Patent GB-801564-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in apparatus for handling flat articles
Inventor: PACKMAN PERCIVAL JAMES
IPC: A21C15/00
Filed: 1955-04-21
Abstract: 801,564. Endless conveyers.. HUNTLEY & PALMERS, Ltd. April 16, 1956 [April 21, 1955; Oct. 31, 1955], Nos. 11496/55 and 31027/55. Class 78 (1). Flat articles are transferred to a delivery station at which they are required to be stacked on-edge by a travelling conveyer chain to which a number of cradles are pivoted for tilting movement relative to the chain, the articles being loaded on to at least some of the cradles so that they lie flat singly or in stacks on the cradles and means being provided for tilting the cradles as they travel between the loading and delivery stations to turn the articles on them into the on-edge position. As shown, each cradle consists of a pair of L-shaped members separated by a gap (see Fig. 6), each member having a normally horizontal arm 19 and a normally vertical arm 20. The pair of members is secured to a shaft 14 journalled in bearings 13 on a support member 12 secured by brackets to the chain 1. Sleeves 15 rotatably mounted on the shaft 14 engage guideways formed in side plates 7 of the conveyer framework. Tilting of the cradles is controlled by a further guideway 4 formed in a plate 18 and in which is engaged a follower roller 3 which is mounted on the end of a lever 17 secured to the inner end of the shaft 14. The articles, e.g. biscuits 22, are fed to the cradles from a conveyer belt 23, Figs. 2 and 6, which runs in the same direction as the cradles and parallel with the latter as seen in plan. The chain 1 however is arranged on a downward incline relative to the belt 23 so that biscuits, deflected laterally from the belt by inclined guides 24, are stacked on the horizontal limbs 19 of the cradle members. A vertical plate 26 acts as a stop to position the biscuits on the cradles. The guides 24, together with escapement devices (not shown) for synchronizing the feed of each biscuit with the passing of a cradle, are arranged as described in Specification 769,710. The guideway 4 at the feeding station is arranged to be parallel with the path of the chain 1 such that the arms 19 are maintained horizontal. Towards the delivery station, Fig. 4, the guideway 4 is gradually raised relative to the path of the chain 1, so that each carrier is tilted until the formerly horizontal arms 19 are nearly vertical and the formerly vertical arms 20 are in line with a sloping delivery channel composed of rods 35, 36, Fig. 8, secured at intervals to spacers 37. At the entrance of the channel is disposed a platform 29 which includes a step, not shown, the platform being arranged so that the two L-shaped members of each carrier pass on either side and deposit the biscuits beyond the step. The paths of the chain 1 and guideway 4 are so arranged that the carrier descends clear of the deposited biscuits, the biscuits being held in position on the platform 29 by the step and by a pair of brushes 33 having their bristles inclined forwardly. Further batches of biscuits deposited by succeeding carriers push the previously deposited batches along the delivery channel which curves downwardly tb deposit the biscuits on a receiving conveyer belt 51, Fig. 10. The biscuits are steadied as they are delivered to the belt 51 by a rotary brush 43 journalled stiffly in a pair of pivoted arms 45 urged downwardly by a spring 46. An adjustable stop 47 determines the minimum height of the brush 43. The delivery channel may be adapted to handle biscuits of different sizes and shapes by providing the spacers 37 with slots in which the rods 35, 36 can be adjustably secured. The rods 35, 36 may be lengths of coil spring or other springy material to enable the final delivery position to be varied. Instead of using the arrangement described in Specification 769,710 for feeding the cradles, the latter may be fed by narrow V-belts extending between L-shaped members of each of the cradles. According to the Provisional Specification, the two L-shaped members forming each cradle may be carried on separate endless chains, the cradles being fed by narrow belts extending between each pair of L-shaped members and which are driven at a fluctuating speed in synchronism with rising and falling movements of the belts.