Abstract: An excited frame, vibratory conveying apparatus is described for efficiently conveying particulate material. The apparatus has an elongated conveying member mounted by beam springs on an excited frame means. The excited frame means has a balanced vibratory drive means for vibrating the excited frame along a line of force that passes through the center of mass of the apparatus and preferably through the center of masses of conveying member and the excited frame means. The ratio of the weight of the conveying member to the weight of the excited frame means should be between 1.5 and 3.5 and preferably between 2.5 and 3.5. Such an arrangement provides for minimum transmission of vibration both horizontal and vertical into the stationary supporting structure and further minimizes rocking motion.

Abstract: A conveyor having a frame, a piston and cylinder unit operable by means of pressure fluid and secured in the frame, a spring assembly for actuation of the piston, a holder mounted on the frame and reciprocable by means of the piston and cylinder unit and carrying a conveyor path for receiving articles. The piston and cylinder unit has inlet and outlet valves and throttle means at the outlet of the outlet valve. A control rod connected to the piston of the piston and cylinder unit is adapted to allow control of the cross-sectional passage area of the throttle means. The control rod has a back-off section which merges into the full diameter of the rod at one end over a long distance and at the other end over a considerably shorter distance. The conveyor permits moving articles by a throwing movement also along a slightly upwardly inclining conveyor path.

Abstract: A note counting device includes cam grooves provided on side plates thereof. A front lid is pivoted to a note storage box for opening or closing a front opening of the box and has projections adapted to engage the cam grooves upon attachment of the box to the note counting device. During movement of the note storage box along guide means of the note counting device, the front lid is first unlocked and the projections are then displaced by the cam grooves to swing the front lid about the pivot to an opened position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus permitting accurate and repeatable steps of location and alignment of flimsy sheets during their transfer. A preferred embodiment comprises a sheet handler and method for aligning unfired ceramic green sheets used in multi-layer ceramic semiconductor packages. The thin flexible sheets are square or rectangular in shape and are provided with holes accurately punched in each corner thereof for alignment purposes. The sheets are moved by a vacuum input transfer head into orientation with a porous registration surface of an alignment fixture. The sheet is then trapped between opposed pressure zones emanating from the input transfer head and through the porous registration surface, respectively. With the sheet stabilized between the pressure zones four bullet-nosed alignment pins are raised from the registration surface into contact with the holes in the corners of the green sheet, thereby accurately aligning the sheet with respect to the alignment fixture.

Abstract: This invention relates to article casing and uncasing apparatus and especially to a mounting bar and gripper jaw assembly used for article engaging and transport action and including a bar adapted to extend transversely of a longitudinal axis of the apparatus and engage a driving means for movement through a fixed course and a plurality of gripper jaws are carried by each mounting bar. A pair of positioning members and connecting means therefor are provided for each gripper jaw means and the mounting bar operatively engages such members and positions them on opposite sides of a portion of the gripper jaw means with a connecting shaft extending therebetween. The mounting or carrier bar has an entrance and release opening in a bottom lateral portion thereof for such pair of members to permit engagement and disengagement of the gripper jaw means in relation to the mounting bar.

Abstract: The invention provides a bucket-conveyor device suitable for emptying bulk materials from a ship's hold, comprising an endless chain conveyor having buckets fixed to spaced links which are emptied as the buckets pass over an upper return pulley. In order to control the direction of emptying of the buckets and thereby minimize spillage of the bulk material, discharge chutes are pivotally articulated to the upper return pulley at intervals corresponding to the spacing of the buckets.

Abstract: Stacks of flat items, such as cookies, are formed by conveying the items in successive pockets along a conveying path and moving vertical rod assemblies parallel to the conveying path but at a different speed from the pockets so as to cause the rods to engage items in each pocket and push them onto items in an adjacent pocket, whereby each rod assembly forms a stack of progressively increasing height as the pockets and rod assemblies travel along a common path.

Abstract: A load bearing pendant system of the type commonly used in conjunction with an overhead conveyor system. The disclosed pendant system is adjustable to operate in either of two distinct modes. A first mode of operation provides for continuous rotation of a work piece being linearly displaced along a conveyor line. A second mode of operation provides for indexed rotation at various predetermined spacial intervals along the line. Conversion from operation in either mode to the other is accomplished by threaded securement or removal, thereby avoiding the otherwise necessary capital investment in two separate sets of pendant systems directed to each mode. The load bearing pendant system includes a hanger assembly upon which objects are releasably mounted. The hanger assembly is linearly driven in a predetermined direction along the conveyor system. A hanger drive mechanism which is connected to both the hanger assembly and the conveyor system either rotates or provides for indexing of the hanger assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying a sheetlike original to be copied through the exposure section of a copying machine and back again when multiple copies are desired includes an original return means having at least two sets original sheet gripping and conveying elements which have been mounted in a common supporting element which can be displaced cyclically to a number of positions, whereby, in each position of the supporting element and with the return means activated, one set occupies a position located in the path of movement of an original leaving the exposure section, and another set occupies a second position located in the path of movement joining the entry to the exposure section.

Abstract: A device for removing a film sheet from a stack of such sheets present in a cassette. The device comprises a pin that can be moved into engagement with the uppermost film sheet of the stack in a marginal area thereof, and thereafter is moved in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of said sheet, whereby said sheet is bulged and thus made ready for engagement by means for removing it from the stack.

Abstract: A transport hook for suspending and supporting a sheet metal article from an elevated conveyor chain that includes a base member having a pair of jaw members connected thereto. A spring extends between the jaw members for normally maintaining the latter in an open position and one of the jaw members is formed with a support portion that is adapted to have the article mounted thereon so as to cause the weight of the article to draw the jaw members into clamping engagement with the article against the bias of the spring.

Abstract: A quick connect-disconnect coupling assembly detachably connecting the inner core member of a composite type conveyor roll to its mounting. The coupling assembly includes a tubular drive extension, a first coupling section rigidly secured to the core member and a second coupling section mounted within the drive extension.

Abstract: In a cigarette packing machine a pusher device for the ejection of cigarette groups formed in a composition chamber from the said composition chamber into a receiving pocket comprises a first continuous endless conveyor provided with pushers mounted thereon, said pushers sequentially engaging the said composition chamber in the direction of the axis of the cigarettes and thus ejecting from the said chamber the formed cigarette group. Each pusher is carried by a supporting rod which is telescopically slidable in a tubular carrier element rotatably mounted on said first conveyor and the telescopically slidable supporting rod is connected through a crank linkage to a second endless conveyor parallel to the said first conveyor, while the tubular carrier element is mounted on a pin rotatable on a support provided on the first conveyor and is connected through another crank linkage a third endless conveyor parallel to the first conveyor.

Abstract: Sheet feeding device and method for feeding sheets of two different regular lengths, comprising a sheet length detector for automatically sensing the length of the next sheet in the sheet-supply station of the device, prior to movement of said sheet and conveying this information to the logic system which controls the operation of the machine. The detector is attached to the machine for automatic movement into the sheet-supply station, which is normal operating position, and for automatic withdrawal out of the sheet-supply station to provide easy access to the sheet-supply station for the insertion of new sheet stacks and to prevent damage to the sensitive detector during the insertion of such sheet stacks.