Structure for article handling systems

Claim 2

An article handling system, for use in conjunction with a source of gravitational attraction, and with a plurality of substantially cylindrical articles, each article having a longitudinal axis, a transverse end surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and an annular groove adjacent to and spaced from the transverse end surface and providing a transverse annular surface parallel to the transverse end surface, the transverse annular surface and the transverse end surface jointly defining an annular disk, including: a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced apart side walls, jointly defining a channel having a transverse width which is slightly greater than the diameter of one article, for receiving and freely passing therebetween a longitudinally extending column of side-by-side articles, each article standing on its transverse end surface disposed between said side walls and having a distal portion remote from the transverse end surface and projecting beyond said side walls; pushing means for pushing the entire column of articles along said channel; a first, longitudinally extending transverse track surface, facing toward said pushing means and adjacent one of said side walls and spaced from the other of said side walls, and defining the bottom of said channel, for solely abuting and supporting the transverse end surface of each article in said channel when the articles are substantially between said pushing means and the source of gravitational attraction; a second, longitudinally extending transverse track surface, facing away from said pushing means, and disposed adjacent yet spaced from said first track surface by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the annular disk of the article, and adjacent one of said side walls and spaced from the other of said side walls, for solely abuting and supporting the transverse annular surface of each article in said channel when said pushing means is substantially between the articles and the source of gravitational attraction; said pushing means and one of the group comprising said first and second track surfaces jointly interacting with each article, whereby the abutment of said one track surface under the influence of the source of gravitational attraction with one of the group comprising the transverse end surface and the transverse annular surface of each article while such article advances along said channel provides a frictional drag which is eccentric to the longitudinal axis of such article which causes each such article to rotate about its own longitudinal axis.

Claim 3

An article handling system according to claim 1 wherein: said pushing means abuts the cylindrical surface of the distal portion of the aftmost article in the column of articles in said channel.

Claim 4

An article handling system according to claim 1 wherein: said pushing means abuts the cylindrical surface of the distal portion of each article in the column of articles in said channel.

Claim 5

An article handling system, for use in conjunction with a source of gravitational attraction, and with a plurality of substantially cylindrical articles, each article having a longitudinal axis, a transverse end surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and an annular groove adjacent to and spaced from the transverse end surface and providing a transverse annular surface parallel to the transverse end surface, the transverse annular surface and the transverse end surface jointly defining an annular disk, including: a hollow drum of longitudinally extending channels disposed in an annular array about the longitudinal axis of said drum, with the bottoms of said channels remote from said longitudinal axis of said drum, each of said channels comprising a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced apart side walls, jointly defining a channel having a transverse width which is slightly greater than the diameter of one article, for receiving and freely passing therebetween a longitudinally extending column of side-by-side articles, each article standing on its transverse end surface and having a proximal portion including said transverse end surface disposed between said side walls and having a distal portion remote from the transverse end surface and projecting beyond said side walls, each article having its longitudinal axis lying on a radius of said drum; pushing means disposed in said hollow of said drum for pushing the entire column of articles along said channel; each of said channels further comprising a first, longitudinally extending transverse track surface, facing toward said pushing means and adjacent one of said side walls and spaced from the other of said side walls, and defining the bottom of said channel, for solely abuting and supporting the transverse end surface of each article in said channel when the articles are substantially between said pushing means and the source of gravitational attraction; a second, longitudinally extending transverse track surface, facing away from said pushing means, and disposed adjacent yet spaced from said first track surface by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the annular disk of the article, and adjacent one of said side walls and spaced from the other of said side walls, for solely abuting and supporting the transverse annular surface of each article in said channel when said pushing means is substantially between the articles and the source of gravitational attraction; said pushing means and one of the group comprising said first and second track surfaces jointly interacting with each article, whereby the abutment of said one track surface under the influence of the source of gravitational attraction with one of the group comprising the transverse end surface and the transverse annular surface of each article while such article advances along said channel provides a frictional drag which is eccentric to the longitudinal axis of such article which causes each such article to rotate about its own longitudinal axis.

Claim 6

An article handling system, for use in conjunction with a source of gravitational attraction, and with a plurality of substantially cylindrical articles, each article having a longitudinal axis, a transverse end surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and an annular groove adjacent to and spaced from the transverse end surface and providing a transverse annular surface parallel to the transverse end surface, the transverse annular surface and the transverse end surface jointly defining an annular disk, including: a hollow drum of longitudinally extending channels disposed in an annular array about the longitudinal axis of said drum, with the bottoms of said channels remote from said longitudinal axis of said drum, each of said channels comprising a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced apart side walls, jointly defining a channel having a transverse width which is slightly greater than the diameter of one article, for receiving and freely passing therebetween a longitudinally extending column of side-by-side articles, each article standing on its transverse end surface and having a proximal portion including said transverse end surface disposed between said side walls and having a distal portion remote from the transverse end surface and projecting beyond said side walls, each article having its longitudinal axis lying on a radius of said drum; pushing means disposed in said hollow of said drum for pushing the entire column of articles along said channel; each of said channels further comprising a first, longitudinally extending transverse track surface, facing toward said pushing means and adjacent one of said side walls and spaced from the other of said side walls, and defining the bottom of said channel, for solely abuting and supporting the transverse end surface of each article in said channel when the articles are substantially between said pushing means and the source of gravitational attraction; a second, longitudinally extending transverse track surface, facing away from said pushing means, and disposed adjacent yet spaced from said first track surface by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the annular disk of the article, and adjacent one of said side walls and spaced from the other of said side walls, for solely abuting and supporting the transverse annular surface of each article in said channel when said pushing means is substantially between the articles and the source of gravitational attraction; said pushing means and one of the group comprising said first and second track surfaces jointly interacting with each article, whereby the abutment of said one track surface under the influence of the source of gravitational attraction with one of the group comprising the transverse end surface and the transverse annular surface of each article while such article advances along said channel provides a frictional drag which is eccentric to the longitudinal axis of such article which causes each such article to rotate about its own longitudinal axis.

Claim 7

An article handling system according to claim 4 wherein: said pushing means abuts the cylindrical surface of the distal portion of the aftmost article in the column of articles in each of said channels.

Claim 8

An article handling system according to claim 4 wherein: said pushing means abuts the cylindrical surface of the distal portion of each article in the column of articles in each of said chamber.

Claim 9

An article handling system according to claim 6 wherein: each of the articles is a round of ammunition having a cartridge case, the transverse surface is the base of the case, and the annular groove is the extractor groove.

Claim 10

An article handling system according to claim 7 wherein: said pushing means is multileafed helix, each leaf abuting one case projecting from each column respectively.

Claim 11

An article handling system according to claim 1 wherein: said first and second track surfaces are adjacent the same one of said side walls and are mutually parallel.

Claim 12

An article handling system according to claim 4 wherein: said first and second track surfaces are adjacent the same one of said side walls and are mutually parallel.