Chute having sortation features

Details Chute having sortation features Chute having sortation features

1999-12-21

2001-08-21

Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)

Conveyors: power-driven

Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...

C198S371300, C198S371300

Reexamination Certificate

active

06276508

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to conveyors, and more particularly relates to a sortation chute assembly for use within a conveying environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sortation systems for use within conveying systems are well known. Such sortation systems can accept parcels, packages, or other articles from one or more input sources, and can discharge the items a plurality of output locations, where they can be stored (such as in storage bins) or they can be conveyed to remote locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,541 to Riggs discloses an article handling apparatus for diverting articles to one or more branch conveyors. The articles are first discharged from a conventional conveyor which may be inclined or declined. The apparatus includes a plurality of elongated driven carrier rollers arranged in a manner perpendicular to the direction of travel. On some of the carrier rollers are a plurality of supplemental rollers which determine the article's direction of travel. The angular orientation of the supplemental rollers with respect to the axis of rotation of the carrier rollers may be altered to correspond with the desired direction of the article. The axis of one group of support rollers corresponds with the axis of the elongated rollers. However, not all are precisely parallel to the carrier rollers. A second group of supplemental rollers on the carrier rollers is aligned so that articles are diverted onto one branch conveyor and another group of supplemental rollers are aligned so that articles are diverted onto the other branch. Gravity, together with the direction of the rotation of the supplemental rollers upon which the article rests, will cause the article to be diverted to one side or the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,388 to Brouwer discloses a conveyor system for diverting articles from one conveyor to another. The system includes a plurality of rollers with friction-enhancing surfaces. The rollers are mounted on a pivoting axis which may pivot between nondiverted and diverted positions.
FIG. 1
illustrates two rows of rollers in the nondiverted position allowing articles to pass without being diverted to the other conveyor.
FIG. 2
, on the other hand, illustrates the two rows of rollers pivoted into the diverted position to urge articles towards the other conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,039 to Oderman et al. discloses a turning apparatus for a conveyor system. The turning apparatus is located at the junction of four conveyors. The turning apparatus includes a turntable with driving rollers that project upward above the surface of the turntable. Articles are delivered to the turning apparatus where their orientation and direction of travel are changed. The turntable alters the article's orientation and the driving rollers pull articles onto the turning apparatus and then push them on to the appropriate conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,773 to Titmas, Jr. discloses a system for diverting selected articles from a main conveyor onto spur conveyors while maintaining the relative positions of articles with respect to the direction of travel of the articles. Once an article has been selected for being directed onto a spur conveyor, a plurality of diverter rollers
34
mounted between chains
32
of the main conveyor engage the leading edge of the article and turn the article onto rollers
36
of the spur conveyors.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,002 to Russ discloses a load transfer device for conveyors. The transfer device includes a pair of independently rotatable turntables mounted at the junction of a main roller conveyor and a side roller conveyor. Each of the turntables include a set of rollers. The turntables are rotatable so that articles may be directed from the main roller conveyor onto the side roller conveyor and vice-versa.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,078 to Richardson et al. discloses an article-sorting apparatus. The sorting apparatus includes a main conveyor and at least one subsidiary conveyor angled away from the main conveyor. The articles are sorted between the main and subsidiary conveyors based upon lateral or longitudinal dimensions of the articles. The main conveyor includes a bed of driven angled rollers adapted to apply a lateral force to urge selected articles to the subsidiary conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,830 to Felder discloses a sorting system for piece goods. The system includes a main conveyor, a sorting station, and a delivery conveyor which are interconnected with the intermediate tracks. The intermediate tracks are constructed as gravity roller tracks with freely rotating rollers.
Although the above conveying and/or sortation configurations include advantages, there is always a need in the art for improvements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes deficiencies in the art by providing an improved conveying apparatus.
Generally described, the present invention relates to a conveying system sortation apparatus for accepting articles from at least one source and distributing the articles to one of a plurality of output locations along either a neutral conveying path or a side discharge path, the conveying system comprising an inclined conveyor having an upper end and a lower end, the inclined conveyor comprised of a plurality of inclined splined rollers, each of the splined rollers having longitudinal axes substantially parallel to the neutral conveyor path, and a device for selectively rotating the inclined splined rollers so they can either allow the article to slide down the splines of the inclined splined rollers along the neutral conveyor path to the lower end, or alternately to be ejected to one side of the path along the side discharge path.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying method and apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying method.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying apparatus which is simple to operate.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying apparatus which is simple to manufacture.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying apparatus which can be readily repaired with a minimum of downtime.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved conveying apparatus which is effective in providing a discharge function.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawing and the appended claims.


REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 15626 (1923-06-01), Plonka
patent: 2473868 (1949-06-01), Domke
patent: 2572276 (1951-10-01), Moe
patent: 3100039 (1963-08-01), Oderman et al.
patent: 3171528 (1965-03-01), Andersen
patent: 3456773 (1969-07-01), Titmas, Jr.
patent: 3552541 (1971-01-01), Riggs
patent: 3567002 (1971-03-01), Russ
patent: 3737736 (1973-07-01), Kornylak
patent: 3804230 (1974-04-01), Krivec
patent: 4081078 (1978-03-01), Richardson et al.
patent: 4811830 (1989-03-01), Felder
patent: 4821865 (1989-04-01), Hirata et al.
patent: 5586639 (1996-12-01), Yoshino
patent: 5703784 (1997-12-01), Pearson
patent: 5735388 (1998-04-01), Brouwer
patent: 5967290 (1999-10-01), Bonnet
patent: 6076653 (2000-06-01), Bonnet

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Chute having sortation features does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Chute having sortation features, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Chute having sortation features will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2505914