Method and system for conveying articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11053086-B2
Application number	US-201916600788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2019
Priority date	Oct 16, 2018
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A method of conveying articles includes moving a first plurality of articles in a first input lane and a moving second plurality of articles in a second input lane in a downstream direction to a lane combiner, and operating the lane combiner to combine the first plurality of articles and the second plurality of articles into a combined plurality of articles in an output lane. The operating the lane combiner includes engaging a first article from the first plurality of articles with a first combiner wheel, engaging a second article from the second plurality of articles with a second combiner wheel that is out of phase with the first combiner wheel, rotating the first combiner wheel and the second combiner wheel to move the first article and then the second article into the output lane, the combined plurality of articles includes the first article and the second article in sequence.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of conveying articles, comprising:
moving a first plurality of articles in a first input lane in a downstream direction to a lane combiner;
moving a second plurality of articles in a second input lane in the downstream direction to the lane combiner; and
operating the lane combiner to combine the first plurality of articles and the second plurality of articles into a combined plurality of articles in an output lane,
the operating the lane combiner comprises engaging a first article from the first plurality of articles with a first combiner wheel, engaging a second article from the second plurality of articles with a second combiner wheel that is out of phase with the first combiner wheel, rotating the first combiner wheel to move the first article into the output lane, rotating the second combiner wheel to move the second article into the output lane after the first article, and the combined plurality of articles comprises the first article and the second article in sequence, the first article in an inverted orientation relative to the second article.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operating the lane combiner further comprises engaging a third article from the first plurality of articles with the first combiner wheel, engaging a fourth article from the second plurality of articles with the second combiner wheel, rotating the first combiner wheel to move the third article into the output lane after the second article, and rotating the second combiner wheel to move the fourth article into the output lane after the third article, the combined plurality of articles comprises the first article, the second article, the third article, and the fourth article in sequence.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first combiner wheel comprises a plurality of recesses each configured to receive a respective article of the first plurality of articles, and the second combiner wheel comprises a plurality of recesses each configured to receive a respective article of the second plurality of articles.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of recesses of the first combiner wheel are interposed with a plurality of peaks of the first combiner wheel, and the plurality of recesses of the second combiner wheel are interposed with a plurality of peaks of the second combiner wheel.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of peaks of at least one of the first combiner wheel and the second combiner wheel define a respective convex surface with a first radius of curvature that is greater than a second radius of curvature of a respective concave surface defined by the plurality of recesses of the at least one of the first combiner wheel and the second combiner wheel.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein when a recess of the first combiner wheel is positioned in a combination area of the lane combiner, a peak of the second combiner wheel at least partially extends across the second input lane.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first input lane comprises a first outer lane guide and the second input lane comprises a second outer lane guide, and a combination area is at least partially defined between the first outer lane guide and the second outer lane guide, the combination area is in communication with each of the first input lane, the second input lane, and the output lane.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first input lane and the second input lane are separated by a divider, the combination area is devoid of the divider.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the first combiner wheel extends through a slot in the first outer lane guide, and at least a portion of the second combiner wheel extends through a slot in the second outer lane guide.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first outer lane guide and the second outer lane guide overlap a respective first sloped surface and second sloped surface, the first sloped surface and the second sloped surface are arranged to converge toward one another.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first sloped surface and the second sloped surface are defined by a respective first lane guide of the output lane and a second lane guide of the output lane.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first sloped surface and the second sloped surface are defined by a respective first guide bracket and a second guide bracket.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the combination area is positioned upstream relative to the output lane.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first combiner wheel rotates about a first rotational axis and the second combiner wheel rotates about a second rotational axis, the first rotational axis is parallel to the second rotational axis.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lane combiner is positioned above a conveyor configured to move each of the first article and the second article from the respective first input lane and the second input lane, through a combination area, and into the output lane.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising loading the first plurality of articles in the first input lane in an inverted orientation relative to the second plurality of articles.

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Llc

Inventors

• Ziegler Kelly W

Classifications

• B65B35/54

  Feeding articles along multiple paths to a single packaging position · CPC title

• B65B35/58

  Turning articles by positively-acting means, e.g. to present labelled portions in uppermost position · CPC title

• B65B21/025

  the bottles being arranged in a head-to-bottom formation · CPC title

• B65G47/846

  Star-shaped wheels or wheels equipped with article-engaging elements · CPC title

• B65G47/681 Primary

  from distinct, separate conveyor lanes · CPC title