of said pocket,
- wherein said dimple has a dimple axis and the pocket has a pocket axis, said pocket axis and said dimple axis being offset from one another.
A conveyor apparatus for processing pellet-shaped articles in a conveyor along a direction of travel and having at least one processing station, the conveyor apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of pockets provided to the conveyor, each pocket adapted to releasably retain a pellet-shaped article, each pocket comprising:
- a pocket wall;
- and
- a product settling area included in each pocket and having a dimple defined by an edge, said dimple adapted to seat a bottom side of the pellet-shaped article,
- wherein said dimple is offset from a center of said product settling area and said dimple is shaped to position, hold, or bias a portion of the pellet-shaped article towards and/or against a portion of the pocket wall, and
- wherein a surface of the product settling area surrounds the dimple.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.