PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15937323
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-03
Publication Date: 2018-08
Patent Classification: ["198", "396000"]

Abstract:
A system, and associated method, for launching and delivering separated food product in organized groups to a robotized packaging station for the product. The system initiates the delivery via a metered hopper of food product delivering the product to a launch V-belt that aligns the product end to end. A successive singulator belt, positioned adjacent to and receiving product from the launch belt, further organizes the product into a single file alignment. An optional separator belt may follow the singulator belt to create gaps between successive product units. The product is then delivered to a pick belt for product to be provided to the packaging robot. The system product information is from a single (per product delivery line) sensor, enabling intergrated end-to-end control from hopper to robot, and a nearly continuous motion of said pick belt.

Claim (Index 1):
A food product handling device for de-linked tubular food products, the handling device comprising:\n a metering hopper configured to receive and deliver de-linked tubular food products; a singulator for orienting the tubular food products in a single-file line with little or no overlap; a launcher for supplying the randomly and loosely oriented tubular food products from the metering hopper to the singulator; and a pick belt conveyor receiving the de-linked tubular food products from the singulator into respective product compartments positioned along said pick belt, and transporting the de-linked tubular food products to a loading machine; the singulator configured to allow only one unit of the tubular food products to move through the singulator at a time; and, a product sensor positioned to sense product before it is delivered to said pick belt, such sensor delivering a signal to a controller for said pick belt, allowing the appropriate indexing of said pick belt to receive product into respective product compartments as it is delivered and to operate said pick belt in a nearly continuous motion movement.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 23.0
- Percentile: 90.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.94805
- Patent Class: 198.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15255419', '14022447', '12912249', '14318903', '12271632']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7144224089800405
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5376079646291353
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.69674096454495
- Mean Citation Score: 235.882982
- Max Citation Score: 427.9109
- Similarity Product: 403.85479705678216

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