Appeal No. 2001-2332
Application 08/909,249
Appellants’ invention is directed to an apparatus for
removing and transporting molded articles (e.g., molded contact
lens packaging articles), oriented in a first array distribution,
from a molding station (312) at a first location and depositing
those articles at a remote fourth location (350) in a second
array distribution. Note, particularly, Figures 9-11 of the
application drawings and the description of this embodiment of
appellants’ invention at pages 45-58 of the specification. On
page 46 of the specification, appellants specifically note that
[t]he specific differences between the previous apparatus
and the present apparatus, as alluded to above, is that the
second and third assemblies 330, 340 of this apparatus 310
carry out the additional steps of altering the spatial loci
of the articles with respect to one another. The spatial
relationship of the articles, and their array relationship
is altered from an original 4x4 array, which is desirable
from a mold efficiency standpoint to a 2x8 array which
facilitates optical inspection by automated lens inspection
system.
On page 53 of the specification, appellants’ further explain the
operation of this embodiment of the invention by indicating that
[t]he uniaxial drawing together of the blocks 334, and
thereby the articles, of the second assembly alters the
spacing of the articles along a first axis. The
transference of the articles from the second to the third
assembly alters the relative distribution of articles, from
a four by four array to a two by eight array. The drawing
together of the vacuum plates 344 of the third assembly,
during the reciprocation back to the fourth location,
completes the two axis spatial distribution change in the
separation distance of adjacent articles. The 2x8 pallet
2
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