Patent GB-1208861-A (GB)
Title: Article-transferring apparatus
Inventor: FULLER JACK HAROLD
IPC: B65B23/14
Filed: 1966-10-26
Abstract: 1,208,861. Endless conveyers for biscuits; packaging machines. ASSOCIATED BISCUITS Ltd. 26 Jan., 1968 [26 Oct., 1966], No. 48017/66. Headings B8A and B8C. Apparatus for periodically transferring batches of m biscuits 4 from a first location 3 to a second location 12 comprising a conveying means 9 and a conveyer 7, the conveying means 9 collecting the batch at the first location 3 and depositing it on the conveyer 7, which intermittently moves the biscuits to the second location 12 where smaller batches of n biscuits are periodically removed, and means controlling at least one of the means 9 and the conveyer 7 to ensure that the leading biscuit (or biscuits) of each arriving batch of m biscuits is deposited on the conveyer 7 directly adjacent to the trailing article of the preceding batch.. In the arrangement of Figs. 1-4, n = 7 and a pressure fluid operated pusher 37 pushes groups of 7 biscuits from the conveyer 7 into channels 40 of a packaging machine (not shown). An assembly of 25 grippers 49 (Fig. 4) on a wheeled carriage 9 simultaneously pick up at the location 3, one of four rows of 100 biscuits (m = 100) in a tray 2 on an intermittently moving conveyer 1. The carriage moves on rails 10 until it is stopped by one or a series of 7 stops 17. The latter are spaced apart corresponding to the pitch p of pockets 8 of the conveyer 7 and are projected in turn by cams 20. The latter are rotated by a cam shaft 19 turned step-by-step by a ratchet mechanism 23 actuated by each rearward transit of the carriage 9. When the carriage 9 is halted by any one of the leading 3 stops 17, three forward steps of the conveyer 7 (each corresponding to 7p) are necessary. When however the carriage 9 is halted by any one of the trailing 4 stops 17, four forward steps of the conveyer 7 are necessary. This sequence of drive step groups is effected by the action of micro switches 31, 32. When the carriage 9 is stopped by any one of the leading 3 stops 17, both switches 31, 32, are operated, and this is arranged so as to effect 3 successive drive stops of the conveyer 7. Otherwise only the switch 31 is operated and this causes 4 successive drive stops to be made. The carriage 9 is driven in the forward direction by the action of a cable 25 actuated by a weight 24. In the rearward direction it is driven by a cable 27 connected to a rotating endless chain 28. The latter has two vertical runs (Fig. 2, not shown) which provide the dwell periods necessary for the loading and unloading of the carriage 9. The carriage 9 comprises 25 grippers 48 (Fig. 4) which are caused to grip the respective biscuits when the tray 2 is lifted by a ram operated platform 52 positioned under the conveyer 1 at the location 3. The grippers are closed by the action of an aperture 50 in a fixed plate 51. A locking bar 57 retains the grippers in their upper gripping position. In an alternative embodiment (Figs. 5, 6), trays 62 of 100 biscuits on a conveyer 61 move under a carrier 69 having 100 grippers of the Fig. 4 construction. The carrier 69 feeds a conveyer 67 having four lanes 67a-67d whenever each of a series of stops 81a, 81b, 81c... arrives at a switch 80. The conveyer 67 normally moves in steps of 7p but this arrangement is overridden by the switch 80 which also stops the conveyer 67 whenever this switch is operated by the stops 81a, 81b &c. At each 7p step of the conveyer 67 pushers 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, and 87 operate on the biscuits, each pusher being arranged to displace 7 biscuits at a time. The pushers 82, 83 and 84 are coupled together so that the pushers 62 and 64 push biscuits in the lane 67a into cartons on a conveyer 91, and the pusher 83 pushes biscuits from the lane 67b into a vacant space in the lane 67a left by the preceding operation of the pusher 82. The latter biscuits are pushed into a carton on the conveyer 91 during the next succeeding operation of the pushers 82-87. Similarly the pushers 85, 86, and 87, feed cartons 90 on a conveyer 92 from the lanes 67c and 67b.