Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Load simultaneously engaged between and moved by a plurality...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-05
2003-09-30
Dillon, Joseph A. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Load simultaneously engaged between and moved by a plurality...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626283
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to article conveying or transporting systems, and more particularly to a new and improved system for use within, for example, mail, or similar article, handling, transporting, and sorting systems, wherein relatively flat pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, having different thickness dimensions, can nevertheless be properly, rapidly, and efficiently handled, transported, and sorted without becoming damaged as a result of the conveyance or transportation of the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, through the various conveying or transporting stages of the system, and without causing jamming of the system which would obviously necessitate an undesirable operational shutdown of the conveyor system while maintenance personnel perform necessary maintenance and repairs in order to effectively unjam or unblock the system and return the same to online operational status.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In connection with handling, transporting, and sorting systems which are used for the high-speed processing of mail or similar articles, the pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, are conventionally conveyed by means of conveyor systems which normally comprise a plurality of conveyor belts or conveyor belt subsystems wherein individual sections or runs thereof are oppositely disposed with respect to each other such that the conveyed pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, are interposed between the oppositely disposed conveyor belt sections so as to be conveyed downstream by means of the cooperating conveyor belts. The subsystems further comprise a drive motor and driven pulleys operatively connected to the drive motor, and are designed so as to be capable of transporting or conveying different pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, which may have relatively different thickness dimensions. In accordance with such conventional conveyor subsystems, one of the sections or runs of a first one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems extends between or spans two conveyor pulleys which are longitudinally spaced from each other at opposite ends of the particular conveyor belt section or run, and in this manner, that section or run of the first one of the conveyor belts is free to flex or bow away from the oppositely disposed section or run of the second one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems so as to in effect accommodate the conveyance of pieces or units of mail, or similar articles, which have a relatively large thickness dimension. This can be better appreciated from drawing
FIGS. 1 and 1
a
-
1
c
wherein
FIG. 1
discloses three sections of a conventional mail or article conveyor, while
FIGS. 1
a
-
1
c
are enlarged views of the three sections shown in FIG.
1
. More particularly,
FIG. 1
discloses a conventional mail or article conveyor system which is generally indicated by the reference character
10
, and the conveyor system
10
is seen to comprise three upstream sections
12
,
14
,
16
. Units or pieces of mail, or similar articles, are adapted to be conveyed through the three upstream sections
12
,
14
,
16
of the conveyor system
10
in a vertical or upstanding mode between the two oppositely disposed sections or runs of the conveyor belt subsystems, as will become more apparent shortly hereafter, wherein the unites or pieces of mail, or similar articles, are conveyed in an edgewise mode upon base members or deck components
18
,
20
,
22
of the sections
12
,
14
,
16
, and after passing through the third conveyor section
16
, the units or pieces of mail, or similar articles, are conveyed into and through a turnover section, not shown, wherein the pieces or units or mail, or similar articles, are now adapted to be conveyed in a flat surface mode. The conveyor section
12
may have one or more cameras
24
operatively associated therewith, while conveyor section
14
may include a reader component
26
, a printer
28
, and a verifier
30
. Section
16
may likewise comprise a printer
32
and a reader
34
.
More importantly, however, for the purposes of the present invention, it is further seen that, in connection with the conveyor belt arrangement within the first conveyor section
12
of the conventional conveyor system
10
, a first inner one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems is seen to comprise a first inner conveyor belt
36
which is driven by means of a drive pulley
38
and which is also routed around a plurality of idler pulleys
40
such that a substantially planar section or run
42
of conveyor belt
36
defines an upstream portion of the mail or article conveying path. In a similar manner, a second outer one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems is seen to comprise a first outer conveyor belt
44
which is driven by means of a drive pulley
46
and which is also routed around an idler pulley
48
such that a substantially planar upstream section or run
50
of conveyor belt
44
is disposed opposite the planar section or run
42
of conveyor belt
36
so as to cooperate therewith in defining the aforenoted upstream portion of the mail or article conveying path.
In a similar manner, as can be further seen from
FIG. 1
a
and with additional reference being made to
FIGS. 1
b
and
1
c
, the first inner one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems is seen to comprise a second inner conveyor belt
52
which is adapted to be driven by means of a drive pulley
54
as shown in
FIG. 1
c
and which is also routed around a plurality of idler pulleys
56
such that a substantially planar section or run
58
of conveyor belt
52
defines an intermediate portion of the mail or article conveying path. It is further appreciated that a downstream section or run
60
of first outer conveyor belt
44
is disposed opposite the planar section or run
58
of conveyor belt
52
so as to cooperate therewith in partially defining the aforenoted intermediate portion of the mail or article conveying path. Continuing still further, the second outer one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems is seen to also comprise a second outer conveyor belt
62
which is driven by means of a drive pulley
64
and which is also routed around an idler pulley
66
such that a substantially planar section or run
68
of conveyor belt
62
is disposed opposite the planar section or run
58
of conveyor belt
52
so as to cooperate therewith in also partially defining the aforenoted intermediate portion of the mail or article conveying path. Continuing still yet further, the second outer one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems is seen to additionally comprise a third outer conveyor belt
70
which is driven by means of a drive pulley
72
and which is also routed around an idler pulley
74
such that a substantially planar section or run
76
of conveyor belt
70
is likewise disposed opposite the planar section or run
58
of conveyor belt
52
so as to also cooperate therewith and thereby partially define the aforenoted intermediate portion of the mail or article conveying path.
Lastly, the second outer one of the two oppositely disposed conveyor belt subsystems is seen to also comprise a fourth outer conveyor belt
78
which is driven by means of a drive pulley
80
and which is also routed around an idler pulley
82
such that a substantially planar section or run
84
of conveyor belt
78
is likewise disposed opposite the planar section or run
58
of conveyor belt
52
so as to also cooperate therewith and thereby partially define the aforenoted intermediate portion of the mail or article conveying path. It can thus be appreciated that, particularly in connection with the mail or article conveying path defined, for example, by means of the conveyor belt
52
and the opposed conveyor belts
44
,
62
,
70
, and
78
, and as may best be appreciated from
FIGS. 1 and 1
a
-
1
c
, the overall configuration of the conveyor belt
52
is substantially that of an archery-bow or a t
Dillon Joseph A.
Schwartz & Weinrieb
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