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Class 209/911 - FEED MEANS SUPPORTING OR GUIDING ITEM MOVING UNDER INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY


Subclass of Class 209 - Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Definition: Chutes and other gravity-type conveyors for feeding articles
No. of patents: 41
Last issue date: 11/29/2005


1    
NumberTitleIssue Date
RE38894Method and apparatus for testing integrated circuits
There is an IC (integrated circuit) testing device 11 that receives singulated ICs from a singulation station's bottom table 44, where an IC 15 has slid down onto loading ramp or track 16. The IC will slide into test station 18, wh...
11/29/2005
6814211Slide for sorting machine
The present invention pertains to a slide for a gravity-fed sorting machine. An optimum gravity slide configuration comprises one or more channels, with or without dividing ribs, and a product guide. The product guide has support tabs integral to or otherwise extend...
11/09/2004
6662953Air pulse feeder
A dispensing system that includes an apparatus comprised of a container with a support surface, an opening in the upper portion for receiving items, a passageway in the lower portion for dispensing items, a guide surface to direct items into the passagewa...
12/16/2003
6547079Machine for the sorting by size of pear-shaped objects
A machine for the sorting by size of pear-shaped objects including a conveyor (10) able to move essentially horizontally. The conveyor includes a first alignment of equidistant and parallel primary rollers (30) separated each from the next by an interval ...
04/15/2003
6323452Feeding system and method for placing a plurality of objects on a tray of an automated sorting system
A feeding system and method for placing a plurality of objects within a single designated destination area of a sorting system to increase the throughput rate of the system. The disclosed sorting system includes a plurality of carriages movable under the ...
11/27/2001
6241097Bag splitter and separation assembly
Disclosed is an assembly for splitting open contents-filled garbage bags selected from bags filled with yard waste and bags filled with cans and bottles. The assembly is composed of a flighted conveyor that conveys the filled garbage bags into a confined ...
06/05/2001
6216879Fold sown sorting pan
A fold down sorting pan for providing a surface for sorting small objects. The fold down sorting pan includes a mounting portion adapted for mounting to a wall or countertop. A support arm is pivotally coupled to the mounting portion. A tube is coupled to...
04/17/2001
6126017Device and method for sorting objects using buffer receptacles at sorting outlets
The device for sorting objects, for example mail items, includes a conveyor (1) that directs the objects to be sorted to sorting output receptacles (7) associated with corresponding sorting outputs and in which the sorted objects are stored. A buffer rece...
10/03/2000
5725103Bend detector
A bend detector for detecting a bend in headed rod members such as nails, screws, bolts, rivets and terminals. A guide plate, a base plate and a beam are mounted on a base which is being vibrated. Thus, a nail set in the bend detector is vibrated and roll...
03/10/1998
5722543Golf ball sizing apparatus
An apparatus is provided for separating a flow of golf balls into a first set of golf balls which meet predetermined specifications and a second set of golf balls which do not meet specifications. The apparatus includes a first elongated cylinder having a...
03/03/1998
5704489SIMM/DIMM board handler
A circuit board handling and testing apparatus comprising a housing which defines a top surface. Attached to the housing is a magazine assembly which accommodates a plurality of circuit boards and is adapted to dispense the circuit boards onto a testing a...
01/06/1998
5611436PC card conveyance and testing apparatus
Apparatus for handing and testing PC cards and, more particularly, modem cartridge units. The apparatus uses a gravity drop conveyance or slideway in combination with transverse test coupling unit. Feed gate apparatus separates and singly drops each PC ca...
03/18/1997
5472097Document sorting workstation and method
A document or package sorting workstation (10), ergonomically designed to maximize manual or machine-assisted sorting efficiencies and throughput, while minimizing or eliminating opportunities for losses or mis-sorts and improved methods for sorting docum...
12/05/1995
5409100Recycling assembly having three conveying belts
A recycling assembly includes a first endless conveyor belt, a second endless conveyor belt, a plate disposed between the first belt and the second belt and a third endless conveyor belt. An upper conveying surface of the first belt is inclined at an angl...
04/25/1995
5407083Apparatus for sorting and guiding workpieces
An apparatus for sorting and essentially vertically guiding workpieces, particularly products of plastics material is arranged between a production machine and at least two subsequently arranged units for producing, conveying or storing. A hopper which ca...
04/18/1995
5348164Method and apparatus for testing integrated circuits
There is an IC (integrated circuit) testing device 11 that receives singulated ICs from a singulation station's bottom table 44, where an IC 15 has slid down onto loading ramp or track 16. The IC will slide into test station 18, where stop pin 22 has been...
09/20/1994
5305896Apparatus for separating crossed garment hangers
An apparatus for detangling a plurality of conventional garment hangers located on a common supporting rail, comprising a generally cylindrical elongated rigid barrel having a plurality of spaced elongated bristles fixedly attached to the barrel projectin...
04/26/1994
5139150Article sorting apparatus and method
A gravity conveyor (12) delivers drill bits (10) to carrier tubes (24) which are on an endless conveyor. An optical micrometer (22) or the like identifies the drill bits (10), as to shank type, maximum diameter, overall length, helix angle, back taper, nu...
08/18/1992
5135114Apparatus for evaluating the grade of rice grains
An apparatus for evaluating the grade of rice grains includes a grain supply unit, vibrating troughs on which the rice grains run in their longitudinal posture, flow-down troughs having slits each opening to each of the flow-down troughs, a reflected ligh...
08/04/1992
5111926Singulating and orienting slide conveyor
A slide conveyor for an optical sorting machine is disclosed wherein the conveyor is gently twisted over its length by about 85 degrees. The conveyor is channel-like in that it has two sides converging at its U-shaped bottom at an acute angle. The angle h...
05/12/1992
5048695Reject station in a gravity conveyor
A first rotatable conveyor section (16) is positioned axially between upper and lower fixed sections (14,18) of a gravity conveyor. Rotatable conveyor section (16) rotates about an axis extending perpendicular to the conveyor section. A gate (42,44) is pr...
09/17/1991
5011025Feeder for seed cleaner
A feeding mechanism adpated to feed seeds such as soybeans, navy or pinto beans into a cleaning device. The feeder includes a hopper which is supplied by a hose from a large bin, and which, in turn, feeds a spout emptying into an adjustable chute which fo...
04/30/1991
4976356Method of and apparatus for optically checking the appearances of chip-type components and sorting the chip-type components
A method of optically checking the appearances of chips and sorting the chips comprises the steps of feeding chips onto chip-passage body to cause the chips to run on the chip-passage body in a predetermined direction; during the running of the chips on t...
12/11/1990
4848590Apparatus for the multisorting of scrap metals by x-ray analysis
Apparatus for sorting pieces of non-ferrous scrap metal into a plurality of components, each component being a particular metal type, feeds the pieces into a vertically disposed sorting zone. The pieces fall down a steeply inclined guide member under the ...
07/18/1989
4733360Device and method for inspecting card-like articles
A card-like article inspection device has an inclined table for placing articles thereon in an upright and aligned state, a camera for detecting the foremost article, and an article feed frame for transferring the article having been inspected along one s...
03/22/1988
4727989Automatic tie plate orientation sensing system
An electro-mechanical orientation system for conveyed articles having a distinguishable top and bottom such as a rail tie plate or the like is disclosed comprising a sensor frame having a transverse pivot axis, a plurality of elongate sensor fingers pivot...
03/01/1988
4715487Chute for optical selector
A chute for an optical selector has a corrugated bottom surface in order to insure that particulate articles to be selected flow linearly and are dispersed uniformly across the width. The corrugations along the bottom surface of the chute are gentle havin...
12/29/1987
4585126Method and apparatus for high speed processing of fruit or the like
A method and apparatus are disclosed for high-speed processing of fruit or the like wherein the fruit is initially accumulated and aligned at a pick-up point for capture in spaced-apart pockets of a singulation conveyor at the pick-up point to maintain th...
04/29/1986
4569432Arrangement for feeding of a fine-particle material to electrostatic free-fall cutter
An arrangement for feeding a fine-particle material to be separated to an electrostatic free-fall cutter is formed as a funnel with braking inserts and inclined walls whose edges limit a small elongated rectangular discharge slot, wherein a greater wall i...
02/11/1986
4555330Method and apparatus for separating material
The method and apparatus for separating materials includes a feed splitting assembly (27) which evenly divides the materials to be separated into equal parts for inputs to a like plurality of screen assemblies (16, 17, 18). These inputs are evenly distrib...
11/26/1985
4436619Method of sorting semiconductor devices and apparatus for performing this method
The method of sorting semiconductor devices includes the steps of feeding semiconductor devices into a contact mechanism and simultaneously connecting the contact elements of the contact mechanism to the leads of one semiconductor device, measuring the pa...
03/13/1984
4385701Article elevating apparatus with inclined roller carriers
In an article elevating apparatus, articles such as cigarette cartons, are picked up at a loading station by inclined roller carriers moving in an upward vertical direction. During upward movement the articles are held on the roller carriers by sliding en...
05/31/1983
4376484Device for checking the soundness of the cigarettes in a packeting machine
A device that can be mounted on an infeed hopper of a cigarette packeting machine, for checking the soundness of the cigarettes in a pile movable along each of the exit channels of the hopper. The device comprises sensor means for checking at least two su...
03/15/1983
4342396Rotary parts separator
A parts separator for separating small parts from a mixture with larger members, comprising a vertical cylindrical separator baffle wall and a continuously rotating conical rotor mounted co-axially in the baffle; the upper surface of the rotor is radially...
08/03/1982
4305816Apparatus and method for inspecting containers
Method and apparatus for testing open ended containers wherein the open ends of the containers are clamped against regularly spaced apertures in a carrier wheel and are rotated along a locus leading across two spaced inspection stations. Lighting is provi...
12/15/1981
4248389Container sorting and handling system
A novel container sorting and handling system is provided for sorting a plurality of diverse types of containers into preselected types for either reuse, reclamation or disposal depending upon the type of container. The sorting system comprises a housing ...
02/03/1981
4228901Separator device for elongate objects advancing along a conveying path
A separator device for separating from a succession of objects in a conveying path those objects having less than a desired length in the conveying direction, including an input channel via which the objects are conveyed to the separator device, an abutme...
10/21/1980
4222488Methods and apparatus for sorting articles
Articles, such as rectangular thin film circuits (11), are sorted by advancing a row of the articles along a chute (20). The leading article (11-A) in the row is stopped in a test position with a releasable stop member (40), after which the lead article i...
09/16/1980
4216865Whole fruit size grader
A whole fruit size grader comprising a horizontally oscillating table having a generally horizontal flat area on which fruit to be sized is loaded and a sorting area which slopes therefrom downwardly to a prime size fruit collecting area or station. Said ...
08/12/1980
4171051Apparatus for serially transporting, testing and orienting cylindrical components
A multi-section feeder-serializer subsystem uses blocking gates controlled by sensors responsive to the quantity of components in the various sections to produce a single-file progression of components from a bulk supply of components. A slotted track con...
10/16/1979
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