Apparatus for positioning a handle of a pail for a printing operation on the pail

摘要

An apparatus for positioning a handle of a pail for a printing operation on the pail, includes a mandrel assembly for rotatably supporting a pail thereon, the mandrel assembly including a backstop; a first stopper mechanism for restraining second and subsequent pails of a stack; a puller mechanism movably mounted on a track and including a pulling arm for pulling a first pail of the stack from the stack while the first stopper mechanism holds the second and subsequent pails of the stack; a brush roller mounted in contact with a free end of a handle of the first pail of the stack; a motor rotating the brush roller to move the handle of the first pail to a first position out of engagement with remaining pails of the stack; a temporary holding device positioned at the first position which releasably holds the handle in the first position, and releases the handle after disengagement of the first pail from the stack; a pusher mechanism movably mounted on the track and including a pusher arm for engaging a bottom of the removed first pail and pushing the removed first pail onto the mandrel assembly; a retainer band mounted to the backstop; and a helix member mounted to the backstop at a different position and engaging a handle of the first pail during rotation of the first pail on the mandrel assembly to automatically move the handle to a position within and releasably engaged by the retainer band.