1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for picking up and/or transferring objects from a bin, conveyor, or other location. The invention is particularly suited to pickup and/or transfer of frozen food items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Food processing facilities commonly include conveyors or bins from which food items are transferred. Such items are commonly transferred by machine if the facility has a machine in place for handling such transfers. If no machine is in place, or if the food items are not readily transferable using the existing machine, the transfer is generally performed manually. Manual transfer is a repetitive, time-consuming endeavor.
Frozen food items are particularly difficult to pickup and transfer via machine. The hard, cold surfaces of such food items make the use of machines for these items problematic, as does the slippery nature of such food items when the frozen surface of the food item contacts the machine. Thus, frozen food items are still commonly transferred from bins or conveyors by hand. In addition to the repetitive and tiresome aspects of such manual transfer, using manual transfer methods for frozen food items requires workers to be present in cold environments for extended periods of time.
The present invention provides a device for use with a machine operable to pick up an object, such as a frozen food item. The machine includes a vacuum source and the present device includes a body with a first end and second end, and an opening extending through a length of the body. The first end of the body is attached to the machine so that when the vacuum source is engaged a vacuum is created within the opening of the body and the second end conforms at least partially to the surface of the object being picked up in order to more readily allow the vacuum to work to pick up the object.
In one aspect of the invention, the body includes a shaft at the upper end of the body and a head at the lower end of the body, where the head has a greater width than the shaft and where the lower end of the head is substantially flat. The substantially flat portion of the head is adapted to engage an object being picked up by the device and to conform at least partially to the surface of that object.
In another aspect of the invention, the device is of unitary construction.
In still another aspect of the invention, the opening has a first internal diameter at a first end of the opening and a second internal diameter at a second end of the opening. The second internal diameter is greater than the first internal diameter.
In another aspect of the invention, the opening forms a groove in an interior surface of the shaft for receipt of a portion of the machine.
Another aspect of the invention provides that the machine includes an adapter sized and shaped to be received in an opening of the present device.
Still another aspect of the invention provides that the opening forms a groove in an interior surface of the opening for receiving a portion of the adapter.
Still another aspect of the invention provides a device for use with a machine operable to pick up an object, the machine including a vacuum source, where the device includes a shaft having an upper end that includes an opening extending therethrough, and a head having a lower end that includes an opening extending therethrough. The lower end of the head is substantially flat and pliable to engage an object being picked up by the device. The opening in the shaft is in fluid communication with the opening in the head to that when the vacuum source is engaged a vacuum is created within the openings.
When adapted for use with a device such as that shown in
One aspect of the present invention provides a nozzle 100 of unitary construction. As used herein, the word unitary refers to a single-piece item, molded or cast as such, and not a combination of two or more parts affixed to one another to form nozzle 100. Nozzle 100 includes a shaft 104, which is elongate and includes an opening 106 extending through a length thereof. This is most clearly seen in the cross-sectional views shown in
Nozzle 100 also includes a flattened head 108 sized and shaped to engage a food item or other object desired to be picked up by use of nozzle 100. As shown in
Device 10, now having nozzle 100 attached to a receptacle 24 thereof, operates in substantially the same manner as described with respect to
When used with respect to food items, it is contemplated that nozzle 100 will be constructed from a material acceptable to any given use as well as to the requirements of any applicable regulatory body. The material chosen should be to some degree pliable such that the annular surface 110 of nozzle 100 can conform, to an extent, to a surface of the food item or other object being picked up. Nozzle 100 may, for example, be constructed of silicon, rubber, any suitable synthetic polymer, or any other material that allows a degree of conformation to the surface of the object being picked up. Further, although nozzle 100 is described above as being unitary in its construction, it is contemplated that a nozzle 100 may be constructed from multiple parts, secured to one another to form a whole that retains the conforming qualities of the invention as described herein. The entire nozzle need not be constructed of the same material, and in such cases where more than one material is used, different materials may be chosen based on the different needs of each portion of the nozzle (for example, a rigid material for shaft 104, a pliable material for annular surface 110, and the like). Finally, it is contemplated that the shape of nozzle 100, including the shape of the surface of nozzle 100 that contacts the food item or other object being picked up, may be any suitable shape or configuration, or conformation.
Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed is:
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/255,691, filed on Oct. 28, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61255691 | Oct 2009 | US |