Uk Lee - Ellicott City MD Mark L. West - Baltimore MD Kenneth H. Bealer - Wilmington NC
Assignee:
Sweetheart Cup Co., Inc. - Owings Mills MD
International Classification:
B65B 3556
US Classification:
53446
Abstract:
Systems and methods reorient head-to-head aligned leading and following articles to from an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. The leading and following articles are initially captured at their respective head portions, and thereafter laterally shifted relative to one another. The laterally shifted leading and following articles may then be pivoted so that their respective tail portions swing towards one another to thereby form an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. A moveable transfer tray may be brought into a position below the captured array of head-to-tail oriented articles so that upon their release, the array of a head-to-tail oriented articles falls by gravity and into the awaiting tray therebelow. The tray may then be retracted so as to carry the array of head-to-tail articles to a remote site, preferably above a transfer conveyor. A bottom wall of the transfer tray may then be retracted causing the array of head-to-tail oriented articles to again fall by gravity onto the transfer conveyor.
Apparatus And Systems For Reorienting And Transferring Elongate Articles, Especially Frozen Dessert Cones
Uk Lee - Ellicott City MD Mark L. West - Baltimore MD Kenneth H. Bealer - Wilmington NC
Assignee:
Sweetheart Cup Co., Inc. - Owings Mills MD
International Classification:
B65B 3556
US Classification:
53544
Abstract:
Systems and methods reorient head-to-head aligned leading and following articles to from an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. The leading and following articles are initially captured at their respective head portions, and thereafter laterally shifted relative to one another. The laterally shifted leading and following articles may then be pivoted so that their respective tail portions swing towards one another to thereby form an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. A moveable transfer tray may be brought into a position below the captured array of head-to-tail oriented articles so that upon their release, the array of a head-to-tail oriented articles falls by gravity and into the awaiting tray therebelow. The tray may then be retracted so as to carry the array of head-to-tail articles to a remote site, preferably above a transfer conveyor. A bottom wall of the transfer tray may then be retracted causing the array of head-to-tail oriented articles to again fall by gravity onto the transfer conveyor.