Cup Loader Denester Assembly for Stable Sequential Filler Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup handling systems face challenges in maintaining an adequate supply of cups for fillers, particularly for shallower cups that can become de-nested and tumble, leading to equipment stoppages and disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A cup handling apparatus with a frame, cup magazine assembly, and cup loader assembly, featuring a magazine frame with guide shafts and dropper disks, and a cup loader assembly with a cup holding box and release mechanism, ensuring controlled and sequential delivery of cups to the filler.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cups are dispensed into the filler without a specialized loading mechanism, then the system is simpler, but cups become de-nested and tumble causing stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested cup loading system where cups are stacked vertically in a magazine assembly and loaded sequentially through a dropper mechanism. The nested arrangement maintains cup stability during storage and transport, preventing tumbling while enabling continuous supply to the filler.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-loading cups into the magazine assembly in a controlled nested arrangement before they are needed for filling. The dropper mechanism then delivers cups one at a time to the filler, ensuring continuous availability without requiring complex real-time coordination during the filling operation.
2Volume of moving object
If shallower cups are used, then the container size is reduced, but cups become de-nested and difficult to dispense
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dropper mechanism as an intermediary between the nested cup storage and the filler. This intermediary device carefully controls the release of shallow cups one at a time, preventing the tumbling and dispensing difficulties that would otherwise occur with shallow cup geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup delivery system is segmented into discrete controlled steps: cups are stacked in the magazine, the dropper mechanism selects and releases individual cups sequentially, and each cup is delivered to the filler. This segmentation prevents the chaotic dispensing that would occur with shallow cups and enables reliable operation.
3Productivity
If cups are delivered sequentially to the filler, then the filler operates continuously, but the cup loading system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by maintaining a pre-loaded magazine assembly with cups ready for sequential delivery. This advance preparation enables continuous filler operation without requiring complex real-time loading mechanisms, as cups are already positioned and ready to be dropped one at a time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by implementing a magazine assembly that maintains a steady supply of cups for the filler. The dropper mechanism delivers cups continuously at the required rate, preventing filler stoppages and maintaining continuous productive operation without introducing excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A cup handling apparatus including a frame, a cup magazine assembly and a cup loader assembly. The cup magazine assembly includes a magazine frame and a cup dropper assembly. The magazine is configured to retain cups with the cup dropper assembly configured to controllably release cups from the magazine frame. The cup loader assembly includes a cup holding box, a cup release assembly and a box movement subassembly. The cup loader assembly is configured to fill the magazine frame with cups, and can be moved from a cup loading configuration to a magazine loading configuration.