US 9,415,948 B1Granted

Method for stabilizing bottles for pattern forming and related device

AssigneeSEETECH Systems, Inc.

InventorsVictor Howard Burchell, James Harper Moffitt

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Abstract

A method of forming on a moving conveyor belt an article layer formed from multiple article row sets includes capturing the article row sets between adjacent pairs of fences to stabilize the articles while forming the article layer. An article stabilizing device for carrying out the method includes a number of individually movable fences that move between standby and operating positions to capture the article rows sets.

Claims26

Dependent claims

An article stabilizer device for stabilizing articles being accumulated on a moving conveyor belt, the article stabilizer device comprising:

a frame;
a plurality of fences movably attached to the frame, each fence being independently and selectively movable with respect to the frame from a first standby position to an operating position, the plurality of fences being movable with respect to the frame from the operating position to a second standby position, the plurality of fences being movable with respect to the frame from the second standby position to the first standby position;
the article stabilizer device being in a first operating state when the fences are each in the first standby position and in a second operating state when the fences are each in the operating position and in a third operating state when the fences are each in the second standby position;
when the article stabilizer device is in the second operating state, the fences being spaced apart from each other and defining a conveyor path with respect to the frame extending in a downstream direction along the fences, the fences being adapted to obstruct articles being conveyed by the conveyor belt along the conveyor path when the conveyor path is located adjacent the conveyor belt, the fences being spaced apart from one another wherein adjacent pairs of fences cooperatively define an accumulation area between them along the conveyor path to permit articles on the conveyor path to be captured and retained in the accumulation area between the adjacent pairs of fences;
when the article stabilizer device is in the first operating state or the third operating state, the fences being spaced away from the conveyor path so as to not obstruct articles being conveyed by the conveyor belt when the conveyor path is located adjacent the conveyor belt;
each upstream fence of the adjacent pairs of fences being movable from the first standby position to the operating position without entering the accumulation space cooperatively defined between the upstream fence and the adjacent downstream fence of the adjacent pair of fences;
and
each fence being movable from the operating position of the fence to the second standby position of the fence without entering any accumulation area cooperatively defined by the fence.

5 more elements

A method for forming on a moving conveyor belt an article layer formed of a plurality of article row sets, each article row set formed from one or more rows of articles, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) conveying on the conveyor belt an article row set in a downstream direction to a fence extending across the conveyor belt and being disposed to obstruct further downstream movement of articles on the convey belt;
(b) when the article row set reaches the fence obstructing further downstream movement of the article row set, placing an additional fence across the conveyor belt adjacent a last upstream row of the article row set wherein the article row set is captured between the fence and the additional fence, the additional fence being disposed to obstruct further downstream movement of articles on the conveyor belt;
(c) if the article layer is not complete, conveying an additional article row set on the conveyor belt in the downstream direction towards the most upstream fence obstructing the conveyor belt;
(d) repeating steps (a), (b), and (c) until the article row set is complete and all the article row sets are captured between adjacent pairs of fences;
(e) after the article layer is complete, moving all but the most downstream fence away from the conveyor belt to a standby position, the fences when in the standby positions not obstructing further downstream movement of the article layer on the conveyor belt;
(f) after performing step (e), moving the most downstream fence away from the conveyor belt to a standby position wherein the most downstream fence does not obstruct downstream movement of the article layer on conveyor belt;
and
(g) after performing step (f), conveying the article layer on the conveyor belt past the most downstream fence.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

An article stabilizer device for stabilizing articles being accumulated on a moving conveyor belt, the article stabilizer device comprising:

a frame;
a plurality of fences movably attached to the frame, each fence being independently and selectively movable with respect to the frame from a first standby position to an operating position, the plurality of fences being movable with respect to the frame from the operating position to a second standby position, the plurality of fences being movable with respect to the frame from the second standby position to the first standby position;
the article stabilizer device being in a first operating state when the fences are each in the first standby position and in a second operating state when the fences are each in the operating position and in a third operating state when the fences are each in the second standby position;
when the article stabilizer device is in the second operating state, the fences being spaced apart from each other and defining a conveyor path with respect to the frame extending in a downstream direction along the fences, the fences being adapted to obstruct articles being conveyed by the conveyor belt along the conveyor path when the conveyor path is located adjacent the conveyor belt, the fences being spaced apart from one another wherein adjacent pairs of fences cooperatively define an accumulation area between them along the conveyor path to permit articles on the conveyor path to be captured and retained in the accumulation area between the adjacent pairs of fences;
when the article stabilizer device is in the first operating state or the third operating state, the fences being spaced away from the conveyor path so as to not obstruct articles being conveyed by the conveyor belt when the conveyor path is located adjacent the conveyor belt;
each upstream fence of the adjacent pairs of fences being movable from the first standby position to the operating position without entering the accumulation space cooperatively defined between the upstream fence and the adjacent downstream fence of the adjacent pair of fences;
and
each fence being movable from the operating position of the fence to the second standby position of the fence without entering any accumulation area cooperatively defined by the fence.

5 more elements