Claims
- 1. A device for effecting nested alignment of articles having a generally circular cross-section, said device comprising:
- conveying means for receiving articles having a generally circular cross-section and providing said articles at a discharge end;
- first top means positioned slightly above articles when at said conveying means so that when so positioned said first top means is contactable by the top portion of said articles as said articles move through said conveying means below said first top means;
- aligning means adjacent to said discharge end of said conveying means for receiving articles discharged in a downstream direction from said conveying means, said aligning means including a base plate having first and second groups of apertures therein, and guide means at said base plate for establishing a plurality of guideways each of which has sufficient width to enable articles to move through said guideways in single file, said plurality of guideways having a first portion extending substantially parallel to the primary intended path of travel of articles in passing through said aligning means with at least some of said guideways having a second portion extending at an angle with respect to said first portion, said first group of apertures being positioned in said base plate to open into said first portions of said guideways and said second group of apertures being positioned in said base plate to open into said second portions of said guideways;
- second top means separate from and positioned downstream from said first top means, said second top means having a configuration such that fluid passage therethrough is dissimilar to that of said first top means with said second top means being positioned slightly above articles when at said aligning means so that when so positioned said second top means is contactable by the top portion of said articles as said articles move through said aligning means below said second top means;
- staging means for receiving articles discharged in a downstream direction from said guideways of said aligning means; and
- fluid inserting means for inserting fluid into said guideways through said apertured base plate with said fluid being directed into said first portions of said guideways in a direction substantially parallel to said first portions of said guideways to urge movement of said articles through said first portions of said guideways in the direction of primary intended travel of articles in passing through said aligning means and with said fluid also being directed into said second portions of said guideways in a direction substantially parallel to said second portions of said guideways to urge movement of said articles through said second portions of said guideways in a direction different than said direction of primary intended travel of articles in passing through said aligning means to thereby urge movement of articles through said guideways and into said staging means with the articles discharged from said guideways providing a plurality of separate adjacent rows of articles at said staging means and with the articles of said adjacent rows being offset from one another such that the articles are in nested relationship with each article contacting adjacent articles in the same and adjacent rows.
- 2. The device of claim 1 wherein a first portion of said conveying means includes a dead plate for receiving said articles thereon, and wherein a second portion of said conveying means includes a fluid conveyor adjacent to said dead plate for receiving articles therefrom, said fluid conveyor having fluid injecting means for causing articles received from said dead plate to be urged in a mass flow toward said discharge end of said conveying means.
- 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said conveying means includes a fluid conveyor having a base plate positioned to be contactable by the bottom portion of articles at said conveying means with said base plate having apertures therein through which fluid is injected in a direction to urge articles toward said discharge end of said conveying means.
- 4. The device of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and second top means is readily removable.
- 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said base plate of said aligning means has said guide means mounted thereon.
- 6. The device of claim 5 wherein said guide means includes a plurality of spaced walls each of which extends upwardly from said base plate.
- 7. The device of claim 1 wherein said second top means is positioned over and adjacent to said guide means.
- 8. The device of claim 7 wherein said second top means includes a plurality of spaced bars.
- 9. The device of claim 7 wherein said second top means is readily removable.
- 10. The device of claim 1 wherein said staging means includes a base plate contactable with the bottom portion of said articles, said base plate having apertures therein through which fluid is injected in a direction to urge movement of articles through said staging means.
- 11. The device of claim 10 wherein said staging means also includes additional conveying means adjacent to said base plate for conveying aligned and nested articles received from said base plate toward a discharge end of said staging means.
- 12. The device of claim 1 wherein said device is adapted to convey articles toward palletizing means positioned for receiving articles discharged from said staging means.
- 13. The device of claim 12 wherein said device has stop means positionable between said palletizing means and said staging means for controlling movement of said aligned and nested articles from said staging means toward said palletizing means.
- 14. A device for effecting nested alignment of articles having a generally circular cross-section, said device comprising:
- conveying means for receiving articles having a generally circular cross-section and providing said articles at a discharge end, said conveying means including a fluid conveyor having a base plate positioned to be contactable by the bottom portion of articles at said conveying means with said base plate having apertures therein through which fluid is injected in a direction to urge articles toward said discharge end of said conveying means, said fluid conveyor also having a substantially solid top plate positioned slightly above articles when at said conveying means so that when so positioned said top plate is contactable by the top portion of said articles when said articles move through said conveying means, said top plate of said fluid conveyor being readily removable, said top plate including hinge means at one side of said top plate for allowing said top plate to be rotated about said hinge means to facilitate removal of said top plate from said position contactable by the top portion of said articles when said articles pass through said conveying means;
- aligning means adjacent to said discharge end of said conveying means for receiving articles discharged from said conveying means, said aligning means including an apertured base plate and guide means at said base plate for establishing a plurality of guideways each of which has sufficient width to enable articles to move through said guideways in single file;
- staging means for receiving articles discharged from said guideways of said aligning means; and
- fluid inserting means for inserting fluid into said conveying means and said guideways through said apertured base plate to urge movement of articles through said conveying means and said guideways and into said staging means with the articles discharged from said guideways providing a plurality of separate adjacent rows of articles at said staging means and with the articles of said adjacent rows being offset from one another such that the articles are in nested relationship with each article contacting adjacent articles in the same and adjacent rows.
- 15. The device of claim 14 wherein said top plate has releasable fastening means at the side of said top plate opposite to said one side having said hinge means thereat.
- 16. A device for effecting nested alignment of articles having a generally circular cross-section, said device comprising:
- conveying means for receiving articles having a generally circular cross-section and providing said articles at a discharge end;
- aligning means adjacent to said discharge end of said conveying means for receiving articles discharged from said conveying means, said aligning means including an apertured base plate and guide means at said base plate for establishing a plurality of guideways each of which has sufficient width to enable articles to move through said guideways in single file aid said aligning means also including a readily removable top unit positioned over and adjacent to said guide means, said top unit of said aligning means including hinge means at one side of said top unit for allowing said top unit to be rotated about said hinge means to facilitate removal of said top plate from a position over and adjacent to said guide means;
- staging means for receiving articles discharged from said guideways of said aligning means; and
- fluid inserting means for inserting fluid into said guideways through said apertured base plate to urge movement of articles through said guideways and into said staging means with the articles discharged from said guideways providing a plurality of separate adjacent rows of articles at said staging means and with the articles of said adjacent rows being offset from one another such that the articles are in nested relationship with each article contacting adjacent articles in the same and adjacent rows.
- 17. The device of claim 16 wherein said top unit has releasable fastening means at the side of said top unit opposite to said one side having said hinge means thereat.
- 18. A device for effecting nested alignment of articles having a generally circular cross-section, said device comprising:
- conveying means for receiving articles having a generally circular cross-section, said conveying means having a discharge end and including an apertured base plate;
- first top means including a substantially solid top plate positioned slightly above articles when at said conveying means so that when so positioned said top plate is contactable by the top portion of said articles when said articles move through said conveying means;
- aligning means adjacent to said discharge end of said conveying means for receiving articles discharged from said conveying means, said aligning means having an apertured base plate and a plurality of partitioning walls extending upwardly adjacent to said base plate of said aligning means, said partitioning walls being spaced from one another a distance sufficient to form a plurality of passageways between adjacent ones of said walls and through which articles move in single file, said passageways terminating at discharge ends that are spaced from one another;
- second top means including a bar top formed by a plurality of spaced bars extending along said base plate substantially parallel to and spaced from one another, said bar top being positioned slightly above articles when at said aligning means so that when so positioned said bar top is contactable by the top portion of said articles when said articles move through said aligning means, and said partitioning walls being mounted on one of said base plate of said aligning means and said second top means;
- staging means for receiving articles discharged from the discharge ends of said passageways; and
- article urging means including air supplying means to inject air into at least said conveying means and said aligning means through said apertured base plates, said article urging means causing movement of articles through said conveying means toward said discharge end, causing movement of articles through said passageways, and causing movement of articles toward said staging means to form a plurality of adjacent rows of articles with the articles of the adjacent rows being offset from one another such that the articles are in nested relationship with each article contacting adjacent articles in the same and adjacent rows.
- 19. The device of claim 18 wherein said conveying means includes first, second and third portions, with said second portion being a dead plate positioned between said first and third portions and said third portion being an air conveyor adapted to receive said air injected by said air supplying means.
- 20. The device of claim 18 wherein said passageways formed by said plurality of partitioning walls have a first portion extending substantially parallel to a primary intended path of travel of articles in passing through said aligning means with at least a part of said passageways having a second portion extending at an angle with respect to said first portion, wherein said apertured base plate of said aligning means has apertures between each of said first and second portions of said partitioning walls, and wherein said air supplying means injects air into said first portions of said passageways of said aligning means through said apertures in a direction substantially parallel to said first portions of said passageways to urge articles through said first portions of said passageways in a direction substantially parallel to said direction of primary intended path of travel of articles in passing through said aligning means, and injects air into said second portions of said passageways through said apertures in a direction substantially parallel to said second portions of said passageways to urge articles through said second portions of said passageways in an angled direction with respect to the direction of air injected into said first portions of said passageways.
- 21. The device of claim 18 wherein said plurality of partitioning walls each have a major portion extending along said base plate parallel to and spaced from one another.
- 22. The device of claim 21 wherein one of said partitioning walls is a straight wall that extends substantially parallel to the direction of movement of articles when in nested relationship with one another, and wherein the remainder of said plurality of partitioning walls have a first portion parallel to said one partitioning wall and a second portion extending at an angle from a junction with said first portion, said angle being substantially the same for each of said remainder of said plurality of partitioning walls.
- 23. The device of claim 22 wherein said angle formed by each of said first and second partitioning walls is substantially 160.degree. with respect to one another.
- 24. The device of claim 22 wherein said junctions of said first and second portions of said partitioning walls are progressively spaced from each side of said one partitioning wall and progressively terminate at different positions with respect to the direction of movement of articles when in nested relationship, said junctions being along a plane that extends at an angle of substantially 80.degree. with respect to the direction of article movement when in nested relationship, and said termination of each of said second portions being along a plane that extends at an angle of substantially 45.degree. with respect to the direction of article movement when in nested relationship.
- 25. The device of claim 18 wherein preselected partitioning walls of said aligning means extend into the conveying area established by said air conveying means.
- 26. The device of claim 25 wherein said preselected partitioning walls include first and second groups with said first group extending into said conveying area a distance greater than does said second group.
- 27. A device for effecting nested alignment of cans having a generally circular cross-section, said device comprising:
- conveying means having a first section for receiving cans having a generally circular cross-section, a second section that includes a dead plate for receiving cans from said first section, and a third section for receiving cans from said dead plate and conveying said cans toward a discharge end, said third section of said conveying means including a base plate having apertures formed therein;
- first top means including a substantially solid top wall positioned above said dead plate and said base plate of said conveying means and positioned slightly above articles when at said conveying means so that when so positioned said top wall of said first top means is contactable by the top portion of said cans when said cans move through said conveying means;
- aligning means including a base plate adjacent to said third section of said conveying means for receiving cans discharged from said conveying means, said base plate of said aligning means having apertures formed therein, and said aligning means also having a plurality of partitioning walls mounted on and extending upwardly from said base plate of said aligning means a distance slightly greater than the height of cans received at said conveying means, said plurality of partitioning walls including a first wall that is centrally positioned and extending in a predetermined direction that is substantially parallel to the direction of primary intended movement of said cans through said device and second walls spaced progressively outwardly from said first wall such that said cans can move between adjacent ones of said partitioning walls in single file, said second walls having a first portion parallel to said center wall and a second portion extending from said first portion at an angle of substantially 160.degree. with the junction between said first and second portions being along a plane that extends at an angle of substantially 80.degree. with respect to said direction of primary intended movement of said cans, and said second portions of said second walls terminating along a plane that is at an angle of substantially 45.degree. with respect to said direction of primary intended movement of said cans;
- staging means formed at least in part by a base plate having apertures formed therein, said staging means receiving cans discharged from said aligning means;
- second top wall means including a plurality of uniformly spaced bars extending substantially parallel to one another in said direction of primary intended movement of said cans, said second top wall means being positioned above said base plates of said aligning means and said staging means and engaging said partitioning walls of said aligning means so that when so positioned said bars of said second top wall means are contactable by the top portion of said cans when said cans move below said second top wall means; and
- an air reservoir positioned below said base plate of said connecting means, said aligning means, and said staging means and supplying air through said apertures in said base plates to cause can movement so that said cans pass between said partitioning walls and form adjacent rows of cans at said staging means with the cans of adjacent rows being offset from one another such that the cans are in nested relationship with each can contacting adjacent articles in the same and adjacent rows such that no can-size spaces are left therebetween.
- 28. The device of claim 27 wherein said staging means also includes additional conveying means for receiving cans from said base plate of said staging means and conveying said cans to a discharge end of said device in nested and aligned relationship.
- 29. The device of claim 27 wherein said first and second top means each includes hinge means at one side and fastening means at the side opposite to said one side so that said top means can be rotated about said hinge means so that said top means is readily removable from a position over cans being conveyed through said device.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/733,667, filed Jul. 22, 1991, which is now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
733667 |
Jul 1991 |
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