Patent ID: 7398871

Claim:
A star wheel device having pockets for the indexing of items as part of a manufacturing process which can be adjusted to permit the indexing of manufacturing parts of varying sizes comprising, in combination: (a) a star wheel adjustment plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, said inner surface provided with slots generally oriented eccentrically relative to a radius of said adjustment plate, and having a number and spacing corresponding generally to the number and spacing of the pockets of the star wheel, said eccentric slots adapted to receive a dowel pin in slidable relationship; (b) a first star wheel plate having a first generally planar surface positioned adjacent to the inner surface of said adjustment plate and having radial slots passing there through adapted to receive a dowel pin in slidable relationship, and having a number and spacing of said radial slots corresponding generally to the number and spacing of the star wheel device pockets, the second side of said star wheel plate having affixed thereto affixed guides partially defining a fixed set of opposing sides for each pocket; (c) a cylindrical spacer; (d) generally U-shaped spacer plates equal in number to the number of pockets in the star wheel device, and positioned in surrounding relationship to said cylindrical spacer with the closed end of the U directed toward said cylindrical spacer, and the legs of said U defining a second set of opposing sides for each pocket, each of said spacer plates on the side adjacent to said first star wheel plate provided with a dowel with a pin adapted to be inserted into and through one of the radial slots of the first star wheel plate and into one of the eccentric slots of said adjuster plate, in slidable relationship with both of said slots; (e) a second star wheel plate having a first side adapted to be positioned adjacent to said cylindrical spacer and the surrounding support plates, and a second, generally planar side, said first side having affixed thereto fixed guides partially defining the balance of said first set of opposing sides for each pocket; (f) clamping means operatively and releasably connecting said adjustment plate with said second star wheel plate through openings in said first star wheel plate and through the cylindrical spacer; (g) means for keying the first star wheel plate and the second star wheel plate with said cylindrical spacer so that when the clamping means is fully actuated, relative motion between those three parts is prevented.