Patent ID: 6371279
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: B65B,B65G

Abstract:
Apparatus for feeding objects uniformly to a conveyor of a wrapping machine, the apparatus comprising: a hopper having a floor pan and an upright peripheral wall, the floor pan having an opening for passing objects therethrough to said conveyor; a selector plate located adjacent to the floor pan and having a plurality of holes therethrough for loosely accommodating the objects; means for moving the selector plate to cause the objects to enter said holes and for causing said holes to be located selectively over the peripheral opening; a spring finger mounted in the peripheral wall and extending to engage and retain an object in the selected hole located over the peripheral opening; a piston located opposite a selected selector plate hole located over the peripheral opening, and timed actuator means for actuating the piston to push the object past the spring finger and through the peripheral opening.