Glass Industry
Innovative Glass-Gripping Suction Cup Covers Patent(Apply On Sensitive Surface Protection)

Innovative Glass-Gripping Suction Cup Covers Patent(Apply On Sensitive Surface Protection)

European Patent Office

(12)

EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(43) Date of publication:

25.02.2004 Patent Bulletin 2004/09

(21) Application number: 03018816.3

(22) Application date: 19.08.2003

 

(51) Int Cl.7: B65G 47/91, B25J 15/06, B66C 1/02, B65G 49/06

(84) Designated contracting states:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR


Designated extension states:
AL LT LV MK

(71) Applicant: EURO-TECH Vacuum, Lifting, and Transport Technology
72348 Rosenfeld (DE)



(72) Inventor: Bunnenberg, Peter 72348 Rosenfeld (DE)

(30) Priority: 22.08.2002 DE 20212927 U

(74) Representative: Möbus, Daniela, Dr.-Ing. Kaiserstrasse 85
72764 Reutlingen (DE)

(54) Cover for gripping devices

(57) A cover for gripping devices for objects with sensitive surfaces, especially for glass plates, wherein the cover is made of a flexible material with a velvety surface.

EP 1 391 404 A1

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cover for gripping devices for objects with sensitive surfaces, especially for glass plates.

[0002] Gripping devices are used in various forms in a wide range of industries, such as the glass, furniture panel, aircraft, automotive, and electrical industries, for handling delicate objects. Particularly in the handling and transportation systems of the glass industry, gripping devices in the form of suction plates of various shapes and designs are used. It must be ensured that the suction devices do not damage the glass plates in any way. Damage can occur, for example, when dust or dirt particles present between the gripping device and the glass plate cause scratches when the suction cups move on the glass plate. Furthermore, the glass surface can become dirty during suction, and the contamination may potentially trigger a chemical reaction with the glass surface, especially with specially coated glasses, posing a significant problem. The likelihood of damage or contamination increases considerably with the wear of the seals of the suction devices. While suction plates with removable seals have been developed, which can be quickly and inexpensively replaced when worn, this does not eliminate the problem of potential damage to the glass surface.

[0003] The invention aims to provide a cost-effective solution to these problems with gripping devices for objects with sensitive surfaces, especially for glass plates.

[0004] The stated objective is achieved by a cover for gripping devices, characterized in that it is made of a flexible material with a velvety surface.

[0005] The cover of the gripping device prevents direct contact between the material of the gripping device and the object, such as a glass plate. The flexible material with the velvety surface reduces the local, point-like pressure or force exerted by potentially present hard dust particles on the glass surface, minimizing the likelihood of scratches. Additionally, the cover reduces the possibility of contamination of the object’s surface by the gripping device, which, for handling glass plates or similar objects, may advantageously be a suction plate.

[0006] To ensure that the cover can be easily and effortlessly attached to the gripping device, it is advisable to equip the cover with an elastic band.

[0007] For suction plates as gripping devices, it is advantageous for the cover to be air-permeable to not impair the suction effect of the gripping device. The material of the cover can be provided with pores for this purpose. Of course, it is also possible to punch ventilation openings from the material.

[0008] The flexibility and velvety softness of the material for the cover are ensured in a special way by a textile material. Therefore, the cover may preferably be made of a textile material such as fabric, knit, or woven material. However, the use of a film material for the cover is also possible.

[0009] To prevent the coating itself from becoming a source of contamination, the material used for the coating should ideally be lint-free.

[0010] As material for the cover, various options are possible in principle. The plastic material known under the brand name Tyvek is characterized by its tear, abrasion, and flex crack resistance, as well as excellent lint properties and resistance to chemicals. Therefore, the cover may preferably be made of Tyvek.

[0011] Below, a preferred embodiment is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing.

 [0012] The single figure shows a cross-section through a suction plate seal 10 of a gripping device for glass plates, not further depicted. The seal 10 is provided with a protective cover 11 according to the invention, which is provided with air passage openings, for example in the form of pores and/or holes, at least in the area of the seal opening 13. The cover 11 is held on the seal 10 by means of a rubber band 12.

Patent claims

  1. Cover for gripping devices for objects with sensitive surfaces, especially for glass plates, characterized in that it is made of a flexible material with a velvety surface.
  2. Cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping device is a suction plate (10).
  3. Cover according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with an elastic band (12).
  4. Cover according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is air-permeable.
  5. Cover according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is made of a textile material.
  6. Cover according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is made of a fabric, knit, woven material, or a film.
  7. Cover according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the material is lint-free.
  8. Cover according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is made of Tyvek.

EP 1 391 404 A1

European Patent Office

EUROPEAN SEARCH REPORT

Application number EP 03 01 8816

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

Identification of the document with indication, as far as necessary, of the relevant parts

Concerns claim

CLASSIFICATION OF THE APPLICATION (Int.CL.7)

XDE 12 76 310 B (ALBERT FEZER) August 29, 1968 (1968-08-29) * the entire document *1-7865G47/91 825J15/06 B66C1/02 865649/06
XEP 0 216 701 A (SAINT GOBAIN VITRAGE) April 1, 1987 (1987-04-01)
* Page 6, line 30 - line 33 *
1
XDE 12 86 466 B (FEZER ALBERT) January 2, 1969 (1969-01-02) * Figure 5 *1
XUS 3 152 828 A (LYTLE GEORGE F) October 13, 1964 (1964-10-13) * Figure 2 *1
X, PDE 202 12 927 U (EURO TECH VAKUUM HEBE UND TRAN) February 27, 2003 (2003-02-27)

* the entire document *
1-8
RESEARCHED SUBJECT AREAS (Int.CI.7)
B65G B25J B66C

The present search report was prepared for all patent claims

Search location
DEN HAAG

Completion date of the search
December 2, 2003

Examiner
Beernaert, J

CATEGORY OF CITED DOCUMENTS


X: of particular relevance on its own
Y: of particular relevance in combination with another publication of the same category
A: technological background
O: non-written disclosure P: Intermediate document

T: underlying theories or principles of the invention
E: earlier patent document, but published on or after the filing date
D: document cited in the application
L: document cited for other reasons
&: member of the same patent family, corresponding document

EP 1 391 404 A1

APPENDIX TO THE EUROPEAN SEARCH REPORT
ON EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION NO.

EP 03 01 8816

In this appendix, the members of the patent families of the patent documents cited in the above-mentioned European search report are listed.

The information about the family members corresponds to the state of the European Patent Office’s file as of [date]. This information is provided for informational purposes only and is without guarantee.

Patent document cited in the search report

Date of publication

Member(s) of the patent family

Date of publication

DE 1276310    B

29-08-1968

NONE

20-03-1987
19-03-1987
12-05-1987
01-04-1987
19-03-1987
25-04-1987
30-03-1988
31-10-1988

EP 0216701    A

01-04-1987


FR    2587309 A1
AU      6235486 A
BR      8604409 A
EP     0216701 A1
FI         863751 A
JP    62091437 A
NZ        217293 A
YU     156486 A1

DE 1286466    B

02-01-1969

NONE


US 3152828    A

13-10-1964

NONE

DE 20212927  U

27-02-2003

DE   20212927 U1

27-02-2003

For further details regarding this appendix, please refer to the Official Journal of the European Patent Office, No. 12/82.