Product orienter

Abstract: A product orienting and loading system includes a powered disk conveyor (61) which receives product to be oriented from an infeed conveyor (40). A turntable (70) is parallel to the support plane of the disk conveyor and is movable between a lowered position below the support plane and a raised position above the support plane and accommodating rotation of the turntable to orient the product. The turntable has cruciform slots for respectively receiving the disks to allow the turntable to pass to its lowered position in any of several rotational orientations spaced 90° apart. The reoriented product is transferred to an endless window conveyor (120) overlying a container supported at a loading level of a loading station (110). A counter-rotating pusher (130) shifts the product through the window of the window conveyor into the container while the window conveyor moves the container in a discharge direction. Empty containers are delivered to the loading station at a delivery level from which a first elevator lifts them to a standby level and then to an access level, from which they are picked up by a second elevator and carried to the loading level.

Description: Background of the Invention Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to improvements in apparatus orienting articles to a proper loading orientation and for loading articles into a container. More specifically, the invention relates to the loading of pliable packages of fragile items, such as bakery goods, into containers, such as trays or baskets. Description of the Prior Art Prior product orienting and loading systems are known, one such system being disclosed in US-A-4,856,263 to Schneider et al. That system reorients the product by the use of a turntable disposed beneath the upper flight of a window conveyor. Thus, the apparatus must push the product twice during the reorienting operation. First of all, the window conveyor carries or pushes the product against a stop which holds it while the window conveyor runs out beneath it to allow the product to drop through the window onto the turntable. Then, after the turntable has reoriented the product, the conveyor section of the window conveyor engages the product and pushes it off the turntable. These pushing operations can damage delicate and fragile products, such as bakery products. Furthermore, because of these pushing operations, only certain patterns of product can be accommodated on the turntable without being disturbed by the pushing operations. EP-A-0 070 399 discloses an orienter including a liftable turntable with slots to receive conveyor rollers therethrough in the lowered position of the turntable, but the slots are large so that each slot can receive more than one roller. Summary of the Invention It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved system for orienting and loading product, which avoids the disadvantages of prior systems while affording additional structural and operating advantages. An important feature of the invention is the provision of apparatus for orienting product which is very gentle in handling soft and fragile products. In connection with the foregoing feature, another feature of the invention is the provision of apparatus of the type set forth, which does not require pushing of the product during the orienting operation. These and other features of the invention are attained by providing product orienting apparatus comprising: conveyor means including a plurality of spaced-apart disks mounted for rotation about parallel axes and being substantially tangent to a common support plane, turntable means including a platform disposed substantially parallel to the support plane and having a plurality of slots therethrough, rotating means for rotating the platform about an axis disposed substantially perpendicular to the support plane, and lift means for moving the platform in the direction of the axis between a lowered position below the support plane with the disks received through the slots and a raised position above the support plane to accommodate rotation of the platform, all as shown in the prior art, the inventive contribution being that each of the slots is cruciform in shape and is dimensioned so that the slots respectively receive the disks therethrough in only a limited number of predetermined rotational orientations of the platform. The invention consists of certain novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the scope as defined by the claims, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention. Brief Description of the Drawings For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the invention, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an orienting and loading system constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the system of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the system of FIG. 1, as viewed from the left-hand end thereof; FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the orienting assembly of the system of FIG. 1, with portions broken away more clearly to illustrate the construction; FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the orienting assembly of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the orienting assembly of FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is an enlarged front elevational view of the operator interface of the system of FIG. 1; FIGS. 8A-8C are a schematic circuit diagram of the control circuit for the system of FIG. 1; and FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of the stepper motor controller of the system of FIG. 1. Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is illustrated an orienting and loading system, generally designated by the numeral 20, constructed in accordance with the present invention. The system 20 operates for assembling a group or pattern 21 of product articles 22, orienting the pattern and then loading it into a container 25, which may be a baking pan, basket or the like. In the disclosed embodiment, the container 25 is illustrated as being a basket which includes a bottom wall 26 integral at its side edges with upstanding side walls 27 and at its end edges with upstanding end walls 28. Each of the side walls 27 and end walls 28 is preferably provided with an elongated recess 29 in the upper edge thereof centrally thereof. The container 25 may be formed of any suitable material, such as plastic, and each of the walls 27-29 may be perforated or of lattice-type construction to conserve material and weight, all in a known manner. While the principles of the present invention are operable in connection with the handling of various types of articles, for purposes of illustration, the construction and operation of the system 20 will be described in connection with the handling of soft and fragile articles, for example, articles of baked goods such as packages of sliced bread. The orienting and loading system 20 includes an infeed assembly 30 which receives the product articles from associated equipment, such as a bagger or the like (not shown). The infeed assembly 30 includes a frame 31 having a pair of elongated, upstanding and laterally spaced-apart side panels 32 supported on a plurality of upright legs 33. The side panels 32 may be interconnected by a plurality of spaced-apart cross members (not shown) in a known manner. Carried by the frame 31 adjacent to the lower end of one of the legs 33 is a horizontal platform 34 on which is mounted a drive motor 35 having a reducing gear box 36 provided with an output shaft 37 carrying a sprocket which engages a drive chain 38. The drive chain 38 is, in turn, coupled to a sprocket on a drive shaft 39 extending between the side panels 32. The infeed assembly 30 includes an infeed conveyor 40 comprising an endless conveyor belt 41 engaged with an idler roller 42 and a drive roller 43 which extend between the side panels 32 of the frame 31. The drive roller 43 is provided with a sprocket which is engaged with a drive chain 45 which is, in turn, engaged with a sprocket 46 on the drive shaft 39 to effect rotation of the infeed conveyor 40, so that the upper flight of the belt 41 moves in a direction of the arrow of FIG. 1. The infeed assembly 30 also includes a separating conveyor 50 which is disposed adjacent to the discharge end of the infeed conveyor 40 and includes an endless belt 51 engaged around an idler roller 52 and a drive roller 53 on the drive shaft 39, so that separating conveyor 50 is directly driven by the drive chain 38. The drive shaft 39 carries an additional sprocket 53, the teeth of which are counted by a counter PX10 mounted on the frame 31 for determining the length of travel of the separating conveyor 50. The sprockets are so sized that the separating conveyor 50 runs at a higher speed than the infeed conveyor 40, so that it will tend to separate articles received from the infeed conveyor 40. The infeed assembly 30 is also provided with a stop gate 55 disposed between the infeed and separating conveyors 40 and 50 and operable by a drive cylinder 56 for vertically reciprocating movement between a lowered position permitting free passage of articles from the infeed conveyor 40 and a raised position for stopping articles at the discharge end of the infeed conveyor 40. A stop gate 57 is also provided at the discharge end of the separating conveyor 50 and is similarly moveable between raised lowered and raised positions by a drive cylinder 58. Preferably, guide rails 59 are respectively disposed along opposite sides of the infeed assembly 30 and have outwardly flared ends at the input end of the infeed conveyor 40, for guiding articles along the infeed assembly 30. Referring also to FIGS. 4-6, the orienting and loading system 20 also includes an orienting assembly 60 which includes a powered disk conveyor 61 disposed at the discharge end of the separating conveyor 50 for receiving articles therefrom. The powered disk conveyor 61 includes a plurality of parallel shafts 62 extending between the side panels 32 and a pair of stub shafts 62a respectively extending laterally inwardly from the side panels 32 and having a length less than half the width of the conveyor 61. The inner ends of the stub shafts 62a are supported by suitable brackets coupled to adjacent ones of the shafts 62, so as to provide a central opening through the conveyor 61. Fixedly secured to each of the shafts 62 and 62a is a plurality of laterally spaced-apart disks 63, arranged so that the disks on each shaft are disposed in staggered relationship with respect to the disks on adjacent shafts, and with all of the disks 63 being tangent to a common support plane, which is substantially coplanar with the support surface of the separating conveyor 50. The drive shaft 39 carries a double sprocket 64 which is engaged with a double-stranded drive chain 65 which also engages a sprocket coupled by a clutch to a shaft 66. The chain 65 also engages sprockets on each of the shafts 62 and the adjacent one of the stub shafts 62a for effecting rotation of the disks 63 carried thereby. A drive chain 68 is jumpered from a sprocket on one of the shafts 62 to a sprocket 69 on the stub shaft 62a on the far side of the disk conveyor 61 for rotating that shaft. Preferably, the sprocket sizes are such that the powered disk conveyor 61 operates at a speed slightly less than that of the separating conveyor 50. The orienting assembly 60 also includes a turntable assembly 70 including a platform 71 which may be generally octagonal in shape and is provided with a plurality of cruciform slots 72 therethrough, dimensioned for respectively receiving the disks 63 therethrough. The platform 71 is disposed substantially parallel to the support plane of the powered disk conveyor 61 and is fixed centrally thereof to the upper end of an elongated vertical shaft 73, the lower end of which is coupled to a stepper motor 75. The shaft 73 extends through the opening in the center of the powered disk conveyor 61. The platform 71 and the stepper motor 75 are carried by a support frame 74. More specifically, the support frame 74 includes a support plate 76 which is fixed to the stepper motor 75 and is vertically movable between fixed upper and lower plates 77 and 78. Air bags 79 are disposed between the movable support plate 76 and the upper and lower plates 77 and 78, respectively. In operation, the support plate 76 is normally disposed in a lowered position, wherein the platform 71 is disposed beneath the support plane of the powered disk conveyor 61, with the disks 63 being respectively received through the cruciform slots 72. When the lower ones of the air bags 79 are inflated, the support plate 76 and the platform 71 are lifted to a raised position wherein the platform 71 is disposed above the support plane of the powered disk conveyor 61 clear of the disks 63. In this raised position, the stepper motor 75 is operable for rotating the platform 71 about the axis of the shaft 73 among a plurality of predetermined orientations, spaced apart by substantially 90°, so that when the platform 71 is again lowered, by inflation of the upper ones and deflation of the lower ones of the air bags 79, the disks 63 will still fit through the cruciform slots 72. It will be appreciated that when the platform 71 is in its lowered position, the powered disk conveyor carries articles from the separating conveyor 50 to a position overlying the platform 71, which then lifts the articles, rotates them to reorient them, and then lowers them back onto the powered disk conveyor 61, which carries them downstream to a transfer conveyor assembly 80. Referring also to FIG. 7, control of the orienting and loading system 20 is conducted from an operator interface 180 which may include a video screen 181 and an associated keyboard 182 and associated control switches. It is a significant aspect of the invention that the operation of the orienting and loading system 20 is controlled by a programmable logic controller including a processor operating under stored program control, interaction between the operator and the processor being conducted through the operator interface 180. Referring now to FIGS. 8A-8C, the control circuit 200 for the orienting and loading system 20 will be described. The motors 35 and 115, which respectively drive the infeed assembly 30 and the loader assembly 110, are driven from a suitable AC supply, such as a 575-volt, three-phase, 60 Hz. supply, through a main disconnect switch 201, motor starter protect switches 202 and starter contactors 203. The primary of a control transformer 204 is connected across one phase of the three-phase supply and steps the voltage down to 115 VAC, the secondary of the transformer 204 being connected across 115 VAC lines 205 and 206. It will be appreciated that suitable fusing (not shown) may be provided in the three-phase circuit and in the 115 VAC circuit. Connected across the secondary of the control transformer 204 is the primary of a constant voltage transformer 207, across the secondary of which are connected in parallel a power supply 208 for the processor of the programmable logic controller and a power supply 209 for the operator interface 180. The programmable controller may be any of a number of different types of commercially available controllers. The disclosed system uses a controller sold by Texas Instruments Company under the designation 525-1104. Other controllers may require different AC supply arrangements. The controller is provided with input and output terminal modules, including a DC input module 226, an AC output module 227, an AC input module 228 and an AC output module 229. Associated with each terminal of these modules is a five-digit number designating the software address of the function associated with that terminal. Input terminal addresses begin with the letter "X" while output terminal addresses being with the letter "Y". Connected across the secondary of the control transformer 204 is the coil of a interlock relay XR. Connected in parallel with the XR relay coil is the series connection of a normally-closed push button power down switch 210, a normally-open push button power up switch 211 and a power on indicator lamp 212. The coil of a master control relay MCR is connected in parallel with the lamp 212 and its normally-open contacts MCR-2 are connected in parallel with the power up switch 211 for latching the circuit in an energized condition in response to momentary closure of the switch 211. Also connected in parallel with the lamp 212 is a 24-VDC supply 213 which provides a 24-VDC output voltage across a -DC line 214 and a +DCL line 215. The line 206 of the 115 VAC supply is connected through the normally-open contacts MCR-1 of the master control relay MCR to one normally-open pole of a three-pole push button emergency stop switch 216. The other fixed contact of that pole is connected through a lamp 217 to the common line 205 and to a line 218, discussed more fully below. The normally-open pole of the switch 216 is connected by a jumper 219 to a fixed contact of a normally-closed pole, the other contact of which is connected through a surge suppressor 220 to the common line 205. The third pole of the switch 216 is also normally-closed, and has one fixed contact thereof connected to the +DCL line 215 and the other fixed contact thereof connected to a line 221 to be discussed further below. The junction between the surge suppressor 220 and the emergency stop switch 216 is connected to an AC supply line 222. It will be appreciated that when the power up switch 211 is closed, the control circuit 200 is powered up. If it is desired to shut the system down, the power down switch 210 is actuated to remove the AC voltage from the 24-VDC supply 213 and to reopen the relay contacts MCR-1 to remove the AC supply voltage from the remainder of the circuitry. The -DC supply line 214 is connected to the DC input terminal module 226 of the programmable controller. Respectively connected in parallel between the +DCL line 215 and corresponding DC input terminals of the controller are proximity switches PX10-PX13 and PX21-PX24. Also connected in parallel between the +DCL line 215 and corresponding DC input terminals of the controller are a guard switch 223, normally-open contacts MRA-1 and MRB-1, respectively, of an infeed motor starter MRA and loader motor starter MRB, and the contacts of a solid state relay SSR8. Also connected in parallel across the DC supply lines 214 and 215 are reflector-type photo eyes PE10, PE12, PE33 and PE34, the receiver terminals of which are respectively connected to corresponding DC input terminals of the controller. Also connected in parallel across the DC supply lines 214 and 215 are the emitter and receiver of a photo eye PE11, the receiver of which is connected to a corresponding DC input terminal of the controller. The AC supply line 222 is connected to the AC output terminal modules 227 and 229, while the AC supply common line 205 is connected to the AC input terminal module 228. The motor starter MRA for the infeed motor 35 and its contacts MRA-2 are connected in series between the AC line 205 and a corresponding AC output terminal of the controller. Similarly, the motor starter MRB for the drive motor 115 and its contacts MRB-2 are connected in series between the line 205 and a corresponding AC output terminal of the controller. The contacts MRA-2 and MRB-2 are normally open contacts, but they are closed whenever the motor circuit protector switches 202 are closed and are, therefore, illustrated as closed in FIG. 8B. An alarm horn 224 and an alarm beacon 225 are connected between the line 218 from the emergency stop switch 216 and corresponding AC outputs of the controller. Respectively connected between corresponding AC outputs of the processor and the AC line 205 are coils of a need basket relay NBR and a basket lifted relay BLR, and the actuators of solid state relays SSR1, SSR2, SSR3, SSR5, SSR6 and SSR7. Also connected between the AC line 205 and corresponding AC output terminals of the controller are solenoid valves SV10-SV13 and SV20-SV23 and SV1-SV7. Connected between the AC line 222 and corresponding AC input terminals of the controller are photo eyes PE1-PE3 and proximity switches PX1-PX7. Also connected in series between the line 222 and one of the AC input terminals of the controller are the normally-open contacts XR-2 of the interlock relay XR and the normally-open contacts MRB-3 of the motor starter MRB. Also connected in series between the line 222 and the corresponding AC input terminal of the controller are the normally-open contacts XR-3 of the interlock relay and the normally-open contacts NBR-1 of the need basket relay NBR. Referring to FIG. 9, the stepper motor 75 is provided with a controller 230 which has its own internal software. This controller has connector sockets J4, J5, and J6 which receive mating connectors, the connector J5 being connected to the terminals of the stepper motor 75, the connector J6 being connected to the ground terminal and the AC lines 222 and 205 and the connector J4 being connected to the contacts of the solid state relays SSR1-SSR7 and to the actuator of the relay SSR8. The contacts of the relay SSR8 are connected across the +DCL line 215 and a DC input terminal of the controller, as can also be seen in FIG. 8A. The actuator of the solid state relay SSR4 is connected across the -DC line 214 and the line 233 (see FIG. 8A). The actuators of the other solid state relays are connected between the AC line 205 and corresponding AC output terminals of the processor, as was described above in connection with FIG. 8B. The signals from the controller AC output terminals connected to the solid state relays SSR5-SSR7 serve to select the particular program routine of the stepper controller 230 which corresponds to a preselected rotation of the turntable platform 71 for orienting the product articles 22. The stepper motor 75 will be operable only when the controller start relay SSR1 and the master stepper control relay SSR3 are actuated and the turntable platform 71 is in its raised position, as indicated by a signal to the relay SSR4. Whenever the turntable is in a rotating routine, a busy signal will appear at the relay SSR8 to prevent initiation of a further rotation program. A stop signal from the controller to the relay SSR2 will cause the stepper motor 75 to stop. There follows a simplified explanation of the overall operation of the orienting and loading system 20, with reference to the control circuit 200 and the stepper controller 230. To operate the orienting and loading system 20, the main disconnect switch 201 must be closed. This provides power to the operator interface 180 via the power supply 209 and to the system processor via the power supply 208. When the power up switch 211 is closed, it is latched through the contacts MCR-2 of the master control relay MCR, the lamp 212 being illuminated to indicate that power is on. This energises the 24-VDC supply 213 for supplying DC power to the programmable controller, while closure of the relay contacts MCR-1 provides AC power to the programmable controller via the AC line 222 through the emergency stop switch 216. The system 20 is now ready for the operator to select product information via the operator interface 180. In this regard, a product selection screen will appear on the video monitor 181, instructing the operator to select the product pattern to load via the keyboard 182. Once a product pattern is selected, all the designated timing and counting registers are loaded from product storage registers into sequencer registers in the processor software. The operator has the choice of running a fixed number of articles or running continuously until a new product pattern is selected. After the choice has been made the start up screen is displayed and the system 20 is ready to run. When the motor circuit protector switches 203 are enabled, the drive motors 35 and 115 for the infeed assembly 30 and the loader assembly 110 can be started by the operator from the keyboard 182. More specifically, the processor outputs AC signals at addresses Y0017 and Y0018 to the starters MRA and MRB, which close their contacts MRA-1 and MRB-1 to provide DC input signals to the processor at addresses X0013 and X0014. The infeed conveyor 40, the separating conveyor 50 and the powered disk conveyor 61 all begin operating and the loader assembly 110 is enabled. Each time a product article 22 blocks the infeed photo eye PE10, it inputs a DC signal to the processor at address X0034. The infeed motor 35 will shut off and dwell if the photo eye PE10 is not blocked by product for a predetermined time period, and will restart when the photo eye PE10 is again blocked. Normally, the stop gate 55 is lowered. Thus, as product passes onto the separating conveyor 50, its higher speed creates a separation between product articles 22. At this transfer to the separating conveyor 50, the product articles 22 are counted by the count photo eye PE11, which inputs DC signals to the processor at address X0035 to increment a software counter. The articles traveling along the separating conveyor 50 are stopped by the stop gate 57, which is normally closed. When the article counter has reached a predetermined count an AC signal will be output to the solenoid valve SV10 at address Y0023 to actuate the drive cylinder 56 and raise the stop gate 55 to hold back additional articles 22 until the previous group of articles 22 is advanced past the stop gate 57. If the turntable platform 71 is in its lowered position, it will actuate the proximity sensor PX12 to input a DC signal to the processor at address X0003. If this occurs when the stop gate 55 is raised, the processor outputs an AC signal at address Y0026 to the solenoid valve SV11 to cause the drive cylinder 58 to lower the stop gate 57, allowing the assembled articles to pass from the separating conveyor 50 to the powered disk conveyor 61. The infeed conveyor position counter proximity sensor PX10 is mounted near the drive shaft 39 for counting the teeth of the sprocket 53, each sprocket tooth causing a DC signal to the input of the controller at address X0001 for incrementing a number of software counters. When one counter has reached a predetermined value after lowering of the stop gate 57, the processor will output an AC signal at address Y0024 to the solenoid valve SV10 to lower the stop gate 55 and allow additional articles to pass onto the infeed conveyor 40. The proximity sensor PX10 will increment counters for each of the several areas of the infeed assembly 30. When a counter corresponding to the powered disk conveyor 61 has reached a predetermined count after lowering of the stop gate 57, this will indicate that the articles on separating conveyor 50 should have passed completely onto the powered disk conveyor 61. This will cause the processor to output an AC signal at address Y0025 to the solenoid valve SV11 to raise the stop gate 57 back to its normal stop position. It will also output an AC signal at address Y0027 to the solenoid valve SV12 to cause the lower air bags 79 of the turntable 70 to be inflated to raise the platform 71, lifting the articles 22 a slight distance above the powered disk conveyor 61. When the platform 71 reaches its raised position, it actuates the proximity sensor PX11 to input a DC signal to the processor at address X0002. This will cause the processor to output AC signals to solid state relays SSR1-SSR3 and SSR5-SSR7 at addresses Y0053-Y0058 for actuating the stepper motor 75 through the stepper motor controller 230 (FIG. 9) to index the platform 71 through the required rotation to orient the articles 22 to the selected pattern. The stepper controller 230 is programmed so that the platform 71 can rotate bi-directionally in any 90° or 180° increment. During the stepper drive cycle, a turn in progress signal is sent to the processor at address X0033 to prevent the platform 71 from being lowered. Once the turntable assembly 70 has completed its cycle, the processor will output an AC signal at address Y0028 to the solenoid valve SV12 for deflating the lower air bags 79 and inflating the upper air bags 79 to lower the platform 71, returning the articles to the powered disk conveyor 61. Since the turntable assembly 70 can rotate in only 90° or 180° increments, the disks 63 will still fit through the cruciform slots 72 to permit return of the platform 71 to its lowered position. In its lowered position, the platform 71 will actuate the proximity switch PX13 to input a DC signal to the processor at address X0011. When the articles 22 have been returned to the powered disk conveyor 61, it will convey them from the orienting assembly 60 to the transfer conveyor assembly 80. As the articles block the photo eye PE12 at the exit of the orienting assembly 60, it will then input a DC signal to the processor at address X0036 causing it to output an AC signal at address Y0029 to the solenoid valve SV13 for engaging the clutch 83 on the drive shaft 66 to start the transfer conveyor belt 81. The transfer conveyor assembly 80 will run until the photo eye PE12 is cleared, if the pattern of articles is to be combined with another pattern before being pushed onto the loader assembly 110. If the pattern is not to be combined with another pattern, the transfer conveyor assembly 80 will run until a predetermined position count value has been reached in response to counter proximity sensor PX10. The stop plate 85 will prevent the articles from falling off the end of the transfer conveyor belt 81. In the event of an emergency the orienting and loading system 20 can be shut down by actuation of the emergency stop switch 216. The closure of the normally-open pole will energize the emergency lamp 217 and the emergency alarm horn 224 and beacon 225. The opening of the normally-closed poles will disconnect the DC and AC supply voltages from the controller. It will be appreciated that the system 20 could also be stopped by actuating the power down switch 210, which deenergizes the 24 VDC supply 213 and deenergizes the master control relay MCR for opening the AC supply at the contacts MCR-1. From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved product orienting and loading system which provides orienting of product without pushing thereof, provides rapid loading of the product into containers and provides effective supply of containers to the loading system without interrupting the supply to adjacent systems.

Claims: Product orienting apparatus (60) comprising: conveyor means (61) including a plurality of spaced-apart disks (63) mounted for rotation about parallel axes and being substantially tangent to a common support plane, turntable means (70) including a platform (71) disposed substantially parallel to said support plane and having a plurality of slots (72) therethrough, rotating means (75) for rotating said platform about an axis disposed substantially perpendicular to said support plane, and lift means (79) for moving said platform in the direction of said axis between a lowered position below said support plane with said disks received through said slots and a raised position above said support plane to accommodate rotation of said platform, characterized by each of said slots being cruciform in shape and dimensioned so that said slots respectively receive said disks therethrough in only a limited number of predetermined rotational orientations of said platform. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said rotating means includes a stepper motor (75). The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising frame means (76) for supporting said rotating means and said turntable means, said lift means including means for raising and lowering said frame means.

Inventors: LONN JAMES C, SCHNEIDER THOMAS C, WEYL DAVID E, LONN, JAMES C., SCHNEIDER, THOMAS C., WEYL, DAVID E.
Applicants: ADVANCED PULVER SYSTEMS INC, ADVANCED PULVER SYSTEMS INC.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B65G47
IPC codes: B65G47, B65B5, B65G65