Abstract: A palletizing apparatus for providing container packages in a desired pattern to a pallet, and related method are presented. The apparatus includes a metering conveyor section which uses a traveling endless belt to feed container packages to a lane forming station; a lane forming station having a lane divider which accepts container packages from the metering conveyor section and separates the container packages such that they are fed to a turning station in a plurality of lanes; a turning station having a turning conveyor using a traveling endless plastic belt made up of individual modules shaped to provide longitudinally oriented upper ribs, which conveys the container packages therealong; turning apparatus for turning container packages by approximately 90.degree.

Abstract: An infeed boot is provided for loading articles on a vacuum conveyor comprising a vacuum conveyor belt, an article-retaining surface at least a portion of which is mounted adjacent the belt to form a loading zone, and a plurality of perforations in the article-retaining surface permitting air to be drawn into the loading zone to aid in loading articles.

Abstract: The invention provides an article flipper comprising a first turnover member mounted to a conveyor frame member for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to said frame member, a slot in the turnover member for receiving a side edge of sheets, a stop for arresting sheets with a leading portion of the side edges in the slot, and a rotator for rotating the first turnover member through about 180 degrees. The article flipper may include a second turnover member having a detent or being movable to clamp sheets between it and the first turnover member, or may include a rack and pinion. A belt tensioner which may be used with the article flipper is also provided and comprises a tensioning wheel for engaging the belt, a moveable block including a shaft for mounting the tensioning wheel, and a wedge for urging the block toward the belt.

Abstract: An intersection is provided for bottle conveyor lines having individual neck guide pairs. The intersection comprises a transfer plate and a pair of changing plates. The transfer plate includes a substantially Y-shaped opening extending to the edges thereof and comprising two arm members and a leg member defining a central plate portion and side plate portions. Each arm member when combined with the leg member forms a substantially continuously curving bottle path. The changing plates are movable, preferably vertically, between first positions in planar alignment with the transfer plate and second positions clear of bottles moving along the paths. The changing plates include an edge spanning one bottle path from opposite sides of the leg portion of the Y-shaped opening to the point of intersection of the converging edges of the central plate to complete the bottle supporting guides along the other bottle path.

Abstract: An air conveyor for articles having outwardly extending flanges. The air conveyor includes a plenum chamber having a base portion, walls extending from said base portion to form a conveying channel, flange guides mounted to said walls for supporting articles beneath their flanges, and apertures in the walls beneath the flange guides for directing air from the plenum chamber toward the articles beneath the flanges. A reduced friction flange guide which may be used with the air conveyor includes flange guides angled with respect to the flanges. A relatively quickly and easily adjustable article guide which may be used with the conveyor includes a pair of article guides movable between a first position for guiding articles having a first size and shape, and a second position.

Abstract: A conveyor system is provided comprising conveyor beams, conveyor frame members, conveyor accessory mounting brackets, connectors, wearstrip converters, and various combinations of each. The conveyor beam comprises first and second side walls connected in one piece by an integral web, a first flange disposed along at least the tops of the side walls to support a conveyor, and at least two mounting slots on outer surfaces of each side wall. The conveyor frame members comprise at least three mounting slots formed in sides thereof, at least one of the mounting slots open to each of three different directions, and at least one flange disposed along an edge of the frame member to support a conveying surface. The brackets are for mounting conveyor accessories to the conveyor beams and frame members. The connectors are for connecting conveyor beams or frame members together. And the converters are for altering the location or orientation of wearstrips.

Abstract: A conveyor is provided for producing a single file from a mass of articles comprising a conveyor surface, an article engager for engaging articles in the mass and transporting a single file of them off of the conveyor surface, and a guide rail mounted along the conveyor surface, the guide rail including a shifting portion for shifting articles toward the article engager, and a pressure relieving portion for relieving some of a back pressure on articles.

Abstract: An air conveyor is provided for articles having outwardly extending flanges comprising a plenum chamber having a base portion, walls extending from said base portion to form a conveying channel, flange guides mounted to said walls for supporting articles beneath their flanges, and apertures in the walls beneath the flange guides for directing air from the plenum chamber toward the articles beneath the flanges.A reduced friction flange guide which may be used with the air conveyor is also provided and comprises flange guides angled with respect to the flanges.

Abstract: A conveyor system is provided including conveyor beams, conveyor frame members, conveyor accessory mounting brackets, connectors, wearstrip converters, and various combinations of each. The conveyor beam includes first and second side walls connected in one piece by an integral web, a first flange disposed along at least the tops of the side walls to support a conveyor, and at least two mounting slots on outer surfaces of each side wall. The conveyor frame members comprise at least three mounting slots formed in sides thereof, at least one of the mounting slots open to each of three different directions, and at least one flange disposed along an edge of the frame member to support a conveying surface. The brackets are for mounting conveyor accessories to the conveyor beams and frame members. The connectors are for connecting conveyor beams or frame members together. And the converters are for altering the location or orientation of wearstrips.

Abstract: An air conveyor is provided comprising a plenum chamber including a deck plate, a plurality of first apertures in the deck plate for directing air from the plenum chamber to convey articles, and a plurality of protuberances extending from the deck plate for receiving bottoms of the articles. The protuberances preferably protrude from the deck plate far enough to support the articles above accumulated slide resistance increasing material. The air conveyor deck plate preferably also includes a plurality of second apertures for directing air from the plenum chamber to aid in lifting the articles.

Abstract: A conveyor is provided for producing a single file from a mass of articles comprising a conveyor surface, an article engager for engaging articles in the mass and transporting a single file of them off of the conveyor surface, and a guide rail mounted along the conveyor surface, the guide rail including a shifting portion for creating an accumulation of articles, a gap filling portion for filling gaps in the single file of articles, and a pressure relieving portion for relieving some of a back pressure on articles. The conveyor preferably also includes a fourth guide rail portion for spacing the first portion upstream from the third portion, or an oscillator for jostling articles, or a roller for rotating articles.

Abstract: A conveniently assemblable conveyor beam is provided comprising a plurality of cross members with tongue and groove combinations on opposing lateral sides thereof; a pair of opposing side guides with corresponding tongue and groove combinations formed in a sidewall thereof for hooking the side guides in a facing, parallel, and spaced apart fashion on either side of the cross members; and a pair of interference fitting edges spaced from the tongue and groove combinations for fastening the side guides to the cross members in an interference fit.

Abstract: An article handling apparatus is provided for arranging a mass of randomly supplied articles into a group and moving the group from a group arranging area to a group loading area. The apparatus comprises retractable pattern forming pins closable to halt article movement while a group is being arranged and openable to permit article movement after a group has been arranged. The path forming pins are also closable during travel of the moving device back from the loading area to the arranging area to permit arrangement of a next successive group during said travel.

Abstract: An improved tray packer-shrink wrapper is provided in a preferred embodiment with a computer control to permit relatively efficient changeover from processing a batch of one product size to a batch of another product size. A servocontrolled pin grouper is provided wherein at least two sets of pins such as pins A and B are mounted on corresponding endless chains such as chains A and B, which endless chains are independently cyclable by corresponding independently controlled servomotors A and B. The pin sets are inserted into a row of articles positioned on a stationary deadplate, with one pin set leading a trailing pin set, and the leading pin set is accelerated with respect to the trailing pin set to separate articles downstream of the leading pin set into an article group, which separation operation is continuously carried out in a cyclical fashion to group articles from the row.

Abstract: A device and method are provided for transferring articles to and from an air conveyor. The device comprises a first plenum chamber, a second plenum chamber, and an air supply. The first plenum chamber has a transfer surface with a first plurality of perforations for directing air toward the air conveyor. The second plenum chamber is located at least above a portion of the air conveyor and has a plate with a second plurality of perforations for directing air away from the air conveyor. The air supply supplies air to the first plenum chamber to keep articles going down the air conveyor and to feed articles onto the air conveyor, and supplies air to the second plenum chamber to transfer articles off of the air conveyor.

Abstract: A conveyor is provided comprising an endless conveyor chain, a plurality of spacers, and at least two conveyor supports mounted on opposite sides of the spacers to permit air to freely flow therethrough. Each conveyor support comprises at least one elongate member mounted to any of a second plurality of spacers and any other elongate members to permit air to freely flow therethrough as well. Further, each elongate member has both inner and outer surfaces, and both top and bottom edges adapted to support the endless rolling conveyor chain from below. The inner surfaces of the elongate members are sloped and the outer surfaces of the elongate members are preferably substantially vertical to enhance downward movement of particulates. The top and bottom edges of the elongate members preferably include UHMW wearstrips to reduce friction.

Abstract: An air conveyor system is provided for transporting a stream of articles en masse along a channel from a generally upstream position in a generally downstream direction towards a generally downstream position. A conveyor surface has opposing edges with the channel therebetween and a plurality of air propulsion slots extending through the surface, these slots being directionally oriented to propel articles pneumatically on the surface in the downstream direction. A plenum is provided for connecting to a source of air under pressure and in communication with the slots. At least one guide member defines at least one boundary for the channel, by being mounted adjacent at least one of the opposing edges of the surface in alignment with the downstream direction to generally direct flow of articles in the downstream direction by impeding article movement across the member.

Abstract: This invention relates to a conveyor having endless ropes for frictionally transporting articles. The conveyor comprises at least one linear conveyor and a transfer mechanism. Each linear conveyor includes endless conveying ropes and at least two conveyor supports. Each conveyor support preferably includes an elongated substantially vertical body, at least one substantially horizontal platform depending therefrom, and a channel in an uppermost platform to slidably support the endless conveying rope. The transfer mechanism comprises a turntable, a third linear conveyor for receiving an article, a sensor for sensing when an article has been received from a first linear conveyor onto the turntable, a lifter for lifting the turntable, and a rotator for rotating the turntable. The lifter is also for lowering the turntable to a second linear conveyor, and the third linear conveyor is also for delivering the article to the second linear conveyor.

Abstract: An improved palletizer is provided for receiving successive groups of articles in a pattern forming area and transferring the groups in succession to a stacking area on a pallet. A servocontrolled sweep system transfers article groups from the pattern formings to the stacking area for stacking one group on top of the other as the pallet is indexed downward by a hoist system after each successive group, and a carriage system interleaves separator sheets between successive groups. A programmable logic controller controls the servocontrolled sweep system in accordance with a velocity characteristic designed to increase machine speed and efficiency.

Abstract: A set of rail facing strips is provided for use with an article carrying conveyor system, the facing strip set comprising a rail facing member for affixing to opposing conveyor guide rails for establishing at least one section of said conveyor where a conveyor chain is relatively freely removable from the conveyor raceway in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said conveyor, said rail facing member being characterized by a first leg for covering at least a pair of outer surfaces of said guide rail, said facing member also having a second leg joined to said first leg at substantially a right angle thereto, said second leg for extending into said raceway and substantially covering inner edges of said guide rails, said second leg being dimensioned and shaped along its length so as to clear a channel formed in said chain, whereby said second leg permits said body to move transversely out of said raceway without inner tabs found in said chain engaging a portion of said second leg to re