Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – By moving a load directing means along the length of the...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-30
2001-02-06
Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
By moving a load directing means along the length of the...
C198S597000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182812
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for controlling the transfer of articles between oppositely running conveyors.
There are many applications wherein oppositely running conveyors disposed side by side and generally parallel are used for transporting articles. A common such use is in conveying accumulator systems utilized between an upstream delivery station and a downstream receiving station to accumulate or store articles when the capacity of the downstream receiving station is either shut down or run at a speed wherein it cannot handle the number of articles being fed by the upstream delivery station. Such accumulator conveying systems are well known to those skilled in the art. One particular accumulator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,325. An additional prior art accumulator system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,858. With such accumulator systems, and any other system wherein articles are transferred from one conveyor running in one direction onto another conveyor running in an opposite direction, a device must be provided for controlling the transfer of the articles from one conveyor onto the other.
The present invention relates particularly to an improved transport device utilized for controlling the transfer of articles from a first conveyor running in a first direction onto a second conveyor running in a second opposite direction.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for controlling the flow of articles, particularly the flow of articles from a first conveyor driven in a first direction onto a second conveyor driven in a second direction.
An additional object of the present invention is provide a system that includes a first conveyor driven in a first direction and a second conveyor driven in a second direction, as well as an improved transport member utilized to transfer articles from the first conveyor onto the second conveyor.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide an article storage accumulator which permits a large number of articles to be stored in a relatively small amount of floor space.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved article transport member for use on conventional conveyors that is far less complicated that conventional devices.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The present invention has particular application in conveyor accumulator systems wherein oppositely running and parallel conveyors are used to accumulate and store articles between an upstream receiving station and a downstream delivery station. One such accumulator system is disclosed and described in co-pending U.S. Pat. Appl. Ser. No. 09/235,888 entitled “Apparatus for Controlling the Flow of Articles.” The '888 application is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.
Although conveyors are a feature of the present invention, conventional conveyors are well known to those skilled in the art and need not be described herein in great detail. The features of the conveyors necessary for an understanding of the invention will be sufficiently described.
In accordance with the objects and purposes of the invention, an apparatus is provided for controlling the flow of articles. This apparatus includes a first conveyor driven in a first direction to convey articles thereon in the first direction. A second conveyor is driven in a second opposite direction to convey articles thereon in the opposite direction. As mentioned above, the first and second conveyors may be used in a conventional accumulator system. The conveyors extend generally side by side and parallel with a constant space defined between the inside edges thereof.
A movable transport member is disposed within the space defined between the conveyors and comprises a bridge that extends across the space between the conveyors and is generally flush with the upper surfaces of the conveyors. The transport member is drivingly engaged by both of the conveyors so as to move linearly between the conveyors depending on a speed differential of the conveyors. In other words, the transport member and bridge move in the direction of the faster conveyor. If both conveyors are moving linearly in opposite directions but at the same speed, the transport member remains stationary relative to the conveyors. An article transfer member is carried by the transport member and is operably disposed relative to one of the conveyors, for example the first conveyor, to contact and transfer articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The transport member may comprise a relatively simple deflecting bar or rail.
The transport member may comprise a drive wheel that is simultaneously engaged by drive lugs on each of the conveyors. The drive wheel has gear teeth engaged by the drive lugs so as to continuously rotate so long as at least one of the conveyors is moving.
In a preferred embodiment, the bridge member comprises a deformable rail having dimensions so as to fit between the conveyors within the space defined between the conveyor edges. The rail has a longitudinal length to define a length of the bridge member. In a preferred embodiment, the bridge member is comprised of a plurality of pivotally connected links having an upper surface that is generally flush with the upper surface of the conveyors. The links are pivotally connected and thus deformable so that the transport member and bridge can easily follow curves or turns in the conveyors.
In a preferred embodiment, the transport member also includes a deflecting rail carried by the transport member longitudinally distanced from the bridge. This deflecting rail is oriented so as to deflect articles that are transferred from the first conveyor over the bridge to a middle portion of the second conveyor. This deflecting rail may be spring loaded toward the second conveyor.
The transport member may comprise any manner of frame or structure. In a preferred embodiment, the transport member comprises a relatively simple carriage that is connected at one end to a drive wheel and at an opposite end to a support wheel. The drive wheel may be configured as discussed above with gear teeth that engage with drive lugs on the under side of the conveyors. The article transfer member is carried by this carriage member. The support wheel is longitudinally distanced from the drive wheel and rigidly connected to the drive wheel by means of the carriage to ensure that the carriage and article transfer member remain aligned at all times relative to the conveyors, particularly through turns or bends in the conveyors.
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Co-pending U.S. application No. 09/036,745, filed Mar. 9, 1998, entitled “An Appara
Cooley David N.
Hartness Thomas P.
Hartness, III William R.
Bidwell James R.
Dority & Manning P.A.
Hartness International
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