Device for positioning products extracted from a mold onto a conveyor belt, in particular for soap-molding machines or the like

{
  "publication_number": "EP0326872A1",
  "country": "EP",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Device for positioning products extracted from a mold onto a conveyor belt, in particular for soap-molding machines or the like",
  "abstract": "The device (1) for positioning products (4) extracted from a mold onto a conveyor belt (17) comprises a main body (2) which supports suckers (14) which are engageable with products (4) extracted from a mold and a first actuation device acts on the suckers (14) to move them from a first product receiving position to a second position in which they are arranged facing a conveyor belt (17) having product containment pockets (17a) which are spaced with a different pitch with respect to the distance of the products (4) inside the mold. The suckers (14) are individually movable relatively to the main body and second actuation means act thereon to vary their mutual distance in relation to the distance of the products (4) in the mold and to the pitch of the containment pockets (17a) of the conveyor belt (17).",
  "claims": [
    "1. Device for positioning products extracted from a mold onto a conveyor belt, in particular for soap-molding machines or the like, comprising a main body which supports grip means engageable with the products extracted from a mold and first actuation means acting on said grip means to move them from a first position for receiving said products to a second position in which they are arranged facing a conveyor belt which has pockets for containing said products which are spaced with a different pitch with respect to the distance of said products in said mold, characterized in that said grip means are individually movable relatively to said main body, second actuation means acting on said grip means to vary their mutual distance in relation to the distance of the products in said mold and to the pitch of the containment pockets.",
    "2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mutual distance of said grip means is substantially equal to the pitch of said containment pockets of said conveyor belt in said second position.",
    "3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said main body is constituted by a first shaft, supported for rotation about its own axis and has, on its outer surface, at least one longitudinal guide which slideably accommodates said grip means in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft.",
    "4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that on the outer surface of said main body there are two longi­tudinal guides which are mutually diametrally opposite relatively to the axis of said main body, and in that each of said longitudinal guides slideably accommodates a group of said grip means.",
    "5. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said grip means comprise a plurality of supporting blocks slideably coupled to said longitudinal guides and having, at their end directed opposite to said main body, a sucker connected to a suction device to retain said products.",
    "6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second actuation means comprise spacer means, longitudinally interposed between said supporting blocks to arrange them at preset mutual distances, and movement means which act on at least one of said blocks to move them mutually closer or further apart.",
    "7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said spacer means comprise a series of rods for connecting pairs of adjacent blocks of said plurality of blocks, a first end of each rod being rigidly fixed to a first block and the other end being slideably accommodated in a seat of an adjacent block and ending with a first stop to limit mutual spacing of said adjacent blocks, a second stop being provided on said rod in an intermediate position between said adjacent blocks to limit their mutual approach.",
    "8. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said movement means comprise a second shaft, mounted on said main body so as to be rotatable substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said main body, a crank fixed to said shaft and a connecting rod pivoted with one of its ends to said crank and with its other end to a slider which is slideably coupled to said longitudinal guide and is arranged at a longitudinal end of said plurality of blocks, said slider being rigidly connected to one of said blocks arranged at the other longitudinal end of said plurality of blocks to move said plurality of blocks when said second shaft rotates about its own axis.",
    "9. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first actuation means and said second actuation means are operatively connected to one another to vary the mutual distance of said grip means when said grip means pass from said first position to said second position or vice versa.",
    "10. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first shaft is rotatably supported at its own axis by means of a supporting frame, a first toothed wheel being fixed to said supporting frame coaxially to said first shaft and meshing with a second toothed wheel keyed onto said second shaft to operatively connect said first actuation means to said second actuation means.",
    "11. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first shaft is supported by a fixed supporting structure so as to be oscillable in a vertical plane parallel to a direction of advancement of said conveyor belt.",
    "12. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises third actuation means acting on said main body to move it towards or away from said conveyor belt.",
    "13. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises fourth actuation means which act on said main body to move it alternately along said direction of advancement of said conveyor belt.",
    "14. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said third actuation means and said fourth actuation means are constituted by groups of articulated levers oscillably supported by said supporting frame and connected to said supporting frame.",
    "15. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said third actuation means are operatively connected to said fourth actuation means."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a device for positioning products extracted from a mold onto a conveyor belt, particularly for soap-molding machines or the like.\n\nDevices are known for extracting soap-cakes molded in molding machines constituted by a rotating drum in which at least two sets of molds are defined and are arranged in mutually diametrally opposite positions; said sets, when the drum rotates about its axis, are alternately arranged facing a counter-mold which molds pieces of soap and are then arranged facing the extraction device. Said extraction device generally has suckers which adhere to the soap-cakes in the mold and, after extracting them from the mold, deposit them on a conveyor belt, rotating them about an axis which is parallel to the axis of the drum of the molding machine to move the face of each soap-cake engaged with a sucker from a vertical plane in the mold to a horizontal plane on a conveyor belt.\n\nThe distance between the soap-cakes exiting from these extraction devices is substantially equal to the distance of the soap-cakes in the mold, i.e. equal to the pitch between the molding cavities on the drum. This distance is kept as small as possible so as to reduce processing waste. The soap-cakes deposited on the conveyor belt are conveyed to packaging machines which require greater distances between the soap-cakes than the abovesaid pitch in order to allow the packaging operations to be carried out correctly.",
  "cpc": [
    "C11D 13/16",
    "B65G 47/918"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 47/04",
    "B65G 47/91",
    "C11D 13/16",
    "C11D 13/18"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "BINACCHI & CO"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "BINACCHI FULVIO"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1989-01-20",
  "publication_date": "1989-08-09",
  "priority_date": "1988-02-05",
  "application_number": "EP-89100936-A",
  "family_id": "11156783",
  "citations": [
    "EP0095667B1",
    "US3386558A",
    "US3580442A"
  ]
}