PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15909033
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-03
Publication Date: 2018-09
Patent Classification: ["414", "795200"]

Abstract:
An automatic egg tray stacking apparatus turns alternate egg trays through the operation of movable guides at the junction with a loading conveyor before conveying the egg trays toward a stacking mechanism that first stops the egg tray and then lowers the stack on top of the egg tray before re-elevating the partially formed stack to permit the entrance of a new egg tray into the stacking mechanism. Once the stack of egg trays is completed, the stack is allowed to move onto a stack conveyor and is moved forwardly for shipment. The stacking mechanism is operated by a single actuator having dual pneumatic cylinders that provide a three position operation of the lifting function with the stacking mechanism having lifter members engaging all four sides of the lowermost egg tray of the elevated stack. A control mechanism operates the apparatus with input from appropriately positioned sensors.

Claim (Index 16):
The egg tray stacking mechanism of  claim 15  wherein said actuator is formed from first and second pneumatic cylinders connected together, each of said pneumatic cylinders having extending and retracted positions, the extension of said first pneumatic cylinder and the retraction of said second pneumatic cylinder placing said lifter members and said forward stop member in said stop position with the forward stop member projecting above the surface of the first conveyor and the lifter members retracted below the first conveyor, the extension of both said first and second pneumatic cylinders placing said lifter members in said stack elevating position in which said lifter members are raised above the surface of the first conveyor to place a partially formed stack of egg trays in an elevated position, and the retraction of both said first and second pneumatic cylinders placing said lifter members and said forward stop member below the surface of the first conveyor so that a completed stack can move onto a stack conveyor.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 32.0
- Percentile: 90.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.80952
- Patent Class: 414.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: none
- Component Type: 0
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12286700', '10143861', '11412051', '10919179', '13139915']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8463429828906094
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5089842486056455
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.812607109462113
- Mean Citation Score: 250.904004
- Max Citation Score: 272.376
- Similarity Product: 183.37755319690703

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test