| Device for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containers -> Monitor Keywords |
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Device for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containersDevice for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containers description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070284388, Device for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containers. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]1. Field of the Invention [0002]The present invention generally relates to a device that separates individual cup-shaped containers from a stack of the containers, and in particular to such a device that employs a pair of screw rods having screws of increased pitches to separate individual cup-shaped containers from the stack of containers that is positioned between and engaging the screw rods. [0003]2. The Related Art [0004]Heat-shrinkage films made of plastics are commonly used in packaging goods for purposes of decoration and protection. An example of the goods that is enclosed by the plastic film is heat-resistant cup-shaped containers that are often used to pack instant foods, such as instant noodles and brewing soups. To save space for storage and transportation, the cup-shaped containers are often partially fit over and stacked on each other. [0005]Individual containers must be separated from the stack before further processing, including film fitting, can be carried out. Conventionally, the containers are separated manually and are then placed on a conveyer belt one by one in an equally spaced manner for subsequent film fitting operation that is automatically carried out. However, human error often occurs and the distance or pitch between separated containers that are positioned on the conveyer belt may vary from container to container. This causes difficult in automatically fitting the plastic film over the containers and other processing. [0006]Thus, it is desired to have a device that effectively separates individual cup-shaped containers of stack from each other to alleviate the above problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007]An objective of the present invention is to provide a device for separating individual cup-shaped containers from a stack, comprising a frame retaining the stack and a separating mechanism comprising two screw rods on opposite sides of the frame whereby screws of increased pitch of the screw rods engage outer rim of each container and drives the container in a given direction to separate the container from the stack when the screw rods rotates. Manual interference during the operation of the device is not needed at all and costs of time and labor are substantially reduced. [0008]Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device for separating individual cup-shaped containers from a stack by means of two spaced screw rods engaging outer rims of the containers and comprising an adjusting mechanism for selectively adjusting the distance between the screw rods for accommodating stacks of cup-shaped containers of different specifications. [0009]A further objective of the present invention is to provide a device for separating individual cup-shaped containers from a stack by means of two spaced screw rods engaging outer rims of the containers and driving the container forward with the rotation thereof, comprising a transmission mechanism coupled to and controlling the rotation of the screw rods whereby the forward-driving speed of the container is well controlled and timing when the container is deposited onto a conveyer belt is precisely set to ensure proper positioning of the container on the conveyer belt for enhancing subsequent processing, including film fitting, and thus improving quality and efficiency of final products. [0010]To realize the above objectives, in accordance with the present invention, a device for separating individual cup-shaped containers from a stack of such containers is provided, comprising a frame, a separating mechanism, an adjusting mechanism, and a power transmission mechanism. The separating mechanism comprises at least a pair of screw rods arranged on opposite sides of the frame and substantially parallel to and spaced from each other to receive the stack therebetween. The power transmission mechanism is coupled to the screw rods by mated gears for driving rotation of the screw rods. The screw rods have screws engaging outer rim of each individual container and having an increased pitch whereby when the screw rods rotate, the container is driven forward in a given direction and is increasingly spaced from the other containers due to the increased screw pitch. The adjusting mechanism is coupled to the screw rods to selectively adjust the distance between the screw rods for accommodating containers of different specifications. Thus, automatic separation of the cup-shaped containers can be achieved, and in addition, the device can be applied to containers of different specifications easily. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011]The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [0012]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention for separating individual cup-shaped containers from a stack of such containers; [0013]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 1, of a portion of the device of the present invention, particularly showing the stack of containers engaging and separated by screw rods of the device; [0014]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an adjusting mechanism that selectively adjusts the distance between the screw rods of the device in accordance with the present invention; [0015]FIG. 4 is a rear view of a frame of the device constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing a transmission mechanism of the device; and [0016]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a device for separating cup-shaped containers from a stack in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a feeding mechanism for automatically feeding stacks of containers in to the device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0017]With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1-4, a device that is constructed in accordance with the present invention for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding the separated individual cup-shaped containers, which will be briefly referred to as "cup separating device" hereinafter, is generally designated with reference numeral 100. The cup separating device 100 comprises a frame 10, a separating mechanism 20, an adjusting mechanism 30, and a transmission mechanism 40. The frame 10 can be of any desired construction and, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises a feed hopper 11 arranged at a topmost location for receiving a stack 200 of cup-shaped containers 210. The containers 210 are vertically stacked by having an open end facing downward and fit over an opposite closed end of the-next container at the lower side. [0018]The separating mechanism 20 comprises two screw rods 21, 22 and two first transmission gears 23, 24 respectively mounted to the screw rods 21, 22. The screw rods 21, 22 are arranged on opposite sides of the frame 10 and stand upright. Also, the screw rods 21, 22 are substantially parallel to each other and spaced from each other by a distance sufficient to accommodate the stack 200 of the containers 210 between the screw rods 21, 22. The screw rods 21, 22 each comprise a helical screw 211, 221 of variable thickness spaced by a helical groove 212, 222 of constant width corresponding to an outer rim 210A of the container 210, whereby the screws of the screw rods 21, 22 have a variable pitch, which in the embodiment is increased toward a given direction in which the containers 210 is moved by the screw rods 21, 22 to separate from the stack 200. In addition, the width of the helical groove 212, 222 of the screw rod 21, 22 is sufficient to receive and properly engage an outer rim 210A of the cup-shaped container 210 therein. The transmission gears 23, 24 are mounted to the screw rods 21, 22 for driving the screw rods 21, 22 respectively. The transmission gears 23, 24 can be of any type, and are preferably bevel gears as shown in the drawings. [0019]The adjusting mechanism 30 comprises two spaced boards 31, 32 between which two guide rails 33, 34 extend. A threaded rod 35 extends, in parallel to the guide rails 33, 34, between and is rotatably supported by the boards 31, 32 with opposite ends of the rod 35 extending beyond the boards 31, 32. A hand wheel 351 is mounted to one end of the threaded rod 35 for manually rotating the threaded rod 35. Two movable blocks 36, 37 are arranged between the boards 31, 32 and each defines two through holes 361, 371 for the extension of the guide rails 33, 34 whereby the movable blocks 36, 37 are movable along the guide rails 33, 34 between the boards 31, 32. The movable blocks 36, 37 also define inner-threaded holes 362, 372 engageable with the threaded rod 35 whereby the rotation of the rod 35 by the hand wheel 351 causes the movable blocks 36, 37 to move along the guide rails 33, 34. This changes the distance between the movable blocks 36, 37. [0020]Each movable block 36, 37 comprises an upper support member 364, 374 and an opposite lower support member 365, 375. The screw rods 21, 22 are rotatably supported between the upper and lower support members 364, 365, and 374, 375 of the movable blocks 36, 37, respectively. Thus, by moving the movable blocks 36, 37 along the guide rails 33, 34, the distance between the screw rods 21, 22 is changed for accommodating containers 210 of different sizes or specifications. Continue reading about Device for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containers... Full patent description for Device for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containers Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Device for separating stacked cup-shaped containers and feeding individual cup-shaped containers patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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