Appeal No. 2002-0472
Application No. 09/109,407
chip parts in sequence” (specification, page 1).1 Representative
claims 1 and 17 read as follows:
1. A part-aligning apparatus comprising:
a part-holding chamber for accommodating a number of chip
parts, said part-holding chamber having a bottom having an inner
surface;
a chute groove formed at least in the inner surface of the
bottom of said part-holding chamber and having a closed bottom
surface, said chute groove serving to orient chip parts in a
given direction and cause said chip parts to slide successively
downward;
a gate port formed at the lower end of said chute groove and
permitting the chip parts sliding downward in a given orientation
along said chute groove to pass in succession;
a discharge passage for aligning the passed chip parts in a
line to discharge the passed chip parts; and
a rotary impeller rotatably held in said part-holding
chamber and equipped with blades having front end portions
dimensioned so as to pass over said gate port, said blades being
rotated in such a direction that a chip part halted in an
abnormal orientation in said gate port is displaced in a
direction different from a direction in which the chip parts are
discharged, thereby preventing said abnormally oriented chip part
from clogging the gate port.
17. A method of aligning chip parts, comprising the steps
of:
introducing chip part into a parts-holding chamber;
receiving the chip parts into a chute groove having a closed
bottom surface;
sliding said chip parts downward in said chute groove;
1 The appellants’ specification (see page 6) indicates that
the chip parts are electronic in nature.
2
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