Appeal No. 2002-1058
Application 09/228,856
THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a “rotary knife and transfer
apparatus used in connection with a pouch form, fill, and seal
machine, the knife capable of severing pouches from a pouch train
and selectively discharging pouches for downstream cartoning or
other packing or handling” (specification, page 1).
Representative claim 1 reads as follows:
1. A pouch handling apparatus for severing individual
pouches from a pouch train and transferring individual pouches
from said train to separate downstream pouch handling devices,
said apparatus comprising:
a rotary pouch severing knife rotating about an axis;
at least two conveyors for receiving individual pouches
after severing thereof by said knife;
pouch transfer apparatus comprising at least two drop off
points for delivering pouches to at least one of said two pouch
conveyors; and
wherein at least one of said conveyors is a direct drop
bucket conveyor operably oriented to transport severed pouches
from one drop off point to a downstream pouch handling apparatus;
said direct drop bucket conveyor extending from said
transfer apparatus in a direction perpendicular to said axis.
THE PRIOR ART
The references relied on by the examiner to support the
final rejection are:
Scarpa et al. (Scarpa) 5,220,993 Jun. 22, 1993
Focke et al. (Focke) 5,784,855 Jul. 28, 1998
Dieterlen 5,829,332 Nov. 3, 1998
2
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