US3294235A

US3294235A - Apparatus for gauging and sorting articles

Info

Publication number: US3294235A
Application number: US322443A
Authority: US
Inventors: Courtney G Pitkin; John J Fahey
Original assignee: Lewis Howe Co
Current assignee: Lewis Howe Co
Priority date: 1963-11-08
Filing date: 1963-11-08
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27

Description

Dec. 27, 1966 c. G. PITKIN ET AL APPARATUS FOR GAUGING AND SORTI'NG ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1965 INVE NTO RS COURTNEY G. PITKIN JO H N J- FA HEY 83% M ATTORNEYS C. G. PITKIN ET AL APPARATUS FOR GAUGING AND SORTING ARTICLES Dec. 27, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 8,

A N w O m M P T- mm E T G H (M A R A S H F ,W m N u MA T T N R N w w w m C J a m m i l=i E -=i==: 1

United States Patent 3,294,235 APPARATUS FOR GAUGHNG AND SGRTENG ARTICLES Courtney G. Pitkin, University City, and John J. Fahey,

Webster Groves, Mo., assignors to Lewis-Howe Company, St. Louis, Mm, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 322,443 11 Claims. (Cl. 209-104) The present invention relates generally to machines for gauging and sorting articles, and more particularly to apparatus for accurately sizing articles such as tablets, candy, washers, buttons and like disc-shaped articles, as well as objects of other shapes.

In the manufacture of various articles, measurement or inspection to assure that such articles are within the manufacturing tolerances prescribed therefor creates a perplexing problem in many industries. The problem is particularly acute in the pharmaceutical industry in the manufacture of tablets due to the extremely high speeds at which tablets are formed in rotary tablet presses or other tablet machines and, more important, due to the criticality of producing tablets of uniform dosage meeting a series of prescribed standards including size, weight, hardness, etc. Although some tablet standards such as hardness and weight can be tested by periodic laboratory inspections, both of these characteristics of the final tablet can to a certain extent be controlled by maintaining a umform granulation or other form of material and by accurate size measurement; although the size of tablets produced on even a single rotary press cannot accurately be measured by laboratory inspection only, for several reasons. In the first place, a conventional rotary tablet press contains several die cavities in which opposed punches are reciprocated to form tablets and, due to wear or other factors, tablets of different size (thickness) may be produced on a single press and, in considering deviations from predetermined prescribcd tablet dimensions, such tablets may be oversized (too thick) as well as undersized (too thin). A second important consideration concerns techniques of tablet packaging wherein tablets are fed directly from one press to a packaging machine or wherein tablets are accumulated in bulk from several presses and then fed into packing machines. One problem of both methods is that the collection of a number of tablets for a single container frequently results in several oversized or several undersized tablets being grouped together thereby causing jams or breakage which effects stoppage of the packaging machines. The critical problem, of course, is providing a correct number of tablets of proper dosage. Y

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a sizing or gauging device that will operate at high production speeds and that will accurately and individually sort tablets or other disc-shaped articles so that oversized and undersized tablets will be separated from the tablets falling within the prescribed manufacturing tolerance therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple, low priced, extremely sensitive gauging apparatus including means for transferring articles from a manufacturing station.

Still another object is to provide an apparatus for sorting pharmaceutical tablets according to the thickness thereof, and to which the tablets are transferred from the press means in a self-propelling and self-dusting movement.

These and still other objects and advantages will be set out more fully hereinafter.

Briefly, the invention is embodied in an apparatus for gauging and sorting articles including a pair of spaced rotating disc members defining therebetween stepped groove means including an annular channel for receiving articles of predetermined size, and having other means for receiving or diverting articles whose dimensions fall outside of the predetermined size.

The invention is also embodied in the-parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, showing an apparatus embodying the invention, together with rotary tablet press means and a transfer system to and from the apparatus,

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged plan view showing the apparatus and article transfer means thereto with the rotary tablet press means being partially illustrated,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus, transfer means and rotary tablet press means taken substantially along line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a greatly enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus per se,

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the article feeding means taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG- URE 3,

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view simi lar to FIGURE 5 showing a multi-channel apparatus for sizing tablets from two feeding lines, and

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 showing another modification of the apparatus.

For purposes of disclosure of the present invention reference will be to the manufacture of pharmaceutical tablets T on a rotary tablet press RP as partiaily illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. It will be understood that the rotary tablet press is conventional in construction and prior patent art such as Abbe et al. Patent No. 2,969,753, Bailey et al. Patent No. 2,944,493 or other patents may be referred to for fuller details on the general construc tion and operation of rotary tablet presses. It should, of course, be noted that the cited patents relate to the formation of multi-layer tablets whereas in the present disclosure the rotary tablet press RP is a double acting press in which each die forms two single layer tablets T in each revolution thereof.

The rotary tablet press RP includes a die head 19 having vertical die cavities 11 extending therethrough. Upper punches 12 are disposed above the die head 10 and each punch is vertically aligned with a die cavity 11 and is guided in a reciprocable vertical movement by an upper punch guide 12'. Lower punches 13 are disposed beneath the die head 10 and each lower punch is vertically aligned and extends into a die cavity 11 and may be guided for reciprocable vertical movement therein by a lower guide 13. The die head 10 and punch guides 12 and 13' are secured together and rotate in a horizontal path carrying the upper and lower punches 12 and 13 about a fixed base or pedestal 14 of the rotary press RP. Upper and lower cam tracks (not shown) are secured above and below the upper and

lower punches

12 and 1 3 and are secured to the pedestal 14. The cam tracks effect reciprocation of the upper and lower punches into and out of the die cavities 11 to thereby perform a sequence of operations to form the two tablets T in each die cavity in each complete revolution of the die head 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, granulated material or powder is fed onto the upper surface 10 of die head 10 at each of diametrally opposed material receiving stations 15 and 16. The leading edge of each of the material receiving stations is defined by a guide plate for diverting formed tablets T from thedie cavity circle, the guide plate for the station comprising a front shoe 17 and the guide plate for the station 16 forming a back shoe 18. As each die cavity approaches the front shoe 17, the lower punch 13 rides on an elevated ejection cam (not shown) to position the formed tablet T above the level of the die head surface 10 and the corresponding upper punch 12 is elevated above the die head 10. The formed tablet contacts the front shoe 17 and is diverted outwardly from the die cavity 11 and the lower punch 13 then leaves the ejection cam and assumes a lower position extending part way into the die cavity 11 so that granulated material falls by gravity or is forced into the die cavity as it passes through the material receiving station 15. As the die cavity rotates through the material receiving station, the lower punch follows the lower cam track to a predetermined vertical position and passes under a leveling blade 19 resting on the upper surface 10' of the die head 10 to thereby remove excess tableting material and produce a predetermined volume of material in the die cavity from which the tablet is to be formed. In the traverse of the die cavity from the leveling blade 19 to the back shoe 18, the lower punch 13 is first lowered in the die cavity to drop the level of material below the die head surface 10', the upper punch 12 is lowered into the die cavity, then the upper and lower punches simultaneously pass across pressure rolls (not shown) which force the working ends of the punches together to compress the tablet material and form the tablet T, and the upper punch 12 is then raised to its elevated position and the lower punch 13 contacts the tablet ejection cam to raise the tablet T to a point slightly above the surface 10 of the die head 10 as the back shoe 18 is approached.

It will be seen from the foregoing that each die forms a single tablet T in the first half revolution of each die cavity 11 from the front shoe 17 to the back shoe 18. A similar sequence of steps takes place during the traverse of each die cavity under the back shoe 18 through the material feeding station 16 and during traversal of the die cavities to the front shoe 17 whereby another tablet T is formed by each die in the second half revolution thereof.

The guide plate or back shoe 18 extends angularly to the arcuate path of travel of the die cavities to divert the first set of tablets T outwardly from the die cavities 11 toward the outer periphery of the die head surface 10. A protective guard or railing 20 is provided around the die head surface 10 to support the tablets T on the surface 10' as they are moved to a first discharge station 21.

In prior tablet manufacture using a rotary tablet press RP of the double acting type, tablets T have been discharged to a bulk conveyor or container by merely extending the front shoe 17 in an angular direction across the path of the die cavities to a discharge chute at which the railing 20 ended so that both the first and second sets of tablets T formed in the machine were all removed and discharged to a common conveyor or storage container. The linear spacing of the tablets moved to the outer periphery of the die head 10 and against the railing 20 is greater than the spacing of the tablets as formed in the die cavities due to the closer proximity of the cavities 11 to the center of the rotary press. This linearity of tablet spacing created a problem overcome by the present invention, as will be discussed more fully hereinafter.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 2-5, the apparatus for gauging and sorting articles according to the present invention is designated generally by the letters GA and includes a transfer device or delivery means TD. The apparatus GA, per se, comprises a sizing wheel formed of spaced apart

discs

26 and 27 shown with

surface plates

26 and 27 secured in opposed relation to define groove means 28 therebetween. However, the

discs

26 and 27 may have finished surface areas instead of surface plates.

As shown best in FIGS. 3 and 5, the surface plates 26' and 27' are machined or otherwise formed to precise dimensions to provide a relatively narrow central portion 22, an annular intermediate portion 23 to accommodate tablets T within the prescribed manufacturing tolerance therefor, and a relatively large annular outer portion 24 to accommodate oversized tablets T. The discs and plates have central openings 30 receiving

hub members

32 and 33. A shim or spacing member 34 is provided between the discs or

plates

26, 27 to determine the precise spacing of the surface areas. The discs and plates are secured on an axle 35 between a stop member 36 and a nut 37 or like tightening means for rigidly holding the discs in fixed spaced relation. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4-, the axle 35 is journaled in suitable bearings 38 secured on frame members 39, and a sprocket wheel 40 on one end of the axle 35 is connected through a suitable sprocket train 41 to a motor 42 or like drive means secured on the frame 39.

Referring again particularly to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, it will be noted that the transfer means TD is rigidly mounted on the pedestal 14 by suitable brackets 45. The transfer means forms a tablet feeding channel having one end mounted in juxtaposition with the outer periphery of the die head 10 and the other end extends into juxtaposition with the periphery of the sizing wheel 25. Inasmuch as the groove means 28 formed between the plates 26' and 27 of the wheel 25 is mounted in a vertical plane and the tablets T are formed and carried in a horizontal plane by the die head 10, an important function of the transfer device is to divert the tablets T from the die head surface 10 and turn these tablets into a vertical plane for traversal to the sizing wheel 25. Accordingly, the transfer device includes an arcuate plate or deflector bar 47 extending past the edge of the die head 10 and mounted in juxtaposition with the upper surface 10 thereof for contact by the first set of tablets T carried against the railing 20 by the die head 10, the tablets contacting the deflector bar 47 at point a. It will be noted that the deflector bar 47 extends substantially tangentially to the direction of travel of the tablets T on the die head surface 10 and the tablets are thus deflected in an angular direction away from the deflector bar 47 and against a curved plow 48 secured in opposed relation with the deflector bar. The railing 20 ends at the plow 48 and the deflector bar and plow form an enlarged throat to the transfer device, the tablets T contacting the curved plow 48 at point 11 and being turned edgewise and falling between the deflector bar and the DlOW substantially at point 0.

The transfer device TD includes a trough member 49 having spaced

side walls

50 and 51, an upper feed channel supporting base member 52 and a lower dust receiving tray 53. A plurality of bracket members 54 are secured to the upper base member 52 in opposed pairs and an elongated opening 55 is provided in the base member 52 between the brackets 54 substantially the entire extent of the feed channel. The tablet carrying portion of the feed channel includes opposed pairs of wire or rod like

members

56 and 57 extending from the deflector bar 47 and plow 48 to the sizing wheel 25, the wire or rod members in each pair being vertically spaced on each bracket 54 to define the sides of the channel and another wire or rod like member 58 being centrally p0sitioned between and below the opposed pairs of

side wires

56 and 57 to form a center rail on which the discharged tablets T ride during transfer between the rotary press and the sizing wheel. The

side wires

56 and 57 assist in guiding the tablets and keeping them on the center wire 58. The end of the feed channel is provided with a tongue 60 into which the end of the center wire 58 is recessed, at 59, the tongue extending into the groove means 28 between the spaced plates 26' and 27' of the sizing wheel 25. The end of the tongue 60 is downwardly curved, at 61, and terminates in spaced relation with the,

shim 34 or axle 35 of the gauging apparatus to provide for free gravity fall of the undersized tablets T.

The outer edges of the plates 26' and 27' may be curved or provided with a flared opening defined by diverging margins 62 to facilitate this tablet feeding therebetween. The spacing of the

wire members

56 and 57 is preferably less than the spacing between the

plates

26 and 27 at the periphery of the flared opening 62 of the wheel 25 and the feed channel is centered on the outer channel to deliver the tablets T directly into the groove means 28 without striking the edge of the wheel.

As previously discussed, undersized tablets T being fed into the groove means 28 will follow the tongue track 60 and fall through the clearance between the curved tongue portion 61 and the wheel axle onto a suitable tray or discharge means 63 to a scrap container or conveyor 64. Tablets T within the prescribed manufacturing tolerance will be too large to pass into the central portion 22 of the wheel 25 and will remain in the intermediate annular groove 23 and be carried to a discharge tongue 65 extending into the groove means 28 and having a free end juxtaposed with the central portion 23 thereof. The tongue 65 connects to a chute, conveyor or the like 66 to which acceptable tablets T are fed for packaging. Another tongue 67 extends into the groove means and has a free end juxtaposed with the intermediate portion 24, the tongue 67 being adapted to receive oversized tablets T and discharge them onto a chute or tray 68 to a suitable scrap container or conveyor 69. It will be understood that undersized and oversized tablets are not thrown away but are usually sent back for pulverizing and regranulation and thus reused in the tableting operation. For instance, in FIG. 1 the trays or

discharge chutes

63 and 68 for rejected tablets may be connected to a single conveyor to a regranulation station.

In the tableting operation, tablets T are formed and carried on the die head surface at the relatively high rotation speeds of the die head and the tablets are maintained on the die head by the outer railing by centrifugal force thereby producing a high tablet discharge speed and angle of deflection into the feed channel. The impact of the tab-lets against the deflector bar 47 causes a rebound of the tablets against the plow 48 which turns the tablets on edge and directs them into the feed channel TD. The linear spacing of the tablets on the die head surface 10', as well as discharge speed, is an important factor in assuring individual tablet inspection by the sizing wheel, that is, in determining the speed at which the sizing wheel must rotate in order to prevent overriding of tablets in the groove means 28 or deflection of the tablets out of the sizing wheel. It will be noted that the sizing wheel 25 rotates in a counterclockwise directlon as shown in FIG. 3 and that the wheel is positioned below the level of the die head surface 10. The downward angle of the transfer device TD should be great enough so that gravity maintains or increases the speed of the tablets to keep the linear spacing thereof to prevent interference between tablets either in the feed channel or at the sizing wheel 25. The rate of rotation of the sizing wheel 25 should be at a circumferential rate at least substantially equal to the speed of the tablets in the feed channel (minus the distance between tablets T) in order that each tablet will pass into the groove means 28 and be diverted to its appropriate discharge path without interference with the preceding or succeeding tablets. It will be noted that the feed channel is preferably arranged at an angle to the sizing wheel defining an extended chord across the upper part of the central portion 22 above the axis of rotation. The angularity of the feed channel to the direction of rotation of the intermediate and outer gauging tracks is such that the tablets T are picked up by the wheel (unless the tablets are undersized) and carried over the top to the

proper discharge tongue

65 or 67 without bouncing out of the groove means 28 or chipping the tablets. The present apparatus will gauge and sort tablets that are concave, convex or having a tapering or uneven wedge-shaped thickness resulting from uneven wear or machining of the punch heads, such tablets being sized to maximum dimension.

It will be understood that the critical parts of the sizing wheel 25 are the annular channel 23, which is formed to receive a maximum thickness tablet, and the central portion 22, which is machined to receive a tablet below the minimum acceptable thickness. The axial differential between these areas defines the tolerance range of the tablets that will be accepted for packaging or the like. The shim 34 actually sets the dimensions between the opposed plates 26 and 27' to establish the maximum and minimum for tablet gauging, and other shims may be substituted to vary the spacing between plates 26' and 27' to accommodate different tablet specifications.

The tablets T are self-dusting during movement in the feeding channel, the

Wire members

56, 57 and 58 being subject to vibration and providing spaces therebetween through which loose powder or dust on the surface of the tablets will fall and be collected in the tray 53. In fact, since the tablets T are formed of compressed powder, they are subject to attrition and may continue to produce dust during movement. Therefore, there is a tendency for dust to accumulate throughout the feed channel and it is important that projections or flat surfaces be minimized to prevent dust from bridging across the tablet track or'wire 58. The principal self-dusting feature is that the tablets T tend to wipe the track over which they move.

Referring again to FIG. 1 in which the gauging apparatus includes a pair of spaced similar sizing wheels 25 each having a separate feed channel extending to the rotary tablet press of the double acting type, it will be seen that the first set of tablets T (produced in the first half cycle of die cavity rotation) are diverted to the outer railing 20 thereby increasing the linear spacing therebetween. In order to assure proper linear spacing between tablets T of the second set so that all of the tablets pro duced by the single machine will be similarly spaced and delivered at uniform rates for inspection by the sizing wheels, the front shoe 17 diverts the .second set against a short outer railing 26' and to a second discharge station 21. In other words, the front shoe 17 cannot merely be extended to form a deflector bar with an opposed plow arrangement similar to that described with reference to FIG. 2 since the diversion of tablets from the die cavity circle to the outer railing and the added effect of centrifugal force thereon is a factor in producing the proper linear spacing of the tablets.

Referring to FIG. 7, it will be seen that a multiple sizing wheel is illustrated for gauging tablets T from different feed lines. The parts and construction are simlar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 and like numerals in the series are used to identify like parts. It will be clear that a central disc is provided between the

discs

126 and 127 and has facing plates on each side machined with the

surfaces

122, 123 and 124 and spaced by shims (not shown) to define two groove means 128. A multiple sizing wheel 125 may be used in the FIG. 1 system by arranging the two feed lines to converge toward the two groove means 128, although the input of tablets should be parallel with the side walls of the groove means.

Referring to FIG. 8, it will be seen that a modified sizing wheel 225 may be provided with a different surface plate arrangement in order to effect greater economies in manufacture and in change of the sizing wheel to accommodate tablets or other articles of different tolerances. In the the FIG. 8 embodiment, one of the surface plates 226' is provided with a smooth surface 270, and the surface plate 227 of the opposed disc member 227 is machined to provide the central portion 222 and the intermediate and outer annular groove steps 223, 224 at the predetermined dimensions or tolerances required for measurement of tablets of prescribed thickness.

From the foregoing it Will be understood that a novel gauging and sorting apparatus has been provided to produce improved accuracy in the measurement of individual articles produced by high speed equipment.

It will be understood that articles of different shapes can be accurately sized by the present apparatus but may require other transfer means for delivery of such articles. It will also be understood that the gauging apparatus is not limited to three channels or gauging areas and may be used for sorting different sizes of objects, such as washers, or for sorting different objects based on a size differential. In fact, two or more sizing wheels 25 may be arranged in series in an article discharge line for sorting several sizes or classes of acceptable articles from other inacceptable articles.

The invention herein is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the present disclosure that will be readily apparent to all skilled in the art, and the invention is only to be limited by the claims which follow.

What we claim is:

1. A gauging apparatus for receiving and individually sizing and sorting articles within a predetermined manufacturing tolerance from both undersized and oversized articles, comprising rotating wheel means having disc members mounted on a common axis in fixed spaced relation, said disc members having surface areas in opposed relation and defining groove means including a central groove means portion defining the maximum dimension of undersized articles, an annular intermediate groove means portion circumscribing said central portion and defining the maximum dimension of articles within the manufacturing tolerance therefor, an annular outer groove means portion circumscribing said intermediate portion and defining the maximum dimension of articles that will be accommodated by said groove means, and means for separately and successively delivering individual articles from a source into said groove means of said rotating wheel means, one of said disc members having a smooth surface area and the opposed surface area of the other disc member being provided with the circumscribing intermediate and outer portions, Which are off set axially from each other and the central portion to provide a stepped surface.

2. The gauging apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the annular shoulders of conjunction between said cen tral and intermediate portions and between said intermediate and outer portions are tapered to facilitate passage of articles of different width between the gauging areas.

3. A gauging apparatus for receiving and individually sizing and sorting articles within a predetermined manufacturing tolerance from both undersized and oversized articles, comprising rotating wheel means having disc members mounted on a common axis in fixed spaced relation, said disc members having surface areas in opposed relation and defining groove means including a central groove means portion defining the maximum dimension of undersized articles, an annular intermediate groove means portion circumscribing said central portion and defining the maximum dimension of articles within the manufacturing tolerance therefor, an annular outer groove means portion circumscribing said intermediate portion and defining the maximum dimension of articles that will be accommodated by said groove means, and means for separately and successively delivering individual articles from a source into said groove means of said rotating Wheel means, said disc members being both provided with opposed stepped surface areas, the adjacent areas being interconnected by tapering shoulders to facilitate passage of articles, and said groove means defined by said surface areas being of reduced dimension at said axis relative to the outer periphery thereof.

4. A gauging apparatus for receiving all articles from a source and individually sizing and sorting articles within a predetermined manufacturing tolerance from other articles that are relatively undersized and oversized comprising rotating wheel means having disc members mounted on a common axis in fixed spaced relation, said disc members having surface areas defining groove means therebetween, said surface areas being formed within predetermined tolerances to provide a central groove means portion defining the maximum dimension of undersized articles, to provide an annular intermediate groove means portion circumscribing said central portion and defining the maximum dimension of articles within the manufacturing tolerance therefor, and to provide an annular outer groove means portion circumscribing said intermediate portion and defining the maximum dimension of articles that will be accommodated by said groove means, means for feeding articles in spaced relation into said groove means at a substantially uniform rate, and said wheel means having a predetermined speed of rotation to accommodate and remove articles from said feeding means at substantially the delivery rate thereof.

5. An apparatus for gauging and sorting disc-shaped articles comprising transfer means having a rectilinear feed channel in a downwardly sloping, gravity feed position from an article delivery source, said feed channel in cluding wire means for carrying said articles in linearly spaced, rolling movement; sizing wheel means having spaced apart plates mounted for conjoint rotation about a common axis and defining stepped groove means therebetween, said groove means having a relatively narrow central portion circumscribing the axis of rotation, an annular intermediate portion circumscribing said central portion and an annular outer portion circumscribing said intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being a predetermined width and larger than said central portion and said outer portion being a width larger than said predetermined width of said intermediate portion, said transfer device being centered on the outer portion of said groove means to deliver said articles between said spaced plates, the end of said transfer device comprising tongue means extending into said groove means above the axis of rotation and terminating in spaced relation with said axis to permit passage of articles therebetween, and means for receiving gauged and sorted tablets passing through and around said sizing wheel means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 in which said transfer means slopes at a predetermined angle to said sizing wheel means sufiicient to maintain the linear spacing of said articles, and said sizing wheel means is rotated at a predetermined rate for accommodating said articles at the transfer speed thereof to minimize engagement between articles.

- '7. An apparatus for gauging and sorting disc-shaped articles, said apparatus comprising transfer means having a rectilinear feed channel in a downwardly sloping, gravity feed position from a source of articles, means delivering said articles from said source in spaced relation, said feed channel including wire means for carrying said articles in spaced rolling movement; sizing wheel means having spaced apart plates mounted for conjoint rotation about a common axis and defining stepped groove means therebetween, said groove means having a relatively narrow central portion circumscribing the axis of rotation, an annular intermediate portion circumscribing said central portion and an annular outer portion circumscribing said intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being a predetermined width and larger than said central portion and said outer portion being a width larger than said predetermined width of said intermediate portion, said wire means of said transfer device extending to adjacent the periphery of said sizing wheel means and being centered on the outer portion of said groove means to deliver said articles between said spaced plates, the end of said transfer device comprising tongue means extending into said groove means above the axis of rotation and terminating in spaced relation with said axis, and means for receiving gauged and sorted articles passing through and around said sizing wheel means including first discharge means extending into said groove means substantially on an extended line of said tongue means and having a free end juxtaposed with said intermediate portion for receiving articles therefrom, second discharge means above said first discharge means extending into said groove means and having a free end juxtaposed with said outer portion for receiving articles therefrom in advance of the discharge of articles to said first discharge means, and third discharge means below said sizing wheel means for receiving articles passing into said central portion and falling through said groove means.

8. An apparatus for gauging and sorting disc-shaped tab-lets and the like having circular edges and opposed surfaces, said tablets being formed in a plurality of die cavities arranged in closely spaced annular relationship in a rotating die head of a tablet press, said tablets being diverted from the die cavity annulus in a radially outward direction against guard means circumscribing the outer periphery of the die head to increase the linear spacing between tablets and said tablets being carried against said guard means with their circular edges in a horizontal plane to discharge means from the tablet press: said apparatus comprising transfer means having one end mounted at the discharge means of said tablet press and diverting said tablets from said die head and turning all of said tablets vertically onto the circular edges thereof, said transfer means having an elongated feed channel in a downwardly sloping, gravity feed position from said one end and including wire means for carrying said tablets in spaced rolling movement away from said tablet press; sizing wheel means having spaced apart plates mounted for conjoint rotation about a common axis and defining stepped groove means therebetween, said groove means having a relatively narrow central portion circumscribing the axis of rotation, an annular intermediate portion circumscribing said central portion and an annular outer portion circumscribing said intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being a predetermined width and larger than said central portion and said outer portion being a width larger than said predetermined width of said intermediate portion, said wire means of said transfer device extending to adjacent the periphery of said sizing wheel means and being centered on the outer portion of said groove means to deliver said tablets between said spaced plates, the other end of said transfer device comprising tongue means extending into said groove means above the axis of rotation and terminating in spaced relation with said axis, and means for receiving gauged and sorted tablets passing through and around said sizing wheel means including first discharge means extending into said groove means substantially on an extended line of said tongue means and having a free end juxtaposed with said intermediate portion for receiving tablets therefrom, second discharge means above said first discharge means extending into said groove means and having a free end juxtaposed with said outer portion for receiving tablets therefrom in advance of the discharge of tablets to said first discharge means, and third discharge means below said sizing wheel means for receiving tablets passing into said central portion and falling through said groove means.

9. An apparatus of the type defined in claim 8 for use with a multiple-acting tablet press in which at least first and second sets of tablets are formed in first and second portions of each die cavity revolution, and further comprising first and second shoes angularly positioned relative to the path of die cavity movement thereunder, said first and second shoes each diverting formed tablets outwardly of the die cavity annulus against first and second guard means for delivery of said sets of tablets to first and second circumferentially spaced discharge means from said tablet press.

10. An apparatus of the type defined in claim 8 for use with a multiple-acting tablet press in which at least first and second sets of tablets are formed, means for diverting the tablets in each set in a radial direction from the die cavity annulus to increase the linear spacing therebetween and moving said sets of tablets to different discharge means from said tablet press, and separate transfer means for receiving said sets of tablets and conveying them to similar sizing wheel means.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8 in which said one end of said transfer device comprises opposed defiector bar and plow means for deflecting said tablets and translating the rotary and centrifugal movement thereof into a rectilinear gravity feed of said tablets to said sizing wheel means, said plow means including a flat surface portion adjacent to said die head at the end of said guard means and receiving said tablets under the centrifugal impetus thereof, said deflector bar means extending across the extended tablet path on said die head to assure deflection of all tablets onto said plow means, and said plow means also including a downwardly curving portion in position to receive tablets from said deflector bar means and turn them into vertical position into said feed channel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 860,147 7/ 1907 Orton 209-104 1,277,782 9/ 1918 Tucker. 2,564,143 8/1951 Alsip. 2,839,252 6/1958 Hall 10717 2,944,493 7/1960 Bailey et al. 10717 2,946,298 7/ 1960 Doepel et al. 10717 2,969,753 1/ 1961 Abbe et al. 10717 FOREIGN PATENTS 575,669 4/ 1933 Germany.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

4. A GAUGING APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING ALL ARTICLES FROM A SOURCE AND INDIVIDUALLY SIZING AND SORTING ARTICLES WITHIN A PREDETERMINED MANUFACTURING TOLERANCE FROM OTHER ARTICLES THAT ARE RELATIVELY UNDERSIZED AND OVERSIZED COMPRISING ROTATING WHEEL MEANS HAVING DISC MEMBERS MOUNTED ON A COMMON AXIS IN FIXED SPACED RELATION, SAID DISC MEMBERS HAVING SURFACE AREAS DEFINING GROOVE MEANS THEREBETWEEN, SAID SURFACE AREAS BEING FORMED WITHIN PREDETERMINED TOLERANCES TO PROVIDE A CENTRAL GROOVE MEANS PORTION DEFINING THE MAXIMUM DIMENSION OF UNDERSIZED ARTICLES, TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR INTERMEDIATE GROOVE MEANS PORTION CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND DEFINING THE MAXIMUM DIMENSION OF ARTICLES WITHIN THE MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES THEREFOR, AND TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR OUTER GROOVE MEANS PORTION CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION AND DEFIING THE MAXIMUM DIMENSION OF ARTICLES THAT WILL BE ACCOMMODATED BY SAID GROOVE MEANS, MEANS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES IN SPACED RELATION INTO SAID GROOVE MEANS AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RATE, AND SAID WHEEL MEANS HAVING A PREDETERMINED SPEED OF ROTATION TO ACCOMMODATE AND REMOVE ARTICLES FROM SAID FEEDING MEANS AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE DELIVERY RATE THEREOF.