Abstract: A high throughput sorting device is disclosed. The device includes a first sorter and a second sorter, each of the first and second sorters having a plurality of cells each configured to support, carry, and deposit an item. The device can also include at least one shared chute extending below a portion of the first sorter and a portion of the second sorter. The at least one chute can be configured to receive an item deposited by each of the plurality of cells and transport the item to an endpoint. The device can also include a base configured to support the at least one shared chute and the first and second sorters.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for transporting objects and in particular containers and/or liquid containers with a first conveyor device which is arranged at least temporarily below the objects to be conveyed and which conveys the objects, wherein the conveyor device includes a point device, and a feed section which conveys the objects to the point device, and wherein the objects are selectively conveyable along at least a first discharge section and a second discharge section by the point device, wherein the feed section extends substantially rectilinearly and wherein the first discharge section follows the feed section in a rectilinear manner and the second discharge section deviates from the rectilinear course of the feed section, and wherein the apparatus includes a selection tool for selectively conveying the objects onto the first discharge section or the second discharge section.

Abstract: An apparatus serves to provide individual products of a plurality of orders at a packing station of an overhead conveyor installation in an order-related manner. The apparatus has a conveyor track with a conveyor system for conveying the individual products in a suspended manner, an unloading station for unloading the individual products, a feed opening for feeding the individual products, and a discharge opening connected to said feed opening in a conveying manner, the discharge opening being configured to provide individual products of a first order at the packing station, and a parking area for parking individual products of a second order at the packing station.

Abstract: A concrete accessory for use with a ready mix chute comprises a funnel shaped hopper. The hopper has a wide upper opening of a size corresponding to that of a ready mix chute and tapering to a narrow lower opening. The hopper has a seamless inner surface and a pair of hollow aligned receptacles on opposite sides of the hopper and extending outwardly therefrom proximate the upper opening. An elongate rod has a length greater than the spacing between the aligned hollow receptacles to be received therein. A hanger assembly removably attaches the rod to a ready mix chute, in use, to support the hopper below the chute.

Abstract: A bucket elevator adjustable guide system for efficiently dispensing grain from a bucket elevator with reduced grain dispersion. The bucket elevator adjustable guide system generally includes a head housing for a bucket elevator and a guide member attached to a lower portion of the head housing. The guide member is distally spaced from the head housing forming a lower vent and an upper vent between the exterior surface of the guide member and the head housing for air to pass through thereby preventing the accumulation of particulate material.

Abstract: A bucket elevator adjustable guide system for efficiently dispensing grain from a bucket elevator with reduced grain dispersion. The bucket elevator adjustable guide system generally includes a head housing for a bucket elevator and a guide member attached to a lower portion of the head housing. The guide member is distally spaced from the head housing forming a lower vent and an upper vent between the exterior surface of the guide member and the head housing for air to pass through thereby preventing the accumulation of particulate material.

Abstract: A conveying system for distributing material into any bin in a horizontal array of storage bins comprises a circular guide positioned over the array of bins (24), a linear guide (22) that rotates along the circular guide, and a conveyor (30) that is supported by the linear guide. By rotating the linear guide and attached conveyor along the circular guide and by shuttling the conveyor linearly, the conveyor has an infinite number of discharge points to fill any one of the underlying array of bins.

Abstract: A self propelled vehicle for transport and placement of an onboard supply of fill material in an onboard hopper. The hopper is connected to said vehicle at a point operatively positioned to discharge fill material placed therein on a conveyor belt mounted to a support structure. The fill material is deposited on the conveyor at a receiving and discharged at the distal end of the conveyor either directly or via a flow director attached to the distal end attached thereto. The flow director bifurcates the stream of fill material allowing the operator to place more or less of the fill in two streams using a plurality of independently adjustable channeling ramps. The hopper is optionally adjustable from an angle normal to the vehicle to allow for adjustment in the vehicle center of gravity on grades. The flow director can also be configured for attachment to existing conveyors to increase their utility or used as part of the entire self propelled device in a single unit.

Abstract: A self propelled vehicle for transport and placement of an onboard supply of fill material in an onboard hopper. The hopper is connected to said vehicle at a point operatively positioned to discharge fill material placed therein on a conveyor belt mounted to a support structure. At the distal end of the conveyor where the material is discharged a flow director is operatively attached to the support structure to receive the flow of fill material carried by said conveyor from the hopper. The flow director bifurcates the stream of fill material allowing the operator to place more or less of the fill in two streams using a plurality of independently adjustable channeling ramps. The hopper is optionally adjustable from an angle normal to the vehicle to allow for adjustment in the vehicle center of gravity on grades. The flow director can also be configured for attachment to existing conveyors to increase their utility or used as part of the entire self propelled device in a single unit.

Abstract: An impeller is for separating a conveyed stream of material. The impeller has a central rotatable hub with a plurality of blades extending radially therefrom. The hub and blades form a number of generally wedge-shaped material receiving spaces within the impeller. One set of spaces has a baffle arrangement which is configured to direct material in this set outwardly from the impeller on the upstream side of the baffle arrangement. Another set of spaces has a guide arrangement which is configured to guide the material in this set of spaces outwardly from the impeller on the downstream side of the baffle arrangement. The impeller is particularly useful for separating streams of particulates, such as wood chips, compressed shavings, or the like.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for desegregating and conveying aggregate. A drag slat conveyor has a notch in the floor of its discharge end which causes larger aggregate at the lateral edges of the conveyor to drop out of the conveyor after smaller aggregate located between the lateral edges. The larger and smaller aggregate are thereby reoriented from a side-by-side lateral orientation to a longitudinal orientation. The longitudinally oriented segregated aggregate may then be thoroughly desegregated in a second conveyor.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a food service facility for drive-up and walk-up patronage, to a method for food preparation, to a retractable menu, and to a drink dispenser and service module. The food service facility comprises base level and second level housings, readily set up and removed from a site. The food preparation method is primarily directed to pizza preparation, the pizza being incompletely cooked and stored, and then rapidly cooked to completion to provide fast food service time to patrons.

Abstract: A conveyorized sorting and distribution system for the handling of packages of documents or other items includes an infeed conveyor in tandem with an inclined conveyor and a plurality of vertically adjustable conveyor divider plates positioned above the infeed and inclined conveyors to divide the conveying surfaces into a plurality of individual sorting lanes. The infeed and inclined conveyor belts have a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein which may be created by and are aligned with the divider plates which extend into said grooves. A conveyor end divider transition section positioned at the end of the inclined conveyor enables the conveyed materials to flow by means by gravity to a distribution transition section that includes a chute for each lane of conveyed materials. The distribution transition section provides for the optimum conveying angle for gravity flow of the conveyed materials and also provides the necessary direction changes to distribute the materials to the desired discharge chute.

Abstract: An apparatus for delivering concrete to two spaced deposition points having a funnel-shaped hopper with a pair of outlets in the bottom which deposit concrete on conveyors. An inclined chute feeds concrete to the inner conical wall of the hopper as the chute rotates to minimize segregation of the concrete. Each outlet has a gate to control flow of the concrete to the conveyor beneath.To divert concrete from the hopper a side discharge chute is pivotally mounted in the conical wall of the hopper and can be tilted to receive concrete discharged from the inclined chute.

Abstract: In a developing station functioning on the principle of cross-blending in an electrophotographic printing device, two mixing screws running in opposite directions are arranged at a distance from one another. The first mixing screw is situated in a mixing trough provided with a plurality of oblique slots and comprises two mixing strips in the delivery region of the developer mix which are offset by 180.degree. and which neighbor one another. A scraper strip having an actual scraping region and scraping teeth is situated above the two mixing screws. A metering baffle is arranged at an angle relative to this scraper strip, this metering baffle extending through the teeth of the scraper strip and including baffles at its lower end for controlling the flow of the developer mix.

Abstract: An elongated stockpile of flowable solid material with two halves disposed at the opposite sides of a longitudinal vertical symmetry plane is accumulated by transporting the material feeding portion of an elongated conveyor in the interior and lengthwise of the upper slope of a mansard-shaped shed together with a manifold having two ducts which receive flowable material from the feeding portion and flank the conveyor. The ducts discharge material onto two discrete transverse conveyors which are shiftable so that their discharge ends move nearer to or further away from the symmetry plane. The transverse conveyors are movable with the manifold lengthwise of the upper slope and are mounted on a gauntry which travels along rails. The transverse conveyors discharge streams of flowable material which forms elongated piles, first on the floor and thereupon on the layer of flowable material which is formed by the piles covering the floor at both sides of the symmetry plane.

Abstract: A high speed belt to belt transfer chute useful in handling, without modification or adjustments, material ranging from sticky clay and fine dust to large rocks. The generalized chute is designed either to bend the material flow to the vertical after it has left a leading belt or, conversely, to direct material moving vertically downward into the direction of a following belt. The chute is constructed of individually replaceable, ribbed elements, which may be repositioned and replaced as they wear in order to maintain the same directed, controlled flow of material, while minimizing the replacement cost and downtime.

Abstract: An endless belt conveyor having a pulley at the tail end with slats forming slots therebetween leading to an interior space, the latter leading axially outwardly, and the pulley having end plates with radial vanes leading radially beyond the slats. The conveyor has a casing with telescoping sections that are relatively adjustable to accommodate variations in belt lengths. It also has trougher rolls mounted on the side walls of the casing, leaving the bottom portion of the interior space clear. It also includes an intermediate discharge unit which includes a pair of relatively displaced rolls, on which the upper belt run travels, which throws the grain in a suspended path, and deflector blades interposed in the suspended path which deflect the grain laterally into a discharge chute.

Abstract: A multiple deck screening machine wherein the feed material is divided into separate equal fractions on a rubble screen deck and scalp screen decks. Each deck includes downwardly slanting distribution panels having serrated lower edges. Particulate flow over the serrated edges is divided into separate fractions. Each adjacent fraction passes into a different parallel vertical channel which serves a particular screen deck via a chute. The chutes and channels extend the full width of the screens. Flow across the serrated edges is separated due to the notches and tongues and upstanding dividers along the common edge to each notch and tongues. Each notch and tooth of the rubble screen deck is disposed in juxtaposition to an opposed tongues and notch respectively so that excess flow over a tongues may pass over its channel into the channel of the opposed notch. The rubble screen deck including a pair of downwardly and inwardly inclined distribution panels which oppose each other and define a flow gap therebetween.

Abstract: A plant consisting of modular elements for reducing organic wastes by degrading them by means of earth worms, comprising a tank for organic wastes, arranged outside the plant assembly, an inclined main screw feeder for lifting the materials onto work stations and discharging them onto horizontal screw-feeders arranged at any work station, the horizontal feeders conveying the materials to horizontal conveyers which discharge them into modular containers arranged on the work stations, whereby, at the end of the transformation, the material is discharged through hoppers onto conveyors arranged at the plant base and conveyed to storage containers.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process and a device for the distribution of a conveyed flow, such as particles for the preparation of chipboard, fiberboard, or the like, by means of a separation of the conveyed flow into two partial flows. The distribution is continuous and uniform and provided, for example, by a distributing device which may have a variable insertion into the flow stream. The distributing device may have a separating plate with an active edge having regularly-spaced tongues and slots. A dividing plate having chutes of variable width extending through it can be used to vary the ratio of particles separated in the two directions. Baffled rollers may be used to ultimately guide the separated streams. The separation may also be accomplished by chambered rollers rotating in opposite directions.

Abstract: A horizontal filler comprising a rotating turret supporting open-top containers and mounting a turntable for receiving a falling stream of particulate material is provided with tiltable trays on said turntable disposed to collect individual divided amounts of material from said stream for discharge gradually and individually into respective ones of said containers.

Abstract: A tobacco feeding system for feeding tobacco from a source thereof to a plurality of individual cigarette-making machines includes a tobacco distribution system for the distribution of source tobacco sequentially to a plurality of tobacco reservoirs and a tobacco metering system associated with each reservoir for feed of tobacco to the machine feeds. The system avoids the necessity to recycle tobacco to the source and hence minimizes tobacco degradation.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in sorting a succession of articles which are moving along a path, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of receiving devices arrangeable to move adjacent to the succession of articles travelling along the path, so that over at least a part of the path each article moves in unison with one of the receiving devices; means for transferring each article to a receiving device as it moves in unison with the article, and a plurality of delivery stations past which the receiving devices travel, each receiving device being operable to feed an article which it has received to any one of the delivery stations as the receiving device passes the delivery station.

Abstract: The moving parts of a tobacco cutting machine and the conveyor or conveyors which transfer tobacco to the cutting machine are driven by a variable speed motor whose speed is regulated in dependency on the volume of tobacco in a duct from which the conveyor or conveyors draw or receive tobacco for transfer into the machine. The height of the pile of tobacco in the duct is monitored by photoelectric cells which transmit signals to a speed regulator for the motor so that the speed of the motor increases and decreases when the height of the pile respectively increases and decreases. The duct receives tobacco at a constant rate from a metering unit. Fluctuations of the height of tobacco pile in the duct are due to changes in size, moisture content and/or temperature of tobacco which is being supplied by the metering unit. The latter can supply tobacco to the ducts of two or more discrete cutting machines and then includes a distributor which feeds tobacco to all ducts at an equal rate.

Abstract: An apparatus for collection of articles at the discharge ends of article sorting machines, particularly a plurality of sorting machines that are arranged one above the other in elevation, and where it is desired to collect articles discharged by the multiple sorting machines at common collection points without causing damage to the articles.

Abstract: A lateral discharge chute is located to receive various sized parcels from a tilt tray conveyor with sidewalls which direct the parcels onto a runout conveyor. The discharge chute includes an inclined base wall with the upper edge located immediately adjacent to the conveyor and an upstream wall which curves downwardly to a lateral discharge portion to provide a gradually changing guide surface. A downstream sidewall of the chute is formed with an incline in the direction of travel such that the engagement of the sidewall by the load tends to cause the leading end to ride up on the wall rather than jamming between the upstream and downstream walls. The downstream portion of the base wall is provided with a pair of raised plateaus with interconnecting turning walls between the plateaus and between the base and the first plateau. The turning walls are inclined in the direction of the load movement and are further angularly oriented from the conveyor in the direction of conveyor movement.

Abstract: A mechanical part feeder in which an endless conveyor elevates parts retained in pockets provided by slightly inclined transverse strips extending between endless chains and guided to incline forwardly so as to cause the strips to tilt and release the parts. These parts fall on an inclined platform over which they advance onto a plurality of separated tracks. A pivoted shelf is provided on the edge of the platform to yield if any parts extend beyond the inclined strips to avoid jamming.