Patent Publication Number: US-7213809-B2

Title: Translation table for sheet feeder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to sheet feeding machines and more particularly to a translatable support of a sheet feeding machine such that product can be delivered to different lateral positions when the machine is translated. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   In the prior art a sheet feeding machine has been fixed in position and a tray, box, or slot on a conveyor belt in front of the sheet feeding machine would receive product counted out of the sheet feeding machine until the proper count was reached and then the tray would be emptied, box moved, or conveyor belt translated so that an empty tray, box or slot would be present in front of the sheet feeder to receive the next batch of product. Conveyor belts or other translator devices would move the batches of product along. However, for filling a sheet of packaging such as a blister pack tray, bubble pack or a box having rows with several receptacles in each row a means for translating the sheet feeder is required. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A linear motion table is provided which translates on at least one axis to fill sections of a box or a pocket pack sheet. The box or pocket pack sheet is indexed by row in front of the sheet feeding machine. 
   A table is provided with a pair of rods for supporting a translatable plate mounted on bearings riding on the rods. The plate translates back and forth on the rods. 
   A motor connected to a drive belt turns an idler shaft, which drives a pair of translation belts, which are attached to and move the plate. The motor moves the plate a known distance and stops so that a product can be delivered from the sheet feeder at that position. The motor is then turned on to move the plate a known distance to the next column in the row for adding the next unit of product. At the end of each row the motor reverses direction to translate the sheet feeder back and forth over a box, blister pack tray, or sheet of formed pockets. 
   A pair of switches along the wall of the table base can contact the plate and for reversing the direction of the motor and/or supply position information to the controller of the position of the sheet feeder. 
   The sheet feeder is coordinated with the translator to deliver product at the proper times to the proper locations. The sheet feeder can be translated and stopped in position to deliver one or more than one unit of product to a section of a box or a pocket in a sheet of formed pockets before being further translated. The sheet feeder is further coordinated with a conveyor belt or other means to index the rows of sections of boxes or pocket packs to the filled to align the rows with the sheet feeder. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the invention to translate a sheet feeder on a table such that it delivers product to different locations within a stationary box or pocket pack to be filled. 
   It is an object of the invention to coordinate the translation of the sheet feeder with the indexing of the boxes or sheets of formed pockets and delivery of product from the sheet feeding machine. 
   It is an object of the invention to allow a sheet feeding machine to fill arrays of rows and columns in containers. 
   It is an object of the invention to program the sheet feeder, conveyor and translation table to work in cooperation with each other to fill sections of boxes or sheets of formed pockets with product. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the sheet feeder on a translatable table adjacent a sectioned pocket pack sheet to be filled. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the linear motion table. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Sheet feeding machine  70  is designed to separate stacks of product placed in feeder stack  72  into individual products  74  for delivery by belts  76  into pockets  95  in sheets of formed pockets  90 , or into sections of boxes. As shown in  FIG. 1  the system  100  having a sheet feeder  70  on linear translation table  10  is translated by the linear motion table  10  in directions shown by arrows  60  to deliver product  74  to rows of pockets  95  in formed pocket pack sheet  90 . After each row  92  in formed pocket sheet  90  is filled with product  74  the conveyor belt  80  is indexed to move the formed pocket sheet  90  in the direction shown by arrow  64  such that the next row  92  of pockets  95  is in position to receive product  74  from the sheet feeder  70 . Sheet feeding machines  70  are well known and will not be described in detail. 
   The linear motion table  10  for translating the sheet feeder  70  has a table base  16  to which is attached a drive motor box  15  having a drive motor  30  therein. The drive motor  30  turns a drive belt  1 , which engages drive belt pulley  25  to turn idler shaft  27 . The idler shaft  27  extends between block bearings  33  which are attached to the table base  16  to hold the idler shafts  27  in place. The idler shafts  27  have translation belt pulleys  17  which engage translation belts  12  extending over translation belt pulleys  17  on the idler shafts  27  such that when the motor  30  is running the translation belts  12  will move. The translation belts  12  engage and move a translation plate  26  which is mounted on rods  40  by sliding bearings  42  preferably made from Teflon® or similar material and impregnated with a slippery substance, or in the alternative, sliding bearings  42  may be the roller bearings type. The rods  40  are held in place by blocks  44  which are attached to table base  16 . The translation plate  26  is attached to the translation belts  12  by belt clamps  13  which sandwich the translation belts  12  between the belt clamps  13  and the translation plate  26 . 
   A tabletop  28  is placed on top of the table base  16 . The tabletop has slots  52  allowing posts  50  on translation plate  26  to extent therethrough for engaging and supporting the base of sheet feeder  70 . 
   A control box  31  is attached at one end of the table base  16 . The control box  31  has a controller  32  for coordinating the sheet feeder  70 , the conveyor belt  80  and the linear motion table  10  such that product  74  is placed in the pockets  95  of a formed pocket sheet  90  when the conveyor belt  80  is stopped in a controlled space under the end of the sheet feeder&#39;s  10  product delivery belt  76 . 
   The controller  32  in the control box  30  is used to index the conveyor belt  80  forward in direction  64  for a measured distance such that a succeeding row  92  of pockets  95  in the sheet  90  of formed pockets is under the end of the product delivery belt  76 . When the rows  92  are properly aligned controller  32  translates the plate  26  such that the product  74  on the end of the delivery belt  76  will fall from the delivery belt  76  into the pocket  95  in a formed pocket sheet  90  in row  92  by first aligning with column  93  and stopping until product  74  is advanced by sheet feeder  70  and dropping into pocket  95 . Then the linear motion table  10  is translated to column  97  and the product is again advanced until it is dropped into pocket  95 . The linear motion table  10  is translated to column  99  and the product is again advanced until it is dropped into pocket  95 . The conveyor  80  indexed the sheet  90  forward one row and product  74  is dropped into the pocket  95  in column  99  in the new row. The motor  30  now reverses to move the sheet feeder  70  into alignment with column  97  and stops until product  74  is placed in pocket  95 . 
   Switches  29  on brackets  14 , attached to table base  16 , provide position information about the plate  26  to the controller  32  in control box  31 . As the plate  26  engages switch  29  the position of the plate  26  is known. The controller  32  is programmed to know how many turns or portions of turns of the motor  30  are required to position the sheet feeder  10  over the next pocket  95  in the formed pocket tray sheet  90 . Translatable plate  16  can be programmed by in the controller  32  to range from the first column  93  to the last column  99  stopping directly over each column. With the sheet feeding machine  10  stopped over the column the product delivery belt  76  is advanced until a unit of product  74  is delivered to the pocket  95  in the formed pocket sheet  90 . The linear motion table  10  then moves to the next column and repeats the process until all columns in the row are filled. The controller then indexes the conveyor belt one unit forward in direction  64  for the next row  92  to move into position to receive product  74  from the sheet feeder  70  and the sheet feeder is turned on to drop product  74  into the pocket  95 . The motor  30  then reverses direction to send the plate  26  and the sheet feeder  70  in the opposite direction  60  to fill the next row  92 . The conveyor belt  80  is then indexed to the next row and the process repeats. 
   The controller  32  receives position information from switches  29  calibrates the position of the plate  26  to compensate for belt slippage or other positioning errors which may add up over time to misalign the sheet feeder for delivery of product relative to the pocket  95  in the formed pocket sheets  90 . 
   The motor  30  preferably counts portions of each rotation such that it accurately sends information to the controller about the number of turns of the motor, which is directly related to the position of the product  74  on the sheet feeder  70  relative to the columns  93 ,  97 ,  99  on sheet  90 . The number of turns of the motor  30  to align the product  74  with the next column is known as the pitch. 
   The number of columns on the sheet  90  may be varied as the controller  32  may be programmed to stop at any point in a row for delivering product to the column. The columns on a sheet may be sections in a box, or any other segmented array to be filled. The controller  32  may be programmed to fill in every other opening or some other pattern and another sheet feeder  70  on another linear table  70  may fill in the remaining pockets  95  with another product as the conveyor  90  is indexed. Alternatively two separate items may be added to each pocket with the use of two sheet feeders  70  on two linear tables  10  over the same conveyor  80 . 
   The controller  32  may control the speed of the motor  30  and the speed of the sheet feeder  70  and the conveyor  80  as well as the distances each moves for product delivery to the right place at the right time. 
   The conveyor may be any means of advancing containers having rows and columns of product containing segments, such as an arm pushing a series of boxes along a table. 
   Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.