US3870774A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pipe doffing and bundling method
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-09-01
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Granted: 1975-03-11
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Expires: 1992-09-01
Abstract
Abstract Concurrently with, or after the molding of a tube, such as a corrugated plastic tube, cut lengths thereof are formed into bundles of a predetermined number of cut lengths wherein successive cut lengths of a tube are continuously fed into a doffing station and according to a preselected routine are ejected into either of two hoppers located on opposite sides of the doffing station. As selected, successive cut lengths may be ejected alternately into the first and second hoppers or, alternatively, a predetermined number of successive cut lengths may be ejected first into the first hopper and then into the second hopper. The ejected cut lengths of tubes are stacked in nesting relation and secured together with bundling elements to form bundle.
Inventors
- 👤 Ernest J Maroschak
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:12
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/74; B65G47/82; B65G57/00; B65G57/02; B65G57/16; B65G57/18; B65G57/186; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S264/00; Y10S264/52; Y10S425/00; Y10S425/20; Y10S425/203; Y10T; Y10T83/00; Y10T83/202; Y10T83/2092; Y10T83/22; Y10T83/2205
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of forming bundles of cut lengths of an elongate flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a molding zone while molding annular corrugations of alternating ribs and valleys on the tube during the forward movement thereof through the molding zone, delivering the corrugated tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station while successively cutting the tube into predetermined cut lengths, feeding each successive individual cut length along a path of travel forwardly of the cutting station a predetermined distance and in response thereto quickly ejecting each successive cut length out of the path of travel by engaging each cut length intermediate its ends and moving the same laterally out of the path of travel, accumulating and stacking a plurality of cut lengths in nesting relation, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths to form a bundle thereof after a predetermined number of the cut lengths have been accumulated.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of forming bundles of cut lengths of an elongate flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a molding zone while molding annular corrugations of alternating ribs and valleys on the tube during the forward movement thereof through the molding zone, delivering the corrugated tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station while successively cutting the tube into predetermined cut lengths, feeding each successive individual cut length along a path of travel forwardly of the cutting station a predetermined distance and in response thereto quickly ejecting each successive cut length out of the path of travel by engaging each cut length intermediate its ends and moving the same laterally out of the path of travel, accumulating and stacking a plurality of cut lengths in nesting relation, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths to form a bundle thereof after a predetermined number of the cut lengths have been accumulated.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of forming bundles of cut lengths of an elongate flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a molding zone while molding annular corrugations of alternating ribs and valleys on the tube during the forward movement thereof through the molding zone, delivering the corrugated tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station while successively cutting the tube into predetermined cut lengths, feeding each successive individual cut length along a path of travel forwardly of the cutting station a predetermined distance and in response thereto quickly ejecting each successive cut length out of the path of travel by engaging each cut length intermediate its ends and moving the same laterally out of the path of travel, accumulating and stacking a plurality of cut lengths in nesting relation, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths to form a bundle thereof after a predetermined number of the cut lengths have been accumulated.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of forming bundles of cut lengths of an elongate flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a molding zone while molding annular corrugations of alternating ribs and valleys on the tube during the forward movement thereof through the molding zone, delivering the corrugated tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station while successively cutting the tube into predetermined cut lengths, feeding each successive individual cut length along a path of travel forwardly of the cutting station a predetermined distance and in response thereto quickly ejecting each successive cut length out of the path of travel by engaging each cut length intermediate its ends and moving the same laterally out of the path of travel, accumulating and stacking a plurality of cut lengths in nesting relation, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths to form a bundle thereof after a predetermined number of the cut lengths have been accumulated.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
72 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of ejecting each successive cut length includes, at times, ejecting certain cut lengths in one direction into a first hopper positioned adjacent one side of the path of travel of the cut lengths and at other times ejecting other cut lengths in the opposite direction into a second hopper positioned adjacent the opposite side of the path of travel of the cut lengths.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method according to claim 2 wherein the step of ejecting each successive cut length includes ejecting a predetermined number of successive cut lengths into the first hopper and then ejecting another predetermined number of successive cut lengths into the second hopper.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method according to claim 2 wherein the step of ejecting each successive cut length includes ejecting alternate ones of the successive cut lengths into the first hopper and ejecting intervening ones of the successive cut lengths into the second hopper.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the steps of ejecting, accumulating and stacking a plurality of the cut lengths are performed in continuous sequence as the elongate plastic tube is molded and cut to length.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
259 words
A method of sorting, stacking and bundling cut lengths of a flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a blow molding zone while molding the tube into a series of closely spaced body-forming lengths of annularly corrugated tube with integral relatively enlarged annular sleeves between and intersecting adjacent body-forming lengths, delivering the thus molded tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station, cutting the tube along a line about halfway between opposite ends of each successive sleeve to form each sleeve into a pair of separate collars, and also cutting each successive body-forming length along a line about halfway between opposite ends thereof, thereby producing a plurality of successive cut lengths each having an integral coupler collar on one end thereof, alternate ones of the successive cut lengths having the collar on the leading end thereof, and intervening ones of the cut lengths having the collar on the trailing end thereof, directing each successive individual cut length a predetermined distance forwardly of the cutting station to a doffing station, and in response thereto laterally doffing each successive cut length from the doffing station by engaging each successive cut length intermediate its ends and quickly ejecting the same laterally from the doffing station, accumulating and stacking in nesting relation a plurality of the doffed cut lengths, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths after a predetermined number of cut lengths have been accumulated to thereby form a bundle of a predetermined number of cut lengths.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
259 words
A method of sorting, stacking and bundling cut lengths of a flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a blow molding zone while molding the tube into a series of closely spaced body-forming lengths of annularly corrugated tube with integral relatively enlarged annular sleeves between and intersecting adjacent body-forming lengths, delivering the thus molded tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station, cutting the tube along a line about halfway between opposite ends of each successive sleeve to form each sleeve into a pair of separate collars, and also cutting each successive body-forming length along a line about halfway between opposite ends thereof, thereby producing a plurality of successive cut lengths each having an integral coupler collar on one end thereof, alternate ones of the successive cut lengths having the collar on the leading end thereof, and intervening ones of the cut lengths having the collar on the trailing end thereof, directing each successive individual cut length a predetermined distance forwardly of the cutting station to a doffing station, and in response thereto laterally doffing each successive cut length from the doffing station by engaging each successive cut length intermediate its ends and quickly ejecting the same laterally from the doffing station, accumulating and stacking in nesting relation a plurality of the doffed cut lengths, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths after a predetermined number of cut lengths have been accumulated to thereby form a bundle of a predetermined number of cut lengths.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
60 words
A method according to claim 6 wherein the step of doffing each successive cut length from the doffing station includes doffing certain ones of the cut lengths into a first hopper positioned adjacent one side of the doffing station and doffing other ones of the cut lengths into a second hopper positioned adjacent the opposite side of the doffing station.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
100 words
A method according to claim 7 wherein the step of doffing certain ones of the cut lengths into a first hopper positioned adjacent one side of the doffing station and doffing other ones of the cut lengths into a second hopper positioned adjacent the opposite side of the doffing station includes doffing alternate ones of the successive cut lengths into the first hopper and intervening ones of the cut lengths into the second hopper, so that all of the cut lengths in the stack of tubes thus produced have the intergral coupler collar at a common end of the stack.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
119 words
A method according to claim 7 wherein the step of doffing certain ones of the cut lengths into a first hopper positioned adjacent one side of the doffing station and doffing other ones of the cut lengths into a second hopper positioned adjacent the opposite side of the doffing station includes doffing a predetermined number of successive cut lengths into the first hopper and then doffing another predetermined number of cut lengths into the second hopper, so that some of the cut lengths forming each stack have the integral coupler collar at one end of the stack and the remainder of the cut lengths forming each stack have the integral coupler collar at the opposite end of the stack.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 6 wherein the step of directing each successive cut length a predetermined distance forwardly of the cutting station includes pushing the leading end of the uncut tube being fed against the trailing cut end of the previously cut length to push the previously cut length said predetermined distance.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method according to claim 6 wherein the step of accumulating and stacking in nesting relation a plurality of the doffed cut lengths including forming a three-layered stack of nested cut lengths including a bottom layer of three cut lengths, an intermediate layer of four cut lengths, and a top layer of three cut lengths.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
178 words
A method of forming bundles of cut lengths of an elongate flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a molding zone while molding annular corrugations of alternating ribs and valleys on the tube durinG the forward movement thereof through the molding zone, delivering the corrugated tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station while successively cutting the tube into predetermined cut lengths, feeding each successive cut length along a path of travel forwardly of the cutting station to a doffing station, sensing the arrival of each cut length at a predetermined location in the doffing station and in response thereto doffing each successive cut length from the doffing station by engaging the cut length intermediate its ends and quickly ejecting the same laterally out of the path of travel, accumulating and stacking a plurality of cut lengths in nesting relation, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths to form a bundle thereof after a predetermined number of the cut lengths have been accumulated.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
178 words
A method of forming bundles of cut lengths of an elongate flexible plastic tube, said method comprising continuously extruding a tube of plastic material into a molding zone while molding annular corrugations of alternating ribs and valleys on the tube durinG the forward movement thereof through the molding zone, delivering the corrugated tube from the molding zone and advancing the tube through a cutting station while successively cutting the tube into predetermined cut lengths, feeding each successive cut length along a path of travel forwardly of the cutting station to a doffing station, sensing the arrival of each cut length at a predetermined location in the doffing station and in response thereto doffing each successive cut length from the doffing station by engaging the cut length intermediate its ends and quickly ejecting the same laterally out of the path of travel, accumulating and stacking a plurality of cut lengths in nesting relation, and securing pliable binding elements around the stacked cut lengths to form a bundle thereof after a predetermined number of the cut lengths have been accumulated.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-10 | 1978-09-09 | 1979-03-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-10 | 1982-09-09 | 1983-03-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-10 | 1986-09-09 | 1987-03-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |